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If you were not aware, let me fill you in on a few things before you watch this video. 1) The “Stuff I Like” blogs have no connection to Love and Respect. My parents are just as embarrassed of me as most of my friends. They are simply stuff that I, Joy Eggerichs, like. It’s a way for you to get to know me. 2) As you get to know me, you will realize that not only do many people feel my belief in unicorns …
Ask Joy What is the appropriate amount to share with a new boyfriend about a serious relationship in the past? My Response My first response and the aspect I truly believe is most important: Pray. Sounds cliché, but I have seen it work in my own life. There were some things I wanted to share with a boyfriend about a past relationship. I didn’t want to rush it, but I also didn’t want to keep it from him. I had prayed for a few weeks …
Ask Joy I cheated on my girlfriend after 15 months of dating. We were planning on getting married. After I confessed to her she didn’t want to see or talk to me again. It has been 3 weeks since and we have talked a few times and I actually got to see her two times this past week. She came to my house one time for some stuff and ended up not taking any of it. Then Friday we went to a function and dinner …
My friend Julie is talented. She is in school for a Masters of Fine Arts in Applied Craft and Design. It’s more than just finger puppets folks. A couple weeks ago, my friend Erin came to visit. I knew she would love my friend Julie’s apartment so we stopped by unannounced, at 8am. Needless to say, Julie was adorable even in her P.J.’s For the rest of Erin’s visit, she kept referencing Julie. “How would Julie arrange this plate…How would Julie wear this…How would Julie …
Ask Joy I am currently leading a Love and Respect small group for women. They come from all different situations, happily married, fresh divorce, divorced more than 5 years, married to someone who does not believe in God, etc. Every time these women leave my house I feel like I am putting them in more pain.. yikes! I am using the Love and Respect DVD series and workbook, but it is geared towards couples. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can better …
Ask Joy I liked this girl five years ago. I still compare other girls to her physical beauty. Is there something wrong with me since I want someone that I think is similar in body shape and look? My Response No, there is nothing wrong with you. We all have different things that we are attracted to and that is ok. There are a couple things I would be aware of… 1) If you are so set on ONLY dating a girl that looks like …
Ask Joy I have friends that have had both great as well as horror stories with Internet dating sites. (i.e. scams, just wanting a hook-up, etc.) What are the positives and the negatives of Internet dating? My Answer The last stat I read was that 40 million Americans are on dating websites. One positive would be the large pool to choose from…should you be open to putting your roots down in South Dakota. Honestly though, I think when people question or freak out about dating …
I realize that my generation resists anything that is “3 steps to ________.” It seems too “packaged” or “consumeristic.” My apologies. In thinking about the things I have learned while being single, I wrote some of them down. This created a list. That list happened to consist of three things. Are you seeing the natural progression? Next time I will let my post be more “organic” and “holistic.” Then we can dialogue. But back to my list… 1) Work at being content, even when you …
My dear friend Erin is in town visiting this week. We met a few years ago in Switzerland and she now lives in Florida. Palm Beach and Portland aren’t easily accessible, but the friendship exists via phone, emails, prayers, and making the effort to see one another. Yesterday we realized we had seen each other five times since we parted ways in beautiful Switzerland in the Spring of 2008. Erin is the type of friend who makes me want to be a better friend. And …
The Ask Joy question for this week: What is chivalry today? I believe it’s very easy to take the original intent of chivalry as an “act of service” and change it into a “statement against women.” Take my good friend “Billy the Biker” for example… Questions What do you think? Should women feel this way? Are men paralyzed? Could the dismissal of chivalry be creating passive men? Do we fear empowering one another?
