The Glorious Frustration of Being Married

Before I got married, I drove however fast I wanted and took whatever route I wanted. Granted, on my way to wherever I was going, I also had a knack for running late because of my propensity to get lost. And although I hate to admit it, even now my inner compass doesn’t function like the other people out there who have an unexplainable good sense of direction. One of those other people is my wife, and it wasn’t long into our relationship before she figured out that when it came to finding our way around unfamiliar areas, she and…

One Way to Stop an Argument with Your Spouse

July 19, 2014July 22, 2014 Categories: MarriageTags: conflict · forgiveness · grace · Holy Spirit · marriage · prayer · sin · temptation

The other night, I was on my way out the door to go to a church men’s group, and I told my wife I didn’t know how to get there. She gave me directions to the house, which was located in another part of D.C. I repeated the directions back to her, and then I got in the car and drove away. But then one block later, I realized I didn’t have my cell phone with me.

My Friend’s Wife is Going to Jesus Today – Please Pray

June 16, 2014June 17, 2014 Categories: MarriageTags: death · faith · marriage · prayer · sacrifice · suffering9 Comments

Last week, I posted a status update on my Facebook page asking the readers of the blog to pray for a miracle for Wanda Harrison, the wife of my friend Kevin. She had unexpectedly suffered a brain bleed that left her in a coma and without much hope for surviving. I concluded the status update by saying, I know that it’s hard to figure out how to respond to status updates like this one. Nobody wants to ‘like’ bad news. So here’s an idea: if you will join me in a simple prayer for God to do a wild miracle…

How to Fall in Love with Your Spouse Again

June 7, 2014January 5, 2017 Categories: MarriageTags: dating · grace · marriage5 Comments

A couple of days ago, I was getting on the Metro when I saw a young woman did something that caught my eye. She noticed that her beau was on our train, and she plowed through the people on the train to get to him.

Five Reasons I’m Glad I’m Married

June 4, 2014August 18, 2014 Categories: MarriageTags: friendship · grace · marriage · Singleness

Recently, I wrote a post on Boundless in which I compared marriage to being a new homeowner and reminded single readers that marriage is a process that involves a lot of hard work. I still stand by everything I said, but some of our readers responded and made a good point: Married Christians have a nasty habit of providing endless know-it-all warnings about the various reasons marriage is going to be way harder than single folks can imagine. One reader commented that, actually, it’s easy for her to imagine all the things that could go wrong with marriage; she preferred to…

What You May Not Want to Hear About Marriage

May 20, 2014March 9, 2018 Categories: MarriageTags: conflict · grace · marriage · sacrifice · suffering

After aggressively saving for a while, my wife and I just purchased a home that was totally remodeled. When the inspector was going through the house, he warned us that during the course of the first year, the new structure would settle, leaving cracks in the walls. Then a friend who purchased a similar home warned me that no matter how good the house looked, I would find all kinds of things wrong with it during the first year. Despite getting this advice from an experienced home inspector and a trusted friend, my internal reaction in response was, My house is going to be different.

The Scary Thing That Makes Us Powerful

May 8, 2014May 10, 2014 Categories: Growing PainsTags: criticism · forgiveness · friendship · marriage · prayer · sin · temptation

One time when I was a kid, I went to this church lock-in, and for whatever reason – I don’t remember – I was being so negative about everything. I was criticizing the building, the food, the people; if it had something to do with the lock-in, it was a target for my put-downs.

Hold Onto Your Spouse Tonight

March 13, 2014March 14, 2014 Categories: MarriageTags: conflict · grace · healing · marriage · parenthood4 Comments

Yesterday, I was leaving for work when I noticed that my two-year-old daughter wouldn’t look at me when I said goodbye. “Is everything okay?” I asked. She just looked at the floor.

You Can’t Afford to Date That Fixer-Upper

March 3, 2014May 28, 2014 Categories: This and ThatTags: dating · fear · marriage · Singleness · temptation1 Comment

My friends Cris and Sam had been planning their home purchase for months, and finally, after looking at several houses, they found a lovely home that seemed like the perfect fit. They negotiated with the seller, signed a contract, and began making settlement plans. But first, they had to do the inspection.

Six Reasons I’m Glad I Married My Wife

March 2, 2014March 3, 2014 Categories: MarriageTags: forgiveness · grace · marriage1 Comment

Dear Honey, I know it’s a little weird when people fawn all over their spouses on social media – it’s like, what are they trying to prove? But hey, I can’t judge – Lord knows I’ve done my share of Facebook declarations of love for you, so why stop now?

Give Your Spouse Some Space

February 19, 2014February 21, 2014 Categories: MarriageTags: friendship · marriage · sacrifice

Today, I was with my family at Chic-fil-A, and my two-year-old daughter was eating a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich that my wife had in her purse. After my daughter finished her fries, she asked if she could dip her sandwich in her ketchup. “That’s gross – no,” I said.

What’s in a Selfie?

January 29, 2014January 31, 2014 Categories: MarriageTags: grace · marriage

I got a call from my Aunt Kathy Jo last Friday morning. She told me she was wearing her pajamas, a fur coat, and rollers; and she was standing in her daughter’s yard trying to round up the dogs. “My daughter’s neighbor is laughing at me,” she said, laughing along with him.

Proposed Resolution for 2014: Stop Lying

January 7, 2014November 28, 2014 Categories: Loving Your NeighborTags: conflict · friendship · marriage · sin · temptation

Last July, my wife requested that we meet about our finances before the end of summer. I wasn’t particularly inspired — I don’t like to talk about finances because crunching numbers and talking investment were never my strong suit. But September was a couple of months away, so I said yes to appease her.

Keeping My Wife’s Story to Myself

September 17, 2013January 5, 2014 Categories: Loving Your NeighborTags: marriage1 Comment

If I didn’t love my wife, I wouldn’t be sitting here at 10:09 on Monday night scrambling to rewrite this post. But I do love her – a lot – which brings me to this desk, in front of this laptop, at a time when I would normally be flossing my teeth.

Confessions of a Guilt-driven Wife

July 23, 2013November 23, 2018 Categories: MarriageTags: guilt · healing · marriage2 Comments

Ladies, I know it’s tempting to think your husband purposefully tries to be insensitive to your deepest insecurities and fears, but the fact is, we often aren’t even aware of them. You’re struggling with major body image issues, and we think you can’t figure out what to wear. You feel isolated and friendless, and we think you’re just being needy.

Joshua Rogers

Finding God in the Ordinary

Tag: marriage