Do you have a plan for the spiritual growth of your marriage? If you’re like me, you might be quick to say that spiritual growth is a top priority between you and your spouse, but I lived for years without a specific plan for growth. I wanted one. I even prayed for one. But my actual plan wasn’t very intentional. We went to church, and…
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…
The Wonder of Family Worship
Few ideas have changed the culture of our family as much as Family Worship. In this episode, we discussed where the idea of Family Worship comes from (biblically, historically) and talked about practical ways to implement it in your household. Enjoy! Here’s the book we mentioned: Family Worship, by Donald S. Whitney. By it here ($7.99)
5 Specific Ways to Pray for Your Spouse
Prayer is one of the most tangible and powerful ways you can love your spouse. For Christians, the importance of prayer is readily acknowledged but often forgotten. This tendency to forget is probably because we haven’t had a deep revelation of what prayer is and why we do it. NOTE: Our NEW prayer devotionals are here! Make sure to visit 40Prayers.com to get your copies.
Part 1: How To Stay Connected When You Aren’t Connecting?
No matter how great your marriage is we all know and have experienced seasons in the wilderness so to speak. By “wilderness” I mean days, weeks, months, or possibly even years, where our marriage feels dry and barren. To some of us, this time feels fruitless and empty…you can’t seem to connect with each other (emotionally, let alone physically) and marriage feels more like a…
Husband in Pursuit: Into the Wild
Having a morning routine is like an anchor for my day. But all too often I’m content skipping what matters most: time with God. If I oversleep or grab my phone too quickly, I’ll lose track of time and get caught up with whatever tasks are on my plate for the day. I may read a verse somewhere online or say a half-hearted prayer, but…
Devotion: Listen, Laugh, Love
Remember that you began as friends. Your earliest moments as a couple likely included plenty of conversation, laughter, and fun. Your foundation of friendship will sustain you when feelings of romance come and go. Celebrate your history together! Laugh more, encourage constantly, listen intently, and share transparently. Consider this passage: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then…
Devotion: Love vs. Lust
It’s important to make a sharp distinction between love and lust in marriage. When a husband and wife love each other’s souls, time and aging only strengthen their love. Lust has the opposite effect. Understanding the differences between the two will help you address toxic tendencies directly. Here are a few key distinctions between lust and love: Lust is selfish, love is selfless. Lust is…
Devotion: 4 Ways to “Design Your Time”
True quality time is becoming a lost art. There are more opportunities for wasting time than at any other period in history: smart phones, social media, streaming entertainment, 100s of cable channels, you name it. Paul urges us to use our time wisely: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days…
Devotion: The 3 Proximities of Intimacy
Intimacy builds with every interaction. It happens with each glance, small touch, kind word, and inside joke you quietly laugh about when you’re around others. If you’re only intimate before and during sex, you’re missing out…There’s so much more! True intimacy is extreme closeness, and closeness only happens with proximity. About this Article This post is an excerpt from our 30 day couple’s devotional, Two…