CORD OF THREE STRANDS | PART 2

Last week we talked about keeping the third strand, God, in the braid of your marriage. We talked about how God as the third strand is vital to the marriage, even life saving. But how can we add Him?

How can you add God in your braid?

Pray. Pray every single day for your marriage. Pray that God would help you to be the wife He has called you to be. Pray that God would help your husband to be the husband He has called him to be. Pray that you and your husband would place God at the center and seek Him in all ways. Pray on your own. Pray together. Ask your husband to pray for you. Ask your husband how you can pray for him. Pray, pray and pray some more.

To continue reading, please join me at Woman to Woman Ministries. Click HERE.

CORD OF THREE STRANDS | PART 1

Has your marriage been hard lately? Does if feel like you and your husband are being attacked on every end? Do you wonder if the two of you are even going to make it? Friend, marriage is hard period, but the enemy is after your marriage. The enemy is working double time to attack marriages, especially Christian marriages.

When we enter into marriage, there are three parts: you, your husband, and God. As you marry, these three parts become closely braided together. But when marriage gets hard, we have to pause and ask ourselves one very important question; has the third strand been pulled out?

And if someone overpowers one

person, two can resist him. A cord

of three strands is not easily broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 CSB

To continue reading, please join me at Woman to Woman Ministries. Click HERE.

POWERSHEETS & ONE WORD 2026

I have been excitedly working on my Powersheets Goal Planner and Seasons by Seasons Weekly Planner all week. Working on these things always gets me excited for the year to come. In fact, I have always shared my Powersheets Goals and One Word for the year in January. But after working on everything this week, I decided to share now!

First up, my One Word for 2026...

In 2011, after failing at New Year's Resolutions for years, I joined the One Word movement and chose just one word to focus on for the year. I have smaller goals and things I work toward, but one big word to really focus on and grow in. The first year, I didn't take it serious and don't even remember what my word was. The next year my word was intentional, the next year was heart, then pray, water, me, marriage, joy, progress, less, rooted, peace, draw near, thrive, and for 2025 it was abide. All such great words!

I have never finished a year thinking that I have mastered my word. However, I finish each year knowing I made progress in that area. I learn things about my word and create habits that help me to grow and become a better version of myself.

The other night while working on my Powersheets, I told my husband that I didn't think I was going to set a One Word for 2026. That I just wanted to focus on my five main Powersheets goals -goals that I set for every year. He looked at me for awhile, then said, "Discover." I had no idea what he was talking about so I asked him and he said, "Your word should be discover." Then he elaborated to how the word discover fits into my goals. I immediately felt a connection and became so excited to make discover my word for 2026. I'll share more below when I share my Powersheets Goals.

Now for my Powersheets Goals for 2026...

I've been using Powersheets for, I believe, ten years now. Powersheets have helped me with big picture goals like writing my devotionals and more, and Powersheets have helped me cultivate every day habits that I want to grow in. I say it every year and I'll say it again, I am a Powersheets user for life!

Each year I set five main goals that are important areas for me to grow in. Areas that I won't ever "arrive" in, but will always be able to grow in. Most years I also set a couple more goals of things I want to do, but this year I decided to stick to my five main goals. These areas are so important to me and the last six years have been full of change and even some hardship, that I just want to focus on these areas, giving them my full attention and energy.

My five Powersheets goals for 2026 are:

Faith, discover more about God.

- continue daily quiet time
- read through the entire Bible
- do in depth Bible study
- journal, using the Quiet Time Companion
- use Write the Word journals each evening
- cultivate a passionate prayer life
- work on Scripture memory

Marriage, discover more about my husband.

- pray daily for my husband
- quality time weekly
- serve my husband with joy
- love him well
- communicate clearly
- phone down, eyes up
- (my husband's idea) take each other on our dream date

Family, discover more about my family.

- pray daily for our kids and grandbabies
- get together with all of our adult kids at least once a month for something fun
- make birthdays special
- when together, phone down, eyes up
- pray daily for extended family

Health, discover more about ways to live healthy.

