"I just didn't think it would be like this, " Mary said. She looked completely exhausted and defeated. Sam just looked angry. He didn't want to be with me talking about his marriage to Mary. In fact, if the truth be told, he didn't want to be married to Mary. He'd had i! "Fifteen years—fifteen years!—and this is what [...]
Here we go again. It's that time of the year when many of us reflect on the past year—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and resolve to do better this year. Maybe you had a great year that exceeded your expectations. This is a great time to give thanks for the many blessings God has bestowed on you. But, [...]
Recently, my wife Sharon and I pulled out all the Christmas stuff to start transforming the decor of our home from Fall to Christmas. Turkeys were replaced by jolly Santas, and Fall leaves gave way to evergreens and the scent of pine. A big part of our yearly Christmas tradition has been going to cut down our Christmas tree [...]
Sometimes marriage can be hard. Sometimes marriage can be painful. Sometimes that pain and hardship can lead you to entertain thoughts of escape—to distance yourself from your spouse (physically, mentally, and/or emotionally) and the hard work necessary to maintain a marriage of love, unity, and understanding. When I'm in this place, it's a red flag for me to [...]
This month we conclude our examination of Paul David Tripp's book, "What did you Expect?" by finishing Commitment 6: We will work to protect our marriage. So, what is it that produces a marriage of unity, understanding, and love? This kind of marriage is the result of a lifelong commitment to daily marital work and deep trust in God's [...]
This month we continue looking at Commitment 6: We will work to protect our marriage. If it is true that all the horizontal skirmishes a husband and wife have are rooted in a deeper war for the heart, and if it is true that a marriage must be fixed vertically before it is ever fixed horizontally, then the place where [...]
This month we begin looking at Commitment 6: We will work to protect our marriage. Many of us have known couples who after 25 years of marriage, or more, decide to call it quits. We think "if they made it that long, why call it quits now?" How does that happen? For many, at some point in their relationship, they [...]
This month we continue looking at Commitment 5: We will deal with our differences with appreciation and grace. OK, you've acknowledged that you and your spouse are different. The problem you really need help with is not so much that you are different, but how your sinful choices when dealing with your differences deepen your trouble rather than solving it. [...]
This month we begin looking at Commitment 5: We will deal with our differences with appreciation and grace. Unity in marriage is not the result of sameness. Unity is, rather, the result of what husband and wife do in the face of the inevitable differences that exist in the lives of every married couple. We continue this month looking at [...]
This month we continue looking at Commitment 4: We will commit to building a relationship of love. Many who look forward to marriage think of it as an extended date. Sure, you know your partner isn't perfect, but you love them. You are ready, willing, and can't wait to get married. It's been fun so far, so why should that [...]
