Woodland Married People

06/11/2024

THE BEST MARRIAGE ADVICE EVER

Choose to love each other even in those moments when you struggle to like each other. Love is a commitment, not a feeling.

Always answer the phone when your husband/wife is calling and when possible, try to keep your phone off when you’re together with your spouse.

Make time together a priority. Budget for a consistent date night. Time is the “currency of relationships” so consistently invest time into your marriage.

Surround yourself with friends who will strengthen your marriage and remove yourself from people who may tempt you to compromise your character.

Make laughter the soundtrack of your marriage. Share moments of joy, and even in the hard times, find reasons to laugh.

In every argument, remember that there won’t be a “winner” and a “loser.” You are partners in everything so you’ll either win together or lose together. Work together to find a solution.

Remember that a strong marriage rarely has two strong people at the same time. It’s usually a husband and wife taking turns being strong for each other in the moments when the other feels weak. Prioritize what happens in the bedroom. It takes more than s*x to build a strong marriage, but it’s nearly impossible to build a strong marriage without it!

Remember that marriage isn’t 50-50, divorce is 50-50. Marriage has to be 100-100. It’s not splitting everything in half, but both partners giving everything they’ve got!

Give your best to each other, not your leftovers after you’ve given your best to everyone else.

Learn from other people, but don’t feel the need to compare your life or your marriage to anyone else’s. God’s plan for your life is masterfully unique!

Don’t put your marriage on hold while you’re raising your kids or else you’ll end up with an empty nest and an empty marriage.

Never keep secrets from each other. Secrecy is the enemy of intimacy.

Never lie to each other. Lies break trust and trust is the foundation of a strong marriage.

When you’ve made a mistake, admit it and humbly seek forgiveness. You should be quick to say, “I was wrong. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

When your husband/wife breaks your trust, give them your forgiveness instantly which will promote healing and create the opportunity for trust to be rebuilt. You should be quick to say, “I love you. I forgive you. Let’s move forward.”

Be patient with each other. Your spouse is always more important that your schedule.

Model the kind of marriage that will make your sons want to grow up to be good husbands and your daughters want to grow up to be good wives.

Never talk badly about your spouse to other people or vent about them online. Protect your spouse at all times and in all places.

Always wear your wedding ring. It will remind you that you’re always connected to your spouse and it will remind the rest of the world that you’re off limits!

Connect into a community of faith. A good church can make a world of difference in your marriage and family.

Pray together. Every marriage is stronger with God in the middle of it.

When you have to choose between saying nothing or saying something mean to your spouse, say nothing every time!

Never consider annulment as an option. Remember that a “perfect marriage” is just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other.

-CTTO

02/21/2024

Friday, February 9th we had an amazing turn out for 'Date Night'! We enjoyed an Italian meal by Kingdom Man Catering, listened to couples get personal about their relationships, experienced a little worship and learned what it takes to have a resilient love. Serious moments mixed with laughter and reminders from God on how to honor him in our marriages.

05/02/2023

Attractions are lusts of the flesh and when that is your focus whether it be material things, s*xual immorality or worldly pleasures, it becomes a distraction from what you are called to do. If you are married you are called to love your spouse, but not more than you love God. If God is your first love everything else will be in order. When the order gets messed up and God gets moved to less of a priority in your life than what he should be its almost automatic to become selfish and become focused on what you can 'get' and not what you can 'give' in your relationship. When you love God first you see your spouse through His eyes not the eyes of the world. When God is your focus then everything you do and say runs through the filter of His word. This in turn will determine how you act or react towards your spouse.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-38

(-RW)

02/09/2023

We are loving The 5 Love Languages study in our WAFA class on Wednesday nights. One of the keys to a happy marriage is being a life long student of your spouse.

10/15/2022

08/30/2022

If I could go back and sit down with myself Twenty-Five years ago and speak some truth into that young, naïve bride to be, this is what I would tell her:

Hollywood lied.

This person is not going to complete you, even if they had you from hello.

Our society teaches us how to go to school, get a career, plan for retirement, and how to get married, but they never taught us how to have a good marriage or stay married.

So all that time, money and crazy energy you are putting into planning that perfect day, put that and then some, into the planning of the kind of spouse you want to be.

There are going to be times when you are THAT couple who fights all the time, goes to bed fighting, and you may cry yourself to sleep with your head face down in the pillow asking yourself for the ten thousandth time, “Did I marry the wrong person?”

You are not just marrying that hot, funny, amazing personality, you are marrying their insecurities, mommy and daddy issues, flaws and bad breath.

This person has the propensity to bring unspeakable joy to your life (and they will), and deep pain (and they will).

There are going to be times when you want to walk out. You may even pack your bag or call each other names that are NOT found in the bible.

That’s okay just know you are not alone and there are many spouses who had to go unpack a bag a thousand times or two.

The whole marriage is 50/50 thing and marriage is give and take, that is a joke.

There are going to be seasons in your lives where one of you may be spiritually, emotionally, or physically not able to cope with life and your spouse may have nothing left to give. When this happens, thank God, because you are now in a position and posture to learn the real meaning of marriage– servanthood.

So get up, grab a towel and basin and wash your spouse’s feet when they least deserve it. Because when you do that, this is when you are going to see a miracle not only in your marriage, but your heart.

Marriage was not designed just to bring us happiness, it will also make us holy if we will let it.

You will get much more accomplished on your knees in prayer, then in your spouse’s face demanding your own way. And just for the record, God is not always looking for who needs to change, but who is willing.

Strong marriages do not just happen. They are fought over, cried over, prayed over, and turned over– to the ONLY ONE that can teach us how to become ONE.

I know you were dreaming of a fairy tale, but the reality is, you and your spouse are going to war. You have an enemy that despises marriage and he will stop at nothing to try to convince you both to betray and break each other.

So, while you are picking out that perfect dress, grab some combat boots and a sword and be ready to fight. (Ephesians 6).

And if you do happen to betray or deeply wound one another please, please, please remember this: As ugly as this looks, as BIG as this feels, your God is BIGGER. Your God is ABLE.

Your God is able to do more than you can think, ask, or imagine in your marriage. (Ephesians 3:20)

So invite Him in. Keep Him at the center.

Never give up and fight with everything you have.

Because you serve a God who specializes in breathing dead things back to life, making all things new, and restoring beauty from ashes.

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Disclaimer: This post is NOT promoting abuse in anyway or trying to provide therapy in anyway. If you are in a situation that is toxic, unhealthy, or abusive seek counseling from a trusted professional right away.

(Taken from my blog What I Wish I Knew Before I Got Married.
hollynoelhaynes.com

07/30/2022

Be your spouse's biggest fan. It may have been a while and take them by surprise, but it also builds intimacy when you verbalize the things you appreciate about them. Just watch what happens to their confidence and demeanor. 😉

Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are [as] a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

07/05/2022

Pride keeps us from getting closer to each other and more tragically, closer to God.

Love disarms pride.

Love compels us to admit it when we're wrong and motivates us to forgive when we're wronged.

Keep the communication lines clear: apologize quickly and forgive readily. This will keep small arguments from tailspinning into full blown discord and division. (Fierce Marriage)

06/20/2022

It's Monday, but date night (or day) is coming. Hopefully you have one scheduled. If not, get it on the calendar! Tell us the most memorable date you have ever had with your spouse.

06/18/2022

We want to know..where did you tie the knot? And for those of you who remember, what is your anniversary date?