Pure Possibilities

Ephesians 5:3 states, “Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” “Mom, is it even possible for me to grow up being sexually pure?” was the question my 13 year old son asked me that stopped me in my tracks.  As we sat and talked, I was reminded of the real battle each of our sons and daughters have every day.   The sexually tempting billboards along the roads, the relentless commercials flashing sensuality on TV, the constant drumming of sex …

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The Making of a Marriage – When Holding On is Tough

  Marriage is hard. Sometimes couples slip apart. Sometimes they just let go. We don’t always love well. We don’t always live selfless lives. We don’t always do what is best for the one we love. We don’t always love the one we said we would spend the rest of our lives with. We don’t always like each other. We don’t always serve one another. We aren’t always nice to each other. We don’t always say kind words to one another. We aren’t always in a good mood. We don’t always have candlelit, romantic dinners. We don’t always tell each …

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Just Between Us Girls

Fellow Moms, we all know our husbands need us to be their cheerleaders.  Sometimes we feel resentful of that need. We wonder, “Where is my pat on the back for the things I do?”  Let me attempt to put things into perspective. Typically our kids are created to look to moms for encouragement and then those same children desire to impress mom with all the things they can do. “Mommy watch me!” is a common phrase from little ones. Bigger kids less overt, “Mom, are you coming to my game?” We innately know we are to build up our children. …

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Wearing White In The Everyday

I never got to wear a real wedding dress. Instead, three weeks after my 18th birthday, I walked down the aisle resembling a big piece of pink cotton candy with a rain coat. I was seven months pregnant with the groom’s child. Each step was supposed to be joyful. Instead, I remember vividly how ashamed I was. As I looked at my friends and family dressed in T-shirts and jeans, I remember the wedding of my childhood dreams. I wanted to be wearing a big stark white, ball gown princess dress. My hair up in a knot with ringlets of …

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I Am A Controlling Woman

By Special Guest: Gina Smith We’ve all heard the phrase, “SHE wears the PANTS in THAT family!” We shake our heads and think about how controlling other women can be. But did you know that every time I complain or am discontent with my husband, correct or criticize him, tell him what to do, or interrupt him…I am controlling!? I see it so clearly in others but the truth of the matter is that I am a controller. I wear the pants in my family. It’s a part of who I am. It’s a part of EVERY woman. The Word …

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Choices

That afternoon changed everything.  Our happy, church-going family was suddenly thrown into unimaginable pain.  Like so many of my sweet  sisters in Christ, this was the afternoon I stumbled upon porn on our computer, and the pornography ended up to be just the tip of the iceberg.  It seemed each day brought new, unimaginable confessions from my husband. I was plunged into pain so deep and heavy I could hardly breathe. The shock that this could have come from my husband, practiced in my own home, was incomprehensible. Where was God in this? Why didn’t He protect me? And what …

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Love on Display

Yesterday was what my husband and I refer to as a “Hallmark holiday.” Don’t get me wrong, I applaud the efforts of the greeting card industry to help people communicate their feelings, but I believe expression of our love and affection for our loved ones should not be limited to one day on the calendar. Love doesn’t just happen. It needs to be nurtured if it is to grow into something beautiful and lasting. Marriage relationships especially require daily attention to develop and mature. Often that means you make an intentional choice to show your husband you care, a deliberate …

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