6 Disarming Phrases to Disagree Well | #MarriageMonday

Jill: Disagreements are bound to come up in any relationship, but they can lead to even bigger arguments as you merge your life with another person in marriage. Mark and I are no different! We’ve had disagreements over how to remodel our kitchen, how the dishes go...

30 Conversation Starters for Your Marriage | #MarriageMonday

Jill: When was the last time you and your spouse talked? I mean really talked. Not about the kids’ grades, your family schedule, or who’s taking the kids to basketball practices. True, connecting conversations that include listening to one another’s dreams and hopes,...

How to Have a Weekly Marriage Meeting | #MarriageMonday

Jill: Each and every week, you’ll find us on a Sunday afternoon sitting around our kitchen table together. This is a special time we set aside to make sure we are on the same page when it comes to our marriage, our calendar, and important tasks. (I shared about it...

How Childhood Impacts Your Marriage | #MarriageMonday

Jill: What we learn from childhood can stick with us even up to our adulthood and affect how we behave in marriage. In our formative years, we develop our belief system, our view of the world, and the means by which we cope in times of stress. Mark: As we meet with...

10 Ways to Connect With Your Spouse This Summer | #MarriageMonday

Jill: Can you believe that summer is here? The days are getting longer and hotter, and our summer calendar is already starting to fill up with baseball games, pool parties for the grandkids, and projects around our 100-year-old farmhouse. Mark: Despite a busy...

13 Books for Every Season of Life in Marriage and Parenting

Life is an adventure, isn’t it? (That’s definitely an understatement!) At some point or another, we all need some support through the highs and lows of what the journey of life includes. Sometimes you find yourself in circumstances you never expected. Your...

God is in the Resurrection Business: What That Means For You

“God is in the resurrection business.” This is a phrase Mark and I love to say, and for good reason! Throughout our lives, we have seen God restore relationships between family members, provide healing from addiction and past hurts, and turn lives around completely....

“Dear Mark and Jill, My Marriage Feels Stale” | #MarriageMonday

Dear Mark and Jill, Thanks for taking the time to read this. I’m reaching out because I’d love your advice. I’m married to a wonderful man and we have 2 great kids, ages 12 and 15. We’ve made it through a lot in our marriage and we are very committed to each other....

Love the Real, Not the Dream | #MarriageMonday

Jill: When we were first married, I started making plans for Mark’s birthday for the first time as a married couple. I made plans the only way I knew how: with a homemade cake and having family over for dinner. Mark: This was a sweet gesture, however, my family always...

4 Topics We Discuss Each Week in Our Marriage

What’s one of the top practices to create a strong marriage? Believe it or not, team meetings! As a married couple, you are one team and that team can’t function well if you don’t have team meetings. A team meeting in your marriage is a dedicated time where you...

4 Intimacy Builders for a Healthy Marriage | #MarriageMonday

“…It is not good for the man to be alone…” (Genesis 2:18) Jill: Did you know that God created you for sex, intimacy, and connection? It was His idea! Did you know that He finds it beautiful and pleasing that a married man and woman would experience this ultimate...

For the One Who is Waiting This Valentine’s Day

Heart-shaped chocolates and songs all about gushy love abound in grocery stores and are talked about on the radio. Although February is the “month of love,” there are many who are still waiting to find their person and others who are wondering if their marriage is...