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Click on any of the LINKS (images or words on the left) below to find excellent web sites and articles on a variety of topics pertaining married couples.
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General Information
 
FOR YOUR MARRIAGE
In November, 2004 the U.S. Bishops voted overwhelmingly to make marriage a priority. They launched the National Pastoral Initiative for Marriage (NPIM), a multi-year effort to communicate the meaning and value of married life for the Church and for society. The Initiative brings together Catholic teaching and pastoral practice, social science research, and the experience of married couples. It will offer guidance and resources to promote and strengthen marriage. www.ForYourMarriage.org is an outgrowth of this initiative providing "resources for living happily ever after." Check out the site if your are married or just thinking about it!
Diocese of Orlando
Family Life Office
Check out Diocese of Orlando Family Life website. It now has diocesan marriage preparation and an entire section on Natural Family Planning information and much much more.
Marriage Transformation Project
The Marriage Transformation Project is a global social and economic development project committed to marriage education and marriage skill building for people at all stages of relationships. A key focus of the project is developing materials that assist people before marriage to know one another's characters and couples after marriage to encourage development of their character qualities. In addition to its own independent work in developing materials, Marriage Transformation draws on the work of marriage researchers and experts. It also derives part of its inspiration and content from the teachings of the world's religions, especially as they relate to character qualities. These include the following faiths: Baha'i*, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim. To check out the site click on the butterfly.
The Smalley Relationship Center
Run by Dr. Gary Smalley, this site has articles worth reading and a Chat Room on Sundays, in addition to information on the daily live radio broadcast.The site features numerous articles on these topics: Romance and Intimacy, Communication, Healthy Marriage, Help & Healing/Conflict/Divorce Prevention, Understanding Your Spouse, Husband's Roll, Faith, Contentment, Humor and Fun. Click on the button on the left to visit the site. To check out the ARTICLES click here.
Susan Vogt Web Site

Marriage Moment by Susan Vogt - Author, Speaker, Coach
For more extended marriage articles and archived Marriage Moments go to www.SusanVogt.net/Marriage.
To SUBSCRIBE to received Susan's weekly
Marriage Moment click here.

Growth Track Link
GROWTHTRAC
Growthtrac is committed to conducting itself with blameless integrity and complete servant hood to God. We will be purposeful in seeking God and listening for His guidance throughout every level of the organization. We are determined to honor God through every encounter and in every transaction for the purpose of leading couples to Christ-centered marriages. We will strive to seek out only the highest quality, creative, fresh content. We are committed to evangelism through personal witness and our corporate proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Growthtrac passionately presents spiritual seekers with relevant content, resources and references to institutions professing similar core values. Understanding the importance of Christian community, we provide assistance in locating and encourage participation in, a local church. We promote the value of building meaningful Christian relationships.
WHAT DO MEN REALLY WANT IN THEIR MARRIAGES by Val Farmer
Val Farmer gives seven points illustrating what men really want in their marriages.

TWO CHURCHES, ONE MARRIAGE
Two Churches, One Marriage is a free, web-based program that explores the challenges and rewards that interchurch couples may encounter, as well as strategies for dealing with those challenges. The program is grounded in research that studied couples from different Christian churches and denominations. That is why the term "interchurch" is used throughout rather than broader terms like interfaith or religiously mixed. Although the program targets interchurch couples, many of the concepts will likely apply to couples from different religions (e.g., Christian-Jewish or Christian-Muslim, etc.). Since couples from the same denomination or religious affiliation can have significant religious differences, they may also benefit from parts of the program as well. Even though the program is written primarily for engaged and married couples, it is hoped that clergy, therapists, or others that frequently work with interchurch couples will find it a valuable resource. To participate in the program, click on the link to the left.
GREAT MATES MINISTRIES - Five Marriage Mistakes
Great Mates Ministries encourages marriage enrichment and renewal through workshops, retreats, and ongoing mentoring in your local church or gathering. We promote healthy marriages through 35 years of learning in our own relationship and decades of pastoral and family therapy experience. To read the Five Marriage Mistakes click on the link to the left.
Smart Marriages Web Site Link
MARRIAGE, NOT CHILDREN, IS A FAMILY'S CENTER
A journalist recently asked: "When they become adults, what will bethe biggest problem facing today's kids?" I answered: "That many if not most of them, even those growing up in two-parent homes, are not developing a functional sense of what is truly meant by `marriage' and, therefore, `family.'" To read this article from Smart Marriages in its entirety, click on the image to the left.

