Life in Relationship

Love and Respect Got to Do with It Article: https://blog.cph.org/read/everyday-faith/whats-love-and-respect-got-to-do-with-it

Read Ephesians 4:32 and Ephesians 5:21. How do each verse impact the whole of how we understand love and respect within our marriages?

How is respect important in a marriage? How is love important in a marriage? How do the two overlap? Which is the most challenging for you – assuming the best in your spouse, talking nicely when emotions are high, or dealing with submission in concept or reality?

Wellness Exercise: How do you make decisions in your marriage? Where do you see love and respect in this process? How can you bring more love and respect, as well as grace, into this process?

YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/xjQ2bRgJzz0

YouTube extras: Find other Always Growing videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCryz1QG5wDu1HWaapevYFOIUiwXEm1IC

Find more marriage and relationship resources at: https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships

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Hit subscribe to get the marriage conversations in your podcast or YouTube feed. Download the Talk Sheets under "Resources on Marriage" at https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships

Why the First Year of Marriage is So Hard

Article: https://blog.cph.org/read/family/first-year-marriage-stinkin-hard

Radio spot: https://www.kfuo.org/2017/12/01/faf-120117-first-year-marriage-hard/

What memories do you have from your first year of marriage? Be sure to include at least one hard memory and one happy memory.

What kinds of things do you think can or do make that first year of marriage more growth-oriented?

How did you respect and create your own new family in your first few years of marriage? What would you do differently if you had it to over again?

Wellness exercise:

What can you celebrate about one another today? Take turns telling your spouse three ways they make your life better.

More on leaving and cleaving:

https://youtu.be/M7V5OIixM_I

YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/LLQe5E9mwG4

Find other Always Growing videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCryz1QG5wDu1HWaapevYFOIUiwXEm1IC

Find more marriage and relationship resources at:

https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships

Follow us on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/heidigoehmanwrites

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Hit subscribe to get the marriage conversations in your podcast or YouTube feed.

Download the Talk Sheets under "Resources on Marriage" at https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships

Treasuring Up in Marriage

Read Luke 2:16-19

What kinds of things do you think Mary was pondering or treasuring up?

What kinds of things in marriages, in general, are helpful to "treasure up"?

What kinds of things can you treasure up in your own marriage? What moments are in the treasure store of your marriage?

Wellness exercise:

When you look across the difficult times in your marriage or life together, consider 2-3 things that can be treasured up from those experiences together.

YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/3_MM6Rn38j4

Find other Always Growing videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCryz1QG5wDu1HWaapevYFOIUiwXEm1IC

Find more marriage and relationship resources at:

https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships

Follow us on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/heidigoehmanwrites

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Hit subscribe to get the marriage conversations in your podcast or YouTube feed.

Download the Talk Sheets under "Resources on Marriage" at https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships

What to Do When Your Spouse Gets on Your Nerves

How do kindness and a sense of humor help when talking about difficult things or prickly things in marriage?

Read Matthew 7:3-5. What kinds of things do you think are worth discussing and getting upset about in marriage and life, and what kinds of things are not?

What is the difference between internally reflecting and responding when your spouse gets on your nerves?

Wellness exercise:

Kindly discuss one thing you each do that gets on the other's nerves and utilize the question, "Why does this bother me?" to reflect on the internal value is wrapped up in the irritability? Or consider the question, "How should we deal with this together?"

YouTube Video Link:

Podcast episode: 30

YouTube extras:

Find other Always Growing videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCryz1QG5wDu1HWaapevYFOIUiwXEm1IC

Find more marriage and relationship resources at: https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships Follow us on social media:

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https://www.instagram.com/heidigoehmann/

https://twitter.com/HeidiGoehmann

Hit subscribe to get the marriage conversations in your podcast or YouTube feed.

Download the Talk Sheets under "Resources on Marriage" at https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships

Love & Honor Your Mother-in-Law

How does our culture represent mother-in-laws?

Read Genesis 2:24-25. Brainstorm any relationships impacted by leaving and cleaving and what impacts you see in your own marriage.

How can we care for one another in the family through the transition of leaving and cleaving?

Wellness exercise:

Name a few ways your own marriage has been impacted in both positive and more challenging ways by in law relationships. Rejoice over the gifts those relationships have brought and pray over at least one of the ways those relationships are challenging.

YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/M7V5OIixM_I

YouTube extras:

Find other Always Growing videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCryz1QG5wDu1HWaapevYFOIUiwXEm1IC

Find more marriage and relationship resources at: https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships Follow us on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/heidigoehmanwrites

https://www.instagram.com/heidigoehmann/

https://twitter.com/HeidiGoehmann

Hit subscribe to get the marriage conversations in your podcast or YouTube feed.

Download the Talk Sheets under "Resources on Marriage" at https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships

When Contempt Threatens

Describe contempt in your own words. Which aspects of contempt stick out to you the most?

What does respect do for a marriage?

