We describe ourselves as being married 41 years, 31 of them happily. Twelve years ago we created a 2.0 marriage for ourselves. We now help other couples create a 2.0 marriage too! Check out the resources we offer below and sign up for our newsletter!
Life on the Edge of Normal | April 5, 2025
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Hello Reader, You matter. That's what I want you to know this week. You were created on purpose for a purpose. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I just sense that someone needs that reminder this week. XOXO Last Sunday in church we sang the song Run to the Father by Matt Maher and I was reminded of how much I love the words of this song. You can listen to it here. Three Things We're Loving This Week Time Zone Conversion Clock: With a son living in Australia, I often use the World Clock on my iPhone. Recently we started coaching a couple in New Zealand and had to find a conversion tool that helped me to book their appointments--especially because when we put it on our calendar on Monday, it's already Tuesday for them. This free time zone conversion clock has been a perfect tool! Hearts at Home Flash Mob: For 24 wonderful years I led the Hearts at Home ministry for moms. Our conferences would host 4000-6000 moms and Mark called it the biggest slumber party in the world. This past week I found this fun You Tube video of a Flash Mob we did at one of our conferences. If you attended Hearts at Home, enjoy this trip down memory lane. If you didn't know about Hearts at Home, this video just might bring a smile to your face. And at about the 1:30 minute mark Yours Truly joined the flash mob from the stage. Such a fun memory! Moody Publishers Book Lovers Sale: Five of my books are published by Moody Publishers and on Monday they will all be 50% off if you purchase them on the Moody Publishers website! Mark your calendar for Monday if you want to pick up any of these for yourself or for Mother's Day, birthday, or Christmas gifts! Upcoming Speaking Ladies Night Out May 1, Christ Community Church, Gridley, IL Transform Weekend June 6-8, 2025, Normal, IL (also October 17-19, 2025) Ignite Luxury Marriage Retreat September 5-7, 2025, St. George, Utah No More Perfect Marriages Seminar November 14-15, Canton, Illinois 34 Kids Remaining That Need SponsorsWe had one child sponsored this week. Thank you Val from North Carolina! When we were in Uganda in January I asked the director at the Compassion Project we visited how many children in their program still needed sponsors. The answer was 37. Since Val said yes and two were sponsored at a speaking event we recently did, we're now at 34. I recently asked Compassion International to send me the packets for some of those children. I have one more week with those packets in my hand to find them a sponsor. Would you be willing to sponsor a child in Jinja, Uganda? If so, you'll be sponsoring a child at the same project that one of our sponsored children is at! And here's the best part--when we return to Africa in the future, you can send a special gift that we can hand-deliver to your child! (Or you could even go with us and deliver it yourself if you'd like!) Sponsorship is $43/month. You will be that child's only sponsor and you get to develop a relationship with them through letters (we write our letters through the Compassion app and it's so easy--it takes just about 5 minutes!) You can see the children who need to be seen by a sponsor here! If you'd like to sponsor one of those children, just hit "reply" to this email and let me know who you'd like to sponsor. I'll reach out to you personally to get all the information to get you started! This Week on the Podcast Teaching others how to have safe conversations is a passion of ours, as this skill has played a big role in taking our marriage to the next level. This week on the podcast, we’re honored to speak with Dr. Harville Hendrix and Dr. Helen Hunt, whose work has significantly shaped the way couples everywhere approach healthy dialogue. We are thrilled to have gotten the opportunity to sit down with the two people who laid the groundwork for our understanding of safe conversations! You can click here to listen over on the blog. It's also available on all podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. If you have an Alexa or Siri you can even say, "Hey Alexa (Siri), play the No More Perfect Podcast" and she will play the most recent episode! Did you miss any of the March podcast episodes? Below are links where you can find each one, over on the blog. March 4 – Standing in the Gap for Prodigals | Episode 237 March 11 – Understanding Confirmation Bias in Relationships | Episode 238 March 18 – Managing Emotions with Alicia Michelle | Episode 239 March 25 – Moving from Jill 1.0 to Jill 2.0 | Episode 240 Date Night in April In the month of April, we're focusing on Conflict Resolution which is such a valuable skill to grow in marriage! Mark and I love investing in our Date Night members where we provide:
Date Night is just $24.99/month. There's no contract and you can cancel at anytime. Come invest in your marriage at EasyDateNights.com! Have a great week! P.S. If there's any way we can be praying for you, please hit reply. It will land in our private inbox only we see. We would be privileged to partner in prayer with you. (We respond to as many emails as we can, but even if we can't respond to your prayer request email, we read and pray for every email request we receive!) ************************************************ I do occasionally use affiliate links when sharing what works for me. What that means is that when you click links and purchase items, sometimes I will receive a referral commission. I want to make sure you understand that this doesn’t increase the price of your product in any way, but it's a wonderful way to support our ministry! You can read my full disclosure policy here. ************************************************ The non-profit arm of our ministry is the Life 2.0 Foundation. The Life 2.0 Foundation provides for the Ugandan ministries of the Butiki Children's Home, the Grateful Children's Orphanage, and Promise International. It also supports our scholarship fund for marriage coaching. (You can find out more about the Life 2.0 Foundation here.) If you find our ministry a blessing, would you become a partner? Our goal is 50 monthly partners in 2025. We're at 18 right now!
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We describe ourselves as being married 41 years, 31 of them happily. Twelve years ago we created a 2.0 marriage for ourselves. We now help other couples create a 2.0 marriage too! Check out the resources we offer below and sign up for our newsletter!