November 6, 2025
Planting the Seeds of Peace in Marriage
Peace isn’t just a seed. It’s a strategy. It’s strength. It’s Spirit. And peace, just might be the generational tree where your legacy rests.
Articles for tag: Intentional
September 3, 2025
Do You Honor Your Commitments? The Sacred Bond of Covenant
A relationship can come and go, like changing social media statuses. A covenant, on the other hand, is a binding promise, sealed with reverence and marked by sacrifice.
July 3, 2025
The Parent’s Post: Stewarding Adult Children with Grace, Grit, and Snacks
As parents, our job is to do our best and trust God with the rest. We have never been perfect, but God has always been perfect. Like you, we love our children and grandchildren deeply, but God loves them even more. And his love is perfect.
September 1, 2024
Transformative Fire: Prayer’s Impact on Marriage, Mission, and Ministry
Sadly, prayer is often little more than a formality many people practice out of tradition. But when we look closely at Jesus’ model prayer in Luke 11:1-4, we discover that prayer is much more than form; it is a dynamic and transformative fire.
July 1, 2024
I’m Next, I’m Now, I’m Ready: Embracing the Call to Co-Parent with the Divine
When it comes to our children, we are merely co-parents in God’s divine mission. . . .
May 1, 2024
Mustard Seed Marriages
Every marriage begins as a mustard seed—a small, yet potent commitment between two souls. . . .
March 1, 2024
Marriage Happens Every Day!
The Significance of Happenings Leading to Happiness
January 1, 2024
The Practice and Art of Surprise: Marriage Practitioners
By Rudy Hagood My wife, the unbelievably beautiful Osharye, recently shared an article titled, “We’re Talking About (Marriage) Practice.” In it, she reminded us of the cultural phenomenon from 2002 when basketball star Allen Iverson famously said, “We’re talking about practice . . . not a game . . . we’re talking about practice.” (If you haven’t read it, you might enjoy doing so before reading this.) Osharye’s words got me to thinking about the areas of our marriages that are underdeveloped due to a lack of, well, practice. One area where we could become proficient is in the art
November 1, 2023
Never Alone: The Power and Importance of Oneness
By Osharye Hagood I am one of seven siblings and grew up in densely populated Los Angeles. Even in a family and city so large, it’s easy to feel alone. My late brother Hussin was only 14 months older than me, but he was my hero. No, he was my superhero. We shared an unbreakable bond. Even when we were apart, I felt I was never alone. I mean this both emotionally, but also, in a way, tangibly. For example, a school bully once targeted me. The bully saw me by myself and assumed I was vulnerable. When he approached,
September 1, 2023
‘We’re Talking About (Marriage) Practice’
By Osharye Hagood Practice is a key principle to having a “winning” marriage. Back when we were learning to drive a car, or playing on a sports team, or perhaps learning to dance, we underwent the repetition of practice. This perspective has been extremely helpful for me in my marriage to Rudy. I wake up each day with the desire to have a great marriage, and I understand this can only happen over time, with practice, by the power of God. Please hear me when I say, the gift of love does not equate to a world-championship marriage. It takes practice.
July 1, 2023
No Perfect Parents . . . Just Real Ones
By Rudy Hagood We all know that parenting our kids is hard. Yet, I think we forget that when we were kids, we were just as hard on our parents! I want to speak with you parent-to-parent. Osharye and I are not perfect parents, and our kids are not perfect, and as much as it pains me to say it in print, our grandkids—even though they are perfect to us—are not perfect either. (Ouch, that last admission hurt!) So, let us find comfort in our perfect heavenly Father, who heals and covers our many imperfections! Paul wrote, “For this reason
May 1, 2023
Unity: God’s Beautiful Original Intent for Marriage
By Rudy Hagood God desires so much more for our marriages than just staying together. God’s original intent for marriage is found way back in Genesis—before sin came into the world, and well before “honey-do” lists and such sayings as “happy wife, happy life.” The secret sauce of Christian marital union is the power of God binding us together in an intimate union that includes Yahweh. And when two become one, the One (God) empowers the two. Marital unity is restoration of the paradise God created in the beginning. It’s part of the reconciling work of God. It is the
January 1, 2023
Marriage Beings and Humans Being
By Osharye Hagood When it comes to marriage, the truth is we are humans being. (Yes, you read that correctly.) And when we get married, we become “marriage beings.” While our marriages are intended to be divine expressions of God’s perfect love, and while we may at times feel the goosebumps of love and the perfection of our loving commitment—please hear me—all marriages are unions between human beings, and all humans sin. So, our mistakes and missteps should be seen as, well, expected. Blunders are as natural as breathing, and errors are as common as ears. Why? Because we are
November 1, 2022
God’s Love Language in Our Unions
By Rudy Hagood Have you ever considered how unthinkable it is that we have intimacy with the Spirit of God within our marital unions? The prophet Malachi asked this simple rhetorical question: “Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union?” (Malachi 2:15, English Standard Version). Your marriage is not simply between two people, but three, since it includes the third person of the godhead. For this reason, I want to talk about the health of our marriages by talking about how we engage God. Since our marital unions consist of three people, knowing
September 1, 2022
Your Spouse Is Not the Main Thing
By Rudy Hagood I can hear it like I’m still sitting in her living room. My mother-in-law, Mama D., was saying, “Keep the main thang, the main thang!” Proverbs 18:22 says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord” (English Standard Version). Well, bless the name of the Lord and let the church say Amen! Yet, a word of caution for both husbands and wives: Your spouse is not the main thang! Yes, we should be “very married.” Yes, the best gift we can give our kids is a great marriage. And yes,
July 1, 2022
Very Married: The Gift to the Divine Gift
By Rudy Hagood (with Osharye Hagood) Long before Jeff Bezos launched Amazon, God was sending precious gift packages from heaven all over the globe. God delivers sparks of life we call children. Kids are “divine gifts” of the breath of life delivered to the living. Psalm 127:3 says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward” (English Standard Version). Wow, what an unthinkable gift! In my gratitude, I want to be a blessing to God, the gift-giver, while also striving to give the best gift I possibly can to my kids. Yet, what
May 1, 2022
A Caseload of One: Cracking the Case
By Osharye Hagood In the January/February issue, Rudy told husbands about the importance of their wives. He wrote, “For, after Christ, she is your life’s work. She is God’s holy daughter entrusted to you in like manner as the church has been entrusted to Christ. Don’t exegete the text and forget to study your wife.” As a wife, I don’t believe anything is more important than being loved and understood, especially when it comes through the intentionality of investigation. Co-investigate Merriam-Webster defines investigation as “a systematic search for the truth or facts about something.” Have you ever heard someone say,
March 1, 2022
Authentic Marriage: The Relationship Between Intimacy and Conflict
Our definition of marital authenticity is “the pursuit of marriage as it existed before the fall while also acknowledging that we, as individuals, are flawed and fallen.” We live in a culture that models and promotes inauthentic relationships. The inability to be authentic causes many marriage issues and creates anemic intimacy in our unions. As a result, issues fester and eventually explode. We believe deep relationship comes from learning to navigate conflict and tension. Compliments matter as much as conflict, but in this article we will focus on the correlation between intimacy and conflict. When a couple leaves intimacy and
