Ever been to the zoo and seen a pile of reptiles lounging together? Their intimacy is almost embarrassing, but it has little to do with affection. Most reptiles are cold-blooded and need the warmth they receive from each other to get through a cloudy day or chilly season. In this way, we’re a lot like lizards. We were built to thrive in the warmth and accountability of close, Christian fellowship. Many of us taste of this here and there through ... Read More about how to fight loneliness in marriage
Marriage
How to Foster Effective Communication in Marriage
When my husband and I bought a new-to-us car right after Valentine's Day last year, we immediately fell in love with the sleek white minivan. There was only one problem: we couldn't find the CD player.If it hadn't come with a CD player, that wouldn't have posed a hardship (okay, maybe a little). But we knew it had to be there. Several buttons hinted at its existence. We just couldn't find the magical button combination that made the slot ... Read More about How to Foster Effective Communication in Marriage
How to Love Your Husband
letter to a new bride I want to be an encouragement to you as you begin this journey as a wife, and even in the unfolding years ahead. I should begin with admitting that I have a distinctly unfair advantage on this chosen topic: I have been blessed of the Lord with a precious husband who is very easy to love. However, I hope my experience will enrich your perspective.from a wife of 63 years From my vantage point of 63 years of marriage, I ... Read More about How to Love Your Husband
The Not-So-Cinderella Happily Ever After
Its more than the way her blue dress glides across the ballroom floor, as if the breath of life met a watercolor painting, or how her ever-so-perfectly messy hair flows in the breeze as her horse canters through the forest. Disney’s 2015 live action Cinderella is simply captivating, a film I could watch over and over again (and, once upon a time, I did just that on an international flight headed to none other than Walt Disney World for a ... Read More about The Not-So-Cinderella Happily Ever After
Real-Life Love Stories to Give You Hope While You Wait
Why do I love reading love stories that really happened? Is it the part of me that enjoys real butter, homemade bread, chicken soup from scratch . . . or the fact that a little suffering creates a great big desire for authenticity? Most of all, I think it’s the fact that true stories show me another facet of our Heavenly Father. They help me glimpse how He works, and Who He is.A year ago, my dad’s baby sister – the aunt who’s a lot like ... Read More about Real-Life Love Stories to Give You Hope While You Wait
To Joey, With Love: A Movie Review
About four years ago, Joey and Rory Feek, a Country and bluegrass duo – and real-life husband and wife – were set to film a music video at their farmhouse in Tennessee. But last minute, someone made an unexpected decision: Rory was not going to sing in the video.The song they were filming was a simple ballad, written by their close friend about caring for her ailing mother. But in this rendition, Joey would play the part of the ailing one, ... Read More about To Joey, With Love: A Movie Review
How to Make It Feel Like Christmas Even When You’re Newlyweds
My husband and I will celebrate our first married Christmas this December. Although we were dating last Christmas and spent some of Christmas Day together, it feels different this year in a lot of ways.For example, practically, we're making a home together, so we have decorating decisions to make. I have my own kitchen now, so there are recipes I'll tackle for the first time on my own. But most importantly, we have two families and two sets ... Read More about How to Make It Feel Like Christmas Even When You’re Newlyweds
skip the identity crisis & choose freedom
If I could write a letter to myself ten years younger, I wouldn't write wistfully: you have zero gray hair! you aren't yet jaded by burnout! you have so much enthusiasm! I know now how much joy will come wrapped up in the painful lessons of life and I will almost pity the shallow happiness of my early twenties. I wouldn't lecture, but I'd have some hard questions for my younger self to answer. . . (a letter to my younger ... Read More about skip the identity crisis & choose freedom
Beyond the Hope Chest: Preparing for Marriage (Or Not)
I sat looking glumly at my overflowing hope chest. Once the darling storehouse of my dreams – or at least the place where I stored things for my dream life someday – it seemed to mock me now. How many years had some of those items slept in the chest? I was 27, and after a rough breakup, marriage seemed further away than ever.With a sigh, I closed the chest and turned away. If only I could have seen into the future, for two short years later I ... Read More about Beyond the Hope Chest: Preparing for Marriage (Or Not)
Two Things You Should Know Before You Marry
My daughter is ten years old and is already dreaming of getting married someday, which scares me a bit. At least, it does until I realize I was eleven when I had my first big crush and I apparently survived.At that point in my life, my boy-judging skills were pretty much non-existent, so the only thing that fostered this particular crush was a newly discovered thing called attraction. And I was attracted to a basketball player on my brother’s ... Read More about Two Things You Should Know Before You Marry
Ten Habits of a Healthy Marriage
Dear New Bride,Ten years ago, I was in your shoes. We were just back from our honeymoon, stepping into everyday life as husband and wife. We painted our walls and arranged our furniture (mostly bookshelves). We unpacked dishes and planted a tree (a red maple we’ve moved three times). And with each item I placed in my cupboards, each task I completed as a new bride, I felt deeply the significance of the fact that I was creating habits and ... Read More about Ten Habits of a Healthy Marriage
Marriage Counseling is for You
“Are you doing pre-marital counseling?” The bride nodded. “Do you have plans for post-marital counseling?” The poor bride cocked her head and looked at me in confusion as if to say: “Post-marital counseling?! But we’re fine!”Marriage counseling isn’t just for the hurting, the almost-divorced, the dysfunctional. Marriage counseling is for everyone.A veteran wife, our newly engaged friend, and me. Sitting on the sunny Starbucks patio, I ... Read More about Marriage Counseling is for You
