25 Fun Questions to Ask Your Spouse
John Gottman calls them love maps. We call them open ended questions to ask your spouse. The point here is that you talk,...
When Little Fights Become Big Problems
Q: We don’t have big fights, but lots of little disagreements and hurts simmer under the surface. How can we handle these?
A: The moment...
3 Communication Breakdowns You Can Fix Today
Communication is so important in a relationship. It’s the way we express our needs and wants to our partner. But sometimes, the message doesn’t...
Is Shame Ruining Your Relationship?
Dr. Richard Nicastro, Phd, deftly illuminates the undercurrent of one of the most toxic relationship challenges; shame, often at the root of individual distress...
Communication is a Kind of Communion
There’s no doubt about it: Communication is vital in marriage.
When couples don’t share their lives and hearts with each other consistently, the atmosphere in...
How Being Physically Affectionate Breathes Life into Your Marriage
What do you do if touch isn’t your love language–but others in your family crave touch?
On Mondays I like to put up a reader...
How to Build Emotional Intimacy in Your Marriage
For women, emotional intimacy is crucial to a deep, thriving relationship. And the research proves it! For our book, The Five Love Needs of...
8 Sources of Conflict You Can Remove Immediately
What Are Your Conflict Blocks?
Dealing with conflict in appropriate and positive ways is a learned trait. Typically, we’ll begin learning conflict management at about...
Finding Hope in Every Season of Marriage
As we enter a new season, I find my thoughts slowly shifting from warm, sunny days enjoying the freedom and flexibility of a summer...
What If Your Private Arguments Went Public?
A few days ago while in a disagreement with one of my boys, we exchanged a few “pleasantries” that I don’t want to repeat...
The Meaning of Your Marriage Vows: “As Long As We Both Shall Live”
This is the third in a series of posts excerpted from my new book, Preparing Your Heart for Marriage, a devotional for engaged couples. The second...
God’s Solutions to the Reasons For Divorce
Do you feel just plain unhappy in your marriage? Or that you’re no longer in love with your spouse? Some would say you should...
Four Amazing Truths to Remember in Tough Times
All marriages hit tough times, and most of the time here at Thriving Marriages we focus on how to survive them. A list of...
How to Win Every Confrontation in Your Marriage
When it comes to confrontation, I have a rule of thumb that has proved itself to be true over and over again:
The one who...
Why Saying “I Was Wrong” Will Transform Your Marriage
If you are old enough to recall the sitcom Happy Days, you’ll remember “The Fonz.” Henry Winkler played the character of Arthur Fonzarelli, the coolest...
Why Emotional Responsibility Will Save Your Marriage
In the early years of our marriage, confrontations between Sheri and me usually involved her turning into a T-rex and me turning into a...
How to Make Your Spouse Less Annoying
Minimize the Annoying Moments in Marriage
It’s obvious there are some marriage issues that are so big they cannot be ignored. Left unresolved, these large...
Why Do I Feel So Lonely In My Marriage?
With thanks to Thomas Nelson for sponsoring this post.
I’m not sure if I can point to a single time in my life where I...
1 Surprising Way to Discover God’s Will
One of the Bible's under-appreciated themes is the dozens of different ways he speaks. God's will is found through a burning bush, out of...
How to Fall in Love All Over Again
No one gets married thinking their love for their spouse will fade. We go in believing those butterflies we felt when we first fell...
Practice Your Way to Better Sex
For many women, sex just isn’t that great at the beginning of the marriage.
This week we’ve been looking at specific ways to have better...
The Destructive Danger of a Negative Spouse
Frederick Buechner is a brilliant writer who can jump between fiction and nonfiction like a champion American Ninja Warrior skips over a water obstacle....
The Difference Between Forgiveness and Trust
When Jason and Alisha met with my wife and I they were in tough shape. Jason had just found out about his wife’s affair...
How to Add Warmth to Your Frozen Marriage
It's easy for marriages to become civil but distant, where a continued lack of warmth slowly freezes out love. The good news, coming today...
The Devastating Consequences (on Children) of Distant Marriages
The word “triangulation” should haunt every parent actively raising children, and it should warn all of us to not allow our marriages to grow...
Forgiveness is Better than Regret
Today's great post comes from our friends at Live Your Best Marriage. Enjoy!
Ever noticed how difficult it is at times to forgive your spouse...
