What makes a marriage great? Years ago that question was asked in a singles bible class that I was in as a college student. “Well that’s an easy one!” I thought. At the time (and for a long period afterwards as a new wife) I believed that what made a great marriage was two people who went to church, loved each other, and didn’t fight too often. What I didn’t realize in my naivete, was that sometimes, I wouldn’t feel like loving my husband. And that maybe I wanted to pick a fight with him because I thought my way...

“Are you a fault finder?” Our pastor asked that question last Sunday during our church service and I’ve been dwelling on it all week. He referenced Matthew 7:3-5: Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log in your own eye. You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out...

It’s time for a new year. I don’t know about you but I think I’m ready for a fresh start. There is just something freeing about being able to say “Okay, last year was rough. Now let’s start over.” I think as Christians we especially appreciate the concept of beginning again. Because really, on a much larger scale, isn’t that what Christ did for us? He gave us a new beginning, but more than that, He gave us new life, a life that is washed daily in His grace and mercy. And armed with His gifts we can resolve to...

Fall is in full swing, isn’t it? With that, comes the advent of the holiday season. I love Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. I love the anticipation of seeing family and friends: seeing the joy light up my children’s faces on Christmas morning and sweet hugs from my grandmother, so far away during the year. Yes, the holiday’s can be a time of sweet fellowship together, but they also tend to be a time of complete stress and utter chaos for some couples. The major reason: money. All of those little gifts we want to grab? Well, they start...

Hopeless. Yes, that’s where I was, somewhere around the corner of hopeless and heading towards despair. We hadn’t been married very long but at that point it felt like forever. Hurt had been piled on top of hurt until we were so deep in the mire we couldn’t see any way out. “Was this it? Was this the fairy tale that I dreamed of as a little girl? How had everything gotten so mixed up?” Coming home everyday felt like a return to the battleground. Who was going to be the casualty today, him or me…or maybe our young son?...