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Browse through and read hundreds of articles on the topic of marriage
There are certain phrases we have been programmed to understand in a specific way whenever we hear them. For example, if someone says to us, “We need to talk,” we know there is bad news to come and we get in defensive mode.
Is your normally happy-go-lucky husband suddenly more sulky and moody? Has your typically fully engaged and intimate husband for some mysterious reason become more distant and even physically absent?
Do you have a specific sports team that you are outright fanatic about? Suppose you are a passionate Yankees fan whose white bedroom walls have navy blue pinstripes on them and your living room coasters have pictures of Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Derek Jeter, and other Yankees greats on them.
A couple attended the Love and Respect Marriage Conference recently, and several weeks later the wife wrote to me to share some of the reasons why they had attended, along with her frustrations for the lack of changes she had seen in him since the conference.
I have spoken often about the need to understand and appreciate God’s pink and blue design of women and men, respectively, because our differences undoubtedly go well beyond the biological.
Sarah and I have just finished an exciting fall season with seven conferences all over the country and Canada. We are so grateful for each and every person who attended. The testimonies of lives changed, marriages transformed, and commitments made have humbled us. We are rejoicing!
We are in the middle of our busy fall conference season. While living out of suitcases and hotels is not everyone’s idea of fun, we are always filled with wonder and awe at God’s faithfulness as we get to experience changed lives. And when we receive a letter like this one – telling how a couple went on to share this transforming message with their friends, family and community after their own marriage was changed – well, nothing is more rewarding!
It’s been said that expectations often lead to disappointment. I tend to agree. In fact, when it comes to behavior in marriage, I would say this: When you do the right thing, expect two things: negative reactions or quiet unresponsiveness.
Occasionally someone will say to me, “Emerson, I’m contemplating your theory of love and respect…and I think you may be on to something.” I smile at this but I also clarify that this isn’t “my theory”…this is a command from the all-wise God in Ephesians 5:33, and this is why it is a message that resonates around the world. It’s not a message exclusive to Americans, or a certain age group, or ethnic group. The Love & Respect message is for men and women everywhere.
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