80: How To Strengthen Your Marriage in 15 Minutes with Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey

December 30, 2019

What separates happy marriages from miserable ones? What if we told you that you could have a stronger, healthier, more joy-filled marriage in just 15 minutes a day? Sound too good to be true? Authors Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey have studied relationships (and neuroscience) and discovered the joy gap – a length of time between moments of shared joy.

When the joy gap gets bigger, problems are more likely to overwhelm you, resentment creeps in, and you start to feel distant and alone in your marriage. When the joy gap is smaller, you regularly feel connected, happy, and your marriage is a source of joy.

In Episode 80, Daniel and Christina interview Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey (co-authors of The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled Marriages) about how 15 minutes a day, and brain science hacks, can boost your emotional, spiritual, and physical connection with your spouse.

In This Episode, You Will Hear About:

How 15 minutes a day will help you stay in love
The connection between brain science and having joy in your marriage
What the joy gap is, why it matters, and how to shrink it
Learn how to return to joy more quickly after disconnection
4 habits that shrink the joy gap:
- Play together
- Listening for emotion
- Appreciate daily
- Nurture a rhythm

Resources Mentioned During the Episode:

Grab your copy of Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey’s book The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled Marriages: How 15 Minutes a Day Will Help You Stay in Love
Wanting to hear more about how to stay in love? Listen to Episode 7: Keeping the Romance Alive
Looking for date ideas to stay connected with your spouse? Tune into Episode 58: Dating Your Spouse In Every Season of Life
Feeling a little alone in your marriage? Listen to Episode 76: 4 Things to Remember When Marriage Is Hard
Have you listened to our previous New Year’s episode? Episode 50: The Year of Grace and Gratitude

Quotables and Tweetables:

“Falling “out of love” is all about the absence of joy.” – Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey @imbetweenshow
“Joyful attachment is the most powerful motivator in life.” – Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey @imbetweenshow
“Hope is just around the corner for your marriage.” – Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey @imbetweenshow
“What you believe about your wife and husband will have a profound effect on how you treat and feel about him or her.” – Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey @imbetweenshow
“When appreciation is lacking, the joy gap tends to grow, and as it grows, it tends to fill with resentment.”
“The good thing about joy is that it is contagious.” – Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey @imbetweenshow
“Healthy marriages are filled with forgiveness, not resentment. It is a way of saying, “I want our relationship to be bigger than our problems.” – Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey @imbetweenshow

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Meet Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey:

Marcus Warner is the president of Deeper Walk International. He is a former pastor and college professor who has written several books including Understanding the Wounded Heart, What Every Believer Should Know About Spiritual Warfare, and Rare Leadership. Marcus trains hundreds of leaders and equips thousands of Christians each year across the globe. For more information, go to deeperwalkinternational.org

Chris Coursey is an ordained minister, pastoral counselor, published author, and international speaker. He and his wife, Jen, lead and design the THRIVE Training Program that uses brain-based exercises to train leaders, families, and communities in the 19 relational skills and the Immanuel Lifestyle. For more information, go to happyhappymarriage.org