Long Distance Relationships

LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS DEMAND DIFFERENT TACTICS
Relationships, like parts on a truck, need steady maintenance to prevent breakdowns, downtime or major disasters. In fact, many successful trucking families say their bonds are stronger because of the time apart; you just have to know how to make it work for you. To read the rest of this article, please click on the link to the left.

U.S. Catholic Bishops

U.S. Catholic Bishops Launch Plan to Promote Marriage
FOR YOUR MARRIAGE - campaign from the USCCB has officially set up a new website for Marriage preparation and enrichment resources. Some of the topics on the website are Preparing for Marriage; Caring for Your Marriage; About Catholic Marriage; Marriage Programs in Your Area and Marriage Daily Tips. So check out the website and find an answer to the question "What have you done for your Marriage Today?"

PLAY DATES FOR ADULTS: Counselors tout the benefits of play in relationships
By Angela Kennedy Staff Writer Counseling Today


Being disconnected and bored with a mate can cause major problems in a relationship and may lead to separation or divorce. However, a faculty member at the University of Central Florida believes that relationships can be strengthened by simply taking time to enjoy shared interests and activities — a couple that plays together, stay together. For more information on these new findings, click on the image to the left.

Smart Marriages Web Site Link

Marriage Rituals
During his banquet presentation at the Denver Smart Marriages conference, Bill Doherty talked about the rituals in his own marriage, such as a nightly hot tub soak and conversation under the Minnesota stars. He then invited audience members to share their own favorite marital rituals. The outpouring was moving, inspiring - and sometimes hilarious. To read Bill's talk and the marriage rituals of others, click on the image to the left.

 

American Catholic - Interchurch Marriages Link

Interchurch Marriages: How to Help Them Succeed by Elizabeth Bookser Barkley
There's no easy way and no one "right" way, say couples whose interchurch marriages have succeeded. But many agree that a few basic principles can serve as guidelines.
Susan Vogt Web Site

Monthly Enrichment Activity by Susan Vogt
NOVEMBER ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY For Couples: WHEN WE DISAGREE
Unless one spouse is exceedingly passive or afraid to displease his/her partner, married couples will have disagreements. This is not bad; it is an expression of self-differentiation and identity. The challenge is to make these times of disagreement – emotionally difficult as they sometimes are – times of growth, not undue hurt. Following are five ways to approach your next disagreement. . .

For the rest of this enrichment activity click on the image to the left. While on Susan's site, check out the other activities for marriage and parenting involving the entire family.

The Smalley Relationship Center
Run by Dr. Gary Smalley, this site has articles worth reading and a Chat Room on Sundays, in addition to information on the daily live radio broadcast. Marriage Articles on topics such as Romance and Intimacy, Communication, Healthy Marriage, Help & Healing/Conflict/Divorce Prevention, Understanding Your Spouse, Husband's Roll, Faith, Contentment, Humor and Fun.
ACME Web Site Link
ACME - Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment - to promote better marriages by providing enrichment opportunities that strengthen couple relationships, increase intimacy, and enhance personal growth, mutual fulfillment, and family wellness.
Covenant Marriage Movement Web Site
Covenant Marriage Movement - One Marriage Under God - The Covenant Marriage Movement (CMM) consisting of over 60 Cooperating Ministries and Organizations and 27,000 couples around the world, has designated the third Sunday of February as Covenant Marriage Sunday. We are encouraging churches throughout the nation and around the world to corporately affirm and celebrate marriage as a covenant relationship.
Divorce Busting Web Site Link
Divorce Busting - Michelle Weiner-Davis
If the road to marriage recovery has been a lonely one so far, that's all about to change. Even though we've never met, you'll be surprised by how well I know you and the issues with which you've been struggling. After you've spent some time on DivorceBusting.com, read the articles and first chapters posted here to get you started, you will think I've been camping out in your living room for years! More important, I will teach you everything you need to know to divorce-proof your marriage. Welcome to DivorceBusting.com.

