Celebrating National Marriage Week USA

February 7-14 has been designated as National Marriage Week USA. Kind of a nice reminder around Valentine's Day that there is still something very special about two people who are completely committed to each other. (Cue string music and pictures of roses, a sunset and a couple gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.)

Marriage is more than the emotions, whether they be positive or negative. Marriage is also something we DO together. If done with a healthy relationship in mind, the efforts usually deepen and strengthen the bond.

Ronda and I have made some commitments to each other in order to ensure a healthy marriage. After all, we need to be practicing what we're preaching as we lead Marriage Resource Center!

• Daily: Coffee, RINGS chat and prayer together to start our day. The RINGS chat is an acrostic for Real (what we're really feeling physically, spiritually, emotionally), Intentions (plans for the day), Needs (what we need from each other), Grateful (what we appreciate about the other) and Someday (what we're looking forward to).
• Weekly: A special date, usually Friday evenings. A "stuff huddle" on Sunday morning where we review three items: 10 questions we've composed to keep us accountable to New Year's resolutions, our calendar/schedule for the next 2 weeks, and a household financial update. Our weekly QCQ (Questions, Calandar, Quicken) keeps us on track for the commitments we've made to and on behalf of each other.
• Quarterly: A 2-3 day getaway or retreat. All work and family stuff left behind. We've enjoyed renting a cabin at Buck Creek State Park, bicycling from a bed and breakfast in Xenia, staying in a friend's wooded cabin in Hocking Hills. Nature and quietness are the themes that most help us refresh together.
• Annually: A retreat in November to review the past year and plan for the upcoming year has become a valuable ritual for us. Also, on our anniversary in late December we spend the day together at Barnes and Noble, pick a good movie to watch in a theatre followed by dinner at a good restaurant.

No doubt you as a couple have a number of things you DO together to maintain your sense of commitment and connection. If so, please leave some comments here so that others might benefit. If not, feel free to borrow some ideas from our playbook or ones that show up in comments.

Take some time during this week to build or reinforce some healthy marriage rituals. It's never a bad idea to try some good ideas -- if you both agree.

Read 2/2/10 News-Sun article on dipping marriage rates in Clark, Champaign counties, Ohio. http://ping.fm/IurFN

Marriage Fitness in 2010

(Article submitted to Xenia-Gazette)

Many people start the New Year with ambitious resolutions. "I'm going to lose 40 pounds this year." "I'm going to watch less television." "I'm going to save for a Caribbean cruise." There is nothing like starting with a fresh pad of time and a bit of optimism to envision a more positive year than the one just ended.

A pastor friend, Grant Edwards, has observed that many well-intentioned resolutions are external in nature. They focus on that which is visible to others and that brings a sense of outer fulfillment. But what about the inside? Is it possible to look good on the outside but to have an embarrassing mess on the inside?

Jesus observed this flaw in the Pharisees when he said: "You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean." (Matthew 23: 25-26)

Through the mechanism of appearance management we can present a positive front--that which looks good, but with a bit of probing and looking deeper, there is no continuity between inner and outer.

We observe this with many marriage relationships. Couples who appear to have it together surprise us with statements like, "If you only knew what we were like when no one is looking." Sounds like the script for a Dateline murder mystery!

As Valentine's Day and National Marriage Week approach this February, how about taking a truthful and realistic look at the inner workings of your marriage or relationship? This is possible through an online tool, The Couple Checkup. For $29.95 (the cost of an oil change) you can select and complete one of three versions at http://www.couplecheckup.com/: dating, engaged or married. Much like a thorough physical exam, you will receive a detailed report that highlights your strengths and growth edges in a dozen or so categories.

How about a resolution that addresses marriage fitness in 2010? Start with The Couple Checkup and then commit to developing habits that remedy relational growth edges. Work on inner virtues like love, respect, patience, gentleness, listening and serving. If your Couple Checkup reveals serious deficits, seek out resources such as marriage classes, workshops, retreats, mentoring, coaching or counseling.

So your marriage is already healthy? What can you commit to in order to sustain and increase marriage health? Each year Ronda and I set objectives and goals that help us experience marriage health and vibrancy. We have learned that marriage fitness--like physical fitness--doesn't just happen. We have to work at it and hold each other accountable, even after 31 years.

Would you like for your marriage or relationship to be healthier by this time next year? Include a reasonable resolution that will enrich and deepen your marriage--from the inside out.

Lessons from Johnny Lingo and the 8-Cow Wife

(Article submitted to Xenia-Gazette)

One of my all time favorite short stories is “Johnny Lingo and the 8-Cow Wife”. The title sounds a bit demeaning, I know, but the punch-line at the end of the story transcends all negative connotations.

The story involves a puzzling and mysterious bridal transaction by Johnny Lingo for Sarita, a very plain-looking, backward young woman that probably wouldn’t bring a dowry of one cow, let alone eight! Even though Johnny was a master fisherman and business expert, everyone on the South Pacific island of Kiniwata thought he lost big-time when he brought eight cows to Sarita’s father and asked for her hand in marriage. Most brides only brought two, or at most, three cows.



What would motivate someone to “overpay” to such an extreme? Was he arrogant? Was he deluded? Was he blind? This is the mystery behind this little story. So that you can enjoy it for yourself, I will not steal your delight by spilling the punch-line. A link toward the end of this article will allow you enjoy the entire 10 minute story yourself.

