Dressed in the crisp white and elegant black of a tuxedo, the conductor strides to the rostrum and rises tall before the members of his orchestra, their eyes lifted and their instruments polished and poised. With every muscle silenced and every ear cocked, the audience holds its breath. A hush Read more…
Since the day Adam and Eve hid from God, shame has been a problem in our relationships. Not only can Jesus Christ remove the guilt of our sins, but He also knows how to rescue us from shame.——————————————————————————————- Shame is a Shroud Shame is a shroudthat suffocates our soulsand hobbles Read more…
“Fight for Love” offers hope, courage, and practical guidance for women whose husbands are caught in porn addiction. #BookGiveaway
God has strong encouragement for husbands who are praying for reconciliation in their marriages.
The first year of marriage doesn’t have to be hard. Learn about some intentional choices that can make your marriage extraordinary in Part 2 of this two-part post by Kristen Hogrefe.
Simple ways to celebrate Passover and Easter. How to make Resurrection cookies. Holy Week devotionals for marriage.
The first year of marriage doesn’t have to be hard. Learn about some intentional choices that can make your marriage extraordinary in Part 1 of this two-part post by Kristen Hogrefe.
Although every marriage is different, there are four concepts that add immense strength to any marriage: honor, attentiveness, commitment, and kindness.
Developing these core strengths will make all the difference in your marriage: honor, attentiveness, commitment, and kindness.
If you are working to honor your marriage, then please allow me to say this to you: Thank you! On behalf of the entire Body of Christ, I thank you. Your faithfulness in marriage is a gift of strength to all of us. If you are honoring your marriage—whether your Read more…
1 Corinthians 13* If I speak to my spouse using tactful “I feel” messages and skillful conflict-resolution strategies, but I do not love, I am like a clanging cymbal or a car alarm that won’t shut off. And even if I have an advanced degree in marriage counseling and understand Read more…
What is the greatest motivator in life? What does brain science tell us about joy?How can we trigger the circuitry in our brains so that our marriages are strengthened? These are some of the questions that Chris Coursey answers during a fascinating conversation about his new book, co-authored with Marcus Read more…
Do you know the 4 habits that will fill your marriage with joy? Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey have written an intriguing new book entitled, The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled Marriages. I love the underlying premise of this book: You can build joy into your marriage. Without trying to fix Read more…
“Tetelestai.“ The last word that Jesus spoke before dying on the cross means, “It is finished.” The atoning work of Christ is complete. Our immense debt to God is paid in full. In Jerusalem While Jesus was hanging on a cross outside Jerusalem, a thick curtain was hanging inside the Read more…
It was a pleasure for me to interview Ron and Jody Zappia today as they explained “the seven choices that keep couples together.” As you watch this video, you will hear what those marriage-changing choices are, and you will also learn more about the Zappias’ own personal story of a Read more…
Recently, my friend Kristen Hogrefe asked me several questions about marriage as she prepares for her wedding in just a few days. I was happy to share with Kristen some of the things that I have learned during thirty years of marriage. Last week, Kristen posted Part One of our Read more…
Ron and Jody Zappia were still newlyweds when their marriage began to unravel. Stunned by the crisis, they committed themselves to learning how to tie the knot of marriage so that it would hold them together for a lifetime. Almost thirty years of marriage later, Ron and Jody are sharing Read more…
Recently, my friend Kristen Hogrefe asked me several questions about marriage as she prepares for her wedding in just a few days. She recognizes that preparing for a lifelong marriage is more important than preparing for a wedding event, as exciting as that is! Having been on this journey myself Read more…
Life-Changing Important Basics Don’t try to do marriage without understanding the concepts in these two highly practical, easy-to-read books. Other Favorites Books for Wives Free Online Videos Michael and Cindy Easley have created 11 short videos in which they discuss Biblical marriage, becoming one in marriage, and fighting fair. Weekend Read more…
Quite frankly, I wasn’t eager to read about “the storm-tossed family.” But as I began to read Russell Moore’s latest book, I had to restrain myself from bombarding a friend with texted pictures of underlined passages from the book. You may not be eager to read about the tossing of Read more…
How significant are individual marriages to the Body of Christ? How important is a Biblical understanding of gender? Many Christians believe that marriage and sexuality are private issues which often distract us from the more important matter of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. But could it be that when Read more…
Forty-seven years of marriage can provide a wealth of knowledge and insight, especially when that marriage has been built on biblical principles. Drawing from that rich experience, Crawford and Karen Loritts have written a new book entitled, Your Marriage Today … And Tomorrow. The book emphasizes creating marriages that are Read more…
Today’s guest blog was written by Adam Cook, who started AddictionHub.org after losing a friend to substance abuse and suicide. He is passionate about helping people find the necessary resources to save their lives from addiction. Addiction is a disease that affects millions of people around the world. When someone’s drug Read more…
Does your spouse delight you? If not, what can you do about it? We tend to think that our delight is our spouses’ responsibility. We sit around and wait for them to delight us. Perhaps we feel sorry for ourselves as we criticize them for not delighting us. But we Read more…
Most successful couples practice this one skill. In fact, this skill is so important to a healthy relationship that the direction of a marriage can be predicted based on this skill alone. Do you know what that is? Another practice is so powerful in marriage that couples who make this Read more…
What can you do if your spouse is abusive … or depressed … or addicted? How do you live with someone who won’t communicate? In his latest book, Dr. Gary Chapman tackles all of these difficult situations, and more. As he addresses each challenge, he offers strong encouragement and practical Read more…
