Guest post by Gina of GinaMPoirier.com.   When I vowed to stick with my husband Marc “for better or for worse,” I didn’t exactly know what I was signing up for. We were both 23 at the time, optimistic and faithful that things would work out no matter what. But as optimistic and faithful as we were, nothing prepared us how to go through the “for worse” times. That was something we had to discover as we went.   We had one of the more difficult seasons in our lives to work through earlier this year. It included saying goodbye to a dying grandparent, processing the shock of losing a friend in a motorcycle crash, continuing to have no progress as we wait in a years-long adoption process, discovering the loss of thousands of dollars after our bank account had been learn more...

Guest post by Gina of GinaMPoirier.com   American evangelist David Wilkerson once said, “Love is not something you feel. It’s something you do.” Likewise, it’s the things you do (or don’t do) that can make your spouse feel unloved. This was a hard lesson early in my marriage, and frankly, continues to be one. Even if we’re practicing good habits regularly, it is all too easy to derail our relationship by succumbing to bad ones. After more than twelve years of marriage, we still have our bumps. But we’ve gotten better at identifying our unhealthy patterns, and more importantly, repenting from them. If I were to give my younger married self advice, I’d say to watch out for the 6 bad marriage habits I'll explain below...     By the way -- If you're learn more...

Guest post by Gina of GinaMPoirier.com   When we were newlyweds nearly 13 years ago, my husband had some really firm expectations.   In particular, he insisted that we would go on a date every Saturday night. Not that I was opposed to the idea (I mean, who would be?), but was it really necessary to make this practice non-negotiable? Especially at the time, when we didn't have kids and spent most of our evenings together anyway? Looking back, I am so thankful for his wisdom and his dedication to setting good habits in our relationship, from the very beginning.   Since then, a lot has changed: kids, careers, friends and location—in addition to the ups and downs of everyday life. But our marriage has held together firmly, in part because of the habits we've learn more...

If you had to choose 3 adjectives to describe your relationship with your husband, which 3 would you choose?  Would you choose adjectives like fun, close, exciting, fulfilling, silly or passionate? Or would you choose adjectives like boring, routine, strained, frustrating, or lonely?   While obviously each marriage is going to have its own dynamics, and no one's marriage is perfect 100% of the time, if you find yourself choosing more negative adjectives than positive ones, it may be time to make a change.   Related: 10 Ways to Make Your Marriage Fun Again   For many couples, it can be REALLY easy to fall into the trap of "same 'ol, same 'ol" -- especially after the kids come along! After all, after working, cleaning and taking care of kids all day, learn more...

Guest post by Mary at Healthychristianhome.com   "You know she has a stubborn streak, right?" My soon-to-be husband stared at his soon-to-be father-in-law in bewilderment. "Wait, are you talking about my sweet, quiet Mary? Stubborn??" Not long after our wedding day, my husband discovered the truth in my dad's warning. Yes, I do have a stubborn streak. And it makes submitting to my husband a daily challenge. Can you relate?   If submission doesn't come naturally to you, you can still learn how to submit to your husband -- regardless of your personality. Let's learn what true submission means, what the Bible says about it, and what real submission looks like in daily life.   We Have the Wrong Idea of Submission   The modern woman's inner learn more...

Guest post by Gina of GinaMPoirier.com   National Husband Appreciation Day. Yep, that's a thing and it is happening April 20th, 2019 this year, to be exact.   When I first heard about it, I'll be honest, I thought it sounded kind of silly. I mean, do we need an excuse to appreciate our husbands? Aren't there enough random "holidays" on the calendar? But the more I think about it, I have to ask—why not? There is so much "man-bashing" going on these days in the news and in popular culture. Can't we share some good news too?   I don't think I'm alone in saying that my husband is a good man who is 100% devoted to God and his family. It's important to me that we establish a family culture that honors him and builds him up instead of tearing him learn more...