 

American Catholic - Interchurch Marriages Link

Interchurch Marriages: How to Help Them Succeed by Elizabeth Bookser Barkley
There's no easy way and no one "right" way, say couples whose interchurch marriages have succeeded. But many agree that a few basic principles can serve as guidelines.
Intimacy Training Web Site Link
Intimacy Training - "Failure to develop a satisfying intimate relationship has been reported to be the single most frequently presented problem in therapy."¹ And that shouldn't be any big surprise. To create and sustain a fulfilling intimate relationship takes a huge amount of continued effort. Click on the image to the left to learn more about the Moseley Method and Doug and Naomi Moseley.
Key to a Lasting Marriage: COMBAT - Hilary Stout
Even Happy Couples Aren't Really Compatible, Suggests Latest Research
The Wall Street Journal November 3, 2004 Home & Family: Family Matters Column
A GROWING BODY of research suggests there is no such thing as a compatible couple. To read what current research shows, click on the link to the left.
Learn to Think Before Acting - Sharon Renfro
"Am I thinking now?" is a very important question for a stable, long-term intimate relationship. Typically, when we think of intimate relationships, we focus immediately on our feelings. Feelings, the off-shoot of emotions, become our guide telling us what to do in the relationship with the other person, but using feelings as guides results in ending up in empty-shelled marriages. A promising theory that is currently being substantiated as accurate brings us very different ideas for guiding our relationships. Read more at here.
Marriage Alive Web Site Link
MarriageAlive.com - Transforming Marriage and Family Relationships - David and Clauda Arp
Dave and Claudia Arp are good people with a powerful message to help make our marriages and families better. Warm, humorous, and insightful, the Arps share information that is practical and enriching. - Dr. Nick Stinnett, Professor of Family Studies, University of Alabama.
Marriage Builders Web Site Link
MarriageBuilders.com - Building Marriages to Last a Lifetime
In this Marriage Builders® site, you will be introduced to some of the best ways to overcome marital conflicts and some of the quickest ways to restore love. Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr. has saved thousands of marriages from the pain of unresolved conflict and the disaster of divorce. His successful approach to building marriages can help you build yours.
Marriage Magazine Link
Marriage Magazine - Marriage provides couples proven advice, resources and information to easily build better marriages and create the relationship of your dreams. Marriage delivers the success secrets that help you solve marital challenges and conflicts. Prevent the issues that divide you by learning skills for how to deal with hot spots like communication, dual careers, finances, children, in-laws, sex... Discover (again) the life, love and laughter that brings magic to your marriage through the pleasures of talk, touch, trust, as well as romance, intimacy and companionship filled with spirit.
Marriage Retorno Web Site Link
Marriage Retorno - Marriage Retorno means turning toward God as a couple. The goal of Marriage Retorno is to provide an atmosphere, a context, in which the couple can open themselves both as individuals and as a couple to a dialogue with God through Scripture. It is a weekend prayer experience for husband and wife, facilitated by a married couple and a Catholic priest. It provides participating couples with an opportunity for a renewal of their relationship as a couple with God.
Marriage Savers Web Site Link
Marriage Savers - Preparing, Strengthening and Restoring Marriages
Founded in 1996, Marriage Savers® is a ministry that equips local communities, principally through local congregations, to help men and women to: Prepare for lifelong marriage Strengthen existing marriages, and Restore troubled marriage.
Marriage Savers Personal Help Files
Marriage Savers - Personal Help Files - Articles on various topics including: Ten Ways to Have a Really Great Marriage, How to Live Your Life in the Face of a Relational Disaster, Healing From Infidelity, The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce, The Broken Engagement Than A Tragic Divorce.
Marriage Support Web Site Link
MarriageSupport.com - Resources for Marriage and Other Committed Couples Relationships. Your online learning community for solving marriage problems, improving relationship skills, celebrating marriage, and achieving happiness with your partner.
Preventing Divorce Web Site Link
Preventing Divorce - Christian resources for preventing divorce
Couples suffering from the throws of marital conflict don't want "3,741 website matches on the word marriage". They want answers... fast! We serve as a portal to link you to the best Christian family ministries and resources in America. More about our resources. The website offers links to ministries which can help to prevent divorce and solve marriage problems.
Relationship Learning Center Link
Relationship Learning Center - "We help you take the relationship you have and make it into the one you want." Dawn J. Lipthrott, LCSW, Director
Think of The Relationship Learning Center as an education, coaching and counseling center for individuals and couples who want to take their marriage or other important relationships to their next level of success. We believe that by doing that, we can co-create with you a better world for all people. Building and sustaining solid relationships is like building a bridge between you and another person in your life.
7 Rules for Fighting the Good Fight
Try these problem-solving approaches next you're on the brink... Try these problem-solving approaches next time you're on the brink of an explosive encounter with your spouse or even an adult child. Click on the underlined text to the left to read these seven rules.
Smart Marriages Web Site Link
Smart Marriages - Coalition for marriage, family and couples education - CMFCE is an interest group whose members are convinced that family breakdown can be reduced through education and information. America's divorce rate has held steady at an unacceptable 50% for thirty years. That's for first marriages. The divorce rate is even higher for second and subsequent marriages -- which shows we don't learn from our mistakes. We learn through education.
Smart Marriages Link

