Heartfelt Marriage

Forgive, serve, and delight! Does that sound like the kind of loving, harmonious, and fulfilling marriage you would like to enjoy? You can have it! You really can! In this podcast, Dr. Ross completes his series about the seven changes committed couples will likely make to earn the kind of marriage relationship they deserve! It is personal, it is powerful, and it is purposeful.   You’ll hear Dr. Ross say to you with a smile in his voice, “Rejoice in the fact you are not married to someone as goofy as you!” You can create years of love and faithfulness and joy if you want to! You are smart enough and determined enough! Listen to this and every podcast Dr. Ross produces, and you’ll be well on your way to the marriage you want and deserve!

“We had our first fight in the church basement during the wedding reception!” Dr. Ross isn’t afraid to point out how NOT to do things. In this podcast, he gets personal about how to fight fair in marriage. Through 52-years and 4-months of marriage to the same lovely lady, Dr. Ross learned a lot about fighting, blaming, forgiving, and surviving the hard work of making marriage marvelous. You will love his second two of seven changes committed couples will likely have to make to earn the marriage relationship about which they dream.

  You can have a mutually satisfying, emotionally healthy, til-death-do-us-part marriage! That is the overriding assumption that Dr. Ross takes in every book, article, broadcast, or podcast he creates. In this podcast, Dr. Ross introduces his seventh assumption about marriage, and it’s this: Humans can screw up marriage, but they can fix it and enjoy a happy marriage as God intended. There is, however, one significant caveat: they must decide to! There are seven changes committed couples will likely have to make to earn the marriage relationship they dream about. In this podcast, Dr. Ross discusses two of those changes and concludes with these positive words: Together you can work to change if you are willing to face your problems with the intent to get along! Want more peace, love, and joy in your marriage relationship? Start the move in that direction and listen to this podcast!

Marriage is the best place on earth for relationships to bloom, to raise children, to fight battles, to create wealth, to enjoy health and endure sickness, and to live life to the fullest. In this podcast, Dr. Ross declares, “Marriage is unique – marriage is awesome. It is awesome because you work to make it that way!” Hear Dr. Ross’ seven practical reasons why one man + one woman for one life make marriage not unique, but marvelous! Your marriage can also be marvelous!  

You may know someone who is relieved they got divorced, but there is no such thing as a happy divorce. There will always be some regret and a sense of personal failure no matter how much relief a divorce provides. There’s no real joy in divorce, but there can be real delight and contentment in marriage. In this Podcast, Dr. Ross discusses three additional benefits of marriage (Podcast 011 dealt with the previous two). They are: Married people on average have more income than singles. That's a substantial and measurable benefit, wouldn’t you agree? Singles and co-habiting couples are NOT on average higher earners, according to statistics. Married people are healthier and live longer than single people. Wow! Another great benefit of getting and staying married. And finally, married people are generally happier than single people despite the mass media’s almost universal depiction of miserable married couples. Be encouraged! Your marriage may be at a low point and difficult to maintain. Dr. Ross believes that

The cash cost of a wedding is one thing – the long-term value or worth of marriage is something else entirely. In this and the following podcast, Dr. Ross asks, “Given the high cost of a wedding and the increasing chances of divorce, is marriage worth it?” His answer, not surprisingly, is YES! He talks about the power and pleasure of two, you know, the excitement you had when you were courting! You never wanted to be alone, right? He also talks about how being married benefits your children and gives them significant social, economic, and personality advantages. He shares some very startling statistics to prove his point. In the following podcast (Podcast 012) you will hear him talk about the financial and health advantages married people enjoy that creates an all-around sense of peace and contentment. You will be encouraged and delighted with Dr. Ross’ positive view of marriage that comes from a lifetime of wise observations enhanced by his 52-years and 4-months of marriage to the same lovely lady.

Who is responsible for what happens around the house? Should the husband do housework? Must the wife get the oil changed on the car? The roles are not as clear as they were in Grandma's day. Boredom is another problem you may face. It comes when all the excitement and romance wanes and the days are humdrum and the nights are ho-hum. Then disappointment sets in caused by your unrealistic expectations of a perfect romantic life. These three complexities are a few of the challenges you face in your deep desire to create and enjoy a mutually satisfying, emotionally strong marriage. The podcast is approximately 10 minutes long.

Stress is one of the most relentless complexities of marriage in today’s culture. Dr. Ross asserts in the opening line of this podcast, “Just being married causes stress!” He declares the way two people deal with stress can make or break a marriage. The various and changing roles in marriage, the problem of boredom, the frustration of unrealistic expectations, unfulfilled dreams, and mental or physical health concerns are each addressed by Dr. Ross. While that all sounds depressing, Dr. Ross asserts, "The complexities of marriage are what makes it an adventure, a quest that can bring the best life possible for one man and one woman committed to love, honor, and comfort each other ‘for as long as we both shall live.’” The podcast is approximately 10 minutes. You can purchase Dr. Ross’ book “Seven Assumptions About Marriage” on Amazon.com.

