You’re Both So Different? That Could Be What Makes Your Marriage Work
After 21 years, I sometimes look at my wife Merryn and wonder how our marriage works. I’m a writer and speaker, Merryn is a statistician. I work with words, she works with numbers. I want beauty, she wants function. And that’s only the start of our differences! Here’s what’s helped us stick together…
Let’s Recover Friendship as a Holy Calling
Friends: they celebrate our birthdays, pop a cork over our new jobs, become bridesmaids and best men at our weddings. But fewer of us seem to have them. In the UK, a recent YouGov survey found that more than 1-in-10 Britons have no close friends and a further 1-in-10 have no friends at all. In the US, 35 percent
Time to Rethink Our Attitude to Singleness
More and more of us are single. In the United Kingdom, over a third of the adult population of England and Wales are single, more than half of 25–44 year olds, and singleness is increasing in every age group with 50–64 year olds growing the fastest. Some embrace the single life with joy, others don't,
The Hand That Spins the Galaxies Wants You Here. Introducing The Creed
One autumn morning not long ago, I walked to an Oxford cafe, took a window table, and pulled out my journal. I wanted to craft a statement - a creed of sorts - that would pull together what I'd learned while writing my new book The Making of Us. Something that captured what matters most in
Need Better Friendships? Here Are Four Things That Make Them Rich
'Who can you call in the middle of the night when everything has gone wrong?" When I first heard this question some years ago it shook me to the core. I didn't have an answer. Even recently, I've found myself in need of deeper friendships. So I did some thinking and came up with a
To Help a Friend with Depression, Here’s the Best Thing You Can Do
When I was asked to speak on mental health for BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought segment, I consulted my brilliant Facebook community. They shared deeply and with insight on just how we can be more accepting of those who suffer this way. The starting point? See people as bigger than their illness
054 Overcoming the 4 Forces That Destroy Relationships
When people ask me what personal discoveries I made reading the Sermon on the Mount every day for a month (then two months, then three), I mention the fact this famous speech is ultimately about resilience, that praying the Lord's Prayer can be a powerful daily exercise, and that I was surprised how practical his
Introducing My New Book Project: Resilient!
I’m excited! Very excited in fact. Today dear friends I announce to you my next book project called 'Resilient: Your Invitation to a Jesus-Shaped Life'. It’s all about developing inner strength to weather life’s storms and flourish. The book releases worldwide on Wednesday October 21. There’ll be a short film series too, plus some free
041 The 5 Love Languages with Gary Chapman
I recently went to Australia to be with my mother as she started chemotherapy. I went on that trip hoping to provide some practical help, and I did. But my mother really wanted something else. As you'll hear in this interview with Dr Gary Chapman, the reason why is love languages. And they affect more
Searching for Love? Look Beyond the Sexy Abs & Stilettos
Scan the magazine racks at the checkout today. Look at their endless tales of who has found love, lost love, gambled love, become too fat for love. In the glossies love is defined as desire, attraction and thrill alone—all sexy abs and stilettos. But there is another kind of love. It's one I have seen