- drink at least 80 ounces of water a day
- walk at least 9,000 steps a day
- take vitamins and prescriptions every day
- walk or workout three times a week
- less sugar

Ministry, discover more ways to reach people for the Kingdom.

- pray over ministries
- keep up with ministries at church
- keep up with blog ministries
- write

So for 2026 I am going to discover more about God, my husband, my family, my health, and my ministries and I am so excited! 2026 is my year of discovery!

If you are ready to make 2026 an intentional year and cultivate all those things that matter most to you, I highly recommend the Powersheets Goal Planner! This goal planner helps you realize what matters most to you; set goals that you will actually reach; and set daily, weekly, and monthly action steps to get there. Right now when you order, you can get up to 60% off and pick a free gift! Just click the image below!

Do you have a One Word or goals you are going to work on? Share in the comments! Let's make 2026 a year to remember!

6 WORDS TO ASK YOUR HUSBAND TODAY

Have you ever noticed your husband dragging himself through the door after work? He says his work day was okay, but he seems exhausted or stressed. Or maybe he seems a bit 'off' to you lately, or he's been complaining of a physical pain.

All day long we deal with our own stresses, exhaustion, and each little 'ouchy' the kids bring to us. When our husband has his own issues, we often shrug them off and think that he is strong enough to handle it on his own. If he has a pain, we tell him to go to the doctor or take some medication. But that's about the extent of our involvement.

Yes, ladies, I know we deal with a lot. Our plates are full, our schedule is full, and our hands are full. We drag our self out of bed each morning and fall into bed each night. But what if we stop focusing on our own issues and realize that our husband has issues too? What if we realize that his issues and our issues are intertwined? What if we stop and ask our husband 6 little words? 6 words that will have a powerful impact on our husband, our marriage, our family, even on ourselves.

How can I pray for you?

To continue reading, please join me at Woman to Woman Ministries. Click HERE.

HOW TO HAVE AN OPEN MARRIAGE

It is becoming all to common for married couples to have open marriages. If you are not sure what an that is, let me share. An open marriage is when the husband and wife agree that each may have s*xual relationships with other people. The couple may set up rules about when this can happen, or how many partners they can have, etc. Or it may be just more of a go with the flow kind of thing. But the point is, they are not physically committed to just one another

I want an open marriage.

But not that kind.

I want an open marriage that honors God. A marriage that respects each person and honors the vows we took so many years ago.

To continue reading, please join me at Woman to Woman Ministries. Click HERE.

A SIMPLE RULE FOR YOUR MARRIAGE

As kids we are taught the Golden Rule, which, by the way, is also a Bible verse.

Just as you want others to do for

you, do the same for them.

Luke 6:31 CSB

Our parents teach us this rule. Our teachers teach us this rule. We recite it over and over as we learn that we need to treat others the way we want to be treated. Then we, in turn, teach it to our children.

Yet, we don't apply it to our marriage.

The golden rule should apply to all people and all relationships, especially marriage.

To continue reading, please join me at Woman to Woman Ministries. Click HERE.

FILL THEIR LOVE TANK

Jeff is a gamer. His wife, Jane, saw a game she thought he'd like. So while out running errands she stopped by the game store and made the purchase. When Jeff came home from work later that afternoon, he found the game sitting on the counter with a note from Jane saying, "Thought you would like this! Love you!" Jeff went to the bedroom where Jane was folding laundry and said, "Thanks for the new game," and then walked outside to care for the lawn. Jane stood there stunned. She expected Jeff to be thrilled with this gift and thankful that she was thinking of him. She expected him to draw her into a warm embrace and shower her with love.

Scott came home from work to find his wife Sally exhausted from a day of chasing toddlers and doing laundry. She looked tired and worn out. He noticed she hadn't started dinner yet, so he glanced at the calendar to see she had planned spaghetti. He decided to start a pot of water to boil and brown the meat. As he finished dinner and called the family to come eat, he waited for Jane to swoon seeing he had made dinner for her. Yet, as she sat down to eat, all she said was, "Thank you for making dinner." A simple sentence compared to what he anticipated.

