Meg and Peter have been married for more than twenty years. On Valentine’s Day, Meg went all out, giving Peter his favorite candy, tickets to an upcoming hockey game, and, later at night, she wrapped herself in a special outfit purchased for just that occasion. Peter got her a card. At the grocery store. […]
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Talking is one of the best ways to build intimacy as a couple. It is easy, however, to slip into “purposeless” talk or “utilitarian” talk (just going over what the kids are doing, what needs to be done around the house, etc.). That’s fine for many occasions, but to keep building intimacy, it’s helpful to […]
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In the first few decades of the Christian church, virtually every church was a “house church.” And to serve that house church, Paul urges the Corinthians to “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts.” (1 Cor. 14:1) We usually think of “spiritual gifts” being used in a big sanctuary—a pastor speaking to […]
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When still in high school, our youngest daughter stayed home one day, too sick to attend school, so my wife and I agreed to play what turned out to be the most boring game of Monopoly in the history of the world. While all three of us suffered through the ordeal, I had time—plenty of […]
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Two days before Christmas, I accidentally sent a decorative reindeer hurtling off a small table in our library. This reindeer definitely could not fly and it shattered into five separate pieces. I picked each piece up, knowing there was no way I could repair this, and presented the demolished deer to Lisa. “That’s fine,” she […]
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Most of us have heard “The Prayer of St. Francis” so many times we could practically say it by heart. In reality, there is no historical basis to believe St. Francis ever prayed this prayer—it didn’t really exist until the early twentieth century. But whoever wrote it, it’s a powerful prayer, and today I’m asking […]
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An old, popular ditty says, “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage!” Many women will tell you that along with the baby carriage comes fifteen pounds that might take them fifteen years to lose. My friend Karen Yates faced the challenge of postpartum weight gain following the births […]
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The old cliché, “stupid is as stupid does” is painfully true in marriage. We can’t be both stupid and happily married. If we want to take control of our marriages (in a good way), then we have to take control over our minds. We must conquer the lies that war against us, blunting our love, […]
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One of the most popular quotes from The Sacred Search, a line that has been retweeted many times, is “If I’m going to make myself extremely vulnerable to someone, I want that person to be ruled by the Holy Spirit.” The farther you walk into dating, the more intimate it becomes. They get to know […]
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[This is the final of a three part series on the difference between love and desire. You will benefit most from this post if you read the prior two first, in order. Part One. Part Two.] Now that we know the goal of marriage is love more than it is desire—not that desire is opposed […]
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