Are you discouraged with your marriage? Has it become overwhelming? Are there too many broken parts or missing pieces? Maybe it is time to forget your marriage. No, I am not suggesting that you walk away from your marriage. What I mean is this: maybe Read more…
A Holy-Day to Celebrate You probably know that today is Halloween. But did you realize that it is also Reformation Day? And did you know that Reformation Day is a fantastic thing to celebrate? On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the Read more…
We can spend a lifetime living in our bodies without once asking ourselves this simple question: “What is the purpose of my body?” Amazing, isn’t it? We can invest a ton of time, money, and emotional turmoil in dealing with our bodies. Maybe it would be good Read more…
It is a trending comment among Christians: Nonbelievers are going to act like nonbelievers. As a caution against judgmental attitudes, this is helpful. It is also a good reminder that our goal is not to force superficial behavior but to influence spiritual transformation. As one theologian Read more…
You may have heard the question before: Did God design marriage to make us happy or to make us holy? My answer would be, “Yes, He did!” Let me explain. We tend to think of holiness as something that has to do with being good, Read more…
5 Great Quotes: Elizabeth Elliot put it this way: we married our spouses because we loved them, so now we must love our spouses because we married them. Be for your spouse! Don’t just commit to your marriage: commit to the good of your spouse. Love Read more…
Have you ever struggled to forgive someone—even when you wanted to forgive? I know I have. I have come to realize that part of my struggle came from not understanding true forgiveness. Sometimes, we have a hard time forgiving because we are trying to do Read more…
We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness. —Albert Schweitzer We have all experienced the ache of loneliness. It can cut to the deepest core of our being. It can be intensely painful. Relieving our loneliness is much harder than Read more…
I really didn’t expect this. I recently read an advance copy of 21 Myths (Even Good) Girls Believe about Sex: Pursuing Love with Passion and Truth. I thought I might find some good nuggets of truth to share. I expected to find things that were Read more…
What Singles Need to Know about Marriage Last week, I was privileged to guest blog on Kristen Hogrefe’s fantastic website, ThinkTrueThoughts, where I shared several “true thoughts” about marriage: Marriage is a profound revealer of spiritual truth. You can have a great impact on others in the Read more…
On her excellent website ThinkTrueThoughts, Kristen Hogrefe encourages her readers to do just that! Is there anything more important than thinking true thoughts? Believing truth is what brings joy, inner health, and successful living. This week and next, I am honored to be a Read more…
Need to move any mountains? Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ Read more…
We make complicated messes. God gives simple instructions. The enemy tries to confuse and bewilder and overwhelm. We try to figure out the tangled, jumbled-up complexities; but with each broken piece we pick up, we become more perplexed. God gives Read more…
Interested in a FUN way to strengthen your relationships, including your marriage? Through an extensive review of studies on productivity and relationships, blogger Eric Barker discovered a common factor. He realized that this one thing strengthened friendships, boosted success in the work place, increased happiness, and Read more…
Do trials increase our faith? Have you heard that trials increase our faith? “Trials and troubles … are treadmills for the soul.”[i] That certainly may be true. But if trials increase faith, then we should be muscle-bulging spiritual giants and we should be surrounded by Read more…
The Seven Rings of Marriage is a new book by a new author. Jackie Bledsoe has a sincere passion to share what he’s learning in his marriage to encourage others in their marriages. His fervency is the strength of this book. The High Value of Marriage I greatly appreciate the high value Read more…
Earlier this month, Gary Smalley crossed the finish line and entered heaven. I was one of the many who were blessed by his writing and speaking. As he ran the race that God had marked out for him, Gary shared some wonderful truths that he was learning along Read more…
If you are trying to build up your value, or if you are working to create a satisfying identity, you can lay those heavy burdens down. I listened to my friend recently as she lamented that her sense of identity was unraveling like yarn being Read more…
We live in a world of hurt, don’t we? We are not quite the walking dead, but we are the walking wounded. We know how to feel hurt and how to cause hurt, but who knows how to heal? Mercifully, “the God of all comfort” specializes Read more…
I just spent an hour reading Valentine’s Day cards in a couple stores today. I am quite sure that I will be seeing red hearts when I close my eyes tonight. Spending an hour looking at greeting cards might sound painful to you. But that’s Read more…
Have you ever used the alphabet to spur your responses of worship to the Lord? Last fall, I shared with you several graphics that used the letters of the alphabet to structure a prayer of praise to the Lord. (Click here for “The ABC’s of Read more…
Sometimes, God’s Will can be a real mystery to us. At other times, it can seem rather mundane. But we can learn from several fascinating stories how to push through the mysterious and mundane into the marvelous! Kings have dreams. In ancient Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar Read more…
In Psalm 18:35, God says that He stoops down to make us great. Isn’t that incredible? I think that also sums up the wonderful message of Christmas: God came down to lift us up. How amazing! I wrote about Psalm 18:35, Christmas, and marriage in Read more…
God saw that His creation, though still beloved, was beautiful no more. His broken world broke His heart open. Like a tear, the immense love of God for the people of Earth welled up and spilled out, descending like a brilliant star through the universe Read more…
A Strategy to Target Bitterness “If I were your enemy, I’d use every opportunity to bring old wounds to mind. … I’d try to ensure that your heart was hardened with anger and bitterness. Shackled through unforgiveness.” (page 151) With this insight, Priscilla Shirer begins her Read more…
