In our Marriage Counseling practice most of the couples who come to us want a deeper spiritual life together. How does a couple get closer to God?

The first thing to do is plan/prepare. Sit down as a couple to talk about the things that have made you feel close to God in the past or that you think would make you close to God in the present. Make two lists.  It would be common for each spouse to have different ideas. Since this article is about getting closer to God as a couple, look at the two lists to see if there is anything you could do together.

Set yourselves up for success. See if there is an item that both of you have on your lists (for instance prayer). Talk about how you both like to pray, when to pray, and where to pray. The goal is to come into agreement on how you would like to go about praying as a couple. There is an old saying that couples that pray together stay together.

Getting started is the easy part. The more difficult part is to be consistent with your new goal. Let’s look at some things that would help. You can start with setting a specific time each day. If setting a time each day is too rigid a couple might try setting a sequence, i.e. breakfast, dress, make bed, prayer. Also a couple might arrange accountability with another couple who would like to also improve their spiritual life together.

Once you have started your new goals and practiced them for a period of time, perhaps 30 days, it will become second nature to you and it will require much less effort to sustain.

The strongest thing that you can then do as a couple is to turn outward to help other people.  Volunteer at church, help out at a shelter or soup kitchen, or visit a sick friend. If your schedule is too busy to help others, then you are too busy. Purposely helping others will be a life changing experience.

Taking turns reading aloud from a book that helps you get closer to God is very effective. When you read aloud you both experience the words at the same time and can have very meaningful discussions on the content.

Praying for each other is an excellent tool and life changing experience. We recommend buying and using Stormy Ormartian’s Power of a Praying Husband and Power of a Prating Wife as great tools for those who are not experience at praying for each other.

Nothing is more important and effective than reading the Bible. My wife and I read the same Chapter at the same time. We highlight the verses that are the most meaningful to us and then discuss together.

In our Christian Marriage Counseling practice we see that couples that are close to God heal the fastest even if they come to us in crisis. We also see that those couples who have not been close to God and close to each other before they came, but make the decision to change have great success in healing their hurts and regaining a true “closeness”.

About Marriage Rescue Associates | Marriage Counseling

With over 23 years of experience, Marriage Rescue Associates have discovered many effective methods for helping couples restore their family and marriages. As Christian Marriage Counselors, Marriage Rescue Associates can help construct solutions to rekindle love and rebuild trust that has been torn down by endless conflict, indifference, and unmet needs.

Don’t let your marriage or family become another statistic when you can actually do something to change it.

Seek out Marriage Counseling from an experienced Marriage Counselor that understands your situation and makes you feel comfortable with them.

To learn more about Marriage Rescue Associates, visit us online at www.marriagerescue.org

Financial stress is overtaking many marriages today. It can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back when there are other issues in a marriage. Financial worries invite couples to play the “blame game”. No one is taking their own portion of responsibility, each just blames the other.

Whether it is a job loss, overspending, unexpected bills or a myriad of other challenges, this is a time to come together. It is not a time to point fingers. It is more important to plan together how to overcome the situation than to concentrate on whose fault it is.

There are times when both spouses share in the responsibility and times when one has had a greater influence in the degrading of financial stability. In either case, it is important for the two of you to be part of the solution.

In most marriages one of the spouses is a spender and one is a saver. This is quite typical. Often the reason for the differences is previous life experiences. But when you are already in financial crisis, it is imperative to join forces in order to get your feet back on the ground.

If it took a long time to get into the “financial mess” it may not be a quick turnaround. The time to achieve financial health will be shortened when you work together rather than focusing on the problem itself.

One of the things couples do is to hide from the total truth. It is important to lay out the entire financial situation. Starting with regular bills and obligations and working your way through the occasional expenditure. Also it is important to plan for the unexpected. The only way to be in charge of your finances is manage them rather than having them manage you.

Many couples find that by contacting their creditors they can make arrangements to pay off bills at a slower pace, or sometimes the creditors are willing to settle for a smaller amount.

There are many ways to move forward, but one that we like is to pay off the smaller bills first so that you can experience a sense of accomplishment. Like all of you financial decisions it is important to enthusiastically agree on your methodology.

There are only two ways to move from financial despair to financial security and it is best if you combine the two.

The first is to increase your income. Some people find their options limited and others have a variety of choices. In either case, you need to do whatever is available. It may be for each of you to work more than one job for a period of time.

If there are children in the home, it may require some creativity. One answer could be to do web based work. There are many options but it does require effort to find the right fit. When the economy heats up again, it will be easier to find additional employment.

