Major study says this is the number one quality in good relationships — but is it realistic?

Stop the presses. Somebody figured out the number one thing that makes relationships work. The Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science has published the results of a major study in which researchers analyzed data from nearly 44,000 participants and claims to have zeroed in on the top factor in healthy relationships. It’s something called “psychological flexibility.” Here’s how the British Psychological Society explains the term in its Research Digest: A psychologically flexible person is characterised by a set of attitudes and skills: they are generally open to and accepting of experiences, whether they are good or bad; they try to be mindfully aware of the present moment;…

Check out these podcasts featuring interviews with Raquel and me

August 30, 2020September 20, 2020 Categories: UncategorizedTags: marriage · prayer · shame · vulnerability

If you have enjoyed reading what Raquel and I have written, here’s a chance to hear us share our thoughts and interviews. Enjoy! [And I also need to apologize: Something happened to the original post that was linked here (“My appearance on a morning show horrified my wife”) and I can’t get it back. It has been so frustrating! But you should definitely check our our podcast interviews below.]

The vaccines that are keeping the coronavirus out of my marriage

March 26, 2020March 26, 2020 Categories: MarriageTags: family · marriage · prayer

It’s two weeks into the national coronavirus meltdown and I’ve got good news: My wife and I still like each other. That’s remarkable, considering the fact that we’re semi-quarantined and living in a world that’s collapsing around us — not to mention being trapped in a house with three kids who think we’re a couple of vending machines. While we’re just as tired of wringing our over-washed hands as anyone else, we’re still managing to stay happily married. I think it has to do with a few things that have kept us in good spirits so far …

I didn’t want to pray with my wife — then life happened

March 1, 2020March 11, 2020 Categories: Marriage · PrayerTags: intimacy · marriage · prayer

It was our first year of marriage and Raquel asked the same question she had posed many times before: “Do you want to pray and read some Scripture together tonight?” I said yes, but she knew I didn’t mean it. It wasn’t necessarily that I didn’t want to pray with her. We just had mismatched desires for spiritual intimacy. She wanted extended Bible study and prayer, and she wanted it all of the time. I just wanted to get it over with and go to sleep. She wasn’t having it.

I tried to help two hostages escape terrorists — I was surprised to find that it helped

September 29, 2018October 17, 2018 Categories: PrayerTags: faith · prayer · suffering

I stared at the TV and fought back tears while watching an interview with American missionaries Gracia and Martin Burnham, who were haggard, filthy and appeared to be disoriented.

If you feel distracted in prayer, don’t worry—it’s a good thing

September 24, 2018 Categories: Growing PainsTags: grace · guilt · judging · prayer

So many times the same frustrating thing happens when I try to pray. “Heavenly Father,“ I say, but almost immediately I get interrupted by my own thoughts.

My baby nephew was dying and his mother’s response was unforgettable

July 14, 2018July 14, 2018 Categories: Miracles · UncategorizedTags: faith · miracles · prayer · waiting

My seven-month-old nephew Canaan was dying and nobody knew it, including his doctor, who had misdiagnosed his digestive issues. The real issue was Hirschsprung’s disease, one of the leading causes of death for kids like Canaan, who has Down Syndrome.

Being Grateful When God Makes No Sense

June 14, 2017June 14, 2017 Categories: Trusting GodTags: doubt · faith · healing · prayer · waiting

“Gross.” That’s typically not the word I think of when contemplating a miracle Jesus performed, but there’s one exception.

The Nightmare God Turned Around in a Moment

May 24, 2017May 24, 2017 Categories: Trusting GodTags: dating · fear · marriage · prayer · sin · suffering · waiting

Ten years ago this month, I started the day by getting on my face before God and saying, “Lord, I’m getting down on the floor because if I get up, I’m afraid I’ll do something stupid.” I had good reason to be concerned.

A CBS News Report Led to My Answered Prayer

May 17, 2017September 29, 2018 Categories: UncategorizedTags: miracles · prayer · suffering

I stared at the TV and fought back tears while watching a CBS news interview with American missionaries Gracia and Martin Burnham, who were haggard, filthy, and appeared to be disoriented. The couple, who were missionaries in the Philippines, decided to spend one night at a resort to celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary. But that night they were kidnapped by terrorists, and a year later, they were being dragged through the Philippine jungle. One of their fellow hostages had been beheaded.

The Girl Who Got Pulled Around by Her Ponytail

May 3, 2017May 3, 2017 Categories: Trusting GodTags: conflict · forgiveness · grace · healing · prayer · sin · Singleness · temptation1 Comment

One time I was at the bus stop and I saw a woman take her daughter by the ponytail, pull up, and force her to move down the sidewalk. As the girl walked forward, she tried to reach up and pull her mother’s hand away, to no avail. As the little girl cried and begged her mother to stop, a man standing nearby laughed about it, and the mother began laughing, too.

Two Words You Can Say to Jesus this Easter

April 13, 2017April 13, 2017 Categories: Trusting GodTags: faith · forgiveness · grace · guilt · prayer

I was five years old when I walked into my mother’s bedroom and told her I wanted to give my life to Christ. We got down on our knees beside the bed and I asked Jesus into my heart. After that, I proudly told everyone that Jesus had saved me, but my pride slowly diminished over the years.

5 Things I Learned from Living with an Incurable Illness

April 12, 2017April 12, 2017 Categories: Trusting GodTags: doubt · faith · healing · heaven · miracles · prayer · suffering

Seven years ago, I was having a conversation at a birthday party when I suddenly felt like I was in a dream. My voice felt far off, the room looked two-dimensional, and I couldn’t get my eyes to focus. Fifteen seconds later it stopped, but that episode was only the beginning. I started having a variety of other bizarre experiences. Sometimes it seemed like I was watching a scratched DVD — other times I would lose my words mid-sentence or forget how to type.

I Prayed for Something Ridiculous on My Wedding Day and God Answered

March 22, 2017April 12, 2017 Categories: PrayerTags: gratitude · prayer

Nine years ago, I asked God to give me something a lot of people would think was ridiculous: a parking spot. It wasn’t just any parking spot though.

So Grateful God Made Me Wait

January 17, 2017 Categories: Trusting GodTags: doubt · fear · prayer · suffering · waiting

Last year, God finally answered yes to my years-long prayer request for the “Big Thing.” It doesn’t really matter what the Big Thing was. Maybe it was healing, a financial breakthrough, a reconciled relationship, a job or some other change in circumstance. Whatever it was, my waiting experience was like that of so many other people: a constant fight with the lingering fear that God was punishing me for wanting it too badly.

Joshua Rogers

Finding God in the Ordinary

Tag: prayer