The Latest
Post Topics
- Abandonment 4
- Abuse 5
- Addiction 7
- Addiction/Pornography 6
- Affair/Infidelity 9
- Affairs / Infidelity 7
- Attachment 4
- Blended Family 4
- Blended family marriages 16
- Catholic Church 1
- Catholic Marriage 2
- Coaching 57
- Cohabitating couples 10
- Commitment 23
- Communication 102
- Conflict 21
- Conflict Resolution 17
- Consequences 5
- Considering divorce 15
- Counseling 9
- Counseling/Therapy 20
- Couples with kids 14
- Creating emotional safety for your spouse 5
- Crisis 4
- Crucial conversations 7
- Date Night Ideas 23
- Deeper understanding 18
- Divorce 13
- Emotional Intimacy 58
- Emotional Safety 1
- Emotional distance 4
- Empty nesters 10
- Engaged 17
- Expectations 80
- Extended family 7
- External influences 5
- Family 11
- Fatherhood 1
- Fear dance (pain cycle, peace cycle) 3
- Finances 11
- Finding a common vision 6
- First responder marriages 15
- Forgiveness 10
- Forgiveness/Reconciliation 23
- Foster Family/Adoption 2
- Foster families 1
- Friendship 3
- Generosity 7
- Gratitude 6
- Grief 4
Archive
- May 2024 2
- April 2024 3
- March 2024 3
- February 2024 3
- January 2024 3
- December 2023 4
- November 2023 3
- October 2023 3
- September 2023 3
- August 2023 3
- July 2023 4
- June 2023 4
- May 2023 2
- April 2023 4
- March 2023 3
- February 2023 3
- January 2023 2
- December 2022 4
- November 2022 2
- October 2022 3
- September 2022 3
- August 2022 2
- July 2022 4
- June 2022 1
- May 2022 3
- April 2022 4
- March 2022 2
- February 2022 6
- December 2021 3
- November 2021 4
- October 2021 2
- September 2021 4
- August 2021 4
- July 2021 2
- June 2021 5
- May 2021 4
- April 2021 1
- March 2021 2
- February 2021 1
- January 2021 2
- December 2020 3
- November 2020 3
God’s Multiplication Plan | Bledsoes’ Happily Married Couples Ministry Blossoms Through Mentorship
Mentors make a difference. The gift of walking alongside another can literally change the course of a life. Currently, Jackie Bledsoe is a digital creator, best-selling author and, with his wife, Stephana, a sought-after speaker at marriage events and founder of Happily Married Couples ministry. But in the not-too-distant past, Jackie and Stephana were a struggling couple themselves looking for wisdom and a community to bolster their young marriage and family.
Emotional Abuse and Narcissism: Can a Marriage Be Saved? / Dr. David Hawkins and Marriage Recovery Center Offers Hope
Can a marriage be saved when one of the spouses is a narcissist or emotionally abusive? Would someone even want to save it? Surprisingly, the answer to those questions can be yes, according to David Hawkins, Ph.D. A clinical psychologist with more than 40 years’ experience, Dr. Hawkins has brought healing and restoration to thousands of marriages and individuals since 1976.
Venerated Counselor and Marriage Advocate, Dr. Richard Marks, Tackles Difficult Relationship Problems / Moves People Toward Emotional Wellness
Ask those who’ve spent time strengthening marriages and families, and especially as a counselor or in public policy, and they’ve probably heard of Dr. Richard Marks. You might be familiar with his work at Smartmarriages or Christian PAIRS curricula, which he helped develop with mentor Dr. Lori Gordon. Dr. Marks focuses most of his efforts helping deeply troubled couples as they wrestle with how their struggles with trauma, substance abuse, sexual addiction, and general mental health issues affect their marriages.
