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Ask Joy: Dear Joy, I know I can do all of these romantic things, like take a girl out to a nice dinner and a movie, or a long walk on the beach at sunset, or cook for her, but… …what actually adds the romance? Sam My Response: You’re right, Sam, it’s not the thing that does it… Questions: Why do we default to “formulas” or “how to’s” when it comes to romantic gestures? What is a romantic gesture that you’ve given or received that …
Ask Joy I often hear people ask why so many men still play video games? My Response Let me tell you why people play video games. They’re fun. Questions Maybe it’s not video games, but do you have somewhere you go to find a win? Do you have something you do to “unwind” that’s shifting into a wound-hiding-habit? How can we know when an activity is actually a distraction for dealing with our broken reality?
Many of you have spoken or written to me about your fears of relationships, which have often been caused by the unhealthy examples you have seen modeled around you. Many of you, like me, have experienced deep relational pain. Many of you, like my parents, come from broken and unstable childhood homes. Your sincerity in asking, “How can I heal from all these wounds?” or, “How can I not do what my parents did?” always puts a passion in my heart because I desire that …
Ask Joy If the relationships you had didn’t have any major red flags, why did you end them? What made you finally say “this isn’t working” as opposed to working through it? My Response I don’t think that I ever have said that I ended my relationships, and second of all that they didn’t have red flags. I’ve had both. I’ve had relationships that had red flags that I needed to get out of, and other relationships that didn’t have red flags, we just decided, …
Hello again, for the third time. Can I just say that I absolutely hate this topic? This whole thing that we’re addressing about the words in Scripture that the “husband is the head” and the “wife is to submit.” I absolutely hate this stuff. But I want to address it because I feel like I missed it for so long. I didn’t understand it so I disregarded it. And I think so many of us don’t understand it so we either manipulate it, we miss it …
Ask Joy In the last video I answered a question from a girl who was asking what book she and her fiance should read to prepare for marriage. They believe in mutual submission and love, and don’t agree with the husband being the head and the wife being submissive. And I totally relate with that stuff because those are the passages in scripture that leave me asking, “what in the world does this mean?!” What is this actually saying? My Response I don’t know. I …
Ask Joy My fiance and I are looking for books to read as we prepare for marriage. Do you know of anything that isn’t completely based on the man being the leader and the wife being submissive? We believe in mutual submission and love and it’s hard to find any good resources out there. My Response I really want to get at the heart of your question: what is mutual submission and why are these words in the Bible like the “husband is the head” …
Ask Joy: Recently, one of you wrote in – anonymously – asking what I want in a man. My Response: I was going to pass on this Ask Joy, and then thought, I might as well capitalize on my site and use it to find a man. Boo-ya. To watch the rest of my aforementioned e-Harmony video, click HERE. Question: What is your equivalent of my beard requirement? What’s been your shallowest deal breaker?
Oh, hello! I’m just wafting the aroma of this soup I’ve been slaving over all day long. I’m so skilled at domestic chores, that my hand isn’t even burning right now as I hold this pot of soup. Welcome to my kitchen. My name is Holly. Holly Homemaker. Ask Joy: This question is from a 27 year old single male who deeply values the fact that his mom stayed home to raise him. He wants the same thing for his kids, but doesn’t want to …
Hello, and welcome to the Ask Joy fireside chat. Here we are with our blazing flames and just a few close friends. (Actually it’s just me and the camera man.) Ask Joy This question was written in response to a three part series I did on The Art of Asking Questions. This person wanted me to offer some tangible questions to actually ask. So I will do that, because that’s such a great question… My Response Question Do you have any effective question-asking tips you …
Dearest Friends, Fawns and Christmas Elves, A little video announcement for the Christmas and New Year season. But first I wanted to write a special thanks to those of you who are continually encouraging me and my work. The movement of understanding Love and Respect cannot happen without us joining together and having belief and hope for successful marriages and relationships. Even with stories of heartache and “hope-less” situations, your stories of belief and encouragement are life-giving to me. So I just wanted to say… THANK YOU …
featuring Rick McKinley “A Kingdom Called Desire” Rick McKinley has been my pastor for the last six years. I greatly respect him, and love his family so much. He’s one of the most levelheaded Christians I know, and has spoken truth into my life over and over again – both from the pulpit and his office when I am having a crisis or two…or three…or four. I wanted to interview him about his most recent book, take you on a tour of Imago, highlight my …
Can Guys & Girls Be Friends? Introduction Can Guys & Girls Be Friends? Question #1 Can Guys & Girls Be Friends? Question #2 Can Guys & Girls Be Friends? Question #3 Can Guys & Girls Be Friends? Question #4 Can Guys & Girls Be Friends? Question #5 Question My friend of the opposite sex is in a committed relationship now. Can we still be friends? My Response Questions Have you experienced this type of rare, special friendship? How can we gracefully transition the nature of our friendships through the various …
