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Dr. Tom has been sharing refreshing, insightful essays on his Sunday Morning Cafe blog since 2009. Each Sunday, he brings his extensive experience from resilience research, counseling, and consulting to help you find more connection, meaning, and joy in life. We're so glad you're here to grow with this community!
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Exodus
Faith traditions speak often about welcoming the stranger and the alien in our midst. This reflection explores what it means to see them—and not look away.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Mar 156 min read
Living in Memory of the Mountaintops
We may not always live on the mountaintop, but we can live in memory of it. This article explores how, even though moments of awe fade, we can intentionally remember them and let them guide how we see life and people.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Mar 88 min read
Foundations for a Brand New Marriage, or Making a Tired Marriage Brand New
The forming stage of a couple is not just romantic; it is formative. This reflection invites you to examine the roles, rules, and rhythms you are setting in place for the long haul.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Mar 13 min read
Autumn Love: Building Resilient Marriages When the Nest is Empty
When the children leave home and togetherness increases, how will you navigate what it means to be individuals in the midst of it? This reflection explores resilient marriages in the empty nest phase of life.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Feb 224 min read
Relationship Repair: The Heart of Resilience
Close relationships will expose parts of you that still need maturing. The question is not whether you’ll fail — but whether you’ll repair. This reflection walks through what a real apology requires.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Feb 152 min read
Marriage Isn’t Hard Work; It’s Mostly Play
When relationships become all maintenance and no delight, something essential goes missing. This reflection explores how play restores the ease that love needs to endure.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Feb 86 min read
Why You Do NOT Have to Marry the Wrong Person
Your choice of spouse is the most important decision you will ever make. Here is a set of procedures, based on common-sense research, to choose a spouse wisely.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Feb 14 min read
Marriage: A People Growing Machine
What if the limits you keep meeting in your closest relationships are the very engine of your growth? A reflection on marriage, endurance, and human formation.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jan 256 min read
In Praise of the Good Enough
There is something to be said for the good enough marriage—where flaws, over time, are slowly turned into gifts. This reflection explores commitment, growth, and shared purpose.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jan 186 min read
I Want to See You Be Brave
It takes courage to stay at the table when conversations get hard. Here are ways to be brave enough to listen, connect, and build bridges where others see walls.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Sep 28, 20256 min read
A Prison Guard Becomes Best Friends with His Inmate
What if your quietest acts of love hold more power to change the world than you realize? This story invites you to see love as your greatest superpower.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Sep 21, 20256 min read
Know Their Name; Know Their Story
Across continents and cultures, the same truth remains: to know someone is to change how you see the world. Read on for a reflection on listening, courage, and the art of being known.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Sep 7, 20257 min read
Restorative Practices: Lessons in Trust from a Classroom of 10-Year-Olds
Restorative Practices tell us that healing moves at the speed of trust. This reflection explores what children can teach us about repair and community-building.
Lizzie Wiegert
Aug 24, 20258 min read
AI Relationships: Artificial or Intelligent?
AI chatbots promise connection on demand. This reflection asks whether convenience can ever replace real relationship.
Tim Bono
Aug 17, 20256 min read
Intentional Friendships: a Guest SMC Author!
The irony of friendship? We long for closeness, but sometimes resist the very vulnerability that creates it. This piece invites you to take the small, brave steps that lead to a lifetime of walking side by side.
Annalise Wagner
Aug 10, 20256 min read
Looking Into the Mirror on Juneteenth
You can read all the right books and still miss what’s in front of you. This Juneteenth reflection is about waking up—slowly, imperfectly, honestly.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jun 22, 20256 min read
The Everyday Father
What if your greatest spiritual practice is simply showing up? This reflection reclaims the sacredness of time spent doing nothing together.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jun 15, 20254 min read
Father Time…Again…
Sometimes healing the father wound means rediscovering the gifts tucked inside it. This reflection explores what we keep, and what we leave behind.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jun 8, 20255 min read
Father Time
What if being a “real man” meant becoming more whole—not more hardened? This reflection explores how you can honor both strength and softness, in yourself and in others.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jun 1, 20254 min read
Making Space for Awe
Research is showing that human beings are built for “awe.” Like other spiritual gifts, awe is not a thing you can grasp at. This article explores the ways you can slow down so that awe can graciously catch up with you.
Dr. Tom Wagner
May 18, 20255 min read
Explore the full archive of Sunday Morning Cafe blogs from 2009 through 2024.
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