The other method is to spend less. Decrease your spending wherever you can. For folks that have kids, it is important to look at what you are spending on their activities. We do not endorse regular multiple activities for each child. It takes away from family time and minimizes their ability to entertain themselves. We do not always do our children a favor by allowing them to participate in everything.

The most important ingredient is to make these decisions together.

About Marriage Rescue Associates | Christian Marriage Counseling

With over 23 years of experience, Marriage Rescue Associates have discovered many effective methods for helping couples restore their family and marriages. As Christian Marriage Counselors, Marriage Rescue Associates can help construct solutions to rekindle love and rebuild trust that has been torn down by endless conflict, indifference, and unmet needs.

Don’t let your marriage or family become another statistic when you can actually do something to change it.

Seek out Marriage Counseling from an experienced Marriage Counselor that understands your situation and makes you feel comfortable with them.

To learn more about Marriage Rescue Associates, visit us online at www.marriagerescue.org

Marriage is an institution in which interpersonal relationships are acknowledged by the state or by religious authority. It is often viewed as a contract.

People marry for many reasons, but usually one or more of the following: legal, social, and economic stability; the formation of a family unit; procreation and the education and nurturing of children; legitimizing sexual relations; public declaration of love; or to obtain citizenship

 

It’s truly sad to hear of marriages in trouble. No body want trouble, but trouble does happen. You may ask your self “Can I save my marriage?” My answer is yes, why? Because when you ask yourself “Can I save my marriage?” means you do want to save your marriage. Because if don’t or never think of that question, there is no way you can save your marriage, but how? So I will give you tips on how to save your marriage.  These tips you and your spouse can apply today to start the healing process for your relationship and marriage.

1. More communication

Communication is important in our live, so it same to marriage. If you fail to communicate with your partner, it’s about time your marriage will over.  The most common cause to marriage breakdown is fail to communicate or miscommunication between spouses. When problems arise, people stop talking to each other. Simply put, a marriage cannot be saved if the couple can’t figure things out together. When a new problem appears, a married couple needs to talk more, not less.

2. Compromise

Compromise means you allow your love and respect for one another to have a higher priority than the matter at hand. Be the first to compromise and before you know it, you are half-way to save your marriage.

3. Make effort to show more love and affection

Many marriages break down simply because the individuals involved feel that they are not being loved or cared for. Regardless of the issue, couples must remember that feeling loved is important. This is almost a deliberate separation of the issue or problem from the love they have for one another.

4.      Forgiveness

Forgiveness is important in relationship including marriage. Try to forgive and forget. Everybody make mistake. Give changes to your partner. Forgiveness is power full but difficult, that why it’s powerful. With love, compromise and communication, it is easier to forgive and forget.  

If ever, you are asking the question “Can I save my marriage”, try to apply these 4 tips into your situation. You will be pleasantly surprised at the healing and rebuilding that can be achieved in your marriage if you only give these a try.

If you need help, you can always get help from marriage counseling like online counseling help at www.onlinemarriagecounseling.info/

Are the Women Profiled Real?

Do not use an International Marriage Agency based on the number of beautiful women profiled on the website. Any agency that has a high percentage of beautiful women should be suspect. Beautiful women are naturally rare and beautiful women are the most sought-after. So it would only make sense that the most attractive women would have the highest turnover in a marriage agency. The best-looking women will find a man sooner because they have more suitors and in turn will be more difficult for a marriage agency to replace because there are fewer beautiful women available. To work around this it is a common practice for foreign marriage agencies to show beautiful women as unattached regardless if whether they are married or with a boyfriend. Two other common practices used to inflate the beauty and quantity of women in an agency is to steal photos from other marriage and model agencies´ websites and to illicit arrangements with local photographers for the purchase of personal photos of women without their consent or knowledge. Beautiful women profiled in a marriage agency are meaningless if they are not available and, unfortunately, this is often the case. Many international marriage agencies will do whatever it takes to lure beautiful women to join. For example, here is an ad placed by a Barranquilla marriage agency in the local Colombia paper El Heraldo.

“Latin Wife Connection invita a todas las damas interesadas en conocer Americanos y Europeos con la oportunidad de participar en el Sorteo de diez visas, inscribete y participa en eventos sociales. Cra 48 No. 75-83 oficina 101. Telefono 3690250 seccion fotografica gratis.”

“Translation: Latin Wife Connection invites all women interested in meeting American and European gentlemen with the opportunity of participating in a visa raffle, enroll and participate in social events, free photographic session.”

