5 ways to keep your sanity when your kids are young

Last updated on: June 22, 2015 at 7:50 pm By Dave Willis

My wife Ashley and I just got back from a family vacation with our four young sons. We love our kids more than anything, but braving planes, trains and automobiles (and theme parks) with young kids will bring anyone to the brink of insanity. Now that my mind is slowly recovering from the crazy (but also very fun) trip, I’ve been thinking about the necessities every married couple needs to keep their sanity in the beautiful-but-hectic years of raising young kids.... Read more

4 lessons I learned about parenting at Disney World

Last updated on: June 22, 2015 at 11:11 am By Dave Willis

My family just got home from a trip to Disney World. This picture from The Magic Kingdom is of my wife Ashley, our four young sons and my amazing parents who were brave enough to make the journey with us and help us keep track of the kids. As you can see from the picture, we wore bright, matching tee shirts which might seem tacky, but they actually helped us keep track of each other quite a bit in the crowded parks.... Read more

4 Things Every Military Marriage Needs

Last updated on: June 14, 2015 at 9:33 pm By Guest Contributor

Military marriages take extra effort to succeed due to the demands of deployments, frequent relocations, constant separations and the overall demands of military life. Here are some tips! Read more

How (and when) to teach kids about S-E-X

Last updated on: June 12, 2015 at 12:44 pm By Dave Willis

Not long ago, my seven-year-old son picked up a Maxim Magazine at the barber shop and his eyes quickly bulged out of his head as he flipped through the pages filled with bikini-clad young ladies. My wife Ashley quickly noticed and put the magazine back telling him it’s not polite to stare at ladies’ bodies. A few minutes went by and she noticed he was staring at a “Field and Stream” magazine with the same intensity he’d had with the... Read more

God’s message to those with messy kids

Last updated on: June 11, 2015 at 10:39 am By Dave Willis

My kids are messy. Seriously. By my estimation, we have an active streak of 1,294 consecutive meals with at least one spilled drink! In less than five minutes, they can storm through a clean kitchen and leave it looking like the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It’s not just our big kids. Our baby is messy too. A few nights ago, we were out to eat any our four-month-old pooped through his clothes and it got all over my clothes. I left... Read more

The 7 types of dysfunctional marriages

Last updated on: December 13, 2015 at 3:34 pm By Dave Willis

My wife, Ashley, and I have interacted with married couples from all over the world. Many of these couples are healthy and thriving, but many others remain stuck in a perpetual state of dysfunction. Some of them have been living in the dysfunction for so long that they don’t even think anything is wrong. It’s remarkable what can start feeling “normal” if it goes on long enough! (more…) Read more

3 truths to remember when tragedy strikes

Last updated on: June 10, 2015 at 11:08 am By Dave Willis

At any given moment, your phone could buzz in your pocket or purse with tragic news that could instantly change your world. This week, a family in our community received one of those heartbreaking phone calls. Their eight-year-old son had been killed in a car accident. I was part of officiating his funeral yesterday afternoon. I’ll never forget the wailing of his mother as they closed the casket and she saw her son’s body for the last time. Please pray... Read more

The most popular BAD marriage advice

Last updated on: December 13, 2015 at 3:45 pm By Dave Willis

This past weekend, I had the privilege of officiating the wedding of two friends from church. At their reception, they had a table where friends and relatives could write their “best marriage advice” and leave it for the newlyweds. I thought it was a great idea and I admired the young couple for tapping into the wisdom of their loved ones and applying it to their own relationship. One of my most popular posts is all about “The Best Marriage Advice... Read more

7 ways to prepare your kids for a healthy marriage

Last updated on: June 14, 2015 at 9:11 pm By Dave Willis

We have four young kids and my wife Ashley and I want to prepare them to be in a healthy marriage someday. We refuse to buy into the flawed modern belief that marriage success rates are just a 50/50 coin toss, so two of our four kids will probably end up divorced. We’ve seen that teaching the right principles early on can greatly enhance a child’s likelihood of a thriving marriage later in life. (more…) Read more

A life-changing parenting principle

Last updated on: June 5, 2015 at 3:07 pm By Dave Willis

Dr. James Dobson once shared a parenting principle that changed the way I looked at parenting. He said, “Rewarded behavior is repeated behavior.” Think about that. It’s simple, but so true. In every part of life, for children and adults too, we tend to repeat those behaviors that bring rewards and affirmations and we tend to stop doing the behaviors that bring negative results. If our kids are screaming to get their way and we “reward” their behavior by giving... Read more