How Your Family of Origin Impacts Your Marriage Now
Whether you're familiar with the term or not, your family origin impacts marriage in critical ways, for good or bad. Find out how.
Close the Loop: The One Vital Habit That Will Keep Your Marriage Moving Forward
Your hurtful words or actions open the loop by introducing pain. It is important to close the loop as soon as possible to deal with the pain and return the relationship to harmony.
Husbands, Love Your Wives Like Jesus. 3 Keys.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her – Eph 5:25 Pastors often preach it, but are we living by it?
How to Ask For What You Need Without Arguing
Understanding why your spouse doesn't pick up on your needs can keep you from unnecessary arguing or, worse, ongoing resentment.
Conflict In Your Marriage? That Might Be Good!
The question is not if a marriage experiences conflict, but when. All relationships have issues, what matters most is how we resolve them.
3 Tough Love Truths About Your Marriage
These 3 tough love truths are healthy reminders for every married couple. So often we want to make it our spouse’s fault.
Emotional Intimacy: Can Men Learn It?
As much as I may not want to admit it, women are more advanced than men when it comes to emotions (and MANY other areas!). I want us to experience emotional intimacy in the way God intends and we all desire.
The Heart Is The Heart Of The Matter. How’s Yours?
Whenever a marriage self-destructs, the heart is the heart of the matter. But it's also the reason a marriage thrives, and you choose which!
Marriage-Ruining Explosions Start As Small Sins
Address those issues that make it difficult for your spouse to cherish you. Don’t wait for explosions to address the weaknesses in your life.
What Level of Conflict Are Your Marital Fights At?
Ryan and Megan thought they were fighting about the cookout. But the level of conflict of their fight was actually deeper. And that matters.
Issues from Your In-Laws? What Can You Do?
It’s important to establish healthy boundaries with your in-laws. Otherwise, you can add a lot of stress to your marriage relationship. But how do you go about it?
Marriages that Last Close the “Loop of Conflict”
Couples trapped in a cycle of offense-hurt-anger with no idea of how to resolve their differences are caught in an “open loop of conflict.”
Can Love Languages Be Harmful For Your Marriage?
Love languages are great as tools to demonstrate love, but can they sour your relationship?
Trust Can Be Rebuilt Over Time. Here’s How.
Your spouse has blown it. You don’t trust him/her anymore. But you want to save your marriage. How can you learn to trust again?
When Little Fights Become Big Problems
The moment you do or say something that hurts your spouse, you stand at a fork in the road, whether you are aware of it or not.
What to Do When You’re Not Feeling It
What do you do when you're not feeling it? Most marriages go through this. You might not want to hear it, but love is a choice.
Marriage Fight Club: How to Have a Good Argument
It’s not a matter of if, but when, you will have an argument, but did you know there is a right way to do it? Arguments can be a good thing.
Ultimatums Are Bad, Right? Actually, They’re VITAL For a Thriving Marriage. Here’s Why.
But, you say, there’s no such thing as ultimatums in marriage. Really? Sure there are. Only they’re disguised as boundaries, conditions, even as love. It’s time we each wake up and realize there are conditions with love and relationships.
Selfishness is the #1 Threat to Your Marriage’s Health
Often cited as the number one problem is the lack of communication. I don’t believe that’s the case. I believe there's a deeper problem.
Toxic People Can Poison a Fruitful Marriage
If we value fruitfulness as Jesus does, then literally, all of us need to weed out the toxic relationships that are around our marriage.
Tired of All the Fighting? Maybe You’re Just Tired!
Our fights are either started by, perpetuated by or intensified by one of us being tired. It just makes every problem seem worse than it is.
Watch Your Tone! Say Things In a Way Your Spouse Will Hear
Couples who don't consider the advice of "watch your tone," who are not careful with their communication tone in marriage, can quickly become “tone deaf.”
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 Klein is a great guide for prayers for a struggling marriage.
Sometimes Your Spouse Doesn’t Want Your Help. Here’s Why.
In married life we can misread and overstep our bounds. Even when this is under the umbrella of trying to help, beware of overreaching.
Accept Your Spouse As They Are, Even With Changes
In whatever ways you and your spouse change with age, one thing about you should never change: that you accept your spouse just as they are.
Can Broken Trust Can Be Restored?
Your spouse has blown it. You don’t trust him/her anymore. But you want to save your marriage, despite your broken trust. How can you learn to heal? You’re going to need to rebuild your marriage from the bottom up.
How Married Do You Want to Be?
