Marriage

Dear Lord,

Thank You for Your amazing grace. Thank You for cleaning our hearts, making us new, and making us white as snow. We pray You would help us to renew our minds. We pray we would not feel shame from past sin. We pray we would not bring up past sins and mistakes and use them to hurt each other or stir up shame. We pray we would be careful to protect each other. We pray we would walk in humility and victory. Please help us overcome shame in Jesus’ name AMEN!

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Dear Lord,

Thank You for the growth we have experienced in our marriage. Thank You for caring about every detail of our lives. We pray we would always have open hearts toward one another. We pray we would share our hearts with each other. We pray we would share what is going on in our lives and how we are feeling, so that we can encourage each other. Please give us courage to share the hard parts of life that we are walking through. If there is sin in our lives we pray Your Holy Spirit...

 

In a recent post, I gave three cheers and a hooray to good-willed husbands who want the best for their wives and marriage. But not every husband who wants the best for their wife and marriage is living up to that goal. Numerous challenges—from past wounds to current confusion, from personal selfishness to relational conflict—can keep a man from being the...

 

Dear Lord,

Thank You for Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for comforting us when we are down or strengthening us when we are weak. Thank You for reminding us of Your Word, which gives us hope. We pray we would also be strong for each other. We pray our hearts would receive strength from You and then be able to endure the circumstances we face. We pray we would remind each other of Your Word and the hope that we have in You. Please help us to be strong for each other and to stand firm today in...

 

Dear Lord,

Thank You for nature and the beauty found all around this world. Thank You for the way You designed life! We are in awe of You. We pray we would take more time to explore nature and the many things You have created. We pray we would adventure together, even if it is a short walk after dinner. We pray we would be an active couple. We pray we would be thoughtful to play together and build up our relationship by having fun together. We pray we would make more time for games and...

 

Dear Lord,

Thank You for the art of communication. We have learned so much about communication in marriage. We pray we would continue to grow in our understanding of how to best communicate with each other. We also pray we would get better at creatively communicating our love for each other. We pray we would take the initiative to leave notes and letters for each other that affirm our love for one another. We pray we would have the right words to share that express our love and respect for...

 

So, here you are. Somehow you’ve discovered that your spouse is in an affair, and I’m very sorry that you have. I know this is an excruciating time in your life. I know that you feel betrayed. You probably feel alone and confused. But here’s what I know. I know that an affair is never justified. But I do know this: no matter what has happened in your life or in the affair, there is a way...

 

Welcome to another monthly roundup of recent posts, podcast episodes, recommended resources, and much more. Scroll through to find what you might have missed or your next great resource for marriage.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This post includes one or more affiliate links, meaning if you click on the link and purchase an item, I receive an affiliate...

 

How can I be happy in the middle of my unhappy marriage? What can I do to be better? I think it’s a great question, and we’re going to do our best to answer that in the next few minutes.

How can I have happiness? How can I be happy in the middle of my marital turmoil? Well, I’m not sure I can tell you how to be happy, but one of the things I can do is help you have a better...

 

Last time, I addressed the issue that some wives have encountered—a husband who forces, demands, pressures, or intimidates his wife into having sex. I labeled such men “bedroom bullies,” because of the tactics they use to satisfy their own sexual desires without regard to the impact on their wife.

Before reading this post, I encourage you to read that one...