• How to Have an Extraordinary First Year of Marriage, Pt. 2

    Last time, we saw six choices that can help make our first year of marriage—or any year, for that matter—extraordinary. Today, we’re going to look at six more. Whether we’re engaged, newly married, or married for decades, we can all start today, by God’s grace, to make our marriages the best they can be. #7: Be interested in what interests your spouse. James tells me he’s read more books since meeting me than he has in the rest of his lifetime. That’s a credit to him for wanting to care about something that interests me. On the other hand, I’ve gotten into mountain biking because of him and really enjoy…

  • How to Have an Extraordinary First Year of Marriage, Pt. 1

    Just over a year ago, my husband and I said “I do.” Like most new couples, we received lots of advice, and we welcomed what wisdom others had to share. However, one reoccurring comment troubled me: “The first year of marriage is hard.” Although I understood that we would both have adjustments to make, I didn’t like this “survivalist” mentality. After all, Jesus came so that we could have life “more abundantly” (John 10:10), and surely that concept applied to marriage, part of His design. But what did I know? Well, I have good news. The first year of marriage doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, it can truly…