In both of these scenarios, a spouse was attempting to do something special for their mate. While their mate appreciated what they did and said those two words, thank you, it wasn't the expected outcome. Was Jeff wrong to not act more excited over a gift given? Was Jane wrong for not melting at her husband's act of service? No. Why? They appreciated the gestures, however, it wasn't what fills their love tank. It wasn't their love language.

To continue reading, please join me at Woman to Woman Ministries. Click HERE.

6 WAYS TO GROW IN YOUR MARRIAGE

 If you are married, you know that a marriage is full of peaks and valleys. Some seasons are full of good times and deep love. Other seasons it's downright a struggle. Whether your marriage is on the highest peak or the lowest valley, one thing we all have in common is that we can choose to grow in our marriage.

Today I want to share six areas of marital growth that you cannot afford to look past.

Pray harder over your marriage and for your husband.

Are you a praying wife? Pray harder. Is prayer for your husband and marriage something you haven't really done? Start. Intentionally pray daily for your husband and your marriage. I don't mean prayers of "Help him to not be so selfish," or "Make my husband romantic," or "Show him that he needs to help with the kids and house more." No. I mean prayers that God would help him to have a sound mind, prayers for his health, prayers over his relationships, prayers that he would desire to be a Godly man, those kind of prayers. You are the only one who can pray for your husband in this way and you are likely the only one praying over him. Your prayers are vital.

To continue reading, please join me at Woman to Woman Ministries. Click HERE.

UNITY IN MARRIAGE

A man shall leave his father and his mother, and

be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

Genesis 2:24

This verse, the "leaving and cleaving" verse, is God's original blueprint of how marriage is supposed to work. We are to become one with our mate. Knit together. When we marry, we leave our parents. Of course we still respect and honor them but they -our parents- must now step into a role of counselors to be respected instead of someone who can "tell us what to do."

When we "cleave" to our husband at marriage, we are clinging to him as our rock of refuge and safety. He is now going to love you as Christ loved the church and is going to be the spiritual leader of your home.

When we leave our parents and marry, we are creating that oneness, that unity with our husband. There is now oneness in decision making, priorities, and goals. This is how God wants marriage to be, with the husband and wife united as one.

It is hard. It is hard to be united with this unique oneness when we are actually two different people with two different ways. If you had a good father who took good care of your mother and his family, it can be hard to leave and wonder if your husband will take good care of you. If you had an absent father, it can be hard wondering if your husband will leave.  

While unity in marriage is hard, it is God's design which tells us it is achievable. When we put God at the center, we can create that oneness. Whether you have been married two years, twenty years, or forty years, strive to create unity with your husband.

A WISE INVESTMENT

I remember talking to a sweet friend once who told me about a new investment she's in. One that will have a great return.

Her marriage.

She and her husband have decided to be intentional about their marriage this year and truly invest in it.

If you invest in anything, your marriage should be it.

Why should you invest in your marriage?

Marriage is forever. When you said "I do," you were promising God and your husband to be with him forever. Why would you not invest in something that should last a lifetime?

You are teaching your kids about marriage. Whether you are trying to or not, you are teaching them. Your daughters are learning how to be a wife and what kind of husband to marry. And your sons are learning how to be a husband and what kind of wife to marry. Teach them wisely.

How should you invest in your marriage?

Date. I cannot say it enough: date your mate! Dates do not have to be extravagant. Go for a walk around the block. Get ice cream and talk while you eat it. After the kids go to bed, have a candle lit dinner and dance in the dark. Whatever you do, just date!

Pray for your marriage. You should daily pray for your marriage, your husband and for you as a wife.

What is the great return of investing in your marriage?

The more you invest in your marriage, the better it is going to be. Simply put. If you don't water a plant, it dies. If you don't water your marriage, it dies.

