Today is a special day for me. Forty-two years ago today, my Mom and Dad said their “I Do”s and jumped headfirst into a lifetime covenant. They were nineteen, inexperienced, and completely unprepared for the mammoth task before them. Back then, people did not discuss marriage as openly as they do now; so, when young people got married, they had to figure it out along the way and make it work. This is still true to a point. No couple is completely ready for the mysteries of marriage, but today’s young couples have much more resources and mentoring opportunities available than those in my … [Read more...]

This post has been on my mind for a while now. I have been pushing it back further and further in my schedule because it is not an easy topic for me. Perhaps if I were closer to mastering the art of pure, joyful submission, I would have an easier time talking about it. I have made it abundantly clear to my readers that submitting to my husband has not been as easy as I thought it would be when I was a blushing bride. I was so excited to share my life with him, and I expected to be one of those awesome wives that gave her husband little trouble. Well, it did not take me long to soil my good … [Read more...]

Did your neighborhood have block parties or cookouts when you were growing up? Did you have a special place where everybody knew you and made you feel completely at home – like a community center? Something Eric has tried to drill into me since we were first married is the importance of community. As one who tends to stay tucked inside her home, I know I need to step out more and increase my circle. As I mentioned Monday, we do have a great church, so, in my mind, that is my community; but, I should be doing more to create an atmosphere of community in my neighborhood. Across the street, … [Read more...]

Early in our marriage, Eric and I had some church woes. In the beginning, I went with him to the church he had been attending, but I never felt like it was a solid fit for us. After several years, we decided to leave and look for a church that fit us better, both theologically and socially. Having grown up in the same church my entire life, I had no idea how difficult it can be to find a church body which feels like home. We visited several places; and, while we liked certain aspects of some, there were others which we could not get past. All my life, I heard negative comments about … [Read more...]