Much of what fuels a single person to long for marriage is the lack of feeling of wholeness they have, and the idea that marriage will bring them that wholeness. In this sense, marriage becomes an idol, and we know idols never fulfill their promises. Many married people have bought into this trap as well, […]
Correcting Jeremiah 29:11, Does God really have plans to prosper you?
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. You’ll find Jeremiah 29:11 in many places. I once wore it on a bracelet as a teenager. It was on a poster on our […]
When Your Marriage is Running on Empty…
(Ladies, I originally wrote this for men and left the language that way in the blog post. Please swap out “wife” for “husband”, “her” for “him” etc. as these principles should apply to you as well) Your love for your wife cannot be rooted in her love for you. You cannot wait to do nice […]
Marriage Entitlement’s Kryptonite: Appreciation
I recently blogged on how entitlement is the biggest enemy in our marriages. What follows is what I call the Kryptonite to our entitlement–that is, the one thing entitlement can’t be in coexistence with: appreciation. In my ten years of marriage, I’ve had nine years of living entitled, and one year (the most recent) of […]
The Biggest Enemy of Your Marriage: Entitlement
Our worst enemy in our marriages is not pornography. It’s not lust. It’s not temptation. It’s not compatibility. It is entitlement. There are a lot of books and seminars out there on how to improve your marriage (some of them very good). But if one of them actually worked in a once-and-for-all fashion, couldn’t books […]
Pour Some Sugar On Me: Why Sex Sells and Marriage Doesn’t
We all like sugar. Cake, brownies, ice cream, pie, candy, lemonade, soda (a.k.a. “pop” for those from Michigan). We like it in our coffee and tea and sprinkled over our cereal. So if you like sugar, I have a challenge for you. Go find a 20oz cylinder of sugar (pictured, about the size of jumbo […]