My MARRIAGE BLOG is finally under way

I've been considering starting a blog for sometime and I'm finally getting down to it. I'll be posting articles related to making marriages work well. It will include reviews of books and links to marriage related topics. Suggestions welcomed.

I think I'm somewhat qualified to speak to the issue. I've been married to the love of my life for over 35 years and counseled hundreds of couples for premarriage and marriage issues. During my tenure as pastor for over 20 years I've counseled couples from within our church, referrals from fellow clergymen and from the community at large. Few things surprise me anymore when it comes to behavior issues in marriage.

Last year my wife Anne and I decided to leave the pastorate and devote our time and energies to full time counseling and marriage seminars. We counsel together as a team. We conduct marriage seminars using skits, lecture and lots of laughter to give couples the necessary tools to build a great marriage.

The topics we explore include and learn

• the fascinating world of gender differences and how understanding them removes a major source of marital conflict;
  
• how to understand and love personality differences and build on each others strengths;
• how to set boundaries in relationships so hurtful behavior can be eliminated and the relationship be protected;
  
• how to show love and respect to each other and how to bring closure when past events are brought up again;
  
• how each spouse wants to be loved and how to meet that love need
  
• activities that can be done on a regular basis to strengthen the love relationship.

If you would like to have us conduct a conference in your church or organization please contact us for more information.

John and Anne Neufeld have a counseling practice specializing in marriage and premarriage issues. They also conduct marriage seminars for churches and groups across the country. Do you have topics you’d like to see addressed in this column? Email them and they will try to address them in future articles. They can be reached at focused44@shaw.ca or 204-326-4263