It is easy in marriage to drift in different directions, instead, we encourage couples to decide together the direction they want their marriage and family to go. In this way, everyone is pulling in the same direction. For all couples, this is a smart idea, but for couples and families carrying leadership roles, it is imperative we all are working together as one team from the same play book!
Pam Farrel “I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic; I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope” (Acts 26:2 MSG). So how does a person, or a couple, go…
Pam Farrel | love-wise.com You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors (James 1:3 MSG). I am a country girl, and…
Linda Goldfarb & Linda Gilden"The Two Lindas of Personality" Throughout the ages, couples across the globe have sought one thing: a deep, lasting connection with the person they love. One…
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.
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?
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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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.