Don’t be deceived by the title. This book does not assume that one fine day all of its readers will be married. It’s not even written solely to the singles crowd. With relatable storytelling and sound wisdom gleaned from Scripture and plenty of difficult, awkward experiences, Marshall Segal titles his book to remind us that “on this side of heaven we are all not yet married” (15).
Read MoreWhat would Jesus do? In this time we are living in, this is a question we may need to be asking ourselves a little more frequently.
Read MoreI’ve said “I love you” to three people. I’ve been heartbroken over two of them. And by the real meaning, I only love one. By that math, that means I’m with the one I really love, right? Not quite. But this isn’t a “woe is me” story about breaking up and losing trust and not believing in love anymore. It’s about forgiving better and loving more.
Read MoreI remember it more than I like. I have a story almost exactly identical to this. I was with a huge group of friends, who are so loving and welcoming. They’re not intimidating or judgmental. They’re the opposite - silly and encouraging.
Read MoreThe other day I was at my church helping to set up for an event when out of nowhere I felt tiny arms wrap around me in a hug. I glanced down to see a little girl that I had never seen before. She looked up at me and said something which both surprised me and stuck with me: “I love you… what’s your name?”
Read More“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength,” this is the Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:37-38). “Love your neighbor as yourself,” this is the Second Commandment (Matthew 22:39). Let’s unpack that “love” word just a bit in order to understand exactly what Jesus is asking of us today.
Read MoreAs women, we are so hard on ourselves. We are quick to critique our hair, our nails, our weight, our clothes, and our height. Hopefully, we aren’t this way with other people, but for ourselves? Yes, we are all too quick to be critical.
Read MoreI once believed the only stories worth reading boasted of intriguing romantic plot lines. Over the past few years, though, the Lord has shown me what love truly is – and what it is not.
Read MoreHave you ever had a moment where you know you absolutely should not say the words that are going through your mind, but somehow they come out anyway? I like to think I am a kind person most of the time, but when I get stressed or upset, I say things to my husband that I don’t intend to say. Rather than using my words lovingly to help us find a solution to a problem, I use them to cause harm.
Read MoreSomewhere along the way, a belief might have become a part of our thinking: we receive love when we do something good or something worthy of praise. As a result of believing this, we end up doing things, not out of love, but with the motive to receive love. When we view our relationships with a transactional mentality, it shapes how we believe God loves us. For example, if we do something good, we get love and if we do something bad, that love is taken away. Our brains revert to this perverted version of love; that is a lie. This destroys our view of God, what He has done for us, and His grace.
Read MoreI write this in the middle of deep silence. A sense of emptiness finds me, and I know it is not emptiness. It’s an ache. I work eight to twelve hour days, which is normal for most, and I have tried to shove too much in between. I finally found an hour to myself, and I wanted to cry. I cry a lot. When all the activity and bustle I have organized for myself no longer swirls around me, I am left to stare at all I have swept under the rug.
Read MoreLove is the unconditional commitment to the well-being of others. It is a gift from God and He has given us the perfect picture of love through the sacrifice of His Son. God’s grace is a result of His love for us. We are called to love one another regardless of our differences or if we feel we have been wronged. We are called to commit ourselves to loving others. This is a hard concept to comprehend sometimes. It’s easy to say that I love people, but when it comes to those who have hurt me, it can be so hard.
Read MoreThis past week, I sat in a courtroom looking into the eyes of the two defendants responsible for breaking into my car, stealing my identity to commit fraud, and causing such stress, anxiety, and fear for me these last few months. While panicking, waiting for the judge to address the courts, I was reminded of the words Jesus prayed on the cross for the very ones crucifying Him, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Read MoreIf you are to believe that you are a child of God - the apple of His eye - then you must believe that of others. This is where it gets a little hard. Remember what it means to be the apple of God’s eye? How He desires to protect you? How He loves, and cherishes you? How He desires to see himself in you?
Read MoreWhen it comes to love, we typically give what we're given. We love with conditions. We love the people who love us, we love the people who are nice to us. We love the people who look and act like us, but what about the ones who aren't so nice to us though? The ones who don't look like us or act like us? What about people that have hurt us? Do we love them?
Read MoreI have a problem with forgiveness. I cannot let go of the afflictions I’ve suffered at the hands of a loved one. I lay it before the cross one day, and creep back in the dark of the night to steal it back again.
Read MoreWe put marriage on such a high pedestal that to many it becomes an idol that defines womanhood. As if a woman only has worth if she is in a romantic relationship or if she is a wife and mother.
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