There is no such thing as a ´visa raffle´ in Colombia. This marriage agency, like others, is trying to entice women to join under a false pretense of getting a travel visa. So instead of attracting women looking for love they attract women trying to leave the country. The fact that you may end up with a woman that is hiding her true intent for marrying you is obviously of no concern to such agencies. By using a trusted marriage agency the beauty you see will be real and available.

Do They Have Good Referrals?

A good marriage agency should be able to provide you with many past clients as referrals. Talk to these men about their experience with the agency and the experience of other Americans they met while using the marriage agency’s services. If the agency provides introduction events ask them how many guys attended the last event. Ask if they were all successful in finding a likely wife. If the answer is yes then ask for the contact information for all these men. If everyone got what they came for then the agency should be eager to provide all their glowing references. If the answer is no then find out why. Ask what the agency could have done differently to have helped this guy. Be sure everything they tell you is consistent and reasonable. A good marriage agency will be able to provide ample live referrals to back up their services. Do not rely on website testimonials that can be fabricated. Your best insurance on the quality of the marriage agency is positive customer experiences.

Do They Have a Positive Reputation?

A marriage agency should have a good reputation. Find out by accessing the dating forums that specializes in the region of the world in which you are interested. Ask the agency what the largest active forums in his industry are. Go there and search out the particular agency in the forum’s archives. Post a question asking about the good and the bad agencies. An agency with a good reputation should not fear the spotlight of the open forums. An agency with a good reputation would participate in the forums and have a history of dialogue that can be used to evaluate their services. Don´t make your selection a guessing game when the recorded history is out there for a sound judgment on the best marriage agency to use. An owner that claims not to know any international dating forums is lying.

Is the Owner Trustworthy?

Talk to the owner. Is he a man you can trust? How long has he been in business? Can he verify a record of success? Be cautious of any push to get you to sign up prior to the next upcoming event. You dictate the deadlines, not the marriage agency. Ask the owner what distinguishes their agency from the others and why you will be more successful under their care. Are you going to be treated as an individual or as part of the pack? Ask as many questions as possible to scrutinize all aspects of the service you are interested in. Your trip itinerary needs to be clearly defined. Understand the details and specifics that will make your travels to find a wife successful.

Do They Have an Established Office with Experience Support?

When you use an international marriage agency without a staffed office at your arrival destination you will be relying on temporary freelance labor. Such help will rarely have your long-term best interest in mind. In poor, developing countries survival often brings out the worst in people. We have seen too many examples of freelance translators taking advantage of Americans through theft, dishonesty and manipulation. In corrupt third world countries a lot of effort is required to find competent individuals with integrity and reliability who you can trust, particularly in delicate, private and emotional matters. A qualified intermediary takes training and experience. You will get neither from most marriage agencies where the only requirement is that they speak English. The difference between Latin American women and Western women requires a cultural navigation best guided by trained professional matchmakers who will help you bridge the cultural differences and build a successful relationship. You are best served by an established local office that supports you with full-time, experienced, trained, dedicated and professional matchmakers who can properly assist you.

Are They a Middleman?

Most international marriage agencies on the Internet are resellers and franchises. They’re marketing middlemen that associate with foreign local agencies. They fabricate an alternative website and use the database of girls from the other independent foreign agency which has its own separate website that actually provides the services. Any time an extra layer is added you can expect increased delays, miscommunications and problems. Deal with a trusted source and verify that they are not just a commissioned agent with a good tongue for promotion and hype.

Are They an Objective Source of Information?

Many marriage agencies will create phony dating directory websites or dating forums that will try to mislead you into thinking that they are an objective, independent source of information and advice on mail order brides. They will then recommend particular marriage agencies, that unbeknown to you, they own. Their objective is to sucker you and others as a valid resource on mail order brides when they are nothing more then advertisements that funnel you to a deceptive marriage agency. These false dating directories and forums are not easy to detect without a knowledgeable eye. While legitimate dating directories can be a valuable resource, it is best to use a variety of the above check methods for validating a quality marriage agency.

When you use a bad marriage agency you obviously you lose time and money but you also perpetuate the continued theft and disservice of those who will follow in your footsteps. By not scrutinizing the agency’s track record and referrals you allow the dishonest marriage agencies one more day to profit and prey on the unsuspecting. Most but not all of the dishonest agencies will have much lower prices than the legitimate marriage agencies because their intention is to do very little. It’s easy to flout discounted prices for services and promises that will never materialize. By following the above precautions in the selection of your agent the international path for finding a quality wife will be well worth the effort.