creative ways to show your love and strengthen your marriage

Increasing Your Intimacy 100 Percent...

"A marriage can't be sustained with romance alone. But added to security,
meaningful communication, and meaningful touch, it can be a tremendous source
of energy and growth."

- From "It Takes Two to Tango" by Gary and Norma Smalley



Keeping Alive Romance and Security...

"A gardener--nurturer--has a responsibility not only to find out what's wrong
with a plant, but also to do whatever is necessary to nurse it back to health.
In Ephesians 5:21-33, we see this picture as a role of the husband."
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Learning to Communicate...

"Healthy communication is the lifeblood of love. A relationship will only be
as good as its communication
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"Every enduring marriage involves an unconditional commitment to an imperfect
person--your spouse."

- From "It Takes Two to Tango" by Gary and Norma Small
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Resolving Conflict and Dealing with Anger...

"There's no way to overcome our weaknesses without knowing our strengths.
Why? Almost without exception, our weaknesses are a reflection of our
strengths being pushed to an extreme."
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Increasing Your Intimacy 100 Percent...

"Wise husbands and wives will take time to practice small acts of touching:
Holding hands in a walk through the mall, stopping to rub your mate's shoulders
for a moment, taking the time to gently hold your spouse at the door on your
way out. These small but important acts can work like 'superbloom' to a plant
and green out a relationship."
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Keeping Alive Romance and Security...

"Every enduring marriage involves an unconditional commitment to an imperfect
person--your spouse."

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Finding Treasures in Trials...

"God's best and highest will is for us to love (value) Him with all our hearts,
and to love (value) others as ourselves. Do you realize you have everything
you need to fulfill God's will and experience His best in your life?"

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Honoring Your Wife...

"Wives need consistent proof of change over a period of time in at least three
areas before they will believe their husband's commitment: careful listening
without justification or argument, quickness to admit error, and patience with
her doubts."

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Honoring Your Husband...

"Many men will do almost anything to gain the admiration of others. They will
literally search for someone to love and respect them. Make sure that someone
is you, their wife, and not someone else."

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Learning to Communicate...

"People who consistently use word pictures to point out the faults of others
are misusing this communication method. They may make you feel terrible with
their words and somehow convince you it's your fault. Word pictures are to be
used to covey how you feel, not to attack the other person."

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Resolving Conflict and Dealing with Anger...

"The most insecure people are those who can't distance themselves from their
loved ones enough to discipline them. Loving discipline may put a temporary
emotional distance between people, but if we balance that hard-side correction
with softness, we won't lose love. If anything, we'll enrich it."

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Increasing Your Intimacy 100 Percent...

"In a nurturing and healthy relationship, you perceive that your ideas and
insights are valuable, and you learn how to negotiate and listen to the other
person's views. You hear things like 'What a great idea!' 'What do you think
about this?' and 'Your opinion means so much to me.'"
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Honoring Your Wife...

"Your goal should be to become a genuine, loving, and tender husband who does
not lecture. Lectures during stressful times only create more stress."

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Finding Treasures in Trials...

"Sometimes the treasure is coated with corrosion, but if we do some scraping,
we begin to see its value. Thanksgiving expresses our faith that God can,
indeed, bring treasures out of trials, and faith adds muscle to the scraping
process, even in the worst of trials."
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Honoring God...

"Whatever your goals and ambitions for improving your marriage, you must learn
the necessary skills, even though it may take years. Don't limit yourself and
God by dwelling on what you already know and can do."

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Honoring God...

"Many husbands and wives put their hopes for fulfillment in people or in
places, whether homes or vacation spots. To those thirsting for fulfillment,
these things look like a quenching pool of water. Yet once they reach them,
they find only the sand of a mirage. Only Christ gives everlasting
satisfaction."

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Honoring Your Husband...

"If you truly expect to have meaningful communication with your husband, you
have to activate the right side of his brain so he can understand your
feelings. One of the best ways to do this is with a word picture."

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Resolving Conflict and Dealing with Anger...

"How destructive bottled-up resentment can be! Anger has many tragic
consequences in a marriage. It creates distance and pushes us into darkness.
It can tie our emotions and decisions into knots."

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Increasing Your Intimacy 100 Percent...

"When your spouse seeks to honor you, you're listened to and encouraged to
participate in discussions and decisions. You hear things like 'What did you
say?' 'You always know the right thing to say.' or 'Let's talk about this.'"

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Keeping Alive Romance and Security...

"A character of honesty and serving must be deep-rooted to survive; it reaches
way down into the soil of consistent living. It isn't a short-term change of
behavior that makes an impression on your mate; it's a life."

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Finding Treasures in Trials...

"Whenever I feel fear or worry, I thank the Lord for the feeling, then test the
following six reasons until I understand the source: the future, my reputation,
money, possessions, time, or health. After that, I submit the concern to
Him."
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