10 Great Dates / David & Claudia Arp’s Marriage Ministry Shares the Universal Appeal of Dating
Who doesn’t want to go on a great date? What is it about the thought of a date that puts a twinkle in someone’s eye? Is it the anticipation of fun, connection, something to look forward to instead of the stress of the world? While the concept of a married couple’s “Date Night” has grown in popularity – even inspiring a movie by the same name, David Arp, MSW and his wife, Claudia, had the idea of dating one’s spouse long before it became “a thing.”
Love and Laughter / Jay & Laura Laffoon Make the Most Out of Life’s Messiness
There’s nothing more delightful than to hear your spouse laugh. It’s pure gold knowing the person you love is feeling joy and having fun, say Jay and Laura Laffoon, authors and speakers who create opportunities for spouses to connect and grow as they laugh together. They dub their work “Edutainment,” as they combine education with entertainment during date night events and marriage conferences where they transparently share the messiness of their 35-year marriage.
Insights from Dennis and Barbara Rainey, Founders of FamilyLife / 50 Years of History, Plans for Future Legacy
If you’ve picked up a marriage or family book or study in the past 40 years, chances are good it was either written by FamilyLife co-founders Dennis and Barbara Rainey or published by the ministry. The couple started the fledgling FamilyLife organization in 1976 under the umbrella of Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ). For the next 41 years, God’s favor and the Raineys’ leadership grew FamilyLife into a dynamic and vital ministry that’s equipped millions. People in more than 110 countries around the world now experience the abundant life Christ promises in their marriages and families.
Strong Marriages | Former Home Contractors, Dr. Dewey & Lynne Wilson, Build Homes on the Foundation of God’s Word
Although the mustard plant has one of the tiniest seeds, its resulting foliage can spread up to 20 feet. So can the smallest happenstance, in God’s hand, bloom with far-reaching implications. The birth of marriage ministry, Strong Marriages, started from one step of faith. Just like many marriage champions, Dewey and Lynne Wilson were asked to mentor a couple from church on the brink of divorce. Although the Wilsons recognized their own marriage was not in the place it needed to be, they felt compelled to try.
Marriage Counselor/Coach Couple, Gil & Brenda Stuart, Encourage Fellow Blended Families with Universal Illustrations
There’s something special about great duos. Where would Fred Astaire have been without Ginger Rogers? Or Batman without Robin? The most effective partnerships combine individual strengths for a greater mutual outcome. Such is the dynamism of Brenda and Gil Stuart’s work over the past 18 years helping people with their relationships.
Dave & Mary Gothi Take The Significant Marriage Resources Worldwide | Inspire Others to Shared Purpose
Marriage ministry leaders Mary and Dave Gothi couldn’t have come from more disparate backgrounds. Despite their differences, the two shared a passion for helping couples weather the storms of marital distress. They’ve now been married for 27 years, during most of which they have worked to help couples improve their marriages, and, since 2010, live on mission to make a difference in the world.
Eric Wooten’s Altared Marriage Offers Couples Practical Tools for Relationship Success
Opposites attract. Chances are you and your spouse glossed over a few differences when you were dating. But after several years of marriage, what once seemed innocuous or interesting now has become a source of conflict. Any one of dozens of mismatches can become an irritant that threatens to steal the joy from a marriage. Don’t let an area of incompatibility spark discord yet again.
Smalleys Spearhead Focus on the Family’s Marriage Ministry / Curate Resources for Marriage Champions
It’s no secret that Focus on the Family has long carried the standard for marriage and family. Marriage champions have relied on Focus as a valuable source of resources they can trust for decades. The depth and breadth of resources available at Focus is extensive and include an array of those Greg and Erin Smalley created that empower champions to support marriages in all ages and stages.
Jamie and Chris Bailey Overcame Broken Backgrounds to Help Marriages as Counselors
Have you ever worried that something in your past might disqualify you from serving God? Feel like poor choices or growing up in a dysfunctional home are too much to overcome? Be encouraged. God can redeem all things. There’s no background or brokenness God can’t use for good for those who wholeheartedly seek him.
