Paul examines how common words and phrases—like "fine", "bury the hatchet", and "with all due respect"—are often interpreted differently by men and women, leading to confusion even after decades together.
He highlights gendered communication patterns (hedging, indirect requests, listening cues) and offers practical insight for recognising and bridging these gaps to improve understanding in marriage.

Paul examines how common words and phrases—like "fine", "bury the hatchet", and "with all due respect"—are often interpreted differently by men and women, leading to confusion even after decades together. He highlights gendered communication patterns (hedging, indirect requests, listening cues) and offers practical insight for recognising and bridging these gaps to improve understanding in marriage.

Lost in Translation: When "Fine" Doesn't Mean Fine

This blog is not Doing Marriage Right. That would be about doing what someone thinks we should all do. Your marriage is the blending of two unique people, and what works for others may not be good for you. There are things that are nearly universally successful for couples, and things that are universally harmful. For those who follow Jesus, there are some expectations and limits. But honesty, there’s a great deal of wiggle room. We’ve seen happy couples living a wide variety of different ways. If it’s in God’s will, and both husband and wife are good with it, who am I to say anything against it?
The goal here is to help you find what works well for your marriage. I will do that by offering you things to consider. As things are shared, weight them. Try those that seem like they might work for your marriage. If it’s a good fit, great. If not, ditch it, or consider how to modify it to work for your relationship.
Doing Marriage Well means actually doing what builds our marriage relationships.
It’s the doing that makes the difference!
Every Monday I share about a marriage concept and then spend the rest of the week talking about ways to use it in your life and marriage. On Friday, I will apply the concept to sexuality.

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This blog is not Doing Marriage Right. That would be about doing what someone thinks we should all do. Your marriage is the blending of two unique people, and what works for others may not be good for you. There are things that are nearly universally successful for couples, and things that are universally harmful. For those who follow Jesus, there are some expectations and limits. But honesty, there’s a great deal of wiggle room. We’ve seen happy couples living a wide variety of different ways. If it’s in God’s will, and both husband and wife are good with it, who am I to say anything against it? The goal here is to help you find what works well for your marriage. I will do that by offering you things to consider. As things are shared, weight them. Try those that seem like they might work for your marriage. If it’s a good fit, great. If not, ditch it, or consider how to modify it to work for your relationship. Doing Marriage Well means actually doing what builds our marriage relationships. It’s the doing that makes the difference! Every Monday I share about a marriage concept and then spend the rest of the week talking about ways to use it in your life and marriage. On Friday, I will apply the concept to sexuality.

This blog is not Doing Marriage Right. That would be about doing what someone thinks we should all do. Your marriage is the blending of two unique people, and what works for others may not be good for you. There are things that are nearly universally successful for couples, and things that are universally harmful. For those who follow Jesus, there are some expectations and limits. But honesty, there’s a great deal of wiggle room. We’ve seen happy couples living a wide variety of different ways. If it’s in God’s will, and both husband and wife are good with it, who am I to say anything against it?
The goal here is to help you find what works well for your marriage. I will do that by offering you things to consider. As things are shared, weight them. Try those that seem like they might work for your marriage. If it’s a good fit, great. If not, ditch it, or consider how to modify it to work for your relationship.
Doing Marriage Well means actually doing what builds our marriage relationships.
It’s the doing that makes the difference!
Every Monday I share about a marriage concept and then spend the rest of the week talking about ways to use it in your life and marriage. On Friday, I will apply the concept to sexuality.

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Lost in Translation: When "Fine" Doesn't Mean Fine

Lost in Translation: When "Fine" Doesn't Mean Fine