A Backdoor to Happiness in Marriage

"What if we considered that our job as husbands and wives was "to make the beautiful more beautiful"? By supporting, stabilizing, lifting, and turning our spouses to the "best sides" of their strengths and personalities, our spouses can become more and do more than they ever could on their own. We essentially affirm the beautiful we see in them by helping them become even more beautiful".....

http://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/marriage/challenges/understanding-differences/a-backdoor-to-happiness-in-marriage

DATE NIGHT for April

Here's a conversation guide and some ideas to do on your next date night:  http://bit.ly/2nhq2hR

3 Things to Remember about Your (Imperfect) Marriage

"So what are the essential wisdom perspectives that Scripture gives us that enable us to have realistic expectations for our marriage?".....

https://www.crossway.org/blog/2016/02/3-things-to-remember-about-your-marriage/

10 Diagnostic Questions for Your Marriage

"what are some questions that can help diagnose the health of our marital life? Here are ten that may prove useful".....

https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/kevindeyoung/2015/11/12/ten-diagnostic-questions-for-your-marriage/

5 Ways to Create a Culture of Forgiveness in Your Marriage

"Why is it that our natural tendency is to become hard and insensitive in our interactions with the person we love the most? Rather than being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry (James 1:19), we’re quick to defend ourselves, quick to cast blame, and slow to understand—a recipe that keeps us enslaved to self-righteousness, and too often, unable to forgive".....

http://www.joshuastraub.com/2016/10/22/5-ways-create-culture-forgiveness-marriage/

Understanding MUST Precede Advice

"Understanding Must Precede Advice is a difficult premise to uphold. In part, it’s because we want so desperately to be understood. It’s the way we’re wired".....

https://www.gottman.com/blog/u-is-for-understanding/?utm_source=Marriage+Minute&utm_campaign=21f828d1fb-MM_03202017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_56abe07ac5-21f828d1fb-135378537

How Separate Bedsheets Saved our Marriage

"I wanted to scream, but she was sleeping like an angel. I was shivering like a dog taking a winter bath, and she looked so warm and cozy. We went to bed with the covers equally distributed, but two hours later she had them ALL. This competition over the sheets had not come up during premarital counseling. Nobody warned me about this possibility".....

http://www.watermark.org/blog/how-bedsheets-saved-our-marriage

The Benefits of "Losing Control" in Marriage

"When husbands or wives attempt to control their spouse, they are placing themselves in the position of God, squelching freedom and creativity, and sending the message that their husband or wife can do nothing right. Rather than serving as a partner in life, they've become their spouse's parent, boss, instructor or worse".....

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/marriage-challenges/the-upside-of-losing-control?utm_campaign=Who%27s+in+Control+of+Your+Marriage%3F+%2B+Review%3A+%27Beauty+and+the+Beast%27&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl_focusenews

Keeping Your Marriage Priority in the Chaos of Kids

"There were days we were exhausted, not sure if we could go on. There were times we felt hopeless, unsure if we could ever return to life as we knew it. This all led to feelings of guilt. We had prayed for these kids and yet our world was not all that we had hoped. Worry and fear crept in. 'Are we doing this all wrong?' 'Are we causing more harm than good?'".....

http://www.watermark.org/blog/keeping-your-marriage-priority-in-the-chaos-of-kids

Love and Respect: Basics for Marriage

"Husbands are told specifically to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). Wives are told specifically to respect their husbands as the church does Christ (Ephesians 5:33). There are three things that we can take away from this. The lessons are not limited to three, but we should make a point of grasping at least these three things".....

http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/love-and-repect-basics-for-marriage

6 Ways Substance Abuse Can Destroy Your Marriage

"Substance abuse is devastating to marriages, families, and relationships. It can result in career loss, financial ruin, divorce, estrangement, and even death. Today, we’ll focus on six landmines that substance abuse plants in your marriage when you’re struggling with addiction".....

http://www.symbis.com/blog/6-ways-substance-abuse-can-destroy-marriage/?utm_source=Devotion+by+Les+and+Leslie&utm_campaign=e698a40ab7-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_03_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e61eb22cfc-e698a40ab7-138139101&mc_cid=e698a40ab7&mc_eid=82de7e3bbf

4 Things Married Men Should Never Do

"You have to keep doing that stuff to let your wife know you still cherish her and respect her and have a desperate desire to continue surprising her, even after all these years".....

https://www.xxxchurch.com/men/4-things-married-men-never.html?utm_term=twitter-followers&utm_content=bufferf762c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

The Four Horsemen

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a metaphor depicting the end of times in the New Testament. They describe conquest, war, hunger, and death respectively. Dr. Gottman uses this metaphor to describe communication styles that can predict the end of a relationship".....

https://www.gottman.com/blog/the-four-horsemen-recognizing-criticism-contempt-defensiveness-and-stonewalling/?utm_source=Marriage+Minute&utm_campaign=d9b966c875-MM_0314017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_56abe07ac5-d9b966c875-135378537

How to Destroy Your Marriage Before it Begins

One of Satan's most effective strategies to corrupt the gospel-portraying union of marriage is to attack couples through sexual sin before they say “I do.” Here are four of his most common ploys to attack marriages before they begin.....

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-to-destroy-your-marriage-before-it-begins

The One Daily Talk That Will Benefit Your Marriage

"A simple, effective way for couples to earn deposits in their emotional bank account is to reunite at the end of the day and talk about how it went. We call this the 'How was your day, dear?' conversation, or more formally, the Stress-Reducing Conversation"......

https://www.gottman.com/blog/the-one-daily-talk-that-will-benefit-your-marriage/?utm_source=Marriage+Minute&utm_campaign=f0e256dac3-MM_03072017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_56abe07ac5-f0e256dac3-135378537

Your Marriage To-Do List

"The Bible is much more focused on to-be lists than to-do lists, but throughout the Bible there are a variety of “to-dos” for Christians concerning how we treat each other. They are often referred to as the “one anothers.” Here are a few of them that we think directly related to marriage".....

https://homeword.com/articles/couples-devotional-your-marriage-to-do-list/#.WL3b4TsrKUk

The 12 Forms of Infidelity

"Infidelity destroys marriages. I see it every day. Typically, when we’re talking about “infidelity,” we’re referring only to a sexual affair. While sexual affairs might be the most destructive form of infidelity, there are many other ways people can be unfaithful in marriage. Smaller acts of “infidelity” often lead to a sexual affair. We need to safeguard our marriages from infidelity in ALL its forms".....

http://sixseeds.patheos.com/davewillis/12-forms-infidelity-marriage/

Infidelity: Does the Root Cause Matter?

"Learning that your spouse has had an affair is a jarring, traumatic emotional experience. For the foreseeable future after the discovery (or your spouse’s confession), you’ll go through a deeply painful mourning period. Everything you believed about your life before this knowledge may be shattered, and you may wonder if you’ll ever be able to trust your spouse again".....

http://www.symbisassessment.com/blog/infidelity-root-cause-matter/?utm_source=Devotion+by+Les+and+Leslie&utm_campaign=24d1af4cff-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_02_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e61eb22cfc-24d1af4cff-138139101&mc_cid=24d1af4cff&mc_eid=82de7e3bbf