Dear Daughter,If you're reading this letter, it means that you've filled my heart and soul with joy; it means that you exist. If you're reading this letter, it means that God has blessed me with the privileged responsibility of raising you, cherishing you, training you, preparing you. If you're reading this letter, it means that you're facing your first relationship, it probably means that you're tearfully facing your first conflict in that ... Read More about Is he worth marrying?
How to Choose a Husband
The Man I Married
(Don't miss hearing about the men I {almost} married!)A Rhema: the Greek word for "the word of God”; a revelation.I was praying for "a rhema" last summer and God spoke this to me: "Do not doubt My power and do not question My timing." (my journals, 2005)I didn’t recognize him the first few times we met. Not just like, I didn’t recognize him as my future-husband, but I didn’t even remember ever meeting him.My first memory was in ... Read More about The Man I Married
The Man I {Almost} Married
We've all met someone who married their high school sweetheart. There is something heart-fluttering about marrying one's first love. But few people actually do. The rest of us, our stories include the tales of the men we {almost} married. Because of that little word in there—that “almost”—these stories are often left to crumble and decompose in the compost of time.However, I am a firm believer that God takes us through experiences to mold ... Read More about The Man I {Almost} Married
How To {Judge} A Man
When I was around sixteen, I read an article written by a grandfather about his granddaughter. She was a little baby and he was describing the man she would someday marry. At one point in that description he was talking about sin and impurity and said, “If this is part of your past then God may forgive you and I will accept you as a brother in Christ, but you will never marry my granddaughter. She is too precious, too pure for that…”My ... Read More about How To {Judge} A Man
“What Does God Want My Husband-To-Be to Be?”
A note from Gretchen: Becky, a dear family friend ever since she and my mom went to school together, sent me this poem back in 1998. She wrote it six years before her marriage, two years before she met the man she was praying for. Becky says, "I think it was Betty Stam who inspired me to write this poem. (And I don’t mean to say it is inspired—it’s not perfect, and neither are husbands or wives!) Betty has written a beautiful poem entitled, ‘My ... Read More about “What Does God Want My Husband-To-Be to Be?”
Watch out for wolves!
It’s no secret how much I love my sheep.Needless to say, we have sturdy fences in place, which we inspect regularly, as vital to keep intruders out as to keep the sheep in. And I would never—not in a million years, not for love or money—ever consider letting them so much as out of the barn without their big fluffy white babysitters, Juno and Diana. These Great Pyrenees dogs are the guardian angels of my little flock, the stouthearted ... Read More about Watch out for wolves!
God’s Truth and Red Flags
pre-marital and post marital counsel from the rocking chair of 54 years of growing in loveAs we’re driving down the freeway of life, we have to pay attention to the signs. Don’t cross the double yellow line. Don’t go over the white line on your side of the road.The same holds true in relationships. We need to pay attention to what the signs are. And as we get to know each other we need to truthfully ask: What are some of the yellow ... Read More about God’s Truth and Red Flags
