GPS to a Joyful Marriage

Romans 12:2-3 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.  For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” The second part of verse two says, “ Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Although I grew up going to church, I wasn’t concerned about God’s plan for my life.   After my parent’s divorced, I stopped going to church and grounded my feet in the world.   Most of you know my story so let me cut to the chase.   I lived a life that catered to the desires of my flesh. I often look back at those days and still see God’s hand in my life, although I didn’t ask for His help...

It is wonderful to be at the stage of marriage where you accept that your spouse isn’t perfect, you don’t look to them for your happiness, and you no longer hold them accountable for every word that comes out of their mouth.  I would love to be able to tell you that Rick and I only speak words of wisdom to one another, but that’s not the case, even after 32 years of marriage.  We sometimes mess up, usually because of lack of sleep, illness, stress and crazy hormones.  (Or is it the hormones that make me crazy?  Okay, I admit it.  I’m usually the one that says stupid things.) Even when Rick and I do mess up, we are quick with understanding.  I don’t respond (most of the time) until I’ve studied the situation and look at what’s going on with Rick that he would say something insensitive to me.  He does the same for me. (He’s had a lot more practice.)  We’ve broken the cycle of arguing that causes the most grief in a marriage relationship.  I...

It’s not easy – following God’s plan for your life.  We live in a very busy world that offers countless distractions.  If we’re not careful, we can quickly allow these distractions to rule our lives and our marriage relationships. Although we live in the most advanced age ever with technical gadgets and toys to satisfy our every whim and make our lives simpler, life has only become busier, more complicated, and more influenced by the world.  All of this can easily divert us from our dedication to God. How many times have you told God that you are going to make it a habit to talk to Him every day and read His word?  You have every intention of digging deeper into His spiritual realm and becoming the true Christian He desires you to be.  You want “more”.  You want to know all of that almighty power that is available to you.  You want to experience God as you hear others claim to experience Him. Something always seems to get in the way, thou...

Happy Independence Day!   Today we celebrate our independence from Great Britain, to begin a new country that would stand as one nation under God.   Our forefathers left Europe so they could have religious freedom. John Adams, one of the signers of the declaration, wrote a letter to his wife telling her about the significance of this day.   In it he wrote: "It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. ” I believe it should be a day that we count our blessings.   We have been a great nation, the land of the free, where countless people from other countries have fled to so they could share in that freedom.   This nation was built “under God”, and I believe our current problems are a result of turning away from Him.   Money and material things have become the gods of this country. We are in an economic predicament in this great country that came about by greed.   Along with ...

I hope you all had a joyous weekend and remember to celebrate this Memorial Day for its true meaning.  I ask you to stop for a moment today to pray for the military people who have given us the peace and freedom we know in our country.    This is also a very special day for my husband and me.  We have been away for the weekend celebrating our wedding anniversary.  Rick and I were married thirty years ago today.  SO hard to believe!  I remember when I thought people married THAT long were REALLY OLD! I realize that these days, reaching the thirty year point is quite a milestone. Fewer and fewer couples are achieving it.  It saddens me so to see how quickly couples discard a relationship that could have been fixed.  I often wonder what my life would have been like had I left Rick, over twenty years ago, as I planned to at the time.  I know I chose the right path by sticking it out (thanks to Gods persuasion), and I have been so a...

For those of us who have given our lives and selves over to God, we don’t ever want to go back to how it was before we had Him in our lives. I lived a turbulent life before I asked for God’s help. Had it not been for God miraculously saving my marriage almost 20 years ago, I believe my life would still be in shambles right now. I won’t make decisions without discovering first what God’s will is for me. Trust me, life is so much better this way. Obedience to God brings rewards and blessing from Him that make life joyful. The “peace that surpasses all understanding” that He gives is the most precious gift, especially living in a world with great conflict and turmoil. Finding out God's will for you involves daily prayer. It doesn't have to be eloquent and lengthy, but more like a conversation you would have with your best friend. If you don’t know the love of God, I encourage you to seek Him. He’s right there. Open up His book (the Bible) and He will begin talking ...

How exciting to enter the world of blogging! Having just attended the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference, a new world revealed itself to me in my favorite class held there, Internet Marketing. Cyberspace calls to me. I still do not quite understand it but plan to learn all I can about it. Thanks for hanging in there with me as I weave my way into this mysterious world of “blogging”. As I pondered my first article I would post, it became obvious to me as I read back through my personal goals for this blog. I want to talk about God first and foremost. God saved my marriage. I could not have done it without him. Period. Too lost to know where to begin, I was overwhelmed with negative thoughts and emotions that only He could change. Thank you, God. As I look back at that horrific time, it amazes me to see how He gradually changed my thinking and attitude. Unfortunately for me (and my family), I allowed myself to wallow in the miry pits for quite awhile before I finally called out to...