Gary Thomas has become one of my favorite authors and marriage mentors. There was a time when I didn’t feel this way, mostly because his book Sacred Marriage was used as a weapon to tell me I should have stayed in my marriage. While I agree that marriage is sacred and divorce should never be…
Three years ago, Lysa Terkeurst and her husband stood before man and God and renewed their vows following a painful separation after infidelity. They gave so much hope to those walking the painful journey of infidelity, a reminder that God is able. And God truly is able. He is able to heal the most broken…
On New Year’s Eve, Lysa TerKeurst, founder of Proverbs 31 ministries, announced her marriage is ending after nearly 30 years. It’s been several years since she made a similar announcement and I penned the following words to her. You see, in 2017 she announced her husband had been unfaithful and she was pursuing a legal…
We are on the cusp of a new year, filled with 365 brand new days. A new beginning. A fresh start. New opportunities. Full of promise. New mercies every single day. These last two years have been difficult for so many. We’ve seen so much pain, so much loss, so much division. Many of us…
Recently, I was reading an old blog post from when Roy and I were first married. In case you don’t know, our first couple of years were HARD…and that might be the understatement of the year! As if marriage isn’t hard enough, remarriages are even harder. When you take two people who have baggage from…
One size does not fit all. I recently republished a post about purity. In it, I mentioned the book Every Young Man’s Battle. A reader asked me to do some research and look into the damage this book has done to marriages and families, and she put a link to a video by Sheila Wray…
Since I frequently write about adultery, divorce, and abuse, I also follow a number of Christian writers who focus on these topics. Most of the time, I find great compassion and a desire to help the church better understand the plight of those of us who have experienced this type of victimization. I have used…
Divorce. The word alone strikes fear into the heart of people. Maybe you lived through your parents’ divorce. Maybe you watched friends’ marriages suffer the ultimate destruction. Maybe you’ve walked that dreaded path…or you fear your marriage is heading down that road now. I’m not sure there’s another pain in this life that compares to…
The more I talk with people who have walked the dark path of adultery, the more I realize not all affairs are the same. I have a dear friend who walked the dark, painful days of adultery with me. Her husband had been a pastor at a local church when he had an affair. Through…
Several months ago, I wrote about the biblical story of Abigail and Nabal. You can read it here. This story has always been an intriguing one to me. I’m not sure why it has always captivated me. Maybe it is because Nabal was so cruel. Maybe it was because Abigail was such an amazing example….
Last week, I contemplated the question, “Would I do it again?” meaning would I walk through a divorce if I could go back and live my life over again. Saturday would have been my 28th wedding anniversary if I had remained married to my ex-husband and if he were still alive. I found myself contemplating…
Abigail and Nabal represent the classic narcissistic, abusive husband and a godly, empathic wife. It’s a story that plays out over and over in society today, in churches around the world.