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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…
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Big or Tiny House? The Heart is What Matters.
Have you seen the Amazon Prime series called Tiny House World? James and I started watching recently and are basically hooked. The episodes are short and follow a script: A couple, family, or single person is looking to downsize or diminish their footprint by going tiny. The episodes cover international settings from Ireland to the UK to Australia, and the featured individuals have three options from which to choose. Most of the time, they don’t pick the one we would, which is both aggravating but also not the point. The point is that they discover they can do more with less. Even “Tiny” Can Miss What Matters The tiny house…
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When God Seems to Smile
This life is full of highs and lows, isn’t it? One day, we’re smooth sailing, and the next, we’re doctoring scraped knees and disappointed hopes. As believers, we can’t draw our joy from a perfect set of circumstances but have to find our contentment in a grounding relationship with God that stands firm through life’s sifting sands. But every once in a while, God just seems to smile. Please don’t misunderstand me. The Lord is always good, but sometimes, He reminds us of His incredible generosity and the fact that He enjoys giving good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11). It’s like he’s handing us a precious gift or a…
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How to Have a Happy Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day might be the one holiday that leaves people feeling polar extremes of warm fuzzy or arctic cold. Honestly, it’s a holiday that holds a mixed bag for me, too. I had one boyfriend call our relationship quits on Valentine’s Day (necessary but not exceptionally thoughtful). Other years, I’ve celebrated “Galentine’s Day” with my girlfriends instead. This year, I’m focusing on old and new friends alike. I guess somewhere along the way, I realized that I can celebrate Valentine’s Day, regardless of my relationship status. Let me say that again. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be about our relationship status. That’s where we go wrong. We see the heart…
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Want to Do More? Start Small.
“I feel like I should do more for God,” a friend recently shared. However, she already has a full-time job and ministry commitments. How can she do greater things when she barely has time to sleep? I felt her frustration, because I’ve been there. For many years, I resented where God had me. My job wasn’t what I’d planned to do after graduation, and I didn’t feel effective or like I was making a difference. Slowly and painfully, I learned something that seems counter-intuitive: Our biggest influence is in small faithfulness now. But what if we don’t have much to give? Sometimes, the bank account may edge dangerously close to…