As Christians, we are the bride of Christ. A good marriage is a glimpse into the love and life with Jesus.

Commit to making a wise investment and invest deeply into your marriage.

WHAT A MARRIAGE NEEDS TO FLOURISH

In the winter months we often switch our living room and dining room around to put the living room closer to the fire place. One year when we made the switch, we forgot to bring a plant into the living room with us. After a few weeks of only going into the dining room at dinner time, the plant began to look droopy and sad.

So we brought the plant into the living room with us and within hours it perked right back up and was beautiful! Not only did it need water and sun, but it also needed attention. Just being in the room with us and hearing our voices helped the plant to flourish.

Like all living things, a marriage needs to flourish and grow and to do that, it needs attention.

Are you giving your marriage attention?

When was the last time you gave your husband a passionate kiss just because?

When was the last time you hugged him?

The last time you told him how much you appreciate and love him?

Or when was the last time you prayed about your marriage?

For your marriage to flourish, you need to give it attention. What will you do today to help your marriage grow?

HOW TO TRULY LOVE YOUR HUSBAND

Do you ever find it hard to love your husband? Maybe you are going through a dry season in your marriage, maybe a trust has been broken, maybe you are struggling within yourself, or maybe he is just being super annoying lately. You love him, or you want to love him, yet you are struggling to do so.

Today I want to share how you can love your husband in the best possible way. It's simple really.

Love God first.

When you love God, fully love and serve Him, that love will begin to shine through in your marriage. You don't have to try to love your husband, the love will come. God lavishes His great love upon us and that love pours over into our marriages.

When you focus on your relationship with God, your relationship with your husband will fall into place. By strengthening your walk with God with prayer, worship, and regular Bible reading, you are putting things into your life like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those things will strengthen your marriage.

Today, commit to working on your relationship with God and loving Him. The best possible love you can give your husband will quickly follow.

BE FIRST

As wives, we want our husband to make romantic gestures and plan dates. Then when he fails to do so, we get mad.

This is how I was feeling a few years ago. I let the anger build until one day I pretty much exploded. Not exploded in an angry rage, exploded into a blubbering mess. I finally just decided to go for a walk. I desperately needed fresh air and time alone with God. While on my walk God said two words to me that I won't soon forget,

Be first.

Why do I have to wait on my husband to plan a date? Why can't I plan one? Why do I have to wait on him to make a romantic gesture? Why can't I make a romantic gesture?

Why do we expect our husbands to be the one to do it all when it comes to the romance department? Why do we expect our husbands to be the one to change?

Ladies, it's time to be first. If your husband isn't doing it, you do it! If you want to go on a date and he isn't making the plans or doesn't realize how important this is to you, then you plan the date. Make the dinner reservations, buy the movie tickets -or better yet, buy tickets to his favorite activity- book the babysitter and invite him on a date. If he isn't doing those little romantic things, you do it. Walk by him and caress his shoulder, give him a passionate kiss as he walks in the door, wink at him from across the room, or send him a flirty text. If he isn't initiating things in the bedroom, you do it! If he isn't moving in the direction of ending a disagreement, you be the first to apologize.

This is absolutely not a feminist movement. It is simply time to stop complaining and start being the change you want to see.

Today, make an intentional move to be first.

TWO SIMPLE WORDS

It is so wonderful to be comfortable with your husband. You know, that comfortable feeling of knowing each other in every sense of the word. Comfortable in knowing each other's thoughts and ways. Yes, being comfortable is great.

Yet, sometimes we get so comfortable that we forget to say two little words to him. Two words that are so simple, yet so powerful.

Thank you.

We simply expect him to do certain things and we begin to take it for granted. We expect him to go to work each day and bring home a pay check. We expect him take are of the lawn, take the trash to the curb on trash day, or put gas in the car. We expect him to play with the kids, help bathe them, or tuck them in. Yes, these are normal day to day activities that he does, sometimes with prompting and sometimes on his own. But hearing a thank you can make all the difference in the world.

