Furnishing your first home or apartment together is an exciting task! Whether you’ve lived there on your own or it’s a new place to you, the two of you will create a place to call your own. Beyond the colors of the walls or the choice of furniture and appliances, you will also be furnishing your home with many intangibles. What is it that...

A well-tended flowerbed adds so much to a landscape! The plants and flowers create an invitation to slow down the pace of our busy lives. They add color to our days. Some bloom for a season and then die. Others die back after a time, only to once again break out into bloom the next year. Like a well-tended flowerbed, the atmosphere of love in...

Chosen! In most marriages today, the bride knows she has been chosen by her beloved. How exciting it is to know that someone has taken time to get to know you, has grown in his love and commitment to you, and has accepted you! You too are choosing a future with this man. In a similar way, God has chosen to love you. No matter who you are,...

Planning a wedding is both exciting and draining! Those of us who look back at our own wedding are sure to remember things that went as we’d hoped, as well as a few surprises along the way.  How are you doing with the mountain of tasks as you prepare? What is most important to you? Why not take a few moments to reflect on the process, as you...

The excitement of an engagement and wedding plans are contagious! Not only do the bride and groom get into the act; family and friends have suggestions, opinions and ideas as well. Once calendars are considered and a date has been set, a countdown may begin. Lists of things to do are categorized and put on a timetable. A bride often enlists the...

Imagine a beautifully planted garden, with trees, bushes, flowers, and fruit. Perhaps there is a stream running through it, and a meadow. God creates a man. He then takes a rib from Adam and handcrafts a woman who is a perfect companion, one fit for Adam. Imagine as they get acquainted, and thank God for the many gifts He has given! Rooted...

One challenge as you get to know one another in marriage is that you eventually find out there are “warts.” Suddenly you find some imperfection, a spot that you wish would disappear. Maybe you knew that it was there, and hoped he would never see it. How do you respond to warts? People respond in various ways. Let’s look at some principles...