Ask Joy My boyfriend just broke up with me again. He’s had a rough past with his family and some trust issues. He admits and KNOWS that I love him. He wanted to marry me, but felt so disrespected and was hurt, so he gave up. I’m understanding now after reading your parents book. I want to show him I understand what he meant by disrespect, but I’m also afraid it won’t help. My Answer Proverbs 24:16 says, “For a righteous man falls seven times, …
Ask Joy What happens if you meet someone when you are very young and realize you’re best friends and never want to be apart. You stay pure and you get married…Life is good for a while because you’re hanging out with your best friend. Sex is not a big deal…you have it when he wants to. But then you wake up one day and realize you have never really been physically attracted to this individual. That the sexual feelings you had for him before marriage …
Thanks to everyone who submits great anonymous questions in the Ask Joy section or directly at LoveandRespectNOW@gmail.com It has been such a pleasure to hear your hearts. It causes me to think and pray even more specifically for the concerns and issues we are all facing in this generation. Since I can’t make a video for every single question, I decided to answer some of them publicly in a written response. Some are specific, some broad, but hopefully all of them will help us as …
My plan today was to write a “Stuff I Like” blog post on an Album called “The Followers.” But when I woke up this morning, I didn’t expect to hear the news that our dear family friend Carolyne, had died in the night in a house fire. It makes me a little nauseous to even write that. But then I think back to the last conversation I had with Carolyne just a couple weeks ago on her 78th birthday. Much of it was filled with …
I love discussing things with my Dad. If it wasn’t for our unbelievable ability to tap dance, we would probably opt to do a Daddy-Daughter-Discussion at my wedding in place of the Daddy-Daughter-Dance. Thankfully that decision doesn’t have to be made just yet. However, as you may have seen the past two weeks…I was not the most Anderson Cooper-esque in my interviews…so on the same day my father helped me out with a couple “Ask Joy” responses, he decided to flip the tables and interview …
Last weekend I had the honor of being a bridesmaid in my friend Sarah’s wedding. Despite the rain, the ceremony was one I will never forget. Maybe it was because I was holding an umbrella… or because I was barefoot… or because minutes before the ceremony Sarah was playing air hockey with her father… Those things may contribute to the memory, but the stories that were shared about Sarah and Cassidy are probably what I will hold onto the longest. I don’t think there was …
My father helps me answer another “Ask Joy” question–off the cuff. This is a pretty broad question so it’s hard to be specific in an answer. However, I think his overall challenge is very important and something our generation needs to do. We talk about community and living life together but I fear that often takes on the form of talking to people about our problems that are in our peer group…people who look, act and think like us. I’m not saying they aren’t wise …
This is my first guest blogger in the whole history of the entire universe. That is an awesome sentence. Slightly dramatic, but totally true. For my first guest blogger I chose Morgan because we have a similar heart and life. Have I looked as smokin’ as her in a wedding dress? (That’s her in the excerpt photo.) No I have not. But we both have fathers who are authors and speakers, trying to help relationships. We also work for our fathers because we too believe …
My pops came into town a couple weeks ago and I roped him into answering a couple questions I have received on my “Ask Joy” chalkboard. He did a great job…however we realized one thing. “Interviewing” him is not my gift. There are few people in the world that I am more comfortable around than my father…and yet…on this day, in front of this camera, my mind went blank. I should have taken a few pointers from Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather or Diane Sawyer before …
Maybe I am late to the game on this artist, but a friend just introduced me to him last week and I have been playing his whole album, To Be Loved on repeat. Some of his songs are Ryan Adams-country-esque sounding. But what do I know… If you are in love, Beauty Has A Name is a download must. If you aren’t…download the album anyways… Here’s a preview of a couple songs: Rosalyn Great Rejoicing
While directing my parents’ Love and Respect Conferences for 2 years, I often heard people say, “I wish I would have known then what I know NOW.” They would then ask, “Why did no one teach us this 20 years ago?” I thought, “We need to get this information to my generation (Gen x and Millennium) so they won’t say, ‘I wish I would have known then what I know now.’” Thus, I call my site, Love and Respect NOW. So… I do research on …
I was sent this video last week and thought it was very creative and well done. Obviously there is a difference between learning how to be alone well and how to be alone poorly. Done well, you grow and learn. Done poorly, you isolate yourself. I think this video gives examples of how to be alone WELL. Don’t deny your need for community. Find the balance. Enjoy life. Grow.
It feels like many people I talk to have already given their heart away once. And for those who haven’t, they are scared to open that door because of the pain they have seen their friends endure. With an increasing delay of marriage and an increase of serious relationships prior, I believe our generation is going to relate on the topic of “lost loves” far more than past generations. Something that can be tempting to create an identity around. Let me explain… Many of us …
Really? Yes. This past weekend I had the privilege of speaking with my mother at a women’s “camping” retreat. It was the first time for both of us; we really had no idea what to expect. As I told a friend later, “It was the most exhausting, energizing thing I have ever done.” I was filled with an unnatural love for these women and was shocked at how loved I felt in return. Because of that, I wanted to say, “Thank you.” The Lord has …
The Ask Joy question for this week was: Do you think gender stereotypes are a bad thing? My guess is that it was on the heels of me posting these hilarious videos: HERE and HERE Oh, and Walter make another cameo. I know that’s why you watch these videos. Questions What do you think about my answer? Do you think men and women are different? Do you think it’s ok to point out stereotypical differences even if they don’t apply to everyone?
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