This excerpt is taken from Dr. Sean McDowell’s book Chasing Love: Sex, Love, and Relationships in a Confused Culture. We hope it blesses you! Scripture teaches that God made human beings for relationships with Him and with other people. Adam walked with God in the Garden of Eden. He had perfect health, a perfect environment, and could work and play with the animals, and yet God…
3 Things I Know Now: An Open Letter to Abandoned Spouses
You know how big experiences in your life can be forever tied to a date on the calendar, especially those traumatic ones you’d rather not be reminded of year after year? January 21st is that date for me. That was the day in 2010 when my husband told me, “I don’t believe in God anymore, and I don’t want to be married anymore.” Those 14…
Reconciled: An Excerpt from Francine Rivers
The following is an excerpt adapted from Francine Rivers’ devotional A Path to Redeeming Love: A Forty Day Devotional. My husband, Rick, and I have known one another since fifth grade. We went out once during our freshman year of high school and then dated others while remaining good friends. When I was in my senior year of college and Rick was serving as…
Staying a Team Through Tough Transitions
Transitions can be difficult, but if you lean into the difficulty and entrust your situation to God, He will use it to transform you.
Blended Families: Navigating Complexities with Hope and Joy
Being in a blended family is as complex as it is challenging. The good news is that you aren’t without hope in the Gospel and help from others who care! In today’s special episode of The Fierce Marriage Podcast, we had the incredible joy of speaking with Mike and Kim Anderson, the proverbial “experts” on blended families. Before we get into the podcast episode about…
5 Strategies for Healthy Step-Families
Couples in blended families face some of the most complex issues marriages can possibly face. That’s why I’m thrilled to have this guest blog post from Mike and Kim Anderson. We recently interviewed them on the Fierce Marriage Podcast and our conversation was so helpful that I asked them to write an article. Important note: you can’t talk about step-families without talking about what the…
“The Naked Marriage” and Rebuilding Trust After a Betrayal
If you’ve read or listened to Fierce Marriage for any length of time, you’ve likely heard us talk about transparency. That’s because we believe that transparency is the only true path to lasting and deep intimacy. For that reason, we were thrilled to interview Dave and Ashley Willis on the Fierce Marriage Podcast. In our interview, we discussed dealing with damaged trust; namely, how to…
3 Important Lessons for All Newlyweds
When Selena and I were just starting Fierce Marriage, few people knew or cared we even existed and even fewer took an active interest. Scott was one of the very few people who not only took an interest but became a fast friend and consistent voice of wisdom for us. This week we had the honor of speaking with him on the Fierce Marriage Podcast!…
The Amazing Joys of Marriage
A few months ago, Selena and I got to meet one of our heroes in person: Gary Thomas. We were walking into the dining room of a retreat center when we saw Gary and Lisa approaching. Before I could awkwardly introduce myself, he warmly and enthusiastically greeted me: “Hey Ryan!”, he said. I couldn’t believe it. “He knows who we are?” I thought. (In hindsight, it…
What is “Your Best Us”?
A few years back, Selena and I were thinking about moving to Dallas for school. It’s a big decision so we decided to visit for a week. During our stay, a few things happened: God made it abundantly clear that we were NOT supposed to move there. We discovered how cold Dallas can get (temperatures in the mid-20s and gusts of wind over 30 mph) We experienced…