...and Baby Makes 3 By Kamau and Ebony Washington

 After 5 years of marriage, my husband and I decided to add an addition to our team.  Our baby girl is our joy!  We researched everything about having a baby.  We knew the safety rating on the perfect stroller, the proper way to burp her, and the cost-benefit of using cloth diapers.  Of all the books that we purchased, we neglected to purchase one that told us how to care for our marriage as well as we were caring for our child.

 Children change everything in a household.  While dedicating 24 hours a day to our little bundle of joy, we almost forgot to nurture our own needs.  We were both determined to preserve the one thing that keeps everything else in order...a healthy marriage.  Through trial and error, we found a way to balance our responsibilities and happiness.

The Power of the Tongue by Kenyatte and Nicole Hassell

We must make no mistake about it: our tongue, though one of the smaller parts of our body, is one of the most powerful forces for good or evil in our marriage. Indeed, the book of Proverbs teaches us that “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21a). Consider that carefully: our tongue has the power to destroy or to give life; to curse or to bless; to tear down or to build up. And chances are the person that will feel that power most – whether for evil or for good – is our spouse!

HONESTY IS ALWAYS THE BEST POLICY by Telly and LaTonya Milton

One very important thing to have in a relationship is honesty. It’s important to be honest with your mate at all times, even in times when you’re in a bad mood and don’t really want to be bothered and he or she asks “what’s wrong”? Your mate can sense your mood from the sound of your voice and the expression on your face so if your answer is “nothing” they know you are not being honest so this may cause a misconception that they are the problem which may not be the case. A lot of times it may not be him/her that caused this mood but they will not know so if you do not share it with them.

One of the things my husband and I will do if it’s a time when one or the other just wants some time alone, we’ll opt to discuss it later after we have had some time to ourselves but we always talk about it and be completely honest with one another at all times.

Whatever the situation is that you and your mate may face, honest communication is key and without it a marriage will fall apart.

Three things that are needed to have a good relationship:

~Keep God first
~Honesty
~Communication

THE POWER OF ONENESS -- Being on one accord By Joseph and Schmieka Dean

Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? Amos 3:3 (NLT)

There is something magical about unity or simply just being on one accord. Have you ever notice how families, friends, or better yet countries can get on one accord and pull together when there is a great tragedy.  When everybody gets the same mindset things start to happen.  That simple concept can be seen in any great unit (ie marriage, companies, churched and etc.).

If the concept of unity works then why don’t we apply it in our marriage?  Being married for 10 years, we realize early if we wanted to have a working functional marriage it would center on us being one.  The bible says, “and the two are united into one.' Since they are no longer two but one” (Mark 10:8 NLT).  Well, why don’t we actually try working on this matter and try to do more uniting and less separation of ourselves from our spouse.

Understanding One Another Through God's Word by Talmadge and Sharon Foreman

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do and he will direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6).

In reading this scripture, we know that there is nothing we can do on our own; we must always seek God for his wisdom. As a married couples we seek to understand one another and in doing so we forget to seek God's wisdom to help us understand each other as an individual person.  We fall upon our own knowledge.  In the eighteen years that we have been married, we are still learning to understand one another.