More than ever I am acutely aware of the importance of marriage. Daily I see the impact of failing marriages with my clients. It’s the wife who is struggling with depression and anxiety because she desperately wants to feel loved by her husband. It’s the husband who is battling sexual addiction because he yearns for
By Ashley McIlwain Work … make dinner … laundry … dishes … work … get groceries … run to the post office … church … coffee with a friend … dinner with friends … work … clean the house … tackle house project … call my family … work … networking breakfast … devotions …
By Ashley McIlwain Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. –Ephesians 4:31-32 If there is one guarantee in relationships, it is that you will
By Ashley McIlwain Marriages are boring, affairs are fun! That’s what the spam email said that was sitting in my inbox staring at me candidly and shamelessly. My heart ached as I saw the words beseeching me to believe their ridiculous claim. Unapologetically this lie dared to even show its ugly face. Unfortunately, I’ve witnessed
By Ashley McIlwain We lock our doors. We install high-tech alarm systems. We fasten our seat belts. We wear helmets. We look both ways before crossing the street. We use anti-virus software. We buy guns. We use antibacterial soap. The truth is, we want to feel safe, so we do everything we can to establish
IMPORTANT UPDATE: As of May 2015 ... There are certain moments in life you know are special. Moments when you close your eyes tightly in an attempt to snap a mental picture that will forever capture every last detail of your surroundings. They are moments that you never want to forget. Recently I had one
By Ashley McIlwain We’ve all heard the saying “divide and conquer.” Quite frankly, that’s how most of us survive our days, right? You have your responsibilities and tasks to handle, and your spouse has his or hers. That’s how you manage to keep the boat afloat. That’s how my husband and I operate too, but
By Ashley McIlwain As I get older, I’m realizing that life seems to only get busier and busier. The list of to dos grows longer and longer no matter how many things I cross off. Like a ball of snow down a steep mountain, the pressures of life grow bigger and bigger while gaining momentum,
By Ashley McIlwain Communication. We are all communicating all of the time. Whether with words, body language, sound effects, or the lack thereof, we are constantly communicating something to those around us. Communication can build relationships or they can destroy relationships depending on how we communicate, what we communicate, and our willingness to communicate. Communication
By Ashley McIlwain If there is one thing I can guarantee you about your marriage, it is that your spouse will hurt you. You read that right. Your spouse will inevitably hurt, disappoint, frustrate, and anger you at some point in time during the course of your marriage. The reverse is true as well. You
