wife Archives

Compromise Not Always the Best Answer to Marriage Disagreements

Many people think that learning to compromise is one of the keys to a successful marriage.

Would it surprise you to learn that Focus marriage experts Dr. Greg Smalley and Erin Smalley disagree?

According to the husband-wife team, compromise – an agreement where each person makes concessions – may not be the best way to help ensure long-term satisfaction in a marriage.

“I hate the word ‘compromise,’” explains Greg. “I don’t want to settle. I want to reach for something better.”

That’s why, instead of compromising, the Smalleys have found that it’s best to find a solution that feels great to both of them.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, husband, marriage, wife March 10, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Valentine’s Message: Be Joyful and Have Fun

A Christian woman a few years into her marriage once reflected back on the days leading up to her wedding:

“As excited as we were to start our new life together, my husband and I were also a little fearful. We had heard from so many Christian couples, and in so many sermons, about how difficult and challenging marriage is. You can’t help but think, ‘Am I crazy to go through with this?’”

She’s right – Christians spend a lot of time talking about marriage in light of the commitment it requires and the sacrifices we must make as husbands and wives.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, husband, marriage, relationships, wife February 14, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Glorifying God Through the Obstacles in Marriage

All marriages will face challenges. It’s not a matter of if you and your spouse will encounter hardship – it’s a matter of what type of situation you’ll have to walk through.

Mike and Reneé Bondi entered their marriage knowing exactly what type of obstacles they would encounter. Reneé had suffered a horrible accident that left her a quadriplegic while she was still engaged to Mike. Despite the fact Reneé tried to “release” Mike from his commitment to her, he knew in his heart that she was the woman God had set apart for him.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, husband, marriage, wife January 23, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

3 Thoughts About Submission in Marriage

I was working in my office with the TV on this past Friday when I heard an anchor passionately raising her voice.

It turned out the all-women panel was discussing actress Candace Cameron Bure’s recent comments on HuffPost Live about her decision to live out biblical submission in her 17-year marriage to NHL hockey player Valeri Bure.

In her interview, Bure defined biblical submission as “meekness, not weakness” and “strength under control; bridled strength.” And while in her interview Bure assured she makes her opinions “very clear” to her husband, the anchor wasn’t convinced.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: husband, marriage, pop culture, wife January 13, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Guest Post: Curse God and Die

A few years ago, our public relations team welcomed a spirited young woman as a summer intern. Whitney Williams immediately threw herself into her role, learning to coordinate interviews and write news releases. She even met her husband, Mix, while serving at Focus.

After her stint here, Whitney went back to Texas, finished college and got married.

Those who worked with Whitney were happy to follow her pregnancy on Facebook – and shocked to discover, along with her and Mix, that their baby boy was born with a rare congenital skin condition.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, family, husband, kids, wife November 5, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Guest Post: What I’ve Learned About Adoption Since Adopting

November is National Adoption Month, so I want to do something special in this space to observe the occasion. Throughout the month, I’ll be highlighting adoption stories – the experiences of real-life families who have taken that leap of faith of welcoming someone new as their own.

Through these first-hand accounts you’ll see God supernaturally moving in the lives of very normal people. These are men and women just like you and me – people who might have feared the prospect of adoption.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, faith, family, kids, wife November 4, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Guest Post: Mom and Dad Together, as It Should Be

Today I’m sharing a piece by Alliance Defending Freedom’s senior opinion editor and writer, AWR Hawkins. As you may know, ADF is on the forefront of the effort to preserve the timeless, universal, and unique institution of marriage. In this piece, Hawkins makes the case for the lifelong union of a husband and wife.

____________

Home is a place with a function. It is the roof under which Mom and Dad, together in marriage, ground and raise a family.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, husband, parenting, wife October 22, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How Do You Divvy Up Household Tasks?

Have you ever noticed that popular culture tends to see fathers as the “second-string” parent?

What do I mean by that?

Consider the familiar storyline in TV sitcoms or movies where the hapless dad can’t handle making his kids dinner or the house looks like a bomb went off because mom goes away for a weekend.

The insinuation is that mom is on the varsity and dad is still finding his way on the JV squad.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, husband, kids, wife October 15, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

VIDEO: This Well-Known Christian Couple Almost Divorced Until…

Dr. Greg Smalley, son of popular author and speaker Dr. Gary Smalley, serves as Focus’ Vice President of Family Ministries. Greg’s office is just steps from mine, and I enjoy our regular interactions. Not only is he a marriage expert and popular author with a doctorate in psychology, but he also has a great sense of humor. He’s a fun guy to be around. Greg and his wife, Erin, have been married for 21 years and have four children.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, husband, pastors, wife October 9, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

5 Ways to Sabotage Your Marriage Before It Starts

Most people don’t get married planning to divorce, but the research suggests so much of what they do before they wed sadly leads them to that place.

Part of the reason might be that, as a culture, we’re often more enamored with the wedding than the actual marriage. A colleague of mine once worked in a church office. He regularly encountered heartbroken brides-to-be who made the mistake of booking the reception hall before the sanctuary, only to discover the church was already taken.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: husband, intimacy, marriage, sex, wife September 25, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

« Previous Page
1
…
6
7
8
9
10
…
13
Next Page »