marriage Archives

Friendship or Flirtation? Danger Signs for Couples

Marriages everywhere are at risk because of one of the most powerful drugs known to man: infatuation.

You may not consider infatuation a drug, but author and psychologist Dave Carder, who has spent 30 years studying the causes of infidelity, says infatuation is as powerful as any substance out there.

Infatuated people do crazy things. They make irrational decisions and ignore how their choices impact everyone else. They behave like they’re under the influence of a mind-altering substance – because they are.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage February 22, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Showing True Love to Your Spouse

No word defines marriage quite like the word love. But what is love, really? Is it simply an emotion we feel? Or is it something deeper?

In some ways, it’s no surprise that we struggle to understand love. The word we use has become such a generic term that the richness of its meaning is often lost. That’s because in English there’s one word for love with a full spectrum of nuance. You can say, “I love my spouse,” and in the next breath say, “I love potato chips.” Same word.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage February 14, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Improving Your Sex Life to Improve Your Marriage

What kind of “sex-pectations” do you and your spouse have?

In the book Married Sex: A Christian Couple’s Guide to Reimagining Your Love Life, co-authors Gary Thomas and Debra Fileta define “sex-pectations” as beliefs about sex that couples have going into marriage.

Those expectations can often be unhealthy, shaped more by Hollywood than God’s Word. Aligning expectations with reality can be challenging for a couple. A great place to start is adopting a biblical perspective of sex and understanding the benefits of a healthy sex life to a couple’s relationship.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage February 10, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Simple Habits to Embrace in Your Marriage

The wear and tear of everyday life can take a toll on your marriage. Any given day a couple may face challenges in their faith, church, extended family relationships, recreation, sexual intimacy, friendships, household responsibilities, finances, hectic schedules, or a never-ending stream of parenting decisions.

Whew!

Is it any wonder that most relationships could use a little maintenance? The question is, how do you fill your marriage with good things without it all becoming just one more thing to juggle?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage January 24, 2022 by Clara Greer

Saving Your Marriage from Divorce

I’ve got good news for you if you’re in a bad marriage: No matter how dire your circumstances, there is hope.

When a marriage enters dangerous territory, the journey to get out isn’t easy, but the results can be beautiful.

On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Saving Your Marriage from Divorce,” psychologist and author Dr. David Clarke shares his proven, 90-day strategy for getting a broken marriage on track toward healing and intimacy.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage January 12, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Learning to Relish Life with Your Spouse

Most of us enter marriage with high expectations. We dream of long walks through the neighborhood every night and long walks along the beach in the summer. We imagine that every day will be romantic and exciting.

But somewhere between “I do” and “happily ever after” daily life settles into a predictable routine. And by “predictable” I mean “mundane” or – dare I even say – “boring.” Before long, we’re struggling under the “whens” and “if onlys” of life.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage January 7, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Loving Your Spouse Through the Seasons of Marriage

What “season” is it for your marriage? Is it summer because things are warm and sizzling with your spouse? Or is it winter because things feel a little chilly?

I remember how it felt when Jean and I fell in love. Like many couples in a new relationship, we enjoyed being together every chance we could and daydreamed about seeing each other when we couldn’t. It was easy to think, “We’ll always feel this way!”

But relationships are like the weather; they change.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage December 28, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Spiritual Battle for Your Marriage

As Christians, we orient our lives according to the Bible. We believe that God exists (Romans 1:20) and that He commands a host of angels who do His will (Luke 2:13-14) and who worship Him without ceasing (Revelation 4:8).

Yet, when it comes to spiritual warfare, we’re double-minded. We believe that the devil and his angels exist (Matthew 25:41), but we rarely acknowledge their influence in our daily affairs.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage December 23, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Cherishing Your Spouse Every Day

Author Gary Thomas thought he had a good marriage. Then God reminded him of the pledge he made to his wife at their wedding: “I promise to love and to cherish you until death do us part.”

Thirty-six years later, Gary realized that he hadn’t thought of the word “cherish” in terms of his marriage since he spoke those words. Determined to change course, Gary set out to understand what it really meant to cherish his wife.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage December 13, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Identifying Triggers in Your Marriage

Guy and Amber Lia were convinced that their marriage was a mistake soon after the mountaintop experience of their wedding. Neither had the communication skills to work through their differences. They reacted to each other instead of responding. Their relationship spiraled, and they considered throwing in the towel.

Every dating couple imagines marriage as a string of mountaintop experiences. Life will never be perfect, but we can’t fathom romance fading. We can’t foresee our conversations not stretching into the wee hours of the night.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage December 8, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura