Marriage

Why Your Marriage Needs a Mentor

Look around and see who holds hands, who acts kind to one another, who opens the door, who prays for one another or for other couples.

by PAM FARREL in Leading Hearts magazine

LIFE IS MUCH EASIER WHEN YOU HAVE SOME HELP FROM THOSE WHO ARE FURTHER ALONG THE
TRAIL.

Their wisdom and insight will prove to be invaluable in your own journey together. Mentoring is becoming even more important as much of the population today comes from homes that experienced some kind of fractured family.

You may have never lived with both a mother and a father. How are you supposed to know what an intact family looks like? Who is going to model for you how to work through conflict if your own parents decided to abandon their marriage?

How do you find a mentor?

Look for a couple who has the love that you’d like to have. We have experienced many mentors: Bill and Tina, who equipped us while we were dating and engaged; Tom and Barbara, a couple we lived with to save to go to seminary and who simply modeled the daily habits that build a long-lasting love; Jim and Sally Conway, professors and authors who equipped us to balance marriage and ministry.

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Summer Issue Sneak Peek: Pam Farrel Shares the Secret to Loving Well

by Pam Farrel @PamFarrel in Leading Hearts Magazine

Philippians is a book about joy — and it is also a book about practices that bring joy to relationships. In my book 7 Simple Skills for Every Woman, I share:

“If your vertical relationship with God is healthy, your horizontal relationships with people will be healthier too.”

To make sure this happens, I spend time with God’s Word in fresh ways so that it washes through me and into all my relationships. In our newest book, Discovering Joy in Philippians: A Creative Bible Study Experience, three authors (Jean E Jones, artist Karla Dornacher and I) offer numerous creative ways to explore and experience God’s Word.

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MEREDITH KENDALL: Through It All He is Faithful!

by Emily Walton in Leading Hearts Magazine

MEREDITH KENDALL HAS GONE THROUGH COUNTLESS STRUGGLES IN HER LIFE, from an alcoholic and abusive stepfather to having an affair. Today, Meredith uses her testimony to bring hope and healing to others.

Meredith never really knew God. Growing up in an abusive home, her family rarely went to church. In 1985, she became a teenage mother, married the baby’s father and moved to the Bible belt.

Her husband came from an extremely religious family, but neither of them had a relationship with God.

“We went to church, but it was really just something that you did on a Sunday,” says Meredith.

A few years into their marriage she had an affair. They were advised to talk about it and then never bring it up again.

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Page Geske: Milepost 95 from Wreckage to Redemption

Page Geske: Milepost 95 from Wreckage to Redemption

by Heather Riggleman@HeatherRig in Leading Hearts Magazine

SHE NEVER SAW IT COMING — THE MOMENT HER HONDA PILOT WOULD SKIN A GUARDRAIL BEFORE FLIPPING SEVERAL TIMES AND LANDING IN A DITCH. At that time Page Geske didn’t realize that over the next year of her life, she would encounter the goodness and faithfulness of God … as He literally moved her from wreckage to redemption.

In July of 2007, with less than three hours to go, on Highway 15, near Blackfoot, Idaho, Page and her daughter, Andrea, were driving home from Montana where Page’s husband had taken a job. The family chose to keep their roots planted in Idaho for the sake of the kids with frequent visits to see Matt.

“Andrea had turned 16 and I thought it would be a good chance for her to gain some experience driving. So we pulled over and switched seats. I should’ve known better; she didn’t get a chance to adjust everything in the car for her to drive comfortably.”

The moment Andrea reached down to adjust the settings of her seat, she lost control of the car, crashing at 65 miles per hour near milepost 95 of Highway 15.

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How do You Spell L.O.V.E?

How do You Spell L.O.V.E?

By Pam Farrell @PamFarrell in Leading Hearts Magazine

WOULDN’T IT BE NICE IF LOVE, ROMANCE AND VALENTINE’S DAY PASSION LASTED ALL YEAR LONG? It can! The Bible tells us that “God is Love.” And God’s Word is like a love letter to us, so it stands to reason that the Bible might have a few suggestions about how to create lasting love.

My husband, Bill, and I have been married for almost 40 years, and we have been teaching others about loving relationships for nearly 40 years too! We like to help married couples keep the spark and sizzle in their romantic life by giving four simple concepts that fan the flame on L.O.V.E.

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Teaming Up for Wellness

Teaming Up for Wellness

by Pam Farrel @PamFarrel in Leading Hearts Magazine

MINISTRY CAN BE DEMANDING ON OUR BODIES: THE CONSTANT PUSH TO MEET DEADLINES, THE RUSHING AROUND TO HELP PEOPLE, THE CONSTANT MEETINGS OVER.

HIS CRISIS

My husband had been the picture of health; then suddenly his blood pressure went through the roof. This got our attention because his grandfather died of a stroke at age 47 and his father had a stroke that left him paralyzed and disabled at age 48. Bill was 45. The super productive husband I had known was going to bed at 6 p.m. and still seemed exhausted the next day. The doctors were baffled by his erratic BP.

At the time, Bill and I had achieved some measure of success as writers. Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti had hit the best sellers list. Bill was also the senior pastor of the largest church in our city, and we were completing a new building project. In addition, all our sons were teens with full schedules that impacted Bill. too.

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Stop the Arguing! — Plus Holiday Recipe for Cranberry and Meatball Baguettes

By Pam Farrel @PamFarrel  in Leading Hearts Magazine

“DO EVERYTHING WITHOUT GRUMBLING OR ARGUING, SO THAT YOU MAY BECOME BLAMELESS AND PURE, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation .“ (Phil 2:14-15). In the small group Bible study for Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti we joke: “Argument (ar*gyou*- ment) n. A discussion that occurs when you’re right, but your mate just hasn’t realized it yet.”

Once I refereed an hour-long argument over if the Chevy my dad was driving was a 1959 or 1958!!! Couples can get into a cycle of disagreement where everything becomes a point of contention. We could have repeated this unhealthy, destructive, time-wasting way of life but instead, we made a simple choice: Let God’s Spirit select our words.

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