What separates happy marriages from miserable ones? Surprisingly, it’s not healthy communication. It’s not conflict resolution skills. It’s actually the size of the marriage’s joy gap . Joy Gap/joi gap/ (n.)-1. The length of time between moments of shared joy When the joy gap gets bigger, problems are more likely to overwhelm you, resentment creeps in, and you start to feel distant and alone in your marriage. When the joy gap is smaller, you regularly feel connected and happy, problems feel manageable, and your marriage becomes a reliable source of joy. But how do you ensure that you’re experiencing joy regularly? Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey have studied relationships (and neuroscience) and discovered four habits that keep joy regular and problems small. Some couples do them naturally, but anyone can learn. That’s why each chapter includes 15-minute exercises that boost joy and re-train your brain to make joy your default setting. You’ll learn new skills including how to: return to joy more quickly after disconnection create stronger bonds and elongate times of happiness boost your enjoyment of physical and emotional intimacy Find out what your marriage looks like after a little work and a whole lot of joy.

Describes what marriage should be according to the Bible, arguing that marriage is a tool to bring individuals closer to God, and provides meaningful instruction on how to have a successful marriage.

From New York Times bestselling authors Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller comes a gorgeously packaged daily devotional that takes us on year-long journey into discovering the meaning of marriage Marriage is the most profound human relationship there is. Coming to know and love your spouse is one of the most rewarding and wondrous things we can experience in life. But it is also one of the most difficult and painful. In this 365-day devotional, Timothy Keller and his wife of forty-three years, Kathy Keller, share powerful instructions on how to have a successful marriage. The Kellers draw from and expand upon lessons they first introduced in their book The Meaning of Marriage, offering stories, daily scriptures, and prayer prompts that will inspire anyone who wants to know God and love more deeply in this life.

A hilarious and hopeful primer to prevent, combat, and eliminate the suckage in modern marriage by doing it right in the early years, from one of the minds behind the series Sex and the City and the New York Times bestselling authors of He’s Just Not That Into You, It’s Called a Breakup Because It’s Broken, and It’s Just a F***ing Date Some marriages start out storybook. Perfect proposal, perfect engagement, perfect wedding, perfect honeymoon, and perfect newlywed years. Greg Behrendt and Amiira Ruotola stumbled right out of the wedding gate. Their choices in the early years, they’ll tell you, nearly bought their marriage a one-way ticket to Suckville. The New York Times bestselling authors explore all the adventures of early wedlock, from the moment one of you gets on one knee to the day when sex starts to feel like work instead of play. In this guidebook, Behrendt and Ruotola explore their own marriage and, with gleeful candor, tremendous warmth, sharp humor, and piercing insight, look at what we who have decided to “settle down” hope to get out of our most lasting relationship. We venture through volumes on the engagement, wedding planning, the Big Day, the wedding hangover, the (blissful?) first year, the hard work of marrying two lives, fights, and sex-pectations versus sex-pectreality. The perfect book for those who have just put a ring on it or are thinking of putting a ring on it, Behrendt and Ruotola’s work is a brilliant guide for the first stretch of that wild ride we call marriage.

What exactly does it take to make marriage strong? Ron and Jody Zappia were on the brink of divorce. It was their first year of marriage and already things were falling apart. They desperately searched for anything that would help. And then, suddenly, everything changed. Today, the Zappias lead The Knot Marriage Conference where they present seven transformative principles that saved their marriage. The Marriage Knot teaches these same principles to new audiences. Full of wisdom, humor, and refreshing transparency, The Marriage Knot unpacks the choices successful couples make. Marriage, like a knot, has to be kept tight. Left to itself, it loosens over time and can completely unravel. This highly practical book focuses on the everyday decisions you can make to rejuvenate and restore your marriage. Delving into topics like communication, sex, conflict resolution, and more, it offers the tools you need for life-long marriage health. Whether you’re engaged, newlyweds, or seasoned marriage veterans, this book will help make your marriage strong, no matter what pressures attempt to unravel it.

Apply God’s Wisdom to Your Marriage God designed the unique covenant between a man and a woman to be a lifelong partnership that brings joy, support, and stability to both their lives. You can experience this fulfillment for yourself when you follow His plan as the foundation for the relationship between you and your loved one. This companion to Your Marriage God’s Way invites you to work together with your spouse to take a closer look at the biblical principles for this precious contract and make them an active part of your own marriage. You will build a stronger relationship and deeper faith as you understand the unique roles God has given each of you identify ways you can better help, encourage, and support each other make serving God the focal point of your marriage No matter how long you’ve been married, there is always room to grow in your relationship by placing Christ at its center. With the help of the Your Marriage God’s Way Workbook, bring your hearts closer together and experience the fullness God has in store for both of you.

Ryan and Selena Frederick were newlyweds when they landed in Switzerland to pursue Selena's dream of training horses. Neither of them knew at the time that Ryan was living out a death sentence brought on by a worsening genetic heart defect. Soon it became clear he needed major surgery that could either save his life--or result in his death on the operating table. The young couple prepared for the worst. When Ryan survived, they both realized that they still had a future together. But the near loss changed the way they saw all that would lie ahead. They would live and love fiercely, fighting for each other and for a Christ-centered marriage, every step of the way. Fierce Marriage is their story, but more than that, it is a call for married couples to put God first in their relationship, to measure everything they do and say to each other against what Christ did for them, and to see marriage not just as a relationship they should try to keep healthy but also as one worth fighting for in every situation. With the gospel as their foundation, Ryan and Selena offer hope and practical help for common struggles in marriage, including communication problems, sexual frustration, financial stress, family tension, screen-time disconnection, and unrealistic expectations.