By Ashley McIlwain I love you. Those are perhaps three of the most powerful words we can ever speak to someone, and they are perhaps three of the most powerful words that can ever be spoken to us. We all long to be loved. We were created to be in relationship and experience the richness
By Ashley McIlwain There are certain moments in life you know are special. Moments when you close your eyes tightly in an attempt to snap a mental picture that will forever capture every last detail of your surroundings. They are moments that you never want to forget. Recently I had one of those moments. I
By Ashley McIlwain Seven years. That’s right, seven years. It was seven years ago that I had a dream. Well, it was more of an inkling of a dream. At the time it was barely a formulated thought let alone a plan, but it was still the start of a dream. Though it was foggy
By Ashley McIlwain Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? Mark 8:18 “You hurt me so badly! I am devastated!” says the wife. “Well, you hurt me too, and you don’t know what I’m up against at work,” replies the husband. “You don’t care at all about me!”
By Ashley McIlwain Whether you have been married for one day or for a century, there is one universal truth. You will always and forever have to continue to work at your marriage. Often times we assume that there is a point and time in the life of a marriage where you are “over the
More than ever I am acutely aware of the importance of marriage. Daily I see the impact of failing marriages with my clients. It’s the wife who is struggling with depression and anxiety because she desperately wants to feel loved by her husband. It’s the husband who is battling sexual addiction because he yearns for
By Ashley McIlwain Work … make dinner … laundry … dishes … work … get groceries … run to the post office … church … coffee with a friend … dinner with friends … work … clean the house … tackle house project … call my family … work … networking breakfast … devotions …
By Ashley McIlwain Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. –Ephesians 4:31-32 If there is one guarantee in relationships, it is that you will
By Ashley McIlwain Marriages are boring, affairs are fun! That’s what the spam email said that was sitting in my inbox staring at me candidly and shamelessly. My heart ached as I saw the words beseeching me to believe their ridiculous claim. Unapologetically this lie dared to even show its ugly face. Unfortunately, I’ve witnessed
By Ashley McIlwain We lock our doors. We install high-tech alarm systems. We fasten our seat belts. We wear helmets. We look both ways before crossing the street. We use anti-virus software. We buy guns. We use antibacterial soap. The truth is, we want to feel safe, so we do everything we can to establish
