Hot-off-the-presses of Moody Publishers is this new book by Dr. Juli Slattery: 25 Questions You’re Afraid to Ask about Love, Sex, and Intimacy. If Juli’s name is familiar to you, you may recall that Dr. Slattery was Dr. Dobson’s cohost on Focus on the Family from 2010-2012. A clinical psychologist, Juli Read more…
Do you know the traits of a great husband? Do you know where these 7 characteristics are listed in the Bible? I would like to nominate Psalm 23 as “The Husband Chapter” of the Old Testament. The Good Shepherd provides a fantastic model for godly husbands. Click HERE to read more.
I saw War Room last night. This new movie has a fantastic message: PRAY FOR YOUR MARRIAGE! The right way to fight in marriage is by fighting on our knees through prayer. We want to fight for our spouses, not against them. We must ask God to fight the real Read more…
Here’s one that will strengthen your marriage: a 30-day prayer challenge. During the month of September, FamilyLife is offering a “Oneness Prayer Challenge.” For 30 days, FamilyLife will text or email to you a short devotional and prayer that you and your spouse can share together. One of the most Read more…
What are your best marriage tips? I recently listed my top 10 tips for marriage here: 10 Simple-but-Powerful Ways to Build Your Marriage. The article explains each tip, but this chart gives a summary of the ten points: Read more…
What creates the strongest base for an enduring, successful marriage? We try to build our marriages on all kinds of things: on romance, on pleasure, on personal fulfillment, on financial gain, … but our success rate is not very good. The best foundation is actually so solid that it has Read more…
What is true femininity? How can it strengthen our marriages? Recently, I offered my salute to masculinity. Today I would like to honor femininity. Every woman has a great strength to bring to her marriage: the “superpower” of femininity. By femininity, I do not mean pink, ruffles, or lace. It is the great Read more…
The President got a bit emotional this morning over the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize homosexual unions. I did, too. In fact, I cried. I am absolutely brokenhearted that this nation would willingly deprive children of a mother or a father—not only deprive the children, but tell them that it is Read more…
Forget your marriage. Forget working on your checklist for the ideal marriage. Instead, focus on your spouse. Trying to achieve a certain kind of marriage can make us crazy. It can be very discouraging. But a lot of that hard work is misdirected energy. We are actually off-target when we Read more…
Perhaps you wore a gorgeous gown or a dashing tux when you stood before God and spoke your vows. You chose someone—out of all the people on the face of the earth—to be “the one” for you. You made noble promises on a glorious day. And then you began the daily Read more…
There is a birthday coming up soon that you will not want to miss! Did you know that “the birthday of the Church” is on May 24 this year? You may know the day better as “Pentecost” or as “the Feast of Weeks.” There are many things that I love Read more…
This Thursday, May 7, will be the 64th National Day of Prayer. You can be part of this important movement as we pray together for our country. The National Day of Prayer website offers a number of prayer resources. I am attaching two of those resources here because they are helpful Read more…
How does an adult male become a masculine man? As a culture, we do not talk much about masculinity, and our little boys are becoming big boys instead of men. We are seeing more passive males and fewer masculine men. Why is masculinity important? In the beginning, “God created humans Read more…
Here is an amazing verse: Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10, NIV) That is not only a command and a statement, but it is also a promise! God is full of love, and He is also full of joy. Not only Read more…
How would you take these two Scriptures concerning marriage and put them together in one illustration? “You husbands must give honor to your wives.” 1 Peter 3:7, NLT “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:22, ESV Author and pastor James Ford puts these two directives Read more…
Last week, I shared with you several themes from the Holy Week of Christ that we can apply to our marriages. We looked at Palm Sunday through Wednesday last time, so today we will consider Thursday through Easter Sunday. May this be a Holy Week in each of our homes. Read more…
Easter week is a special time of celebration for Christians. We remember the days leading up to the crucifixion of Christ, and we celebrate His resurrection from the dead. In fact, Resurrection Sunday is our highest holy day: it is the greatest event in history, and it is our greatest reason for joy. Read more…