When you say thank you to your husband, it makes him feel appreciated and respected. And let's face it, all men want is to feel respected by their wife. They flourish when they are respected.

The great thing is, you can tell him thank you many times a day! Thank him for all he does, little and big. Each day purposely look for things he does to thank him. As you begin to look for reasons, you will begin to see that he really does do a lot of things worthy of your gratitude.

Be intentional about telling your husband thank you.

THE PRAYER BED

Ever since I was old enough to help, my Mom taught me to make my bed. She taught us the proper way to make the bed when the linens were clean and first being put on and she taught us how to properly make the bed each day. It became part of our daily routine. Beds always got made every morning.

My Mamaw was also one who taught me to make a bed. I always tell my husband that you would think Mamaw had been in the military! She made a bed so tight without a wrinkle or ruffle. The term 'you could bounce a quarter off the sheets,' well, she could.

To this day, I make my bed every single morning. I've taught my kids to make theirs. No matter how clean the bedroom looks, if the bed is unmade, to me, the room looks unmade. So, I make the bed.

One morning several years ago, I got up from my quiet time and went to our bedroom to make the bed and clean our room. I had been praying for my husband during my quiet time, yet, as I began working in our room, I didn't feel as though I should be done. So as I continued on making our bed, I continued to pray for him. As I put his slippers away, I prayed for him. As I tucked the TV remote back in the nightstand, I prayed for him.

I felt the Spirit so strong, that I went and got the anointing oil and continued praying. I prayed over specifics need. I prayed over his health, his attitude, his energy, his rest, his relationships, his walk with God, everything I could think of, I prayed for.

This has become a blessed time in my morning routine. A time when I feel spiritually connected to my husband, even though he isn't there. It also helps me to not grumble about the task of picking up the bedroom. You can't pray and grumble at the same time!

Sisters, there is great power in a praying wife. God hears our cries.

Is your husband facing a situation? An illness or addiction? A broken relationship? Pray over him. Or maybe he isn't facing a pressing need at this moment. You can and should still pray over him!

Keep your anointing oil in your room. If you don't have any, you can ask your pastor, pick some up at any Christian book store, or if all else fails, you can get regular olive oil at your grocery store. {If you go that route and pick up a bottle at the grocery store, make sure it is olive oil and make sure you immediately pray over it and ask Holy Spirit to bless that oil and anoint it in Jesus name.}

...anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.

James 5:14

Use your anointing oil. Touch a drop to your finger tip. Place your finger on the doorposts of the bedroom, praying over your husband as he comes and goes from the room. Touch his pillow case, praying that he would have restful sleep and health. Touch his slippers, pray that God would bless his feet and that his feet would go where God wants him to go and that his feet would 'bring the Good News' to those he comes in contact with. Touch the remote control, if you have a tv in your bedroom, and pray that God would help your husband to be careful of what his eyes see and ears hear. Touch everything he touches and pray anointing over him.

Make that time of cleaning the bedroom a prayer time for your husband. Make your bed a prayer bed. No longer will the task of cleaning the room and making the bed feel like work. It will become a blessed time of lifting your husband to God. Watch how God is going to work in your husband and in your marriage as you anoint him and lift him in prayer.

DIFFERENT, BUT IN AGREEMENT

I hate TV. He loves TV.

I love to read. He hates to read.

I love sweets. He loves meat.

My husband and I are so very different. We are night and day really. Sometimes I wish he would hate TV and love to read with me or that we could skip dinner and go straight for dessert. But that isn't him. It's me. It is okay to be different. Actually it is good to be different.

