“Culture tells us real men make a lot of money and have it all together” — BetterMan.com. That description may seem like the guy version of the American Dream, but is that definition obtainable? Does that goal give a man purpose and the desire to bring his best self to his marriage, his family and his work? 

That standard leaves a lot to be desired according to best-selling author, pastor and trailblazer in Christian men’s ministry Robert Lewis, who for 40 years has helped millions discover and pass on a biblically based, authentic and life enriching definition of what it means to be a man.

You’ve reached a point in your life when you realize something needs to change. Maybe it’s in your finances, your parenting or your relationships. But getting started is overwhelming! How to even begin? Dr. Randy Carlson, counselor, best-selling author and nationally syndicated radio host, believes living a better life is easier than you think.

God has a beautiful way of redeeming brokenness to serve his purposes. As carbon under enough pressure becomes a beautiful diamond, so too, do those who overcome adversity through the power of the Holy Spirit shine Christ’s light.

When Julie and Greg Gorman married 24 years ago, they didn’t start with a blank slate. Both were previously divorced, Greg was raising a pre-school-age daughter, and when Julie became pregnant shortly after their honeymoon with two babies in three years, stress levels escalated.

Brokenness thrives in a sin-sick world. We see marriages fall apart due to infidelity or addictions to sex or pornography. Who steps in to help people heal from these hard problems? Who can be trusted to understand such personal pain and shame? Be Broken Ministries, founded by Jonathan Daugherty 20 years ago, effectively addresses these very issues with kindness, skill, and the power of the God’s redeeming grace.

How many times have you wished for a friend to confide in or ask for advice? Someone who was just a little farther down the road in marriage or relationships? Consider Ashleigh Slater the big sister you always wanted. The author and podcaster shares stories in her work from her 20-year marriage and life raising four daughters to inspire and encourage.

Marriage coaches, international speakers, mentors, ministry founders, radio show hosts, best-selling authors … There's no avenue in the marriage and family realm where Dr. Gary and Barb Rosberg have not only participated but excelled. The impact of their biblically based wisdom is felt around the world – whether through their more than one million books and DVD series translated into 12 different languages, 35-year international speaking ministry, 22 years hosting a radio program, or marriage and life coaching through their America’s Family Coaches.

Gary Chapman, Ph.D., counselor, pastor, speaker and best-selling author, can be considered a founding father in the field of family and relationship ministry. He’s best known for developing the 5 Love Languages concept. His book by the same name, The 5 Love Languages, published in 1992, continues to sell more copies each year than the one preceding. It’s now been continually in print for 30 years, sold more than 20 million copies in English and has been translated and published into 57 languages worldwide.

William J. Doherty, Ph.D., has dedicated his work to marriage and family flourishing. A professor of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Doherty has worked with couples since 1977. He’s been the Director of both Minnesota’s Couples on the Brink Project and the Citizen Professional Center since 2010. He has been a Fellow of the National Council of Family Relations since 2004 and was granted the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Family Therapy Academy in 2017 as well as an Outstanding Community Service Award from the University of Minnesota in 2005. He’s a licensed marriage and family therapist, a licensed psychologist and a fellow and clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

The CDC recorded 630,505 divorces in the United States in 2020. Each figure represents a choice to dissolve a marriage experiencing crisis. But divorce doesn’t have to be the only answer. Where can people turn when their marriage is so broken it feels like there’s no hope? Hope Restored Marriage Intensives, offered by Focus on the Family, save marriages and redeem relationships.

You want to raise your children in a happy home, and you agree a healthy marriage is key to that goal. You might listen to a few podcasts, follow a speaker in the relationship field, even read a book or two. But how do you keep up with all the information from all the experts? Is there a way to easily incorporate best practices into your busy life?

Money problems in marriages have the potential to tear a couple apart. Unpaid bills, looming student debt, overspent credit cards … It’s no wonder money is one of the most often named reasons for marital discord. Dr. Art Ranier, author, financial counselor and founder of Christian Money Solutions offers Bible-based wisdom for couples, parents and church leaders about finances and stewardship

What if you found the cure for cancer? Wouldn’t you want to spread the news? Theologian and Theology of the Body Institute president Christopher West believes he has found the answer to the cancer plaguing our society and souls. The key is intimacy with God – not a sterile, head-knowledge belief, but a true relationship experienced in and through our physical bodies.

Nobody gets divorced if they are in love. That profound realization became the thesis upon which marriage therapist and researcher Willard Harley, Ph.D., built his work and eventually became the inspiration for bestselling, His Needs, Her Needs book. The concepts Dr. Harley introduced became the bedrock upon which later experts in the marriage field founded their practices, including the Nashville-based Marriage Dynamics Institute (MDI), which began in 1994.

Don’t you wish that there was an instruction manual to help you in your marriage? Unfortunately, there isn’t one perfect roadmap, but there is The Alexander House, an apostolate strengthening marriages throughout San Antonio and South Texas. The Alexander House was birthed by Julie and Greg Alexander out of their passion to share their experience after their marriage on the brink of divorce was miraculously restored. Julie and Greg began telling their story, speaking and mentoring others in 1999.

Alan Hawkins, Ph.D., has devoted his professional career to studying family life. A professor in the Brigham Young University School of Family Life, Dr. Hawkins has focused his work on studying and applying relationship education tools to help individuals and couples form and sustain healthy relationships and strong marriages. His award-winning work focuses on educational interventions and public policies aimed at preventing unnecessary divorces. He assists couples in answering the question: “Should I try to work it out?”

Sex. Our culture’s obsessed with it. Sex sells everything from cars to power bars. It’s the topic on everyone’s lips – the pursuit of it, the results of it, or whether a person’s pronouns change because they feel like they identify with the opposite. What was designed by God to be a powerful representation of the union between him and his people has become something (all sorts of things) so far removed from the original intent it’s almost unrecognizable.

Have the events of the past couple years left you feeling anxious? Worried about your marriage or your family? Maybe you have a relationship question, and you just don’t know where to turn. 

These thoughts occurred to seasoned therapists and relationship experts Dr’s. Les and Leslie Parrott. Les and Leslie are a husband-and-wife team who share the same name and passion for helping others build healthy relationships. Les, a clinical psychologist and ordained Nazarene minister, is a professor of psychology at Northwest University. Leslie is a marriage and family therapist. They offer marriage and relationship help through their speaking engagements and their New York Times Best Selling books, with more than six million copies sold. 

The subject has been addressed before, but it bears repeating. Divorced and/or remarried people fill our churches. Children from broken or blended homes attend our Sunday school classes. We hope their teens attend our youth programs. In fact, 113 million adults have at least one stepfamily relationship, according to Craig Morgan, who, along with his wife Gina, founded Blended Together Forever, a ministry created to offer hope, encouragement and support to members of blended families. 

When was the last time you heard a sermon or listened to a podcast emphasizing the importance of your marriage? Read a book about relationships? Or attended a marriage enrichment event or date night? Researchers, pastors, authors and speakers emphasize the importance of focusing on family relationships. But what happens when the boost from the event fades or, even worse, uncovers some troubled spots or brokenness? Where do you turn for help? 

“Till death do us part.” Catholics have traditionally taken their marital vows seriously. Considering marriage a sacred, holy sacrament, the Catholic Church is known to discourage divorce. But has the church invested in helping couples strengthen their marriages? Marriage champions Lorrie Gramer and her husband, Don, were early advocates of marriage building since the Marriage Encounter they attended on their second wedding anniversary in 1974 proved transformational.