The $1300 Parking Ticket That Changed Our Marriage
This week we are celebrating our friends Cherie and Brian Lowe’s new book, Your Money, Your Marriage, with a series of posts all about the sexiness of...
How to Stop a Financial Fight Before It Starts
This week we are celebrating our friends Cherie and Brian Lowe’s new book, Your Money, Your Marriage, with a series of posts all about the sexiness of...
5 Practical Ways to Change the Temperature of Your Marriage
Today's post comes from the always amazing Doug Fields. Enjoy.
Mending wounded relationships is NOT simple and band aids are rarely effective, but there are...
What Do You Want to Believe About Your Spouse?
Today's great post on what we choose to believe about our spouse comes from Marriage Laboratory. Enjoy!
There is a person in my life with...
5 Questions to Ask During a Fight
Today's post from Juli at Authentic Intimacy is timely (my wife and I just had a fight last night!) and I basically did the...
Practical Ideas for a High Maintenance Marriage
Today's post comes from the wonderful Jim Burns at Homeword. Check out the discussion questions at the end and have a conversation with your...
Your Husband Loves You, He Just Can’t Read Your Mind
Early in my marriage I surprised my wife by setting up a Christmas tree (that shed wanted but I'd said we shouldn't get) while...
This 1 Powerful Truth Will Change How You See Your Spouse
Gary Thomas sets up this post on his own, so I'll keep my setup brief: you should read this!
This post continues an ongoing series,...
Forgiving Your Spouse Doesn’t Mean Ignoring Your Feelings
Many marriages don't work through the pain, honesty, and tension that true forgiveness requires. Instead they bury their feelings, build resentments, and slowly drift...
10 of the Hardest Adjustments to Make After Marriage
Today's post comes from Rebecca at To Love, Honor, and Vacuum. Enjoy!
Adjusting to marriage can be difficult!
There’s a lot of great stuff that comes...
4 Tips for Dodging Drama
In lieu of my normal introduction, I'll just let Homeword introduce today's topic and say I wholeheartedly agree.
I love all things John Townsend. He...
Don’t Want to Drift Apart? Make Plans to Grow Together
As I was reading this post from Gary Thomas, I was reminded of a catchphrase from one of my all-time favorite show: LOST. The...
Are You Still Curious About Your Spouse?
I really love this post from Scott Kedersha about the power of curiosity, and the humility of never assuming you have your spouse figured...
Is Your Marriage’s Health At Risk? Here’s How to Find Out
Today's post from America's Family Coaches is absolutely right on. Behind all the details and distractions, how is the heart of your marriage doing?...
6 Tips For Managing Your Emotions
Today's post comes from our partners at Connected Marriages. Make sure to check out the great resources they offer!
Tips for Emotional Regulation
Have you ever...
This 1 Question Can Reignite Your Marriage
I love the simplicity of today's post. What if you made time to sit down with your spouse and ask this simple question: "what...
How to Avoid World War III AND Be Honest
Today's post from our partners at Engaged Marriages shares some great, practical communication tips. Enjoy!
When you’re married, it’s inevitable that some things your partner...
Do You Know Your Marriage’s Superpower?
I really, really enjoyed this post from Scott Kedersha. It's a creative angle on a topic we haven't covered much here at Thriving Marriages,...
The Surprising Reason You’re Angry at Your Spouse Today
Okay some of you aren't angry TODAY, but you were yesterday, or will be tomorrow. This great post from America's Family Coaches explains how...
10 Mental Habits That Fuel Anxiety
I (Josh) struggle with anxiety. So does my wife. Learning how to recognize our anxiety, communicate about it, and manage it has been one...
Sometimes “Don’t Go to Bed Angry” is Terrible Advice
There's a scene in the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day where Bill yells at a groundhog "don't drive angry!" (it makes more sense in...
Does Your Husband Really NEED Sex?
I'm a little hesitant to share today's post from Juli at Authentic Intimacy - not because it isn't amazing, because it's really good! -...
4 Steps Toward a “Chore War” Ceasefire
Do you and your spouse fight over day-to-day household chores? It's time to declare a ceasefire! Today's great post comes from Kathi Lipp, and...
1 Secret Tip for Marrying the Right Person
Today's post comes from our friends at Homeword.
When I was in college I wrote an op-ed for my local newspaper about the kind of...
