Things never go as planned. I have an idea of where I’d like my days to go, but the only predictable thing about life is that it’s unpredictable. The vast majority of my life feels like I’m just along for the ride and the driver could care less where I think we should go. Why is life so hard to plan perfectly? Because things happen which…
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!…
Clinging to Truth in a Post-Truth World
If we’re not careful, subtle cultural lies can begin to have huge consequences on big truths in marriage. In a culture ruled by relative truths, it’s more important now than ever to stand on God’s Word as true, inerrant, and authoritative in our lives. How do we sort out truth? How do we gain unity around complex and controversial questions? In today’s episode, Ryan and…
Finances in Marriage: 7 Principles Every Couple Should Consider
Finances are a hot topic in every marriage. It can be insanely stressful, and if we’re not careful we can get caught up in the comparison game. We certainly don’t know everything about this or have a sliver bullet to fix every financial woe in your marriage. However we have learned a few principles that help us stay focused on the main thing: God. Having…
Your Wife, Your Ultimate Standard of Beauty
This is an issue that will make or break your marriage. Men, we are constantly barraged with culture’s standard of womanly beauty. We’re told over and over again that a beautiful woman must be skinny, tall, wear certain clothes, act a certain way, and have a risqué appetite for sex. (The same is true for the opposite sex as well, but this post is written specifically with…
5 Tips (and Tools) for a Stronger Marriage
Every time of year is a good time to intentionally strengthen your marriage. Many couples Selena and I speak with do have goals, but they rarely include family/marriage related endeavors. Why not? It’s hard to say, but as believers, we’re called to be thoughtful, faithful stewards of EVERY aspect of our lives. So, for a few moments, I want to give you permission to think…
Breaking the Ice in Communication “Cold-Snaps”
In my last post, I discussed 5 habits for building rock-solid communication in your marriage. What I wrote was based on personal experience and scripture, but they’re all proactive measures for communicating more effectively. What do we do when we’re already IN a frustrating moment/season and we don’t know how to break loose? How can we break the ice and let our guard down when everything inside of…
The Best Intimacy is Spiritual Intimacy
Everyone wants to be closer to their spouse. Closer in every way. It’s reflected in the many questions we get, like: How can we grow in our faith together? How can we build Christ-centered rhythms into our daily and weekly lives? In this week’s podcast, we tackled those questions by exploring the topic of Spiritual Intimacy. Among the things discussed are prayer, Scripture reading, spiritual…
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…
Sometimes Familiarity Hurts
One of the biggest sources of strife in marriage is being unequally yoked. In this week’s podcast episode, we sought to answer one of the hardest questions we face: What is the husband or wife to do if their spouse isn’t trying or won’t re-engage with the relationship? There’s no easy answer, and everyone’s situation is different. And, if I’m honest, I struggle to answer…