Smart Marriages: The Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education
The Senate to hold hearings on Marriage by Jeffrey McMurray - Associated Press.
Four committees are expected to hold hearings over the next two weeks, beginning Wednesday with a Health subcommittee's discussion on "Healthy Marriage: What is it and why should we promote it?" Click on the image to the left to read an e-newsletter on this topic.

Smart Marriages Articles and Information
Smart Marriages - Articles and Information in various catagories including: Papers, Presentations & Reports Research and Statistics, Legislation and Government Initiatives, Relationship Tips and Guidelines, Marriage articles in the Popular Press, Marriage and Health, Stepfamilies/Children of Divorce, School/Youth Programs.
World Class Marriage Web Site Link
World Class Marriage - The Art & Science of Relationship Success - Relationship & Relationship Building Articles. Would you like to ... • Create the love relationship you always wanted with the partner you already have? • Really know how to strengthen your relationship? • Prevent damage to an already good relationship? • Recover the love and closeness you once had? • Really be of help when your partner has problems, stress, sadness? • Really feel heard by your partner? • Find satisfying solutions to conflicts? • Have a truly World Class Marriage?

American Catholic - Interchurch Marriages Link

Interchurch Marriages: How to Help Them Succeed by Elizabeth Bookser Barkley
There's no easy way and no one "right" way, say couples whose interchurch marriages have succeeded. But many agree that a few basic principles can serve as guidelines.
What You Need To Know Web Site Link
What You Need To Know About Marriage - Garbage Dumping - Sheri and Bob Stritof
A term that we learned many years ago as a Marriage Encounter team to describe dropping a bomb from the past or bringing up past issues is Garbage Dumping.
Honeymooners - Married Less Than 5 Years
First Years and Forever Web Site Link
First Years & Forever - A monthly Newsletter for marriages in the early years - Article archive on a multitude of topics of interest and value to the newly married. This newsletter is produced by the Cana Conference of Chicago for the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Foundations Newsletter Link
Foundations Newsletter - Foundations is the newsletter for newly married couples that supports the health and happiness of marriage by teaching skills and introducing resources meant to strengthen a husband and wife's relationship. Check out the sample of the newsletter and other features offered on this site.
Marriage Magazine Link
Marriage Magazine - Marriage provides couples proven advice, resources and information to easily build better marriages and create the relationship of your dreams. Marriage delivers the success secrets that help you solve marital challenges and conflicts. Prevent the issues that divide you by learning skills for how to deal with hot spots like communication, dual careers, finances, children, in-laws, sex... Discover (again) the life, love and laughter that brings magic to your marriage through the pleasures of talk, touch, trust, as well as romance, intimacy and companionship filled with spirit.
Marriage Relationships Online Directory
Marriage Relationships Online Directory: Online Information on Marriage - This is an online course or, more accurately, a marriage preparation experience designed for and available to all engaged couples or couples who are thinking about getting married, who would like to be better prepared for the demands of marriage and family life. It approaches marriage from the Christian perspective and necessitates that both partners read the material and interact with each other as they engage in the relational activities that the course offers. The course may be taken in conjunction with premarital counseling or instead of it. It may also be of help to newly-wed couples in building stronger relationships with the objective of divorce prevention
