To bring our Celebrating Easter series to a close, I wanted to briefly share some of my favorite Scripture passages and take you on a small journey of my self-discovery. A few weeks ago, in our Sunday school class, one of our fellow students said that if you want to be a better spouse, don’t study marriage; rather, study Christ. It was a profound and true statement. It is important to prepare for marriage and it is great to learn communication tools and to glean from more experienced couples; but, at the end of the day, we will become better sweethearts and spouses if we study who Christ is … [Read more...]
Navigating the Stages of Spiritual Growth in Your Relationship (Celebrating Easter, Part 5)
It may come as a surprise to some, but Eric and I don’t recommend couples dive into deep Bible study and prayer together at the beginning of their budding relationship. Because of the emotional and spiritual bonding which happens when a couple seeks the Lord together, we think the amount of spiritual intimacy shared should slowly grow as the relationship grows. When we read the Bible with someone, we don’t necessarily feel any closer to him or her. But, when we study the Bible with someone, we begin to verbalize questions, ideas, convictions, and personal experiences (e.g., “Wow, I always … [Read more...]
A Biblical Take on Connecting with Others (Love and Connection Quotes, Part 3)
“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” – I John 3:16, ESV Think about Christ’s example. When He came to Earth, He did not hide in a cave and spend all of His time communing with the Father. It is tempting to see someone who locks himself away from the world to pray and read Scripture as more holy than someone who spends time with the Lord and then gives of himself to his family, friends, church, and community. It is recorded that Jesus spent time with the Father early in the morning and then ministered to others later in … [Read more...]
He Makes All Things New!
The beginning of a year gives us a chance to start over. Like I said on Wednesday, we can get sluggish and out of sync during the holidays, and the start of a new year is like a fresh notebook with no wrinkled pages. Most years, I go into January with a deep breath and a lot of hope. It is almost as if a snow has fallen on my heart and cleansed it. I look into the new year and see a lot of possibilities! The phrase “He makes all things new” kept coming to my mind as I was thinking about what to write for the new year. Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a song a few years back with this title. … [Read more...]
Is Marrying Someone with a Rich Spiritual Heritage Important to You?
Do you spend time praying for your future spouse? What are some of the traits you ask God for in a spouse? Strong leader? Gentle spirit? A specific profession? Good parenting potential? Ministry partner? I can remember asking God for a husband that knew what God had called him to do and would not change direction – even for me. In other words, someone who knew the work God had for him and would not let me talk him out of it. Boy, did God ever answer my prayer on that one! Many times has Eric made decisions for PreEngaged which took me out of my comfort zone (we have previously established … [Read more...]
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