But when it comes to marriage, there are a few things that we need to be in full agreement on:

• Marriage is for life. Divorce is not an option, therefore the word divorce should never even come up. (This does not apply if you are being abused in any way.  Or if one party has been unfaithful, though God can heal this situation.  If abuse in any way is an issue, please email me at jenifer@w2wministries.org for prayer and help.)
• Honesty is the best policy. You will always be completely honest with your spouse.
• Your marriage is a top priority and you will treat it as such.
• You will respect each other and never put the other down, especially in front of the kids.
• Choose Who you will serve (Joshua 24:15) and make God the center of your home.
• Always calmly discuss big issues, such as: disciple for the kids, finances, where to live and worship, and other large issues.

These are six things that you and your husband need to be in agreement on. If any of these are grey areas for the two of you, first spend some time in prayer that God would guide you, then in love sit down and discuss them with your husband. It is okay, can even be good to be different, but when it comes to these areas, we need to be on the same page.

What are some good differences you and your husband have? What are other are that you think a husband and wife should be in agreement on? Share with us!

WHEN TRUSTING YOUR HUSBAND'S DECISIONS IS HARD

As painful as it is to admit, sometimes I have a hard time trusting my husband to make decisions. It's not that I am controlling, because I'm not at all. I tend to be a very indecisive person. Mostly I am indecisive because I am always afraid of making the wrong choice or letting someone down. When my husband has to make the big decisions, I worry about what if he makes the wrong choice or we let someone down because of his choice.

Our husbands have a lot weighing on their shoulders. We say we want them to lead our family and home, and that's a big responsibility. At times it might be scary for us to watch them lead and wonder what will happen. Yet it can also be scary for them. If work is slow, our husbands worry about supporting their family. If you are in the middle of a crisis, your husband worries about protecting his family. It's a lot to have resting on your shoulders.

Our husbands want to lead and provide and they want to do a good job of it. So how can we trust them to do a good job and make good choices? By trusting God.

God promises to be with us and never leave us. Therefore we can place our husband in His hands and know that God is leading him.

The Lord Himself goes before
you and will be with you;

He will never leave you nor
forsake you. Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 31:8

Never will I leave you,

never will I forsake you.

Hebrews 13:5

Lift your husband in prayer each day. Pray that God would guide him in all his decisions and lead him to make good choices. Whether it is finances, a career path, how to protect the family, relationships with others, or any decision he makes, ask God to guide him.

When we understand that God is leading our husband and when we lift him in prayer regularly, we feel at peace about letting him lead as God has called him to.

5 WAYS TO SHUPPORT YOUR HUSBAND

When we marry, we get a life long companion. We also get a life long supporter. In turn, we get to be a life long supporter. I am not talking about supporting your mate financially. I am talking about supporting his goals, dreams and visions. I am talking about, in the words of the country legend, standing by your man.

Whether he realizes it or not, your husband looks to your for support and encouragement. Whether you realize it or not, you can build his dreams or kill them.

When my husband was a children's pastor, he enjoyed having fun, messy games for the kids each week. Most of his game ideas come to him in his sleep. Years ago, he began to keep paper and a pen in his nightstand to jot down ideas. His dream was to eventually compile these ideas into a book for other children's pastors. One day while cleaning his drawers out, I accidentally threw his papers away. They were rumbled and I didn't realize what they were. While I should have payed closer attention to what I was doing, it was an accident. But to my husband, it was like I was saying it wasn't good enough and he couldn't write a book. Eventually he did realize it was purely by accident. But for a long time it crushed his spirit. Now, he has a nice notebook in his nightstand so that this mistake doesn't happen again.

To continue reading on 5 ways to support your husband, join me at Woman to Woman Ministries. Click HERE.

THE WIFE NOT TO BE...

How many times do we have to ask our husbands to put their shoes up? How many times do we have to remind them to bring the trash cans up to the house after the trash truck comes or put their plate in the dishwasher? Most wives will say they are always telling their husband to do the same things over and over.

Our husbands have a special word for this constant reminding and asking. It is called a nag.

I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that when we start nagging our husbands, it sounds more like Charlie Brown's mom than it does a loving wife asking her husband to do something. 

God has a lot to say about a nagging wife. Let's look.

