How much of life is lived in the shallows? Suddenly, life becomes deep as a tragedy, a death or even a birth sharpen our awareness. When my interests only go as deep as myself, I am shallow. A deep soul empathizes and sees others. A deep soul lives in awareness of who others are in God’s image. A deep soul exists in an everyday sense of eternity and God’s presence in all things. Remember, the stream is your soul and you are the keeper.

Nobody is immune to the virus of stress. All of us are vulnerable to the bacteria of stress. We all have to deal with three things that just come with life and they all cause stress. The boundaries between work and leisure, public and private, are dissolving so that we have no rest and we are forced to be time jugglers and multi-taskers. We’re all rats in the rat race. We’re all overwhelmed by all we have to do and we struggle with priorities to remember and agendas to keep under control.” Check out these ideas to get the stress out when you are stressed out!

Even after 35 years of marriage, I feel that Tim and I are still working to make this friendship, our marriage, even better. Although we have been together for a long time, we are still learning and growing on this journey. While we are not perfect, I do think we are happy. Here are five things that we know about marriage:

This April Tim and I will be celebrating 35 years of marriage. While this number seems overwhelming, we strongly believe that we are better versions of ourselves in this season than we were in the beginning. This conversation invited Tim to share his favorite five secrets along with my five secrets. Marriage is hard work! As we enthusiastically embrace this new season, we don’t take it for granted. None of us are promised tomorrow. Forever is not a thing. Today is a gift.

Radical monogamy is a concept that is electrifying the world of relationship choices. When I first read about this idea, I smiled. I wondered if this was supposed to be funny. What could be radical about monogamy? Wasn’t this the same as another idea that started with “m” – marriage? So, I asked the obvious question, “What does radical monogamy mean? What is radical about monogamy?”

Searching for a lifetime partner or teammate is extremely complicated. Since Tim and I have been married for over 30 years, we have some tips that might help in the search. The second most important decision in your life is choosing a spouse. Check out these 10 valuable considerations!

A strong marriage does not just happen. Although Tim and I have been married for 34 years now, we are not careless about the predators to our marriage. Remember that marriage is one of God’s ideas. It is a gift. Guarding your marriage against these potential dangers insists that we identify the risks of who you know, the risks within your own home and the necessity of continually developing your relationship.

Do you want a strong vibrant marriage? Do you have hedges established protecting your marriage? Do you anticipate compromising situations and temptations with a plan? It is important for us to win at our own marriages. Plant hedges deep and wide and tall.