Consider the list of concrete ways contempt is given. Which of these strongly effect you, no matter where they are given?

Read 2nd Samuel 6:16-23. What emotions are behind Michal's contempt?

Wellness Exercise: Watch a tv show together and watch for ways the characters show contempt in home life. Imagine ways together that they might recover from each of those moments of contempt.

Resources: Love and Respect Workbook

https://www.gottman.com/blog/this-one-thing-is-the-biggest-predictor-of-divorce/

Youtube video link: https://youtu.be/_ONqehzZBEE

YouTube extras:

Find other Always Growing videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCryz1QG5wDu1HWaapevYFOIUiwXEm1IC

Find more marriage and relationship resources at: https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships Follow us on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/heidigoehmanwrites

https://www.instagram.com/heidigoehmann/

https://twitter.com/HeidiGoehmann

Hit subscribe to get the marriage conversations in your podcast or YouTube feed.

Download the Talk Sheets under "Resources on Marriage" at https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships

Will You Fight for Me?

What do you each remember most about your wedding?

In what ways do you fight for one another in your marriage?

How is forgiveness part of fighting for one another in marriage?

How do you show each other you are fighting for one another?

Wellness exercise:

Make a list together of three things you value together in your marriage and discuss concrete ways you fight for these things in your marriage, or new ways you can prioritize them in your marriage.

YouTube video link: https://youtu.be/hqIwmHkAyks

YouTube extras:

Find other Always Growing videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCryz1QG5wDu1HWaapevYFOIUiwXEm1IC

Find more marriage and relationship resources at: https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships Follow us on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/heidigoehmanwrites

https://www.instagram.com/heidigoehmann/

https://twitter.com/HeidiGoehmann

Hit subscribe to get the marriage conversations in your podcast or YouTube feed.

Download the Talk Sheets under "Resources on Marriage" at https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships

Three Places to Never Argue

Questions:

Where have you argued and it hasn't gone well?

When and how have you experienced struggles in arguing in any of the three places:

Riding in the car

In the bedroom (especially preparing for bed)

In front of other adults

What value is there in letting an argument rest a bit? Why is this hard at times?

Wellness exercise:

Consider what are two of your "hot button" topics that often lead to arguments in your house and use Galatians 5:13-15 to pray for these two topics.

Arguing in front of children article:

https://blog.cph.org/read/everyday-faith/argue-front-children-naked-unashamed-disagreement

YouTube video link: https://youtu.be/NE90yRjctKI

YouTube extras:

Find other Always Growing videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCryz1QG5wDu1HWaapevYFOIUiwXEm1IC

Find more marriage and relationship resources at: https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships Follow us on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/heidigoehmanwrites

https://www.instagram.com/heidigoehmann/

https://twitter.com/HeidiGoehmann

Hit subscribe to get the marriage conversations in your podcast or YouTube feed.

Download the Talk Sheets under "Resources on Marriage" at https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships

A Marriage that Bends

Questions:

What magic answers are out there for marriage? What magic answers do you think people utilize to get to marriage growth?

How can 1st Corinthians 8:1 inform our marriages?

What things in the world attempt to "break" our marriage? Where is the comfort in knowing that God doesn't break us or our marriage?

How do you get the oxygen of Christ into your marriage, even as He is already a part of it when we don't see it in the busy every day?

YouTube video link: https://youtu.be/7XMkDYYnpks

Wellness exercise:

Whether it takes 1 minute or 30 minutes each day, identify one way to add a little more Jesus into your marriage every day for the next week or month.

YouTube extras:

Find other Always Growing videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCryz1QG5wDu1HWaapevYFOIUiwXEm1IC

Find more marriage and relationship resources at: https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships Follow us on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/heidigoehmanwrites

https://www.instagram.com/heidigoehmann/

https://twitter.com/HeidiGoehmann

Hit subscribe to get the marriage conversations in your podcast or YouTube feed.

Download the Talk Sheets under "Resources on Marriage" at https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships

Why Repair Attempts Matter

Questions:

What topics of things poke at us and start a negative slide or cycle in arguments?

How do you usually switch gears or change focuses when you are having an argument and need to relieve some pressure from the conversation?

What repair attempts might you use intentionally?

What repair attempts might you be using subconsciously?

Wellness exercise:

Create a catch phrase or code word to utilize as a repair attempt that you can use intentionally and then practice using it for one week at least.

*iCarly show reference: https://icarly.fandom.com/wiki/IWant_My_Website_Back

YouTube video link: https://youtu.be/G6WvVt2ZNt0

Find Always Growing videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCryz1QG5wDu1HWaapevYFOIUiwXEm1IC

Find more marriage and relationship resources at: https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships Follow us on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/heidigoehmanwrites

https://www.instagram.com/heidigoehmann/

https://twitter.com/HeidiGoehmann

Hit subscribe to get the marriage conversations in your podcast or youtube feed.

Download the Talk Sheets under "Resources on Marriage" at https://heidigoehmann.com/relationships