Are you ready to give up on your marriage? Perhaps you have reasons such as these: You are the only one trying to making it work. It takes too much effort. Nothing ever gets better. It is too painful. What if you discovered that God’s gift of hope is greater than Read more…
Are you honoring your marriage? If so, then please allow me to say something to you: … [Continue reading at www.startmarriageright.com.] Have a fantastic weekend celebrating our awesome God! Tami
If you had only a few minutes to share the most important principles about marriage, what would you say? What are the most critical components to understand about marriage? Your Marriage: God’s Masterful Design is my response to those questions. I am excited to share this new resource with you! Many of you received a Read more…
Have you attended A Weekend to Remember? My husband and I were blessed to attend this marriage getaway recently, and we are eager to recommend it to you now! A Weekend to Remember is a marriage retreat organized by Family Life. The events are held all over the country throughout Read more…
Thank you for your prayers for the “WifeSOS” webinar this week. God blessed us with a wonderful event. As we thank Him for His help, let’s continue to pray that God will use the material to encourage and equip many wives. If you missed the webinar, or would like to Read more…
HOLD: hands and pray together (silently is fine) PRESS: as many kisses as you can LIFT: your spouse up in honor KICK: self-pity to the curb JOG: your memory with things you love about your spouse RUN: your complaints to God PUSH: compliments and encouragement Read more…
You made your list. Now check it twice: have you included a gift for your marriage? I like the idea of celebrating the twelve days of Christmas with my true love. But have you priced a partridge in a pear tree lately? That unique-but-classic gift will cost over $200 this Read more…
Could you use some encouragement in your marriage? Do you know someone else who could? This Thursday, author Vicki Rose will be joining me on our weekly prayer call—and I am confident that God will use her to encourage everyone on the call. Vicki is the author of Every Reason to Read more…
Did you realize that the Old Testament tabernacle has amazing truth for marriages? I share six steps that move us from isolation into intimacy in this article for StartMarrriageRight.com: “Stepping from Isolation into Intimacy.” I would love to hear your thoughts. And as always, you are invited to join Read more…
In her speech at the U.N. headquarters last week, Emma Watson announced the #HeForShe campaign, which encourages men to support women’s rights. I wrote about the new movement, feminism, and marriage in this article for StartMarriageRight.com. Click HERE to continue reading. Image courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Vicki Rose had every earthly reason to leave her broken marriage. But she discovered that she had an even greater reason to stay. Vicki explains this in her new book, entitled, Every Reason to Leave: And Why We Chose to Stay Together, published by Moody. Vicki shares not only the Read more…
I am trying something new today. I would like to share with you a presentation called “Battle Strategies in Prayer: How to Fight on Your Knees.” In this slide-show, I discuss several aspects of effective prayer. These are spiritual principles that we can learn from Old Testament battle accounts. May God bless you Read more…
Looking for God’s direction concerning your marriage? Here is some clear instruction from 1 Corinthians 7—along with some encouragement and challenge, too: Marriage is not a place to “stand up for your rights.” Marriage is a decision to serve the other…. [I]f you are married, stay married. This is the Master’s command…. If Read more…
Here is a book that I would recommend even if it were nothing more than its title: Grace Filled Marriage. But now that I have finished reading Grace Filled Marriage, I am glad to say that I can recommend not only the title but also the entire book! If “grace” Read more…
The Kindle edition of Radiance: Secrets to Thriving in Marriage will be FREE on Amazon from November 29 through December 3. Learn God’s amazing design of marriage, women, and men. Whether your marriage is great or struggling, God is able to make you thrive right where you are. This encouraging Read more…
Did you know that the use of pornography increases marital infidelity by 300%? Did you know that most divorces involve an addiction to pornography?* Did you know that God is able to break any addiction and to heal any marriage? Today I am sharing with you some online resources (with links attached) that are available for those struggling Read more…