What are your prayer strategies? Could you use some? We understand that we are in a spiritual battle. We “wrestle not with flesh and blood,” but against spiritual forces. We wage this battle through prayer, fighting on our knees. But do we understand the need Read more…
When God made a covenant with His people at Mount Sinai, He clarified the guidelines which would best nurture a healthy relationship. The Ten Commandments were given as principles which would guard the covenant. Just as there are principles which protect our relationship with God, Read more…
Today, I would like to share one last peek into Juli Slattery’s new book, 25 Questions You’re Afraid to Ask about Love, Sex, and Intimacy. Last week, I discussed a couple of those questions about sex and marriage, and today I would like to look at the Read more…
Last week, I recommended to you Juli Slattery’s new book, 25 Questions You’re Afraid to Ask about Love, Sex, and Intimacy. Today and again next week, I want to share several of Juli’s gracious answers to those awkward questions. Chapter 1: What’s the big deal Read more…
Hot-off-the-presses of Moody Publishers is this new book by Dr. Juli Slattery: 25 Questions You’re Afraid to Ask about Love, Sex, and Intimacy. If Juli’s name is familiar to you, you may recall that Dr. Slattery was Dr. Dobson’s cohost on Focus on the Family from Read more…
On the Thursday prayer call recently, we “entered His courts” by thinking through the letters of the alphabet in order to list praiseworthy things about God. I like to use this simple method because it quickly brings to mind many words that I can use Read more…
Do you know the traits of a great husband? Do you know where these 7 characteristics are listed in the Bible? I would like to nominate Psalm 23 as “The Husband Chapter” of the Old Testament. The Good Shepherd provides a fantastic model for godly husbands. Read more…
There is nothing more awesome than friendship with God! We cannot earn our way to God, but we can accept His amazing proposal to us of unfailing friendship. Here’s how: If you’d like to learn more about having a friendship with God, please feel free Read more…
For you today: I would like to share five Scriptures that I pray will be an encouragement, refreshment, and strength to you. When David prepared to meet the fierce giant Goliath, he put five smooth pebbles in his pouch for his slingshot. We need to do Read more…
I saw War Room last night. This new movie has a fantastic message: PRAY FOR YOUR MARRIAGE! The right way to fight in marriage is by fighting on our knees through prayer. We want to fight for our spouses, not against them. We must ask Read more…
Here’s one that will strengthen your marriage: a 30-day prayer challenge. During the month of September, FamilyLife is offering a “Oneness Prayer Challenge.” For 30 days, FamilyLife will text or email to you a short devotional and prayer that you and your spouse can share Read more…
What are your best marriage tips? I recently listed my top 10 tips for marriage here: 10 Simple-but-Powerful Ways to Build Your Marriage. The article explains each tip, but this chart gives a summary of the ten points: Read more…
Jesus was not the first person to be raised from the dead. His disciples had seen Lazarus walk out of a tomb after being dead for four days. They had seen Jesus lift a dead boy out of his coffin and back into life. But Read more…
Bitterness can destroy us. We understand that. But do we understand why? Why does our refusal to forgive cause such serious harm to us? Unforgiveness deforms us because it is rooted in a lie. As with all sin, it binds us in spiritual enslavement because Read more…
What creates the strongest base for an enduring, successful marriage? We try to build our marriages on all kinds of things: on romance, on pleasure, on personal fulfillment, on financial gain, … but our success rate is not very good. The best foundation is actually Read more…
What is true femininity? How can it strengthen our marriages? Recently, I offered my salute to masculinity. Today I would like to honor femininity. Every woman has a great strength to bring to her marriage: the “superpower” of femininity. By femininity, I do not mean pink, ruffles, Read more…
Last week, I discussed forgiveness as a “weapon of mass destruction,” recognizing its immense spiritual power. Today, I would like to continue with this theme of forgiveness, evaluating its current popularity as therapeutic self-help. (If you missed last week’s post, you can read it HERE.) ————————————————————- Read more…
You’ve heard of a “weapon of mass destruction.” Do you think there could be something like a spiritual WMD? I recently read the astonishing biography of Jacob DeShazer, one of the courageous Doolittle Raiders.[i] Led by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle, these American airmen were the Read more…
The President got a bit emotional this morning over the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize homosexual unions. I did, too. In fact, I cried. I am absolutely brokenhearted that this nation would willingly deprive children of a mother or a father—not only deprive the children, but Read more…
Last week, I mentioned a new book entitled, Fight Back with Joy. However, I did not get any farther than the title! :) Today, I’d like to share a bit more with you about this book by Margaret Feinberg. Not long ago, Margaret began focusing Read more…
The word “fight” is what caught my attention. Fight Back with Joy is Margaret Feinberg’s latest book.[i] As you may know, I am passionate about fighting on our knees for our marriages and families, and I am convinced that worship is a powerful weapon in Read more…
Forget your marriage. Forget working on your checklist for the ideal marriage. Instead, focus on your spouse. Trying to achieve a certain kind of marriage can make us crazy. It can be very discouraging. But a lot of that hard work is misdirected energy. We Read more…
Have you heard about FoMO? The “Fear of Missing Out” is the latest trend. This phobia can cause endless checking of social media, as well as feelings of anxiety and depression. But Christ-followers have no need to take part in the FoMO fad because we Read more…
Perhaps you wore a gorgeous gown or a dashing tux when you stood before God and spoke your vows. You chose someone—out of all the people on the face of the earth—to be “the one” for you. You made noble promises on a glorious day. And Read more…
There is a birthday coming up soon that you will not want to miss! Did you know that “the birthday of the Church” is on May 24 this year? You may know the day better as “Pentecost” or as “the Feast of Weeks.” There are Read more…
