Hi there! I’m Zena, the editor at Fierce Marriage and Fierce Parenting. I read this excerpt from A Surrendered Yes by Rebekah Lyons and needed to pass it along to you, dear readers! I particularly loved this nugget of wisdom: “We don’t need to hustle to prove something God says is already true.” Observing Sabbath has been a big-time game changer for my family; I…
Returning to Basic Rhythms of Rest & Relationship
Our family played hard this summer. We said “Yes!” to all the pool and beach time we could and “Yes!” to all the popsicles. It felt so good to say yes, be out, and see our people. But every action has an equal and opposite reaction, right? So as we joyfully said “Yes!” to a lot of fun things, we were necessarily saying “No” to…
The Freedom in Finding Unity (Priorities, 3 of 4)
Finding unity is the first step in functionally living out your priorities. Every couple wants unity, but few manage to get there. Why is that? We’d say it’s because they’ve never taken the time (or had the opportunity) to discuss and seek deep agreement on their priorities. In this episode, we’ll discuss the benefits of unity and some of the challenges necessary to get there. We…
Observing Sabbath is a Marriage Game-Changer
My husband and I are two very different people. I love to-do lists, house projects, and feeling “accomplished” and “productive.” My husband loves to relax and enjoy the many, many ways God has blessed us. To complicate things, my husband works full-time and I stay home with our two young kids full-time. I often feel frustrated because I never seem to get enough done. My…
How is Your Phone Hurting Your Marriage (Part 2)
You’re probably using your smartphone to listen to this. Your phone is a great tool! But it can also create problems in life and marriage. (Side note: This episode marks 1 FULL YEAR of the Fierce Marriage Podcast! Thanks for listening!) Anyways… A few diagnostic questions you may want to ask yourself: Do you check your phone first thing in the morning? Do you spend…
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…
3 Marriage ‘Mines’ and How to Avoid Them
No idea has impacted our marriage quite like the concept of biblical stewardship. When you hear that word you may have preconceptions about what it means, like how it probably has to do with your finances. That’s part of it, but stewardship is so much more! The biggest game changer for us was the notion that we are stewards, not owners, of everything we have.…
5 Habits for a Healthy Marriage
A little while ago I wrote about the first thing we’d discuss with you if we could have coffee together. Feel free to read that post if you haven’t, but basically we’d talk about your beliefs. Namely, your belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ and what that means for your marriage. This blog post would be the second conversation we’d have with you.
Book Review: The Best Yes (by Lysa Terkeurst)
In a recent post I shared my latest struggle in our current situation and I have to say that God has been providing me with more encouragement, hope and contentment than I have had in a long time. I know that part of that is because of the precious prayers from our FM community – how do I even begin to thank you? What a…
3 Myths About Quality Time in Marriage
Nothing replaces quality, focused time with your spouse. There are no substitutes and no shortcuts. We’re learning and relearning this concept in our marriage. Whenever Selena and I allow our time together to be eroded by life’s chaos and busyness, our marriage suffers. How? We’re impatient with each other Sex is infrequent and/or insincere Frustrations mount as grace runs dry We’re increasingly inconsiderate of one…