How To Have Healthy Boundaries With Your In-Laws
Q: My mother-in-law really has my husband under her thumb. How can I get her to back off without hurting either of...
5 Signs That Your Marriage is Going to Make It
People often ask us, how can I tell if my marriage will last? In some cases, it may not be easy to...
Are Finances Supposed to Be the Man’s Job?
Q: My husband is terrible at handling the finances because he hates paperwork. I like to take care of the bills, but...
“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....
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...
Want a Happier 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...
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...
5 Easy Ways to Stop Arguing With Your Spouse
Stop arguing with your spouse…if only it were so simple!
Let’s face it…communication is very complex.
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....
Why Won’t My Husband Share His Emotions With Me?
“Man up.”
“Suck it up.”
“Real men don’t cry.”
Boys learn very...
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...
How Married Do You Want to Be?
How earnestly do you want to feel close to your spouse?
Enough to kill something for it?
How Your Family of Origin Impacts Your Marriage Now
The term family of origin is familiar to some but many not everyone. Everyone should have an understanding of it, being that...
Selfishness is the #1 Threat to Your Marriage’s Health
What have you probably heard is the number one problem in marriage?
Often cited as the number one problem is the lack of communication.
I don’t...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
5 Steps to Freedom from Shame
When I was in elementary school, I was molested by a family member. That same family member introduced me to porn for the first...
7 Prayers for a Struggling Marriage
While not every marriage is struggling right this moment, nearly all marriages hit crisis moments at some point in time. Today's post from Elizabeth...
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...
How to Survive When Your Marriage is Under Attack
Today's post comes from Live Your Best Marriage.
In a few weeks my husband and I will celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary. It’s been an exciting...
10 Ways to Stop Fighting About Money
Today's topic is a guest post from Lauren at Determined Dollar and was first posted at To Love, Honor, and Vacuum. Enjoy!
Money fights are the number...
The Surprising Secret for Marital Satisfaction
Today's post comes from Gary Thomas.
Some desires in marriage are never going to be fulfilled and need to be “crucified.” In fact, various studies have...
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...
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...
You Can’t Control Your Spouse’s Emotions (Only Yours)
Today's post from the Marriage Laboratory goes out to all the Thriving Marriages readers who feel like they're failing when their spouse has a...
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...
What Husbands Need to Learn From the #Metoo Movement
Today's post comes from a new contributor to Thriving Marriages, Kim Quon. Whether you resonate with the "predator" language he uses in today's post,...
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...
How to Find Your Marriage’s “Lost” Love
Today's post comes from Gary Thomas, and features the story of Megan (see link in next paragraph), and how they found new life in...
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...
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...