One of the things I love most about my husband is that he’s always in my corner. No matter what happens, even when I fail, he still loves me and thinks I’m awesome. He has seen my ugliest sides but still thinks I’m great and wants to be married to me. I am SO grateful for that kind of support. …
Why My Love Story Never Gets Old
Not everyone knows this about me and Ike, but we met in a bar. At the time, I was working as a college minister and Ike was a seminarian. We were both there for a charity date auction, and Ike was being auctioned off. And no I did not bid on him. 🙂 After meeting that night, Ike spent the …
On Marriage and the Mutuality of Our Humanity
What follows is a work in progress as I work through some ideas. That said, if you disagree, feel free to push back! In just a few weeks Ike and I will be celebrating our third wedding anniversary. Each year as we mark this occasion, we have used it as a time to reflect on our marriage, its strengths, and …
A Letter to My 27 Year-Old Self
Since Friday, Ike has been out of town serving at our church’s annual summer youth retreat. It has been a little lonely around here without him, but I have also enjoyed the time to myself. On this particular quiet morning, I am sitting in bed and nibbling on some breakfast as the little boy inside my belly begins to stir …
Why Christian Marriage is More Radical Than You Think
When Ike and I were engaged we read a book that my dad had recommended to us called His Needs, Her Needs. Similar to the premise of The Five Love Languages, this book helps couples identify the ways that they feel loved (ie. felt needs) so that they can show one another love accordingly. In many ways we found the …
The Wise Marriage
Today Her.meneutics published a post of mine about why Ike and I go to marriage counseling. In the post I referenced a recent wedding that Ike officiated (pictured left), in which he preached on wisdom. I really loved what Ike said that afternoon, so in conjunction with the Her.meneutics post I thought I would share more excerpts from his message. …
This Year, Don’t Just Attend Weddings
Well I am back from North Carolina (so sad!) and upon my arrival yesterday, Illinois greeted me with a rainy, dreary day. Luckily, my spirits couldn’t be dampened after an amazing week and a half spent with family and friends. I attended two weddings and was honored with two baby showers, and my heart has been full all week. I …
Marriage Poison
Out of the blue, one of my co-workers asked me an interesting question as we sat across from one another this week: “What brings you satisfaction in life?” That’s a big question that I was not at all prepared for, so I wasn’t exactly sure how to answer. There are, after all, a lot of ways to answer it. After …
Karl Barth on Sex and Marriage
For the last year and a half my husband has been reading through Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics as a part of his doctoral studies. Composed of roughly 13 books/volumes that average about 700 pages each (with teeny tiny print), this task is not for the faint of heart. Lucky for me, I am often the beneficiary of whatever theological treasures …
Prioritizing Marriage and Motherhood
I’m not gonna lie, until recently I thought the phenomenon called “pregnancy brain” was a myth. Then I got pregnant, and now I just can’t use my brain the way I did before. This handicap has manifested itself most prominently in my inability to write. It’s been very difficult for me to gather my thoughts and think creatively. Thinking is …