Jesus, Marriage, and the Meaning of True Love
After a quarter century of marriage, I think I’m finally learning what it means to love. For the first half of my marriage, I was better at loving theoretically than practically. It was not uncommon for me to be everything that 1 Corinthians 13 says love is...
How to Fight Constructively—and Fair!
After 26 years together, Christopher and I have learned how to fight fairly well. It's been a LONG process with a steep learning curve. He came into the marriage dealing with conflict like a rhino and I came in like a hedgehog. You might only need one or two of these...
How the Holy Spirit Transforms Marriage
Since the release of Making Marriage Beautiful back in January, my husband and I have been thinking a lot about how to help other folks create and maintain beautiful marriages. This past weekend, we had the opportunity to speak on the role of the Holy Spirit and...
Becoming the Good Samaritan to Those in Need
Sometimes it’s the little things that break you. On my way home from doing errands today, I turned off the state highway and nearly crushed a tiny duckling that was erratically waddling across the road. Being me, I could not drive by. Initially, I thought I could...
How Do You Make Marriage Beautiful? By Giving Each Other Space
Today's guest post is by my friend Cara Meredith. I could not agree more with what she and her husband have discovered: giving each other space to be alone or hangout with friends definitely makes marriage (more) beautiful. Please check out some the other...
Announcing Everbloom: Stories of Living Deeply Rooted and Transformed Lives
I joined Redbud Writers Guild five years ago when I was in a profoundly lonely place. This group of women quickly became my community, speaking words of life and encouragement to my parched soul. They were also unrelentingly kind and patient as I made my way into the...
Kneading Our Way to a Beautiful Marriage, with Bronwyn Lea
Making a beautiful marriage is one of the most challenging and rewarding endeavors my husband and I have ever embarked upon. People often ask what motivated me to write Making Marriage Beautiful. The answer is simple: we needed it. Every couple goes through seasons...
How Do You Make Marriage Beautiful? By Choosing to Be for the Other
Ashley Hales continues the series How Do You Make Marriage Beautiful? Regarding marriage, we all need a little help. Having a satisfying, joyful marriage is hard work and sometimes we feel very lonely. I hope that as you read through the posts by these wonderful...
How Do You Make Marriage Beautiful? By Liking Each Other, Mallory Redmond
My friend Mallory Redmond continues my four month series on How Do You Make Marriage Beautiful? The inspiration for this series emerged when I realized that regarding marriage, we all need a little help. Having a satisfying, joyful marriage is hard work and sometimes,...
Got Disappointment? How to Create Reality-Based Expectations
Far too often, we assume that if we’re disappointed there’s something wrong with us or with our relationships (either our marriages or our friendships). Actually, disappointment is totally normal and to be expected. The problem with disappointment is that it’s often...