Our 30 Minute Massage Experiment: Her Perspective

When Ryan approached me about trying out an online course called Melt (Massage For Couples), and then writing about our experience, I was pretty skeptical. Even before I watched the first video I had tons of questions: (e.g.) who is putting the video together? Is it wholesome? How will it help marriages? Will I even be able to do these massage “moves” (as I called them), and was it…

3 Proverbs That Are Rocking Our Marriage (Part 2)

So… I’ve been plowing through the book of proverbs recently and as the title indicates, it’s been rocking our faces off. This post is the second of a two-part series, so you may want to start by reading the first post if you haven’t already (in fact, I highly recommend it). As I mentioned in the previous post, I’m seeing themes develop throughout the book…

The Importance of a Confident Wife

One of my latest struggles or insecurities has been in the area of confidence as a wife. Living in “mommy-toddler” world for majority of my day life can sometimes make it difficult to transition into wife mode when hubby gets home. (Not to blame the littles, God knows we love and adore them and are so thankful for their precious lives; please don’t get me wrong.) I’m…

Pursuing Deep Intimacy

We’ve all had those moments in our marriage where it seems like everything is perfectly synchronized. It’s like a beautiful song; everyone is on the same wavelength; hubby understands everything we’re saying, both of you are on the same page about everything; intimacy is amazing and you’re marriage feels like it’s thriving on every level. And then the inevitable conflict happens.

Eyes Fixed on Jesus In Trials and Transitions

Proverbs 21:19: “It is better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.” Lately God has been convicting me about being “that wife.” As most of you know, we try to keep things transparent and real here in the FM community, so here we go…

10 Resolutions for a Better Marriage This Year

This is my favorite time of year: the time between Christmas and New Year’s day. It’s a perfect blend of the rest of and reassurance of Advent and the anticipation of a new start. We can reflect on the past year and be refreshed as we prepare for the next. It’s a time to feel ambitious. Some start new diets or exercise regimes, others make career and financial goals. In all…

A Prayer That Left Me Gloriously Ruined

Few ideas have affected our marriage more than this one: marriage is more about holiness than happiness. This isn’t to say marriage isn’t happy at all, just that holiness is the higher priority. How has this focus changed us? Well, if and when happiness conflicts with holiness, holiness must win. When we’ve gone through rough patches together, there were times when both Selena and I thought we’d…

Hope in the Midst of Hopelessness

Recently I’ve been burdened with the word “hope”. Many of us face those tough and sometimes scary moments of feeling hopeless in our marriage. It begs the question, where does our hope come from? Can our hope be sustained in the midst of continual hurt and feelings of hopelessness? Absolutely. 

10 Ways to Pray for Your Husband

Prayer is beautiful, wonderful, and sacrificial. It’s a privilege and a blessing. Before I met Ryan, I was praying for him. And now that we’ve been married for 11 years, I’m praying for him now more than ever.

4 Things Every Husband Needs to Hear Daily

Men don’t often receive credit for their complexity. One of my biggest annoyances is how husbands are often portrayed in commercials and TV shows: emotionally unaware, irresponsible, wide-eyed, and well… a little dumb. Those portrayals provide for a half-hearted chuckle, but they’re caricatures. I’d like to clear the air a bit. I may not speak for every man, but I have a feeling I speak for most.