Can Guys & Girls Be Friends? Introduction Can Guys & Girls Be Friends? Question #1 Can Guys & Girls Be Friends? Question #2 Can Guys & Girls Be Friends? Question #3 Can Guys & Girls Be Friends? Question #4 Question My boyfriend (or girlfriend) has issues with me being friends with this particular person of the opposite sex. How should I handle it? My Response P.S. Here was yesterday’s Facebook preview for today’s post thanks to our video guy having too much time on his hands and too much …
After THIS video came out last week of my parents I decided to dig something up from the Love and Respect archives. The “Can Guys & Girls Be Friends” topic isn’t going anywhere – don’t worry! But I thought it might be fun to show you the very first video I ever did for Love & Respect, shot in 2008. And to think, Walter wasn’t even born yet! My heart and my mission are still the same. For those of you opting to improve your communication …
Ask Joy: Can guys and girls be friends? My Response: Well, there are approximately one million ways I could answer this question, so let’s kick off a “Friends” series, shall we? Questions: Do you think there is an answer to this question? Has this been a question in your own life? How did you answer? Coming up in this series: I like Sally, she doesn’t like me. Can we be friends? Sally likes me, and I don’t like her. Can we be friends? We are …
Ask Joy A person who wrote in recently found a quote, stating that “a girl’s heart should be so wrapped up in the Lord, that a guy should have to seek Him to find her.” And then she asked me if I agreed with that? My Response Questions Do you think it’s true that you can experience an “intimacy” with the Lord that supercedes anything you can experience with a person? Why or why not? Have you said or heard this quote yourself? How has …
I’m heading to Nashville to hang out with hundreds of counselors next week, and I want to “bring” you with me… You’ll be able to participate in the enlightenment and discussion on our Facebook Page. I look forward to seeing you there. And just to clear up any confusion…this AACC is NOT: American Association of Cereal Chemists American Association of Clinical Chemistry American Association of Community Colleges American Association of Counting Crows American Association of Coughing Clowns American Association of Candid Cameras American Association of Claustrophobic Clams …
Ask Joy Is the right thing at the wrong time actually the wrong thing? My Response The video below was part of, what I affectionately call, my Paddle Board Series, shot spontaneously by my brother while I was in Michigan. Now, weeks after the shoot, I can’t shake this question; the more I contemplate it, the more different scenarios play out in my mind. Just a few that could fall under the “right thing, wrong time” umbrella include, the other person is: married; lives across …
Ask Joy How do I know if I’ve heard from God before entering into a relationship? My Response (Note: We shot these very last minute before I left Michigan. We didn’t do a sound check hence the poor audio. However, my brother IS a fantastic videographer and I am so grateful for his help when I am home in the mitten state. Check out his site: Motivity Pictures) Questions Does waiting to hear from God ever paralyze you from making decisions? Do you even incorporate God …
Ask Joy I finally decided to sign up for E-Harmony. It took a lot of courage. I want to know your thoughts on online match sites. I am still very apprehensive about the whole thing. P.S. I am a teacher, and our school mascot is the unicorn. My Response Question How can you bring community into your online dating experience, and not become isolated? Didn’t catch the series that I referenced about asking questions? Start HERE
Ask Joy I met this guy and I have a big crush on him, but I know the Bible says that men are supposed to pursue women. So should I just give up on my crush? Should I just drop it? Who Pursues? Part 1 My Response I think that fear is at the root of why we deny our desire to pursue or be pursued. Question What has been your experience? Men: What prevents you from pursuing? Women: What motivates you to pursue?
Ask Joy I met this guy and I have a big crush on him, but I know the Bible says that men are supposed to pursue women. So should I just give up on my crush? Should I just drop it? My Response Well…scripture doesn’t say that. Question Men: Do you have a sense that women want to be pursued in our culture? Women: How do you feel about waiting to be pursued, not just in theory, but in reality? Watch Part Two
Hi Friends, I mentioned earlier this week that my father, Emerson Eggerichs was in town recently and I had a couple post-RSOTU questions for him. He had barely finished grabbing his luggage from baggage claim, when I pulled out the camera and asked for his thoughts. He rolled with it; I think he’s getting used to me… The first topic I addressed was: “In relationship, HOW does a woman practically and tangibly show respect?” Today’s question: “What do you say to guys who get all …
Hi Friends, Many of you have written in questions asking about the topic of respect, so I did a series called the Respect State of The Union (better known as #RSOTU on Twitter). In that series of 15 videos, I answered 10 questions, and then talked with a group of guys about their thoughts on respect. Many of you enjoyed the series and my hope was that it started the ball rolling for us to talk about this touchy topic more. I personally had some …
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