Better to live on a corner of the roof than

share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

Provers 21:9

Better to live in desert than with 

a quarrelsome and nagging wife.

Proverbs 21:19

Better to live on a corner of
the roof than share a house
with a quarrelsome wife.

Proverbs 25:24

If we nag our husbands, they will prefer to live on a corner of the roof or in the desert than in the house with us. I don't know about you, but I want my husband to desire to be with me, not on the roof!

My husband is a shoe fanatic and he is always leaving his shoes out. I used to nag him constantly over this. At one time I counted and he had five pairs of shoes around the house not put up correctly. My constant nagging him to put his shoes up did not make him want to do it, it did not make him do it, but it did frustrate both of us. After praying about it, I decided to stop the nagging. The fact is, he knows where the shoes go, for whatever reason they just don't always end up there. I stopped nagging and left the shoes. If they get in my way, I will put them up myself. I found that it takes less time for me to put them up than to nag him about it. After a few months of this my husband is better about his shoes. Not perfect, but better. If the are out now and I walk over to get them he will say to me, "Oh sorry I left those out, I'll get them in a minute." And normally he does. 

Ladies, we need to pray and ask God to help us not be a nagging wife. Then when you are tempted to nag, instead, tell your husband that you love him and appreciate all he does.

THE FLIRTATION EXPIREMENT

My husband and I celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this year. 25 years! In some ways, it feels like we've been together forever (in a good way!), yet in other ways it feels astonishing to be celebrating this milestone.

Our marriage is important to us. My husband and I entered into this covenant young -I was only 17 when we married, don't do the math, I will be 42 this year- but it is not something we take lightly. We are careful about who we let speak into our marriage and we are careful to protect our marriage. We are always looking to grow in our relationship and never let things get mundane or stale. I even put action steps into my Powersheets Goal Planner every month to work on my marriage.

I was beyond thrilled when two women I love and respect wrote a new marriage book! The Flirtation Experiment by Lisa Jacobson and Phylicia Masenheimer is all about putting magic, mystery, and spark into your everyday marriage.

In The Flirtation Experiment, Lisa and Phylicia tackle topics such as affection, passion, playfulness, kindness, desire, adventure, laughter, celebration, attraction, connection, vulnerability, mystery, affirmation, refuge, friendship, and much more. Each woman shares their own experiences, what led them to this point of trying this experiment, and real stories from real women who just wanted to grow in their marriage.

Lisa shares of a time her husband came home and being busy, she felt annoyed when he came up behind her for a hug. After shrugging him off, sending a clear leave-me-alone message, she says, "But then, out of nowhere, I had this wildest idea come into my head. What if...what if instead of brushing him off, I twirled around and leaned back into him? I suddenly had to know."

Phylicia shares of her dislike for physical touch and how any acceptance she had for this act of love was taken by her children. She says, "I didn't realize it them, but my disdain for physical touch was actually a fear. I was terrified that reaching out to my husband would result in rejection." She goes on to say, "Once I recognized what fear was doing to me and my marriage, I had  a starting point." She began with small, somewhat awkward, touches like a hand on his arm while they sat on the couch."

At the end of each chapter, Lisa and Phylicia share a section called Your Flirtation Experiment. This is where they encourage you do go a little deeper and do your own experimenting. By the end of the book you will have been encouraged by stories of real marriages, found hope to grow in your own marriage, and experimented in your own flirtatious ways.

While I'm an empty-nester and have been married nearly 25 years, my daughter has been married close to 4 years with a toddler and a little one on the way, and my daughter-in-love will soon celebrate their first anniversary and they do not have little ones, this book will be a blessing to them in their stages as it is to me in my stage. I highly recommend this book to all women no matter the number of years they've been married or season of life they are in. If you are newlywed or already passed that silver year, The Flirtation Experiment is for you!

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Disclosure: Many thanks to HarperCollins Christian Publishing for providing this product/product information for review. Opinions are 100% my own. I did receive the product in ex-change for this review and post.