I will provide a hint that “Johnny Lingo and the 8-Cow Wife” is a creative example of investing in marriage. Too many couples stop investing after several years, and then wonder where all the sizzle went. Instead of seeing their marriage as a valuable treasure, they come to perceive it as a burden, a mountain or worse—a curse.

A healthy marriage is one of the most valuable “possessions” one can acquire. Yet, it does not become healthy automatically; like a garden, much investment of time, energy and sacrifice is required. Value is added when we sacrificially invest in this most basic, foundational and potentially fulfilling of all relationships.

A recent public service campaign entitled “What have you done for your marriage today?” features “on-the-street” responses to this question. Some individuals and couples respond quickly by sharing of a small act of kindness done for their partner. Others seem to get a “deer in the headlights” look, as if you had just asked them about aliens living in their neighborhood!

I would always like to have a positive answer for anyone who asks me, “Lavern, what you done for your marriage today?” Typically, I could respond with a smile and say, “I made coffee for Ronda” or “I gave Ronda five reasons why I would marry her again” or “I asked Ronda if there is anything she needs from me today”.

Failure to invest in one’s marriage should not lead to surprise in its devaluation. No investment, no gain.

So, are you wondering about Johnny Lingo and why he paid eight cows for a rather non-descript damsel? If you would like to enjoy this memorable 10 minute story, here is the link: http://www.alivewithlove.com/fun/heartwarming/johnnylingo.html.

But please go beyond the story. Be sure to reflect on some new ways to invest in and add value to your own marriage. After all, if you want an 8-cow marriage . . .

Reflections on becoming a grandpa

Our first grandchild is due June 4, 2010. Just learned of this from our daughter, Kristen, and son-in-law, Kevin, within the past two weeks. Beyond the excitement (and apprehensions) of seeing our own children entering the stage of parenting, I observe a sense of continuity and wonder: "What kind of legacy will Ronda and I leave in our descendants?" What trends, habits, life patterns and values will they become known for?

It has been said that the true test of parenting is not how your OWN CHILDREN turn out; it is how your GRANDCHILDREN turn out. Not that I am going to sit around worrying or fretting about this. But I do take pause and evaluate how well we have prepared our own children to parent the next generation. Hopefully they will succeed in spite of our own shortcomings.

From left: Josh (our son), Lyndsey (his wife), Lavern & Ronda, Jessica (our daughter), Kristen (our daughter) and Kevin (her husband)

Preventing defeat by calling a timeout

(Article submitted to Xenia-Gazette)

You know what a “timeout” is, right? Sports teams call them to stop the clock, to regroup, to interrupt their opponents’ momentum, to clarify strategy or to just catch their breath.

As an athlete and occasional coach myself, I have appreciated the value of timeouts. Amazing how helpful a break in the action can be, sometimes spelling the difference between victory or defeat.

Speaking of defeat, how many couples or family members could benefit from “calling timeout” in the midst of a heated conflict? How effective is it to keep going at each other when both partners are obviously in their emotional brain? The same questions are relative for any setting where conflicts can get out of hand, such as work, church, groups or teams.

Many Proverbs address the value of emotional de-escalation. For example, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (15:1). “Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger” (29:8). “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control” (29:11). “An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins” (29:22).

The New Testament also emphasizes the need for controlling anger. “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:26, 27). “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips” (Colossians 3:8). “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing” (I Timothy 2:8).

So how do these clear exhortations relate to taking a “timeout”? The purpose is to give our “emotional brain” time to cool down so that our “thinking brain” can become productive again. The fact is, we do and say things when angry and emotionally stirred up that we later regret and wish we could reverse. Here are several practical tips on taking a timeout:

Call a timeout when . . . 1) conflict has escalated to yelling, interrupting or belittling, 2) you are aware of significantly increased heart rate or breathing rate, or 3) you feel like screaming, hitting or damaging something.

Call a timeout by . . . 1) saying “I need a timeout to calm down and collect my thoughts”; avoid saying “YOU need a timeout!”, 2) suggesting a time to re-connect (30 minutes to an hour); don’t just leave without saying when you’ll return, and 3) spending time in an activity that helps you calm down (such as journaling, listening to music, running, etc.).

The definition of insanity, according to Albert Einstein, is “doing the same thing again and again while expecting different results”. Sanity would be trying a new approach . . . like calling a timeout when emotions have run over the banks of rationality and self-control.

So, you know what a timeout is, right? Calling one at the right time might help you prevent defeat.

Five year anniversary of key marriage document

(Submitted as press release to Springfield News Sun and The Springfield Paper)

On September 17, 2004 forty-seven religious leaders signed a Community Marriage Policy at Elderly United to “raise the standard” of marriage.

The number of Clark County signers is now approximately 140, with an additional 50 or so each in adjoining Greene and Champaign Counties.

Pastor John Essig of Fellowship Christian Church in Springfield, an original signer, writes: “It is hard to calculate all the benefits from 5 Years of CMP. One thing is sure, that we are far better with it. My hope is that we invest again as we build for another 5 years of CMP cooperation.”

CMP signers pledged to encourage a one year courtship, provide premarital preparation for 4 to 6 months and raise up marriage mentor couples to provide mentoring for all stages of marriage.

Lavern Nissley, Executive Director of Marriage Resource Center, sees the CMP as crucial for ongoing marriage stability: “We estimate that some 700 marriage failures didn’t happen as a result of this collaboration.”

The original CMP with signatures is displayed at Marriage Resource Center of Miami Valley, 616 North Limestone in Springfield. A listing of signers, photos and videos are posted at http://www.marriageresourcecenter.org/.