marriage Archives

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

Embracing Your Role as a Spouse

On our Best of 2021 list of Focus on the Family Broadcasts is “Embracing Your Role as a Spouse,” with our guest Kevin Thompson. On the program, he describes the three roles of a spouse:

As friends, spouses play and laugh together.As partners, spouses handle conflict and communicate well.As lovers, spouses put sizzle into their relationship.

Kevin is the lead pastor at Community Bible Church in western Arkansas and regularly counsels couples. He’s also a conference speaker with popular talks about the topics of marriage and parenting.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage December 3, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Post Pandemic State of Marriage and the Family

Coming out of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, you might have missed news last week of a significant study concerning the current state of the American Family.

“The Divided State of Our Unions: Family Formation in (Post) Covid America” confirms much of what we’ve been tracking here at Focus on the Family regarding the rapidly evolving dynamics surrounding attitudes toward marriage and children.

A crisis almost never leaves anyone the same, so a fair question to ask is just how has the global pandemic impacted our relationships?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, marriage, parenting November 30, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Rescuing Your Marriage from Pornography

Pornography destroys marriages.

It breeds disconnection instead of intimacy.It deepens secrecy.It creates distrust.

The data is astonishing. Josh McDowell did a study which revealed that 79 percent of men in the evangelical church use pornography at least once a month. Fifty-five percent of marriages are negatively impacted by pornography.

Many women are in pain because of their husband’s pornography use. They feel isolated, ashamed, hopeless, and helpless. They’ve tried many things to fight for their marriage – like being more sexual with him; being more patient, forgiving, or gracious; or creating a more loving environment.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, marriage November 16, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura