Category: Faith Stories

How to Celebrate Differences in Marriage

How to Celebrate Differences in Marriage

I’m so excited to be featured at The Barefoot Blog this week, writing on differences in marriage in the #WifeHack series. Here’s a brief intro to my post, and I hope you head over there to read the rest.

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Have you ever seen the classic movie “The Odd Couple”? Two men who couldn’t be more opposite must learn to get along as roommates, without killing each other in sheer frustration.

That’s the story of my husband and me.

When we were dating, our opposite traits seemed charming and delightful. He was bold and driven; I was quiet and content. He liked constant variety; I liked constant routine. Our friends told us we were a great match, because we balanced each other so well. He and I felt like we had found our missing halves.

We had no idea yet how our differences could become SO annoying. We said our vows with stars in our eyes, and they blinded us to the sometimes painfully funny truth that awaited.

Click here to read on…

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Five Minute Friday: Steady

Writing for five unedited minutes on the prompt “Steady” for Five Minute Friday.

After school in my childhood, my sister and I stayed with the “S” family after school. My sister and the youngest boy of the family loved to play in the open field behind the house, while I usually stayed inside and read books. But they begged me to come play with them. The problem was, I had to climb over a gate to get to the field.

The gate was locked by the field’s owner, so we couldn’t swing it open. If you wanted to cross, you had to climb over. And I couldn’t do it.

Continue reading Five Minute Friday: Steady

Portrait of a Thirsty Woman

Portrait of a Thirsty Woman: A fictional retelling of the Samaritan woman in John 4

Time to gather water again, she sighed to herself. She thought the years would have toughened her, strengthened her. But water gathering days made her soul feel weary.

Prefer to listen? Here’s the podcast episode:

She was tired of putting defenses up, day after day. Defenses against being a Samaritan, who the Jews despised. Against being barren, which stripped her self-worth. Against being unmarried yet living with her lover. She was an outcast, even among her own people. And she felt weary from the constant fight to prove her value.

Continue reading Portrait of a Thirsty Woman

Portrait of a Shamed Woman

Portrait of a Shamed Woman: A fictional retelling of the woman caught in adultery in John 8

He had stayed too long. She had told him to leave last night, like he usually did, under the cover of darkness. It was too dangerous, staying until morning. This man she loved belonged to someone else. He came to her at night, and their embrace was the only source of joy in her lonely life. In the dark midnight hours he took a secret route back home to his wife and children.

Prefer to listen? Here’s the podcast episode:

Every time he visited he put his job at risk. He was a supplier of utensils for temple sacrifice. She knew his employers would kill him if they knew he was sleeping with her. The Jewish laws said as much.

Continue reading Portrait of a Shamed Woman