Article

White Lies Are Still Lies No Matter the Intent

Greg Smalley

Lying is almost always about protecting self.  When we're tempted to lie, we can ask ourselves, What does this fib do for me? Then we can ask, What are the personal and relational costs of this lie?

Article

To Resolve Conflict, Open Your Heart

Greg Smalley

Once conflict begins, it's hard to defuse. Before you can begin to talk over the conflict like reasonable, loving adults, you have to pry your closed hearts open again.

Article

Choose Wisely... Words Matter

Janine Petry

In marriage and other relationships, words are powerful. Search for those words that will carry beauty into your home and your heart.

Article

5 Ways to Stay on the Same Team

Joshua Straub with Christi Straub

If you and your spouse are going to function as teammates in marriage, you need to actually understand each other's situation and validate each other.

Article

Four Types of Communication to Strengthen Your Marriage

Greg Smalley

Communication can be tricky to define, much less do well. It involves four different types of interactions we use, and each type is critical to a high-functioning relationship.

Article

Talking About Touchy Topics

Bill Farrel

As a husband, you don't want to ignore issues, but you don't want to be a bully. How can you find a healthy balance? Think CR-V: compliment, request and value.

Article

Married to a Secret Agent

Dr. David Clarke

Your Secret Agent is intimacy-challenged. He or she may have no trouble talking about superficial things. But he or she closes down when it comes to any personal, below-the-surface conversation.

Article

Who Did You Marry?: Understanding Your Spouse

Paul Reisser and Teri K. Reisser

People who have been staunchly committed to faith and family fall into trouble when they don't grow with their spouse. We need to continually "update" our knowledge about our husband or wife.

Article

Extinguishing Marital Conflict

Ron Deal

Marriage conflict often involves more than simply an issue over which the couple disagrees. How the couple interacts and the negative feelings experienced by each person also affect communication.

Episode

Reducing Conflict in Your Marriage

In a discussion based on her book The Argument-Free Marriage, Fawn Weaver explains how you can reduce conflict with your spouse by making small, intentional changes, timing your discussions, establishing rules of engagement, and more.

Article

Managing Stress Together

Greg Smalley and Erin Smalley

What do you do when you're stressed out? When you deal with stressful events in unhealthy ways, you create new problems in your relationships. But there are ways to constructively deal with stress.

Article

Why Couples Stop Talking

Greg Smalley

Good communication is the lifeblood of a successful marriage, so when spouses stop talking at a deep level, their marriages slowly die. A marriage will only be as good as a couple's communication.

Article

Believing the Best About Your Spouse

Emerson Eggerichs

When you decide to view your spouse as a good-willed person, that perspective changes your entire relationship. Even in the middle of conflict, you can see each other as partners and friends.

Article

Control in Marriage

Yvette Maher

"I've come to realize, through my own experience as well as in conversation with friends, that marriage works best when my husband and I labor in tandem." — Yvette Maher

Article

Learn to Identify Your Emotions

Milan Yerkovich and Kay Yerkovich

Using "soul words" helps develop a greater awareness of your inner experiences. And once you begin the awareness process, you will be amazed at how thoughts, feelings and reactions become clearer to you.

Article

Are You Kind to Your Husband?

Shaunti Feldhahn

Shaunti Feldhahn shares from the results of her recent research, pointing out that she found the answer to having a great marriage was simple—be kind.

Article

Peace on Earth ... and Goodwill Toward Your Man

Erin Smalley

Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, but the busyness of the season and financial pressures can lead to stress, which breeds conflict and leads to a disconnect in marriage.

Article

When You and Your Spouse Can't Agree

Teri Reisser

Perpetual disagreements don't have to derail your marriage. Most unsolvable problems won’t harm your relationship if you have an adequate set of communication skills and follow a few basic principles.

Article

Mastering Your Spouse's Love Language

Gary Chapman

Can struggling relationships be reborn? The answer is yes— if couples become aware of the nature of love and learn how to express it in a language their mate can understand.

Article

When Your Wife Doesn't Like You

Eric Christiansen

Your relationship with your spouse is often gauged by a "like meter," which describes how you feel about him or her. What can you do to lift the needle? 

Series

Discover the Joy of Helping Your Spouse Succeed

When you discover the joy of helping your spouse succeed, you begin to establish or restore emotional health, respect, support and encouragement in your marriage.

Article

Encourage and Support Your Spouse

Gary Chapman

All of us have areas in which we feel insecure, and that often hinders us from accomplishing positive things that we would like to do. The latent potential within your spouse may await your encouraging words.

Article

Discover the Joy of Helping Your Spouse Succeed

Gary Chapman

When you discover the joy of helping your spouse succeed, you begin to establish or restore emotional health, respect, support and encouragement in your marriage.