The Smalley Relationship Center
Run by Dr. Gary Smalley, this site has articles worth reading and a Chat Room on Sundays, in addition to information on the daily live radio broadcast.The site features numerous articles on these topics: Romance and Intimacy, Communication, Healthy Marriage, Help & Healing/Conflict/Divorce Prevention, Understanding Your Spouse, Husband's Roll, Faith, Contentment, Humor and Fun. Click on the button on the left to visit the site. To check out the ARTICLES click here.

Marriage Encounter
Orlando Area Marriage Encounter Weekend Web Site Link
Central Florida Area - Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekends
Marriage Encounter weekends are slated in English and in Espanol for the Central Florida Area now through October. Click on the image to the left for a listing and reservation information
Orlando Area Marriage Encounter Weekend Web Site Link
Orlando Area Marriage Encounter - Make a good marriage a great marriage. Attend a very special weekend together in Orlando, Florida. The Marriage Encounter Weekend is designed to give married couples the opportunity to examine, discover and rejoice in their life together...... a time to share feelings, hopes, disappointments, joys and frustrations. The weekend setting and techniques provided provide a venue to do so openly and honestly in a face-to-face, heart to heart encounter with the one person they have chosen to live with for the rest of their life. Click here for the Orlando Marriage Encounter Weekend website.
National Marriage Encounter Web Site Link
National Marriage Encounter - The mission of National Marriage Encounter is to promote and encourage marriage and family life by offering Marriage Encounter weekends and a support community. National Marriage Encounter enables people to discover God's vision of marriage and family life and spiritual diversity, thereby leading them to a clearer understanding of their relationship with each other and with God.
World Wide Marriage Encounter Web Site Link
World Wide Marriage Encounter - You've discovered a great site that can help married couples turn a good (or even ho-hum or boring) marriage into a GREAT marriage! Rediscover the spark that was there on your wedding day! Rediscover the best friend you had when you were first married! Join the millions of couples worldwide who have learned how to keep their marriage vibrant and alive! This may well be the most valuable website you'll ever find. Read on to find out more...
RENOVACIÓN CONYUGAL - New dates coming soon!
This is a wonderful get-a-way weekend marriage enrichment retreat in Spanish, designed to help couples strengthen their relationships and marriage while sharing their values with other couples. Learn marriage strengthening skills and spend time together in laughter and prayer. For more information contact Hilda María and Pablo Arocho at (407) 695-7544 and visit their website at www.isamco.com/renovacion

Empty Nesters

 

Smart Marriages Link

Try A Little Emptiness
Shipping the kids off to school marks a danger zone for your marriage but it¹s possible to make these your best years yet. Check out this interesting article by clicking on the image to the left.
The Smalley Relationship Center
Run by Dr. Gary Smalley, this site has articles worth reading and a Chat Room on Sundays, in addition to information on the daily live radio broadcast.The site features numerous articles on these topics: Romance and Intimacy, Communication, Healthy Marriage, Help & Healing/Conflict/Divorce Prevention, Understanding Your Spouse, Husband's Roll, Faith, Contentment, Humor and Fun. Click on the button on the left to visit the site. To check out the ARTICLES click here.