Last week, I shared with you a husband’s prayer. Today I want to share with you a wife’s prayer, based on Scripture. May God honor your prayers as you honor Him. I thank You, LORD, for my husband and for Your awesome design in creating him; thank You for shaping him Read more…
Do you have “his” and “her” towels at your house? How about “his” and “her” prayers? Today I want to share with you a husband’s prayer, based on Scripture. Next week, I will share a wife’s prayer. And as always, I am glad to hear your thoughts, too! I thank Read more…
How are you praying for your marriage? Here is a prayer, based on Scripture, that will enable you to fight for your marriage using “the sword of the Spirit”: LORD, I lift this marriage to You. In the spiritual realm, I want to surround this marriage with prayer and praise, just as the Read more…
Have you prayed for your spouse today? Psalm 1 provides a helpful guide as you pray for your husband or wife, or for someone else you know. A prayer for your husband: LORD, I pray that my husband will be blessed today–happy and spiritually healthy in You. I pray that he Read more…
“LORD, I lift this marriage to You. I ask You to put Your hedge of protection around this marriage and to thwart every enemy scheme against it. ‘Catch for us the little foxes’ that would eat away at this relationship–the little foxes of busyness and the little foxes of unresolved hurt Read more…
We tend to think that we love someone when that person attracts us. When we no longer feel attraction, we feel that we no longer have love. We see others as magnetic-like forces with the power to attract or repel us. But are we really helpless magnets compelled to move toward Read more…
You have probably heard of the five love languages, but are you familiar with the five languages of apology?[1] Here’s the basic idea: there are five components to a full apology. Many people find that one of those components is especially important to them. An apology with just that one Read more…
We can call bitter “sweet,” if we want. That’s nothing new. (See Isaiah 5:20.) But this semantic violence fails to produce anything more than confused thinking: changing labels does not change essence. If we call homosexual union “a marriage,” then we need another word for this: God’s design for one man and Read more…
How can you encourage spiritual growth in your husband? You could try leaving tracts on your husband’s pillow, reading Scripture loudly when he walks by, or keeping yourself busy by attending lots of church functions. You could, … but please don’t! It won’t work, and both of you will be miserable! Read more…
Women, do you ever wish that your husband were more of a leader in your marriage … or more involved with the family? If so, you are not alone. Women often say that they long for their husbands to become stronger leaders; some wives even say that they feel desperate Read more…
Big boys are everywhere, but where are the men? Where are the men who stand taller than passivity? Where are the men who are mighty in marriage? There are such men. There are real men who have the strength to shoulder responsibility, the nobility to keep promises, and the character Read more…
Are you giving your spouse your best “bread” or the leftover “crumbs”? When Jesus spoke with the Greek woman about the children’s bread and the pet dogs under the table, He was not belittling her; He was explaining His priorities and being faithful to His calling. Our spouses are our Read more…
How can we best understand the essence of worship? There may be no better illustration of spiritual worship than physical marriage. What marriage is between a man and woman is what worship is between God and His people. Although marriage and worship are expressed in and enhanced by activity, both Read more…
You may have guessed that we would not be able to watch the dancing king without noticing the seething shadow up in the palace window. If the king had noticed, it may have been because he felt the scathing heat of that shadow reaching him even in the streets below. Read more…
How do you see your marriage–as a power struggle? a fight for your rights? a duty? a trap? Let me suggest a radically different perspective. What if you saw your participation in your marriage as an act of worship? If you will see your “wife-ing” or your “husband-ing” as an Read more…
King David of Old Testament fame earned stellar marks as a musician, warrior, and king; but as a family man, he quite nearly flunked. However, on the day that he brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, he dramatically demonstrated several characteristics of a godly husband and father: 1. Read more…
I salute you! Your heart for reconciliation reveals the very heart of God, and your faithfulness to covenant reflects the faithfulness of God, which “reaches to the skies.” We will break our loyalty to our covenant partners the day God breaks His loyalty to us, His covenant partners. I commend Read more…
