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 | August 9, 2025
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Hello Reader, My friend Becky shared with me a random fact this week. She said the word "leader" is in the Bible six times. The word "servant" in the Bible 885 times! Wow. That stopped me in my tracks. Every day, we find ourselves in positions where we're leading others—whether it's in our families, at work, in our communities, or even just influencing the people around us. We make decisions, set examples, and guide others in countless ways. But based upon how often the Bible uses the word "servant," the emphasis isn't on our leadership skills—it's on our servant hearts. Jesus modeled this as well. He washed His disciples' feet. He served meals. He put others' needs before His own comfort. And He calls us to do the same. This might look like helping a coworker without expecting recognition, listening patiently when a friend needs to process their struggles, or putting aside your own agenda to meet someone else's need. It's choosing to see interruptions as opportunities to serve rather than obstacles to our plans. Some days, serving feels mundane. Even invisible. But every act of service matters to God. Every encouraging word spoken, every helping hand extended, these are beautiful acts of serving. Whether you're leading a team at work, raising children, or simply being a friend to someone who's hurting, remember that real influence comes through serving. As you head into the weekend, I invite you to join me in asking God to help you see opportunities where you can serve those around you. Upcoming Online Book StudyLooking at Jesus' servant heart is one of the topics I talk about in my Real Moms...Real Jesus book. It's been years since I did an online study of one of my books so I'm excited to share that I will be starting a study of my Real Moms...Real Jesus book in a private Facebook group in September. This book is appropriate for moms of any age and stage of life. We don't have it set up to join yet, and we won't start until after Labor Day, but if you'd like to be part of the study, you can go ahead and pick up a copy of the book on Amazon here or you can purchase a signed copy here. I'm soooo excited! Song of the WeekThe lyrics of Matt Maher's song Run to the Father are so powerful. It always touches my heart deeply. You can listen here. Intensive Dates Available We're already booked several months out for our Marriage 2.0 Intensive weekends but we still have one August weekend and one September weekend available. Next weekend, August 15-17 and September 19-21 are surprisingly still available. We only work with one couple at a time on our intensive weekends. They are hosted in our home in Normal, Illinois and are our most effective resource for strengthening a good marriage and bringing hope and healing to a hurting marriage. You can learn more here. If either of these weekends interest you, hit reply and I can answer any questions you might have. This Week on the Podcast Marriage can be an amazing blessing, but it's not easy! Bringing together two people with different life experiences, opinions, and family backgrounds takes a whole lot of intentionality, grace, and growth. When neurological differences enter this complex equation, we need an additional set of tools in order to maintain a healthy marriage. In this week’s episode of the No More Perfect Podcast, I’m joined by Shawna Meek, a certified coach, author, and expert in neurodiverse marriage. After walking through infidelity, multiple separations, and her husband’s late autism diagnosis, she now supports others facing similar challenges. This is an eye-opening and hope-filled conversation, whether you’re personally impacted by neurodiversity or just want to better understand the unique challenges others face. 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! Looking for A Way to Serve? This week I received a simple email message from my friend Dawn who lives in Pennsylvania. She wrote, "I thought you’d smile at this... I'm starting a book club with your book!" She's inviting women to meet at Panera Bread on one Thursday a month. They're reading the book slowly throughout the fall and spring and enjoying a dinner out once a month! If you'd like to make a difference in your neighborhood, church, or community, I'm looking for twenty people who would be willing to lead a study of one of my books this Fall! I make it easy for you because every one of these books has free video curriculum and a leader's guide that helps you successfully lead a great book conversation! If this interests you, click here and let me know. I'll be doing a zoom call at the end of August to bring you encouragement and best practices. It will also be a great opportunity for leaders to share ideas for successful studies with each other. 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!) P.P.S. We'd love for you to join us at one of our upcoming speaking engagements: No More Perfect Marriages Seminar November 21-22, 2025 Canton, Illinois ************************************************ 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!