Whether you are single or married, there are six important things to know about marriage. We looked at the first three things last week, and today we will look at the remaining three: #4. Marriage will not complete you. Single people are not “halves” waiting for their other “halves” to Read more…
Why should singles care about the topic of marriage? If marriage is not on your radar or even on your wish list, you may think that the subject is not relevant for you right now. But regardless of your marital status, you will benefit from understanding the divine design for Read more…
One of the best things you can do for your marriage is to pray. And one of the best ways to pray is to use the Scriptures as a guide. That is because the secret to prayer—just like the secret to marriage—is unity. When two wills line up together, there is Read more…
LORD, I thank You for my husband. Thank You for creating him in Your image, designing him for greatness and strength. I pray that my husband will be like a great tree planted by streams of water, its branches reaching up to the sky. May my husband be a mighty Read more…
Women, do you have to earn your husband’s attention and affection? Men, do you have to earn your wife’s acceptance? THE OLD, WEARY WAY If your marriage is based on EARNING, then you have an old-covenant (OC) relationship. OC marriages are common because this type of relationship comes naturally to Read more…
You probably know some helpful life hacks for cooking, cleaning, or organizing your garage. Here’s one for your marriage: Remember the letters H-A-C-K. The word “hack” is not very appealing, but as an acronym, it represents some fantastic tools for building your marriage. HACK is an acronym for 4 super-important Read more…
How can you trust God after He has allowed evil and suffering to tear through your life? My friend Joanna has known pain that I cannot even imagine. She experienced horrific abuse for many years of her childhood. Today, she says that she loves God–and I know that she does–but Read more…
“I am the chief sinner.” Who would say something like that? We might be ready to nominate someone else for “chief sinner” at times, but we don’t often suggest ourselves. But in a letter to a young pastor, Paul wrote, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I Read more…
God Specializes in Restoration Mark and Jill had been married for 25 years and had five children. He was a pastor, and she led a well-known women’s ministry. Together, they spoke on marriage and parenting. But then he had an affair, left the home, and asked for a divorce. However, God Read more…
You may not realize that 20% of high-school and college students engage in the self-injuring practice of cutting. As this becomes more common, it also affects more marriages. Most of us have not purposely cut ourselves, but we have all experienced inner pain, and we have all searched for ways Read more…
Trade Your Saw for a Spade When you build something out of wood, you measure, cut, sand, nail, and – viola!- results. You have visible signs of progress and defined outcomes. Best of all, you have much of the control. Relationships, on the other hand, are not easy to measure, and Read more…
What is a Biblical response to same-sex marriage? How does the good news of Christ shape our thinking on this topic? If you are asking these questions, then you will want to read The Gospel and Same-Sex Marriage. Edited by Russell Moore and Andrew Walker, it is the most recent book in “The Read more…
(The following article was written by Mike McManus, syndicated columnist and president of Marriage Savers. I appreciate Mike’s fantastic work on behalf of marriages , and I am grateful for his permission to share this column, which first appeared on December 14, 2016, on EthicsAndReligion.com.) January is the worst “Divorce Month” of the year. No Read more…
Thank You, LORD, for the awesome message of Christmas: You stoop down to make us great. (Psalm 18:35, NIV) How incredible! This is precisely what You did through the stunning miracle of the Incarnation. You stooped down beneath the stars, beneath a low stable door, entering our world to enter our lives. Read more…
Are you discouraged with your marriage? Has it become overwhelming? Are there too many broken parts or missing pieces? Maybe it is time to forget your marriage. No, I am not suggesting that you walk away from your marriage. What I mean is this: maybe it’s time to let go Read more…
A Holy-Day to Celebrate You probably know that today is Halloween. But did you realize that it is also Reformation Day? And did you know that Reformation Day is a fantastic thing to celebrate? On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the wooden door of the cathedral Read more…
It is a trending comment among Christians: Nonbelievers are going to act like nonbelievers. As a caution against judgmental attitudes, this is helpful. It is also a good reminder that our goal is not to force superficial behavior but to influence spiritual transformation. As one theologian put it, we should not Read more…
You may have heard the question before: Did God design marriage to make us happy or to make us holy? My answer would be, “Yes, He did!” Let me explain. We tend to think of holiness as something that has to do with being good, staying in line, and doing Read more…
5 Great Quotes: Elizabeth Elliot put it this way: we married our spouses because we loved them, so now we must love our spouses because we married them. Be for your spouse! Don’t just commit to your marriage: commit to the good of your spouse. Love is a decision to seek Read more…
Have you ever struggled to forgive someone—even when you wanted to forgive? I know I have. I have come to realize that part of my struggle came from not understanding true forgiveness. Sometimes, we have a hard time forgiving because we are trying to do things that are not part Read more…
We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness. —Albert Schweitzer We have all experienced the ache of loneliness. It can cut to the deepest core of our being. It can be intensely painful. Relieving our loneliness is much harder than we expect. Just being surrounded Read more…
I really didn’t expect this. I recently read an advance copy of 21 Myths (Even Good) Girls Believe about Sex: Pursuing Love with Passion and Truth. I thought I might find some good nuggets of truth to share. I expected to find things that were helpful, factual, Biblical, and much-needed. Read more…
What Singles Need to Know about Marriage Last week, I was privileged to guest blog on Kristen Hogrefe’s fantastic website, ThinkTrueThoughts, where I shared several “true thoughts” about marriage: Marriage is a profound revealer of spiritual truth. You can have a great impact on others in the area of marriage. Purity is Read more…
