marriage

Be an Amateur at Marriage

by

Every time I think I have this marriage thing figured out, something changes and I feel like I’m back to square one. I had just figured out how to be a married couple when we had a baby. When I felt I had the family-of-three thing down, we had a second child. Just when I was comfortable in my job, we went through a job change. With each new change in marriage, I felt like an amateur.

How about you? Have you ever felt like an amateur at marriage? If so, congratulations! You’re not only in good company, you’re in a good place.

Read more

Going From Zero to Sixty

by

There are car commercials that tell you how their car can go from zero to sixty in so many seconds. Then there are car commercials that tell you how their car can quickly and safely come to a stop…from sixty to zero in so many seconds.

Zero to sixty is not just for cars. Marriages can go from zero to sixty and from sixty to zero. The normal pattern of marriage is to go from sixty to zero. Here’s what I mean by that…

Read more

One Thing You Must Do if Your Marriage is in a Rut

by

Ever feel like your life was in a rut? I was struck by that feeling this morning as I grabbed my usual stuff and headed out the usual door at the usual time to do my usual job. Don’t get me wrong, I really love my work and I can’t imagine doing anything else. Still it’s easy to feel stuck in the “same old, same old.”

The same can be true in marriage.

Read more

3 Things You Need To Know

by

Right after we married, my wife and I moved 650 miles from home and I went to work in the oil fields of Oklahoma. Being young and inexperienced, they put me with an older man who could show me the ropes.

I would arrive at a job site and eagerly jump out of the truck to get started. But this man would make me slow down and say something like, “Here are some things you need to know about this job.” He didn’t tell me everything I needed to know about the job, but he told me the few big things I needed to know to make the job go better.

I wish someone would have come to me before I got married and said, “Here are some things you need to know about marriage.

Read more

Little Things Mean A Lot – Manners

by

Parents spend a lot of time and energy teaching the importance of manners to their children. Parents constantly remind their children to say “please,”  “thank you,” and “may I.” They stress the importance of not interrupting someone and sharing things with others. Manners are a big deal to parents.

But Look at all the things children must learn and master over the course of their life:

Read more

Rearranged

by

familyStrong marriages and families practice flexibility. Whether it’s with the introduction of the first child or the first grandchild, there’s a willingness to go with the flow and let life get rearranged.

In this guest post, Connie Plummer gives a great picture of a marriage that’s willing to be rearranged. Connie is an educator, a children’s minister, and a wise advocate for marriage and family. I know her words will encourage you as much as they did me.  

As you enter our home there is a little table with some favorite photos of our family, daughter, son, husband, wife, and grandkids. Along with these family photos is

Read more

The Check Engine Light

by

The dreaded check engine light. I don’t know about you, but I hate the check engine light. I always fear the worst when I see it. It’s like the amber light of doom to me.

But despite how I feel about the check engine light, it really is my friend. It lets me know something is wrong so I can fix it before it gets worse. It’s much better to have a check engine light come on, then to have the car blow up suddenly without warning.

Thankfully, each marriage comes equipped with a check engine light.

Read more

What I’ve Learned About Marriage From Buying a House – One More Thing

by

Are you a flaw finder? Do you focus more on what’s wrong than what’s right? Do you point out problems more than pinpoint positives?

Last week I posted what I thought would be my last post in the “What I’ve Learned About Marriage From Buying a House” series. We’ve been in the house for about 4 weeks and I just figured that ship had sailed. But as we’ve settled in, there’s been one more lesson that continues to come up.

Read more

What I’ve Learned About Marriage From Buying a House – Part 8

by

Well, we’re in our new house! Not everything is put away yet, but it’s livable and we can get both cars in the garage! So, I’ll close this series with one final lesson I’ve learned from this experience. What I’ve learned about marriage from buying a house is that it’s easy to let routine take over your marriage.

Read more

What I’ve Learned About Marriage From Buying a House – Part 7

by

Finally! All our stuff was packed. It was all on a truck, or jammed into a car. So I went back into the house and took a final look around.

I walked through the empty rooms that had been home for twenty years. The walls were dotted with nail holes and tattooed with marks here and there. There were hash marks on a door frame that chronicled a child’s life one inch at a time. It all told a story, like primitive paintings on a cave wall. The rooms were empty, but they were full of memories.

Read more