Articles by “Chris Grace”

When you haven't had a model for what a healthy relationship looks like, where do you turn? We talk with Mike and Stephanie Anderson as they describe their story. Growing up in a home without a solid model of marriage, Mike had doubts about marriage being worth investing in. Where he learned to appreciate marriage may surprise you!

When a person wants to change something about their life, how should they be motivated? Often, fear motivates a person to try to change their behavior or cover their actions so no one sees it. What would acceptance and love do for that person? In this podcast episode, we continue our conversation with Karrie Garcia the work she has done with addicts or those tempted with adultery or those caught in shame. 

Dear CMR, 

My spouse has a co-worker that is overly friendly and it is creating fears, doubts and insecurities in me. I feel my spouse is not seeing the possible danger, and is even off-putting to my concerns. I fear there are unhealthy boundaries and just worry about a “slip-up,” or that they are missing the beginning of an emotional affair. Any help would be great.

Signed, 

Concerned and Curious

Karrie Garcia has lived a life of extreme moments. Raised as the daughter of a pastor, she began drinking at age 13, was addicted to meth at age 14 and continued to use the drug until age 19. On this podcast episode, she shares why she didn't and how God showed up to restore the life she had built. 

"If you're not fighting in a relationship, then someone's lying. Someone's not telling the truth because you're taking a passive stance...There is a huge difference between selflessness and passivity. A lot of times in the name of selflessness, we're just like 'Well, I'm not going to bring it up. I'm not going to say what I need. I'm not going to talk through this.' That's not selflessness, that's conflict avoiding." 

Today we continue the conversation with author Debra Fileta on how intentionally couples need to continually choose marriage rather than choosing to focus on personal happiness.

First dates, love notes, romance, there are so many different approaches to how it should be done. Christians are often told to avoid the hookup culture that is so common today, but beyond that, what should they do?

"We're talking about gritty, person to person intimacy of two people who know each other better than anyone else on the planet, and they still remain committed and in love with one another."

Dennis Rainey had a vision to help equip engaged and newly married couples around him. He felt the need struggling relationships had for tools and felt God call him to help mentor them. Fast forward 40 years and FamilyLife Conferences have reached hundreds of thousands of couples who want to set a strong foundation for their relationship. We got to talk about how marriage is changing and struggles that many couples find themselves in. 

Dear CMR,

Do you have any advice on how to share your sexual history with someone you’re dating? It’s a really tough subject to bring up.

Signed,

Wanting To Tell Him