God is faithful. He promises a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair… and to repay for the years the locusts have eaten.

The rebirth of Brad and Lisa Valencia’s now 22-year marriage could be described no less vividly.

Twelve years ago, it seemed their relationship was dead. Brad had walked away from life with Lisa, leaving her alone with three small children, one just nine months old. Divorce papers had been prepared. Lisa was about to sign, until a phone call from Brad caused her to pause.

He told her he felt God calling him back in forgiveness to the faith and family he’d left.

John McGee, Senior Director of Watermark Resources at Watermark Community Church is making a difference in the kingdom of God.

John established Watermark’s plan to provide a safety net for marriages in every stage. The church starts couples off strong with pre-marital prep, helps newlyweds establish good habits in the first years, enriches and strengthens marriages, and supports those struggling through highly regarded curriculum and community groups.

Pornography. We don’t talk much about it in Christian circles. It’s that dirty little secret hiding behind closed doors and computer screens quietly destroying marriages. The world’s number one site, Pornhub, estimates sixty-four million people click on its link EVERY DAY. Forty million Americans are regular users, and one in three are women.

Pastor and author Nick Stumbo serves as Executive Director of Pure Desire Ministries, the non-profit that helped him find victory over his decades-long struggle with pornography addiction and helps thousands of couples become sexually healthy.

You’ve seen them – men and women sitting in church week after week by themselves. Or maybe that person is you. You may have found Christ after marriage or returned to the faith in which you were raised, but either way – you are pursuing a relationship with God, while your spouse is… not. 

Coach and speaker Lynn Donovan offers wisdom and support to those in a spiritually mismatched marriage. Her work offers hope and help to a Christian learning to be united with their spouse, even when he or she holds very different beliefs.

If you’ve hit your 40th birthday and you’re married, you’ve probably felt the pull of midlife. Maybe it’s the squeeze of taking care of an aging parent and the kids. Or a corporate restructure has jumpstarted early retirement. Perhaps an empty nest has caused you and your spouse to wonder if you even know each other. Any and all of these situations can cause a midlife couple to pause and take inventory of their lives and the state of their marriage.

Dorothy Greco, award-winning photographer, author and speaker, addresses midlife issues and transparently shares lessons learned as she and her husband, Christopher, have navigated the past 33 years of marriage together … and in so doing drawn closer to God and each other.

Author, speaker, podcast host and soon-to-be filmmaker Laura Gallier has created content to address both aspects of sexual relationships through a biblical lens —before and after marriage.

She shares the importance of having a correct mindset about sex-related values in romantic relationships, speaking to thousands of teens about God’s best plan for their purity.

Laura and her husband Patrick offer a streaming course for married couples that opens the door for meaningful conversations and discusses topics that have once been taboo in Christian circles.

Agape Catholic Ministries, founded and led by French-born U.S. citizens Christian and Christine Meert, offers a Pre-Cana program that combines the convenience of online and on-demand access with the ability to build relationship with a role-model couple. Its curriculum is inspired by and closely follows Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.

Pastor, speaker, author and consultant Rob Rienow, DMin, has a heart for the Gospel and a passion for marriages and families. He feels called to share the message that God created marriage and the home as the bedrock of culture and civilization. Sadly, these concepts have lost traction in modern western culture.

Do you know what we need more than anything else to address these problems? We need more people who love Jesus Christ and who are willing to lay down their lives for Him.

The Rienows believe God created marriage for two main purposes. 1) To reflect God’s glory as a picture of the love between Christ and the church. 2) To raise godly children who will advance the kingdom of Christ to the next generation.

Whether engaged or newly married, young couples need a supportive community with authentic relationships. Ryan and Mary Rose Verret began working with engaged couples in their local parish to develop a better way to prepare them for a lasting marriage and reconnect them to their church family. The Verret’s created the Witness to Love program in 2012 for engaged couples to choose married mentors from their church to journey with them as they prepare for their married life together.

