Healthy Relationships on the Field
Relationships where we are fully seen and known are probably the biggest stressor and biggest blessing in our lives overseas, aren’t they? They don’t come easy. Perhaps it feels as though nothing comes easily as we restart our lives in new places that are so different from our home cultures. So, we cling to the closeness of our spouse or a teammate as we navigate the unique stressors of expat life. But then… teammates come and go, marriages drown under immense stress, or culture shock leaves one feeling unable to pour anything into the people they care most about. How can we maintain and grow healthier relationships in the places and circumstances we find ourselves in right now?
This month, we’ve curated the “relationship archives” and we hope you’ll find something that meets a current relational need you have. From webinars on strengthening marriages on the field, to coping with loneliness as a single to sexual struggles and their inevitable affect on others – may these words and recommended books / resources guide you to deeper appreciation and health in your own closest relationships.
And if you missed last month’s newsletter, we shared some archived resources specifically about Third Culture Kids that we hope you’ll continue to use to better navigate those relationships as well!
RELATIONSHIP RESOURCES BY OTCC STAFF
MARRIAGE
Conflict Management in Marriage
Disconnected Callings
Webinar: Strengthening Marriage
FAMILY HISTORY
Webinar: Family Mapping
SEXUAL STRUGGLES
Porn’s Unconscious Pursuit
Sexual Struggles on the Field
SINGLENESS
Serving While Single
Loneliness
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
TEAM & ORGANIZATIONAL RESOURCES:
Helping you Work with Others – Global Trellis
BOOKS
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work
John M Gottman
The Soul of Desire – Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty and Community
Curt Thompson, MD
Party of One: Truth, Longing, and the Subtle Art of Singleness
Joy Beth Smith
Single Mission: Thriving as a Single Person in Cross-Cultural Ministry
Dr. Debbie Hawker and Rev. Tim Herbert
Cupid is a Procrastinator: Making Sense of the Unexpected Single Life
Kate Hurley
7 Myths About Singleness
Sam Allberry
Singled Out: Why Celibacy Must Be Reinvented in Today’s Church
Christina Colon and Bonnie Field
Redeeming Singleness
Barry Danylak