Workshops and Resources Encourage Couples | Trey and Lea Morgan’s Stronger Marriage Ministry Offers Challenges, Posts, Robust Social Media Presence
These high school sweethearts always knew they were called to ministry. Early in their marriage Trey and Lea Morgan began working together, first with youth, and then families. In 2003, Trey became the preaching minister for the Childress Church of Christ while Lea concentrated on children’s ministry, a natural fit as they raised four sons in their small community in the Panhandle of Texas. Now 34 years later, the Morgans have been inspiring and equipping couples for decades.
Marriage Masterpiece with Al Janssen | Understanding God’s Heart for Marriage
What is the purpose of marriage? Is it to make people happy, as portrayed by Hollywood? An unspoken expectation in marriage vows is that the couple will live happily ever after. If marriage doesn’t make someone happy, is it time to move on? What if, as the Grinch found out about the meaning of Christmas, marriage was meant for “a little bit more.” Writer, editor, and Anglican priest Al Janssen noted that despite the end of millions of marriages annually worldwide, “it is striking that nine out of ten people worldwide choose to marry at least once in their lives.
Future Marriage University | Michael & Julie Johnson Empower Young People to Date Wisely For Later Benefit
What would inspire a single person to read a book about marriage when they are not even dating anyone? How about because it’s a gift from their mother? Pleasing his mother motivated author and speaker Michael Johnson to crack open a “marriage book” Christmas break his junior year of college – little imagining its future impact. What he found inside opened his eyes to common marriage pitfalls and became a treasure, not just for him and his future family, but for the thousands influenced by his ministry where he and his wife, Julie, help singles transform their dating practices.
Men Huddle / Former NFL QB Jeff Kemp Inspires Men to Win at Life Through Friendship
Many symptoms in our troubled society point to a need for a revival of men and benevolent masculinity. Too many men, young and old, feel isolated. Siloed, stressed, pressured – without connection and direction they wander and detour through life, failing to fulfill their God-given purpose. Former NFL quarterback, author and leader for families Jeff Kemp wants to turn the tide. He inspires men with a simple message: Friendship is the way of Jesus.
Attachment Theory Explains Marital Disconnect / Milan & Kay Yerkovich Offer Path for Growth
Your first fight started long before you ever met your spouse. That’s because coping skills formed in childhood play a much larger role in later relationships than most people realize. Counselors and authors Milan and Kay Yerkovich realized when studying attachment research that the ways young children bond (or don’t) with their parents during their early years deeply affect their ability to connect with their spouse later in life. Their How We Love resources help people discover their unhealthy behavior patterns and overcome the deficits that plague their marriages.
Authentic Manhood / Dr. Robert Lewis Leads Men in Becoming Better
“Culture tells us real men make a lot of money and have it all together” — BetterMan.com. That description may seem like the guy version of the American Dream, but is that definition obtainable? Does that goal give a man purpose and the desire to bring his best self to his marriage, his family and his work?
That standard leaves a lot to be desired according to best-selling author, pastor and trailblazer in Christian men’s ministry Robert Lewis, who for 40 years has helped millions discover and pass on a biblically based, authentic and life enriching definition of what it means to be a man.
What’s Your One Thing? / Counselor and Radio Host Dr. Randy Carlson Shares Practical Ways to Live Intentionally
You’ve reached a point in your life when you realize something needs to change. Maybe it’s in your finances, your parenting or your relationships. But getting started is overwhelming! How to even begin? Dr. Randy Carlson, counselor, best-selling author and nationally syndicated radio host, believes living a better life is easier than you think.
Purpose-Focused Marriage / Julie and Greg Gorman Use Business Skills to Move Marriages Forward
God has a beautiful way of redeeming brokenness to serve his purposes. As carbon under enough pressure becomes a beautiful diamond, so too, do those who overcome adversity through the power of the Holy Spirit shine Christ’s light.
When Julie and Greg Gorman married 24 years ago, they didn’t start with a blank slate. Both were previously divorced, Greg was raising a pre-school-age daughter, and when Julie became pregnant shortly after their honeymoon with two babies in three years, stress levels escalated.