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Browse through and read hundreds of articles on the topic of marriage
Husbands and wives will find themselves in conflict with each other—that is undeniable. In fact, because the apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 7:28 that those who marry “will have trouble in this life,” we can also conclude that some conflict within marriage is by God’s design.
When a husband and wife find themselves on yet another out-of-control Crazy Cycle—where feeling unloved, she reacts without respect; and feeling disrespected, he reacts without love—how do they decide who is going to be the first to stop reacting unlovingly or disrespectfully?
You’ve probably heard the phrase “happy wife, happy life” before. Maybe it’s in the context of something simple, like choosing what restaurant to eat at or not leaving dirty clothes on the bathroom floor.
The idea of unconditional respect for the husband has always been the Love and Respect message’s unique feature, based on Ephesians 5:33. Many books stress Paul’s instruction for husbands to love their wives (“each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself . . .”), but few spend equal space if any at all, to the rest of the verse (“. . . and the wife must respect her husband”).
Many wives share disappointment that their husbands rarely talk to them at a deeper level. “Emerson, when we were dating, we used to talk long into the night getting to really know each other. What happened to him?”
Have you become someone that you wish you weren’t in your marriage? Are you wondering how that happened or what to do about it? Shannon took a hard look at herself and allowed God to begin to change her. She writes:..
Many husbands share that they want their wives happy. I believe most of them are sincere. SOME DISCOUNT A HUSBAND’S SINCERITY. But as you probably know some folks do not think you really care all that much about your wife's happiness. To them, you are more words than actions.
“Emerson, why do you teach that a husband must love his wife and a wife must respect her husband? Don’t we all need love and respect equally? After all, women need respect and men need love.” I agree that we all need love and respect equally. But our research reveals that during conflict 83% of the husbands feel disrespected during marital squabbles and 72% of the wives feel unloved. For any number of reasons, men and women are different, and the beautiful thing is that God recognized that in Ephesians 5:33 where he commands husbands to love and wives to respect.
FAQ: “I have tried Love and Respect for a few months. Nothing is changing in my marriage. Why isn’t this working?” Dr. E says: My encouragement to you is to be consistent and do not give up! Love and respect is not a “magic bullet” nor is it a vending machine: “If I love her, she’ll give me respect immediately.” Or – “If I respect him, he’ll immediately give me the love I want!” That’s manipulation, and that’s not loving or respectful! If your spouse senses that you are manipulating him/her in any way, this will backfire.
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