“In It To Win It” Is a Bad Goal For Marriage
My wife, Michelle, and I went on a beach vacation in early January. It was great to get away and to relax....
Good Communication Is Saying the Right Words at the Right Time
You’re in penguin adorned pajamas headed to bed, then your partner starts to talk about their day.
Gritty stuff,...
How Bad Married Sex Can Actually Be Good For You!
Steve meets Michelle.
They fall in love and get married shortly after graduation.
For our story...
Here’s a Killer Valentine’s Day Present For Your Spouse That’s Free!
Are you looking for a meaningful Valentine’s Day without spending a dime? Share the gifts below.
Gift of Words...
Your Spouse is More Important Than Work
It seems like this conversation happened just yesterday, but it actually happened before Cathy and I had kids. I was a youth...
10 Ways to Get Back the Spark in Your Marriage
How do you get that spark in marriage if you feel like you’ve lost it?
How do you rekindle...
Want a Happy Marriage? Stop Asking Your Spouse to Do This.
Don’t you think it would be cruel to ask your spouse to hold down five jobs?
Let’s say your...
I Love My Wife, But I Just Don’t Know How To Show Her That.
If we've said it once we've said it a thousand times: Men and women often don't view intimacy the same way! For...
The 1 Vital Thing Your Spouse Needs to Hear From You Today
A quick note up front. I (Josh) love talking about how to create and sustain healthy marriages. If you are a pastor...
6 Powerful Ways to Fight Off Fear
Today's post about how to fight off fear is from The Love and Life Toolbox isn't directly about marriage, but it is...
5 Easy Ways to Stop Fighting With Your Spouse
Stop fighting with your spouse…if only it were so simple!
Let’s face it…communication is very complex.
Want 2019 to be a GREAT Year? Ask These 3 Questions.
Longtime TM partner, Scott Kedersha, recently wrote a fantastic post on how to reflect on your past year. While it's not all...
Set These Realistic Goals for Your Marriage in 2019
A few years ago, at the suggestion of a friend, Troy and I began the tradition of setting goals for our marriage...
Last Year Was One of the Hardest Years of My Life … but One...
Most of the time here at Thriving Marriages we bring you the best content we've found around the web for building a...
Husbands: God Doesn’t Want You to Change Your Wife
I’ve been asked several times, “Gary, what do you do when Sacred Marriage doesn’t work?”
At first, I was confused by the question....
A Resolution for Great Communication
In this new year, make a resolution for better communication with your spouse! Communication is the process of sharing yourself verbally and...
Why Won’t My Husband Share His Emotions With Me?
Why won't my husband share his emotions with me? It's all...
“Man up.”
“Suck it up.”...
Are You Always Irritated at Your Spouse?
Think back to the day you were married. How did you feel about your partner? If you’re like many couples, you were...
Do You Trust the Person You’re Having Sex With?
Richard Nicastro, PhD, examines how the sexual intimacy stakes rise when you fall in love. He highlights the conditions that either encourage...
Behind Every Fight Is a Desire For Connection
Beth and Paul were sitting on the coach in front of me struggling to connect. They both felt dismissed, ignored, blamed, angry...
Should You Bring It Up, Or Let It Go?
For most of my marriage, I’ve had this question, that I just COULDN’T puzzle out.
It is this: when...
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 Marriage
For women, emotional intimacy in marriage is crucial to a deep, thriving relationship. And the research proves it! For our book, The Five Love...
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”
“As long as we both shall live….”
After returning from a hard workout one evening, I came home to a wonderful meal prepared by my...
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 in marriage, I have a rule of thumb that has proved itself to be true over and over again:
The...
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
Wanna make your spouse less annoying? It’s obvious there are some marriage issues that are so big they cannot be ignored. Left unresolved, these...
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
Fall in love again? No one gets married thinking their love for their spouse will fade. We go in believing those butterflies we felt...
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
A negative spouse reeks destruction on marriages. Here's how...
Frederick Buechner is a brilliant writer who can jump between fiction and nonfiction like a champion...
The Difference Between Forgiveness and Trust
Understanding the difference between forgiveness and trust is critical to every marriage. When Jason and Alisha met with my wife and I they were...
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...
Forgive Your Spouse…It’s Far Better Than Regret
Today's great post about how to forgive your spouse comes from our friends at Live Your Best Marriage. Enjoy!
Ever noticed how difficult it is...
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...