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Dear CMR,

Some good friends of ours have been having a tough time in their marriage. They are Christians and are considering giving up on the relationship. What can we do to help them keep going?

Signed,

Their Married Friends

Bring them into the conversation!

Technology is becoming more and more integrated into our lives. Email, social media, streaming tv shows, text threads; they can all be good things when managed well! We encourage you to have a conversation with your spouse or your teenager or your child about how to use the technology. "Why do you spend time on social media?" "What is your favorite show?" "Who you do stay in touch with the most?" Then try setting some of these boundaries in your home to make sure technology isn't controlling your interactions!

As the end of my last semester approaches, there are a lot of things I am eager to leave behind: early morning classes, noisy dorm neighbors, the constant flow of homework and extremely long nights of studying. To say goodbye to finals and exams is a dream! But to say goodbye to some of my closest friends…?

Dear CMR,

I am a college sophomore and I've been trying to move my relationship with my parents into an age-appropriate place. I don't live close to them and I am growing and changing in ways they aren't around to see. I still want them in my life but since we don't live close, how do I grow and encourage them to understand that I am changing and evolving?

Signed,

Taking On The World

Have you ever been on the phone when a loud car drives by or construction work starts happening next door? Not only can it be annoying, the noise makes it really difficult to understand the person you are talking with! Did you know there are other types of noise, besides audio noise? Dr. Tim Muehlhoff explains these different types of noise and how they can make it hard to understand someone in a conversation. Do you relate to any of these?

Did you know that some 21 million U.S. adults per year struggle with a mood disorder? Sometimes called the “common cold” of mental health disorders due to their widespread prevalence, depression and anxiety know few bounds when it comes to the type of people who struggle—impacting male and female alike, of all ages, in almost every culture. A spouse or partner who was once approachable and easygoing can become irritable and unhappy, which can erode your connection. What should you do?

Dear CMR,

My wife and I have pretty similar styles of handling our finances and so we don't talk about our money often. Is that a problem? Why should we talk about money if there doesn't seem to be an issue?

Signed,

Financially Free

How often do you talk with your family about spiritual intimacy? What about with your significant other? These conversations can be hard to start, which is why CMR developed 32 Questions to Deeper Spiritual Intimacy. This questionnaire helps open up the conversation about your relationship with God, what has been hard to handle, what has felt disappointing, or what God seems to be doing currently. Try these questions out today!