“Marriage”

In the majority of Western culture, the idea of spiritual warfare is not talked about often. In the context of marriage, most couples tend to under-emphasize spiritual warfare in their relationship rather than over-emphasizing it. Why is that? When you take a step back and look at our world, it is easy to see that something is wrong. It can feel that there is a war going on and we are caught in the cross-fire. In your relationship, how can you tell if there is a spiritual attack going on? Are there signs that are universal?

According to leading marriage researcher John Gottman, there are seven qualities of a happy marriage. In this video, Dr. Chris and Alisa Grace explain these seven traits and their roles within relationships.

No marriage is immune from struggle. Because we are part of the body of Christ, we have a corporate responsibility to support each other, particularly when things get difficult. 

When you haven't had a model for what a healthy relationship looks like, where do you turn? We talk with Mike and Stephanie Anderson as they describe their story. Growing up in a home without a solid model of marriage, Mike had doubts about marriage being worth investing in. Where he learned to appreciate marriage may surprise you!

Dear CMR,

How do you know when you’re ready to get married?

Signed, Almost There

Dear CMR, 

My spouse has a co-worker that is overly friendly and it is creating fears, doubts and insecurities in me. I feel my spouse is not seeing the possible danger, and is even off-putting to my concerns. I fear there are unhealthy boundaries and just worry about a “slip-up,” or that they are missing the beginning of an emotional affair. Any help would be great.

Signed, 

Concerned and Curious

Dear CMR,

As a married couple, we put together a budget to help us save money, but have a hard time sticking to it. How can we be more disciplined?

Signed, Sucker For Sales

"If you're not fighting in a relationship, then someone's lying. Someone's not telling the truth because you're taking a passive stance...There is a huge difference between selflessness and passivity. A lot of times in the name of selflessness, we're just like 'Well, I'm not going to bring it up. I'm not going to say what I need. I'm not going to talk through this.' That's not selflessness, that's conflict avoiding." 

Today we continue the conversation with author Debra Fileta on how intentionally couples need to continually choose marriage rather than choosing to focus on personal happiness.