Dear CMR,

I am not currently in a dating relationship, but I have been trying to commit my future relationships to God. It is hard to pray for my future more than generally. Can you give me any advice or tips on how to focus prayer for a relationship when I am not in one?

Signed,

Prayed Up

An affair can be earth-shaking for the people involved. The relationship has been broken and there is now a new foundation of trust, honesty, and pursuit that needs to be built. In this article, Dr. Paul Friesen continues to share steps to rebuild that foundation for your marriage after experiencing an affair. Take a look at these steps to see how you can work towards restoration and forgiveness in your relationship.

When you consider the relationships in your life, what are two simple things that you can do to make them more stable and healthier? Marriage and Family Therapist Willa Williams shares two key practices she considers vital to work on in healthy relationships. Do you agree with these two points?

A CMR reader and her husband define key terms like "love," care," and "support" very differently. It feels like they're speaking different languages. Can they bridge such a communication gap and find fulfillment in their marriage? 

Key marital research has proven that couples who participate in premarital counseling are 30% less likely to get divorced. This is why the Center for Marriage and Relationships provides a small, pre-marital group for students at Biola University. Zack Seals ('18) and Amber Gokey ('19) recently participated in one of these classes and now feel much better equipped with crucial relationships skills for their future.  

When an affair takes place in a marriage, it can be devastating. However, even the most hopeless of situations are not without God's presence. Hear the story of one couple who prayed for their marriage and fought with God's help to stay together. 

Affairs, whether physical or emotional, are a really bad idea, so please take every precaution not to have one. Fortunately, affairs do not need to end a marriage. If genuine repentance and restoration driven by forgiveness and grace are experienced, there is no reason the marriage cannot survive and even thrive. Here are 8 important truths on the road to reconciliation.

Biola’s Center for Marriage and Relationships offers an upper-division undergraduate course called "Christian Perspectives on Marriage and Relationships." The course in 2018 is team-taught by Dr. Chris Grace and Alisa Grace, Dr. Tim Muehlhoff and Noreen Muehlhoff, and Dr. Rick Langer and Shari Langer. Students can take the class with the concentration in Psychology, Communication, or Biblical Studies. Hear what two best friends said about the course!