  Sex, relatives, money, or children: ever fuss and fight over them? Well, Duh! Marriage is complicated and challenging even between two incredibly compatible people. Add to a marriage a variety of people (children, relatives, etc.), various emotions, and an assortment of needs, and it gets downright bewildering. This podcast is the first of three consecutive podcasts focusing on the complexity of marriage. Dr. Ross believes that even with the complexities of marriage, it remains the best and highest way for a couple to achieve happiness in life. In this edition, Dr. Ross discusses the complexity of sex and romance in marriage, the problem or benefit of relatives, the difficulty of money management, and the challenge and blessing children bring to a marriage. The podcast is approximately 10 minutes. You can purchase Dr. Ross’ book “Seven Assumptions About Marriage” on Amazon.com.

  We live in a culture of explicit, unrestrained sexuality that invades every aspect of our daily life. The world portrays sex as an everyday social activity that happens quickly and frequently between couples who have no particular intention for a long-term relationship. It is nearly always presented as breathtaking, mutually satisfying, and guiltless. God created sex to be just that: breathtaking, mutually satisfying, and guiltless. But the world has corrupted the place of and reasons for sexual activity. The world leaves out the two most remarkable aspects of sex: that it is to be meaningful and exclusive. In this podcast, Dr. Ross discusses God’s primary purpose for marriage which is to instruct us about His most important characteristic, love.  Dr. Ross speaks from the viewpoint of a lifetime marriage (52 years and four months) to his teenage bride. The podcast is approximately 10 minutes. You can purchase Dr. Ross’ book “Seven Assumptions about Marriage” on Amazon.com. Marriage, according to Dr. Ross, w

God created marriage because His essence is love. He made you in his image, and that is why you hunger and search for love. This compelling need finds fulfillment within a God blessed and God-honoring monogamous relationship. Marriage was also created to fill the earth with humanity. God charged his creation to "be fruitful and increase in number," and to work best with the one woman and one man for one life arrangement. Children thrive best when raised by a mom and a dad. All in all, marriage is the best way to fill your need to be loved, and to find happiness in a world of sin, pain, and sorrow. The podcast is approximately 10 minutes. You can purchase Dr. Ross’ book “Seven Assumptions about Marriage” on Amazon.com

In this podcast, Dr. Ross discusses the various alternatives to marriage that have arisen over the past 10,000 years – structures not in concert with God's original plan of one man and one wife for one life. He concludes that the Biblical model of monogamous marriage common to most societies has contributed more to cultural and familial strength and health than any other model. The podcast is approximately 10 minutes. You can purchase the book “Seven Assumptions about Marriage” on Amazon.com.

When and where did marriage begin? And whose idea was it, anyway? Marriage began in the Garden of Eden when “God put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept He removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God used the rib to make Woman…” (Genesis 2:21-22) As soon as Adam’s divine anesthesia wore off, the Father of the bride, God himself presented the Woman to the man. She was made by the hand of God specifically for Adam, and some say God made some very nice improvements! God was the first Father to give away the bride! The podcast is approximately 10 minutes. An expanded version of the information in this podcast can be found in Dr. Ross’ book “Seven Assumptions about Marriage” on Amazon.com. Seven Assumptions about Marriage - Assumption #1 The Origin of Marriage

What do you assume to be true about marriage? Dr. Ross first asked himself this question and then answered it for you in his carefully researched and recently published book, “Seven Assumptions about Marriage” available on Amazon.com. Each of us lives our life assuming many things to be true. Dr. Ross bases his assumptions (beliefs, theories, explanations) about marriage on the Bible and his Christian worldview. This is the first in a series of podcasts based on his book. It is approximately 10 minutes in length. For more, visit www.HeartfeltMarriage.com

If you and your mate use tit-for-tat scorekeeping, someone will always underperform while the other goes the extra mile. In this Podcast, Dr. Ross discusses how the practice of keeping a running record of your partner’s behaviors and contributions to your marital happiness makes everything a contest – and in a contest, someone always loses. He encourages you to foster a spirit of love and generosity. He says, “If there’s to be a contest in marriage, let it be the act of out giving the other.” The podcast is approximately 10 min. For more, visit www.HeartfeltMarriage.com.

Too many people mistakenly assume marriage is a “meet in the middle” proposition, an arrangement in which two people fulfill their half of a “bargain,” relying on the other to do his or her part, as well.  Sounds logical, doesn’t it?  If marriage were a business arrangement, then such a process just might work.  But it’s not.  Nor would we want it to be.  A business contract is a cold impersonal agreement made with the presumption that each party might fail to fulfill his responsibilities if not for a legally binding pact.  It is a loveless pledge which bears no resemblance to the covenant made between two people who have vowed to “have and to hold” through every trial of life.  If a couple endeavors to build their marriage upon such terms, it will be a bitter ordeal, and they will seek to end it long before their fulfillment of the vow “til death do us part.” The podcast is approximately 10 minutes. For more, visit www.HeartfeltMarriage.com