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Hi Joy,
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Just give it a chance,” about dating people who you’re not interested in. Friends and family say it to me all the time. On more than one occasion, I’ve taken their advice…and it usually ends with me firing these friends from their self-appointed job as matchmaker. Can you help me come up with a snappy comeback for the next time someone tells me this?
ALL I WANT FOR MY BIRTHDAY (and Stephanie’s half-birthday) IS MY TWO FRONT TEETH AND FOR YOU TO CONSIDER THESE TWO THINGS:
How do I deal with the anger I’m feeling over a broken heart? My last relationship ended after I took a stand against some things I felt convicted about. But, now I just feel like such a fool. I’ve already built up some major walls against men in general and the poor guy I date next is going to have to scale them all. If my previous relationships are any indication of what marriage is going to be like, I want nothing to do with it. Help!
Hi-ya friendlings,
I have the honor of co-hosting the Epoch 2013 awards with my friend Jeff Shinabarger. The awards will honor the heroes you know but the world doesn’t. Have a friend who you want recognized? A friend who’s work could benefit from the $50K that’s being given away?
I had a fight with my husband tonight and I’m at a total loss for knowing what to do now. Essentially, what happened was this…He’s much better with computers than I am so I asked him for help with an issue I was having with ours. After giving me his advice, I asked him if he was sure and then continued with more clarifying questions. He got really annoyed and shot back, “It’s simple enough for a 3rd grader to do.” So, then I shot back with some remarks, including a parallel to the way his father is–which didn’t go over so well. In the end, he said, “You’re always right. I’m always wrong,” and then he just shut down. This always happens when we argue. So, what do I do? Read more
My boyfriend and I have been together for a year and 3 months. He says he’s committed to me, but he won’t say he loves me, even though he wants to. He was in a previous relationship for 6 years so I understand he wants to be cautious and take it slow. But, c’mon…if he says he wants to say it but doesn’t say it, doesn’t that mean he doesn’t love me? Read more
We attended a Love and Respect conference in Chicago 5 years ago and it changed our lives. It gave us the tools to make our great marriage even better.
Now, we’re planning to go through the Love and Respect DVD series with our young adult Bible study and we’d like your advice on how to best lead it when there are people in all seasons of life in the group–single, dating, engaged, and married.
Ok, I promise I will only pull that joke once. No, no, I’m not getting married.
I’M HAVING A BABY!
Still not funny? Read more
Why are women so materialistic and only want to date guys with nice cars? Read more
My father wrote a book called Love and Respect, based on Ephesians 5:33, which says, “Let each of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
Many women often ask me, “What does respect look like?” Many men say they don’t know how to articulate what respect looks like to them. From personal experience, I’ve come to realize that many of us have really unhealthy ideas of what respecting a man or needing respect looks like. Read more
Nomo Shkar! (Hindu/Christian/Buddhist Greeting)
Here is a little bit of my story so far. Hopefully over the course of the next few days I will do justice at telling theirs… Read more
I’ve heard many questions and concerns surrounding the topic (or rather, fear) of leading someone on, or frustration at the feeling of being led on. Read more
The holiday season is here, once again. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been preparing for this and getting in the spirit of Christmas for months. I’ve been slowly upping my caloric intake just so I can celebrate the birth of Jesus in gluttonous style.
But aside from announcing my celebratory eating habits, I wanted to let you know that I will be signing off until after the New Year.
(Don’t cry. I’ll be back, pinky swear.)
Hello Holiday Ho-Ho-Hotties!
There’s little I can say to introduce this video. Basically, we dedicated a day to shooting some Ask Joy videos and decided to shoot one extra little Christmas miracle for you. (If you’re involved on the LRN Facebook page, you’ve probably seen our love for the SNL characters, Garth and Kat, who are our musical inspiration.)
Hey y’all.
I’m in the dirty, dirty south. I just participated in a lab at the Catalyst Conference today, together with the incredible Leonce and Bianca, who together I now refer to as Beyonce.
I just wanted to drop you a line and maybe help a few guys out. I’ve noticed an increase in the times I’ve gotten asked out, and it’s been entirely over text messaging or Facebook. Why? If a guy is lazy in the beginning of the relationship, there’s a pretty good chance there won’t be much improvement later on. So, Joy, if you could pass this out to the men out there and give them a heads up that this is NOT what girls typically like to see, it might turn on a few lightbulbs. Read more
I could not wait until tomorrow to show this to you.
I was overwhelmed by the 1300 of you who showed up on Friday night. For those of you who missed it, here is a highlight reel of the evening.
So I have this friend Billy who does not believe in dating. He says there are no examples in the bible to give us grounds for modern dating, therefore what’s the point?
-Nate
Oh Billy, there are also no examples of eating ice cream in the bible, so what’s the point of going to Dairy Queen?
But seriously… Read more
Working in a predominantly male environment, how do I not become a “mini-man” like many of my female co-workers?
-Carly
First off Carly, I want to say that you are adequate for the job, because you got the job.
Often we misinterpret others perceptions of us, based on our own insecurities.
Hello friendlings, Are you aware that it’s wedding season? I have a challenge for those of us attending weddings, and for those who are getting married this year. The Question: Why do you attend weddings? Is it because it’s the one place you can go and dance the YMCA and not be judged? Or is it the Chocolate fountain? (How can you not admire the chocolate fountain?) The challenge to myself and the other attendees this season is to be more committed to our friends who …
Hey, friendlings!
Finally, the new site is here. I’m pumped for you to explore and would love to know what you think. But, before we do anything else, I want to tell you about this project I have been working on, called The Illumination Project.
Hey, Everybody!
I just wanted to let you know that Love and Respect NOW is going dark for the month of June.
Don’t fear; we’ll be back in July.
The reason for going dark is because we’re transforming the site to be less about me and more about us as a community. There will be all kinds of ways for you to help and get involved.
Ask Joy: Today’s question actually comes from a guy named Paul, who I like to call “Sweet Paul.” Paul wrote and said, “Hey, Joy, if you’re such an expert on relationships and marriage, why is it that you’re still not married?” My Response: I want to be open and honest with everyone about why I’m not married. I don’t mean to blame my brother, Jonathan, but it is his fault… Questions How do you respond internally to the question of why you are still single? …
Ask Joy I want to build a solid foundation of a relationship, but I don’t want to overwhelm a man with my emotions. My Response I first want to say that I don’t like that women get a rap for being overly emotional. I think both men and women were designed with strong feelings and sensitivities and emotions. But where we can see general differences is oftentimes in how women process their emotions, and how men process their emotions… Questions Have you ever experienced your …
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