How can families love each other well? That question inspired Mark and Susan Merrill to found non-profit Family First, formerly the Florida Family Council, more than three decades ago. While they initially worked to change laws that impacted family, they realized changing hearts and minds was most important. They began creating encouraging, helpful content for families, including the Family Minute radio spot that aired on stations nationwide.

The Great Commission – sharing the Gospel worldwide until every tongue and tribe has heard the good news – has been the passion of Dr. Dave Harvey for more than three decades. A graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary, he’s now President of the Great Commission Collective in charge of church planting, church care and international outreach, a position that allows him to travel internationally teaching pastors and missionaries.

Do you know if your personality is similar to that of an Otter, a Golden Retriever, a Beaver or a Lion? If these terms are familiar to you, chances are you’ve read The Two Sides of Love, a classic marriage book written by Dr. John Trent. The animal identifications are part of a personality strengths assessment John developed for his doctoral dissertation in Marriage and Family Counseling. Understanding strengths is one important step in the process of relating well with others as outlined in his book and his other bestselling marriage and parenting book, The Blessing.

You’ve heard the hit, “This is How We Do It.” Everyone’s familiar with the anthem that’s been part of pop culture for the last 25+ years. It’s a ubiquitous favorite, played by the NFL, NBA, in commercials and at weddings and proms — guaranteed to pack the dance floor. The song’s artist/manager duo, Montell and Kristin Jordan, had been married less than a year when the title reached number #1 on the charts. The couple’s rocketing fame almost caused their marriage to disintegrate. They weathered trials and tribulations, and eventually, after two decades of world tours and millions of album sales, they chose marriage over music, faith over fame, and significance over success.

People want to win in their relationships – it’s a common denominator whether couples are just engaged or have been married for decades. Lucille Williams has experienced this desire firsthand — as a church ministry leader for more than 25 years and a pastor’s wife, she’s heard her share of stories. Lucille draws from these experiences, along with her own now 41-year marriage, to deliver wisdom served with a heaping helping of humor.

Most of us recognize the familiar whine of a mosquito. Sometimes, the bloodthirsty pests become so irritating they prevent us from enjoying outdoor activities. Just as the pesky mosquito diminishes the joy of a summer evening, so too, do the “mosquitoes” of distraction suck the life out of a marriage, according to the founders of Marriage Matters Now, Inc., Debbie and Steve Wilson.

What could NFL football possibly have to do with marriage? Marriage coaches George and Tondra Gregory could not have imagined at the beginning of their ministry journey that one day they’d be given an opportunity to serve as chaplains to one of the hottest franchises in professional football, helping team members defend against divorce and win in their marriages.

It's rare to find such sage advice from someone so young. Yet the message of 32-year-old speaker and author Ainsley Britain aligns with that of relationship leaders twice her age – albeit translated into modern vernacular that appeals to her audience of teens and young adults. Ainsley’s overall theme is to help people (mainly young women) find their identity in Christ so they can walk confidently forward in the purpose for which God created them.

Where do you look for answers when married life gets tough? You may not know anyone whose marriage has stood the test of time. And even if you did, would you feel comfortable asking them to share intimate details of their lives? People can easily find themselves adrift without role models and end up regretting decisions or behavior. That’s where Rhonda Stoppe steps in. She’s an author, speaker, and podcast host who offers wisdom she’s gleaned during the quarter century she’s worked with couples alongside her pastor husband of four decades, Steve.

Sometimes it seems like a struggling marriage is just so stuck, there’s no way back to a loving relationship. Is it even possible to overcome long standing habits and hurts? Can a couple battle back after the betrayal of infidelity? Sue and Roy Milam, founders of Cornerstone Marriage & Family Ministries, have seen thousands of marriages healed over their almost three decades working with couples and leading A New Beginning intensive weekends.

The vision for the flourishing marriage coaching and counseling ministry founded by Curt and Rhonda Hamner was born on a trip celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. The couple had spent the previous 20 years following Curt’s pastoral career in Dallas and Southern California and raising three children. Now, as the empty nest loomed, Curt gave Rhonda an assignment in light of the season ahead. He asked her to share the dreams God had given her for their next chapter of life.