January 2008 Archives
Ever been tired, confused or frustrated? Doesn't it seem as though there are times we encounter these feelings more often than not when it comes to our marriages? If God made marriage and intended it for good, then why on earth does it seem to be so difficult at times? 18 years ago, we hit a wall in our own marriage and while I would love to tell you that we hit an amazing revelation that we could put all selfishness aside and be everything to each other, that is unrealistic. However, what we have been able to do the last 18 years is live with balance recognizing that we both have strengths and we both have weaknesses and we...
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As you look at 2008, what do you see? Can’t see it very clearly because you aren’t a “future-sayer”? Me neither. What I mainly see is unknown. Except for the Lord, who knows what’s coming down the pike at us? It’s not unlike my ministry/profession. I do most of the pastoral counseling on our church staff. Talk about unknown!?! There are times when the most unlikely scenarios are presented to me. Weekly there are heart-breaking sessions with both men and women. Occasionally my opinion is sought on theological issues. (I can hear my seminary professors laughing now.) As I consider what my day of counseling before me looks like, I come to a similar conclusion as that of pondering the...
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Why is it so hard to avoid the lifestyles of the rich when most of us are not rich? I have slowly begun to learn the best things in life, including good “stuff”, come only at the expense of personal discipline. Henry David Thoreau once said, "Almost any man knows how to earn money, but not one in a million knows how to spend it." We must limit our style of living. Lesson #1 – figure out what your income is and then proceed to live far below that mark. You may be thinking, “That is impossible”. It’s not impossible: difficult, maybe, not impossible. It will take time to undo some of the messes you have created – but it...
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Life is about choices. In our last post, we talked about making choices to make your marriage more deeply connected. Should you choose to accept this road less traveled, you have now entered into emotional intimacy with one another. Many marriages today choose to stay on the easiest road, we are challenging you to take a detour. Let's think about a detour for a moment. A detour takes: More time! Couples today spend so little time together as we get caught up in kids, careers, commitments and many other things that take us away from our mate. What choices can you make to create more time to cultivate and grow your marriage? Some practical solutions are to dialogue daily, date...
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