I want my wife to feel loved. I want us to feel connected, together, one. So let me ask you, how married do you want to be?
How to Get Your Husband to Share His Emotions
It's tough for your husband to share his emotions with you. Here's how to help your "tough dude" to open up at home.
3 Keys To Overcoming Obstacles In Your Marriage
I had to fight that internal battle to ignore fear and listen to the spirit of love so I could see, “You are not the obstacle in our marriage—you are my partner in overcoming obstacles.”
7 Rules for Fighting Fair
I’ve come to recognize that what works for one couple won’t work for another couple. Everyone must create their own rules for fighting fair.
Sex Life Feel Broken? How to Rebuild It!
Sometimes circumstances turn our sex life into something negative, but don't despair. It's possible to reset your sex life!
Initiating (and Declining) Sex Without Starting a Fight
For many married couples initiating sex can be an awkward moment that leads to conflict or hurt feelings. They’re not sure what to say. They fear being rejected. This may begin to sound overwhelming, but there are few simple points to keep in mind when initiating sex with your spouse.
Your Spouse’s Perspective Is Annoying. You Should Listen Anyway!
In the same way that I am benefited by reminding myself of God’s eternal perspective – I must remember that my husband also offers me a unique perspective that I shouldn’t so quickly dismiss.
“Fair” Marriage = Both Spouses Give 100 Percent
The 50/50 marriage is an arrangement of trade-offs and compromises, with spouses keeping score so one person never gets more or gives more than the other. Serving and submitting to one another are replaced by an emphasis on getting what is rightfully yours. Marriages only work when each spouse is giving 100 percent.
Want to Stop a Fight Before It Starts? Here’s How!
Can you sense there might be a fight brewing? Let us encourage you: You can stop a fight before it even starts! Here’s how:
8 Stinking Thinking Thoughts That Hurt Relationships
When I started to recognize the stinking thinking that I entertained, I was able to work on replacing them with thoughts that were true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable excellent and praiseworthy.
“I’m Sorry” Can Make All the Difference In Your Marriage
Today, it might feel like a thick wall is dividing you and your spouse. No one is willing to tear down the first brick to come together. But the truth is, you hold a weighty sledgehammer in your hand. Use the power of saying "I'm sorry" to break through to one another again.
The 4 Common Mistakes Newlyweds Make
I’ve given my life to helping newlyweds prepare start their marriages off right. Here are four common mistakes I see them make.
How to Stop a Financial Fight Before it Starts
This is an excerpt from Cherie and Brian Lowe’s book, Your Money, Your Marriage, about how to avoid a financial fight.
Stressed Out Spouse: 10 Ways to Help
Ever feel like your stressed out spouse is short with you? What are you going to do to help your spouse through stress? Here are 10 keys.
What If Your Private Arguments Went Public?
What if the arguments you had with your spouse was broadcast out for others to hear? What if every disagreement with you and your spouse was broadcast on Facebook live for all the world to see and hear?
Are You Always Irritated at Your Spouse?
Are you always irritated with your spouse? Funny how some things that attracted you to your lovely spouse now drive you up the wall.
Negative Emotion is Vital For a Healthy Relationship
An intolerance of OTHERS’ negative emotion is precluded by an intolerance of our own negative emotion. This dynamic is a marriage killer.
6 Ways Forgiveness Isn’t What You Think It is.
The power to forgive in marriage ultimately comes from God. And what you may not realize is there are some myths about forgiveness.
Angry? Don’t Ask “What?” But “Why?”
The default question most angry people ask is, “What?” What triggered my anger? But, that’s too easy and too general.
It’s Not About the Nail? Actually, Sometimes It IS About the Nail
It's Not About the Nail was a popular marriage video that made the rounds (we've done a post on it!. This post is the other side of the argument that video is making. Sometimes, it IS about the nail. But even if you don't know what I'm talking about, this is worth your time to read. Enjoy!
Actually, Communication in Marriage Isn’t What’s Most Important. What Is Might Surprise You.
What you have probably heard is the number one problem is communication in marriage. I believe this is a symptom of a deeper problem.
7 Christian Marriage Myths. Does #3 Surprise You?
The hard truth about a Christian marriage is that your marriage will not be perfect just because you’re Christians. Don't buy these myths.
Take Off The Disguise When You’re With Your Spouse
I do it because wearing a disguise is comfortable and easy, while being real requires vulnerability. Being real requires courage and risk.
How to Unconditionally Love An Imperfect Spouse
The call to cherish your wife or husband is a call to respond in an understanding way to a sometimes imperfect and even unhealthy spouse.