relationships Archives

If You Want a Great Marriage, Do This

Hurdlers don’t usually stumble on the open stretch of track. Victory or defeat is mostly about clearing the obstacles.

It’s the same for marriage. Relationships don’t stumble when everything is calm, and life is rolling along smoothly. Problems tend to develop when couples encounter some kind of stress.

Those moments are an opportunity for husbands and wives to work together as a team.

My wife and I have gone through quite a few transition periods. We’ve faced challenges in our extended families, relocated to new cities, and raised two boys.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: book, broadcast, marriage, relationships August 29, 2019 by Jim Daly

What You Can Learn from the Bible’s Couples

When you walked down the aisle, what was your vision for you and your spouse? Did you want a “nice” marriage?

A “friendly” marriage?

A “we get along” marriage?

Probably not.

Most couples are searching for intimacy, connection, romance, and excitement. But years into their marriage, many husbands and wives are bored. Life has settled into a routine – a rut, really – and they’re not connecting like they once did.

If you’ve reached that place in your marriage, you might be thinking, “This isn’t what I had in mind.” The good news is that’s not what the Bible says God has in mind for you, either.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, couples, faith, marriage, relationships April 30, 2019 by Jim Daly

Valuing Marriage in a Culture That Doesn’t

Marriage is changing.

There are a lot of reasons for that, not the least of which are cultural forces, political maneuverings, and judicial rulings that have systematically redefined marriage in past years.

There’s also been a shift in the average age for first marriages. More and more young people are staying single for far longer than past generations. Some are choosing not to marry at all, in many cases as a reaction to seeing their own parents divorce.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage, relationships February 4, 2019 by Jim Daly

Unplugging Yourself to Connect with Others

Do you find it difficult to sit through church without touching your phone?

Does technology tend to decrease your productivity?

Do you often check your phone for calls, emails, or texts?

If you answer yes to questions like these, you may be nomophobic – you have a fear of being without your mobile phone.

Researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Michigan studied families with children between the ages of 10 and 17.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, pop culture, relationships, technology January 7, 2019 by Jim Daly

Controlling Your Tongue

Deborah Pegues is the author of the book 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue. The idea for the book came to her after she didn’t control her tongue with a friend.

She thought she was helping when she told somebody else something she wasn’t supposed to tell. Her attempt to help backfired, and she discovered firsthand what happens when we don’t use our words wisely.

That’s when Deborah decided to go on a “tongue fast.” For 30 days, she refused to speak negatively about anything – not the traffic, not the weather, nothing that she couldn’t directly positively influence.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, relationships December 31, 2018 by Jim Daly

Helping Engaged Couples Become More We-Focused

Lucille Williams was washing vomit out of her clothes when she thought, “This is marriage.”

She was on her honeymoon with her husband, Mike. It was the last night of their cruise, and they were enjoying a final dinner with friends they’d made that week. Suddenly, an unexpected bout of sea sickness hit Mike, and he began vomiting uncontrollably. Their dinner guests scrambled to get out of the way, but it was too late for Lucille.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, husband, marriage, relationships December 27, 2018 by Jim Daly

Exploring Your Love Style

Are you an avoider?

A pleaser?

How about a chaotic or a vacillator?

Those are four of the five the love styles you and your spouse likely see in your marriage. Their various combinations describe the core patterns driving a couple’s interactions and the problems they cause.

Avoiders and pleasers don’t experience much conflict, but for all the wrong reasons. Avoiders don’t like to have honest conversations because they get messy, and pleasers worry their spouse will get mad.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, marriage, relationships December 7, 2018 by Jim Daly

Healing Our Hurting Marriage

Do you ever waste time with your spouse?

That may seem like an odd question. But your answer will get to the heart of what your relationship with your spouse is all about.

You see, some couples don’t do too well with “wasting” time with one another. Simply being together with no particular agenda and nothing to focus their attention on except their spouse is uncomfortable.

In other words, they have a hard time with intimacy.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, husband, marriage November 29, 2018 by Jim Daly

Reducing Drama in Your Relationships

The holiday season can be one of the most joyful times of the year. But it can also be one of the most stressful.

Spending time with family during Thanksgiving and Christmas sounds enjoyable in July and August. But once November and December arrive, you realize how much needs to get done, and you remember what’s it like to be in a house filled with people who have different interests, different traditions, even differing political and spiritual viewpoints.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, drama, family, holidays, relationships November 19, 2018 by Jim Daly

Keeping Love Alive During Deployment

Two days after Jocelyn Green and her husband married, the military relocated them from Washington, D.C. to Alaska. A few weeks later – on their one-month anniversary, in fact – her husband kissed her goodbye and left for deployment.

Military couples can relate to the uncertainty and stress deployment causes. They can also identify with the challenges the Greens faced once they reunited. Jocelyn and her husband expected their reunion to feel like a second honeymoon.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, marriage, military November 8, 2018 by Jim Daly