Jessica: God Understands. Others Understand. Give Yourself and Others Grace

“I always feel that sometimes no one understands. But the truth is that's a lie. God understands. He always walks beside us and it's important for me to witness and my husband so that he can also be part of my faith walk. With raising kids—you're in it for the long haul. So you may not win every battle, but you have to stay just faithful and persistent.

Does it make you a bad mom for saying, ‘you know what, I just need a break. I need like an hour…’? I've actually said that to Josh, ‘I need to take a nap’. You just relax. And sometimes we need to be able to communicate that. And not judge the other person—not make them feel like they're not good at their marriage or with their children.

This is giving grace and then understanding that we're human and we're not perfect, but we're constantly working on connecting with God and becoming different and becoming new.

The world is going to tell you that you can do everything: 'You can grow your own tomatoes!’, ‘You can make your own organic baby sauce!’, ‘You can work (I don't know) 80 hours a week!’, and then, of course, ‘You can bake fresh bread every day!’ I mean, they're going to tell you everything.

And, you know, I'm probably going to step on some toes, but I don't care. I'm going to tell the truth. The truth is you have just enough time every day to do what God has for you to do. And when we start to feel stress and anxiety, it's because we're doing too much. We're not doing exactly what he has for us to do.”

Joshua: Be There Emotionally For Your Spouse

”Do you remember the first Marriage Ministry event? We spoke at Bethel and I was talking about washing dishes for the wife and maybe sacrificing the big screen TV. So, some of you guys probably remember that. We were kind of early on in our marriage, but really those basic things do work well. Looking and observing, being there emotionally for your spouse, paying attention to them because you're going to be there.”


Joshua: Be A Prayer Warrior for Your Spouse

”We actually spoke about that at a recent marriage ministry event, ‘The Power of One’, and why it's important to intercede for one another—because we see the weaknesses first. And right when it's happening—the devil's attacking. We have to be there and to intercede for and to help out.”


Jessica: Seek and Maintain Fellowship With Other Couples

”it's important to get connected. Come to church—not just the church as a building, but the believers who can walk beside you. We're part of the Marriage Ministry; part of that ministry is walking beside other couples and letting them walk beside us—as we witness to one another and to be witness to what people go through.

It may not be what they're posting online. They may not be posting about, you know, their two year old going through toilet training. But this is the reality. And if you don't get connected, you feel isolated.”