How many of you saw the movie Facing the Giants? Remember the scene when Mr. Bridges (the older gentlemen who had been seen in the school praying over the lockers) came in to encourage Coach Taylor to stay with the football program? Mr. Bridges told Coach Taylor a story about two farmers who desperately needed rain. He said that both farmers prayed for rain, but only one farmer went out and prepared his fields to receive it. Then Mr. Bridges asked, “Which one had more faith?” His final words to Coach Taylor were, “God will send the rain when He’s ready. You need to prepare your field to … [Read more...]

No matter how your marriage may begin, there are a few relationship killers that will sneak into your marriage if you are not on guard. We talked about relationship weeds previously, but here are some specifics regarding them.     The first relationship killer is the what if. The what if creeps into your mind and has you ponder what life might have been like if you had not married each other. Maybe your what if will center around an old boyfriend or girlfriend that treated you like gold. Maybe your what if will involve missed educational or social opportunities. Perhaps … [Read more...]

Studies have shown that waiting until you are older to marry (twenty-five and up) dramatically reduces your chances of divorce. It gives you time to really know and understand yourself, to understand what you need in a spouse, and what you have to offer a spouse. Marriages of people younger than twenty-five, however, are not automatically doomed. I've known several thriving marriages of couples who married young; however, one of the common denominators among those young couples with flourishing marriages was maturity. Mature people view the world and themselves differently than children. … [Read more...]

Ever since I was twelve or so I wanted to marry an older guy. Perhaps it's because I am an only child and my desire is to be around older people; however, when I was young, I thought it was so cool to have boyfriends that had jobs, cars (complete with a driver's license!), and grown up problems (e.g., bills). There was something about knowing my special someone had a few more years experience than me that was extremely comforting. The good news is I got my wish! Eric is almost six years older than me – which, in my mind, is a perfect gap for me. The bad news is Eric was twenty-eight when we … [Read more...]

Planning for marriage is one of the most exciting times of our lives. If you are about to get married and you are not excited, you should probably stop and ask yourself why you aren't more energized. Most couples dream about their future together and discuss what they want out of life. This is a special time that all couples need before getting married. Like all newlywed couples, however, I found out quickly that our plans for our lives don't always pan out the way we expect. Life throws us all curve balls and the more prepared we are for those moments, the more smoothly we can traverse … [Read more...]