Strengthen Your Marriage with a Meet Up

I know a lot of couples who have happy marriages. They all share one thing in common: they make deliberate decisions to nurture their relationship, to connect, and to communicate with their spouse regularly.

Not surprisingly, the unhappiest couples aren’t intentional with each other, often because they don’t know how to be.

If that describes your relationship, we’re here to help.

Authors and relationship experts Bill and Pam Farrel are with us on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Strengthen Your Marriage with a Meet Up” to encourage husbands and wives to invest in their relationship through “marriage meet ups” – regular meetings together that provide the couple an opportunity to connect, reflect, and plan – intentionally.

Sound intimidating? It doesn’t need to be. Bill and Pam developed the habit of meeting together early in their marriage. These meet ups have allowed them to establish productive habits and strengthen their connection. They say:

Meet ups help couples resolve frustration in communication. Early on, Pam brought up her concerns randomly, out of the blue, which frustrated Bill, who responded better with advance notice. Scheduled meetings encourage Pam to think through her ideas more fully.
Meet ups help couples handle conflict proactively. Meet ups encourage couples to address their disagreements before the problem escalates. The result is less arguing day-to-day.
Meet ups help couples safeguard their love life. Meet ups don’t reduce a marriage to business meetings. Instead, couples are encouraged to praise each other, plan date nights, and joyfully anticipate spending time together.

Tune in for my conversation with Bill and Pam on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or take us with you on our free phone app.

While you’re online, why not take a few moments to try our free Marriage Assessment online tool? It will help you quickly determine what’s working well in your relationship and identify areas where you may need some improvement.

If you’d like to speak with a counselor about conflict within your marriage, call Focus on the Family for a free consultation. Leave your name and number, and they’ll get back with you as soon as possible. The number during business hours is 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).

If your marriage is in crisis, I want to remind you about Hope Restored. If you’re on the brink of divorce, these marriage intensives can go a long way toward facilitating healing between you and your spouse and bringing restoration to your relationship. The intensives take place in three locations: Branson, MO; Greenville, MI; and the WinShape Retreat Center in Rome, GA. The number for Hope Restored is 1-866-875-2915, or visit online.

Before I close, I’d like to extend an invitation for you to become a special partner with us through our monthly “Friends of Focus on the Family” program. When you do, I’ll send you a copy of Bill and Pam Farrel’s book Marriage Meet Ups: A Planner for Couples Who Want a Productive, Passionate and Purposeful Life as a way of saying thank you for touching others with the love of Christ. To make your pledge, or for more information, visit our website.