Category

Conflict

Nov 10
Love14

You’re in a Big Fight: What Do You Do Next?

By Communication, Conflict, Self Reflection One Comment

You’re in the heat of battle. Your spouse has morphed into a nearly unrecognizable person, and you’re running defense in the worst way possible. What started out as a small disagreement has exploded into a full-scale BIG FIGHT. How did it get to this point? More importantly, how are you going to get out of it without causing major damage to your relationship? Hit the brakes. If your fight is spiraling quickly out of control, it’s time to take a breather. It’s up to you how long you take to cool down, but do whatever it takes to stop the…

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Nov 05
Love15

My Guilt Alarm is Affecting My Marriage

By Communication, Conflict, Self Reflection No Comments

The littlest things set off my guilt alarm and I know this affects my marriage. Can you help? “I could’ve done this.” “I should’ve done that.” “If I could do it over, I would’ve done this.” How many times have you spoken to yourself this way? Do you ruminate often about things you probably shouldn’t worry about? Do you have a constant wave of regret and second-guessing that leads to an unhealthy self-perception? These thought patterns can easily become addictive and toxic if you allow yourself to settle in them. Did you know that loading yourself down with unreasonable guilt…

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Nov 03
Love27

5 Signs Football Season Is Ruining Your Marriage

By Communication, Conflict, In-laws & Family 12 Comments

We are about halfway through football season. And for some of you, your obsession with football is slowly ruining your marriage. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” you say. “It’s just a game. How could it possibly be ruining my marriage?” You’re right about one thing: it is, indeed, just a game. The NFL is worth $45 billion. That’s the same as a little coffee company you may have heard of called Starbucks. The top 20 NCAA football teams generate around $1.2 billion per year, and there is plenty more where that came from. That is $46.2 billion worth of power that can…

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Oct 29
Love27

You’re invited to a FREE online marriage event!

By Careers, Communication, Conflict, In-laws & Family, Scripture, Self Reflection, Time 11 Comments

Our newly expanded edition of New York Times bestseller Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts (SYMBIS) hit shelves on Tuesday, October 27, and we are celebrating its release with a one-of-a-kind, exciting event. And the best part? You’re invited! We’re launching a very special, FREE online marriage event: The Lifelong Love Marriage Summit. The summit begins Tuesday, November 3. You’ll hear from 20+ of today’s most engaging Christian influencers, including Shaunti Feldhahn, Donald Miller, Fawn Weaver, Dr. Henry Cloud, Michael Hyatt, and Dave Ramsey. They’ll be sharing their secrets to lifelong love, plus stories of struggle, faith, and hard-won triumph…

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Oct 27
Love13

6 Ways to Earn Your Spouse’s Trust

By Communication, Conflict No Comments

“We want someone who holds nothing back from us, someone who trusts us with personal secrets. Intimacy fills our hearts deepest longings…” Straight from our bestselling book Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts, comes this truth about trust: it’s the cornerstone of all intimacy. Trust is truly the foundation of all healthy relationships. A strong sense of trust is essential to the longevity of a marriage. Whether you’re establishing trust in the beginning of your relationship, or whether you’re trying to rebuild damaged trust between you and your spouse, these six tips will get you on the road to a…

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Oct 22
Love16

How to Support a Depressed Spouse and Regain a Joyful Relationship

By Communication, Conflict, In-laws & Family, Self Reflection One Comment

I love my husband but he has depression and I’m tired of the ups and downs. Can you help? Depression is one of the most challenging things a couple can experience together. It steals joy and peace from the marriage by robbing one spouse’s happiness and peace of mind. This has a profound effect on the spouse without depression, and often results in tension and unhappiness in the marriage relationship if not dealt with appropriately. Supporting a depressed spouse and coping with his or her condition can be emotionally, mentally, and physically draining. Be sure to prioritize self-care, and do…

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Oct 15
Love23

FREE Companion Resources When You PRE-ORDER Today

By Communication, Conflict, In-laws & Family, Scripture, Self Reflection, Time No Comments

We’re giving it all away! The ultimate package for a great marriage We are excited to officially announce here on the blog the release of the newly expanded edition of our best-selling book, Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts: Seven Questions to Ask Before–and After–You Marry. This book has sold millions of copies, and the revamped edition hits shelves on October 27. When you pre-order it, you’ll get all the companion resources for free! The pre-order freebies are a collection of relationship products that we’ve put together over the years, and we’re giving them all away! It’s the ultimate package…

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Oct 06
Love11

3 Ways to Fight For Your Wife Daily

By Communication, Conflict One Comment

The call of a husband is a mighty one: to sacrificially love their wives, the Bible says, as Christ loved the church. What exactly does that mean, and how does it practically play out day in and day out? It is innate in men to love and protect, no matter the cost. Most men would go to battle for their wives–likely even die for them. But what does it look like to fight for your wife daily? In order to win the war, men, you must engage daily in the battle for your wife’s love. It’s a kind of sacrifice…

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Oct 01
Love13

Is Living Together Before Marriage OK?

By Communication, Conflict, In-laws & Family One Comment

Living Together Before Marriage? In Biblical days, My fiance and I would be married. What are the differences? Cohabitation is very common these days, and many couples find themselves asking whether they should “test out” their relationships before they get married by moving in together. Conventional wisdom suggests that it makes sense, but research shows otherwise. In this video, we discuss some of the research findings surrounding unmarried couples who live together, versus couples who married before they shared a home. Did you and your spouse wait until marriage to live together? If you lived together before marriage, how did…

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Sep 17
Love10

ʺMind-Readingʺ Magic: Building Clear Communication in Marriage

By Communication, Conflict No Comments

I feel like since we got married I don’t know what’s going on in my wife’s head. What happened? When you were dating your spouse, you talked about everything–it felt like you were on the same wavelength. But now that you’re married, you realize you have no idea what your spouse is thinking. Everything between you two was open before, but now there are times when you feel totally lost. So what gives? In this video, we share some ideas for practicing healthy “mind-reading” in marriage that will help you overcome the communication barriers you may be experiencing. Did you…

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