By Erin Hensche Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, at least that’s what the old adage says. But is there any validity to that statement? If you had asked me that question at the beginning of mine or my husband’s aviation career, the answer would have been a resounding no. After a few years
By Ashley McIlwain When I look around me, I realize how blessed I am with inspirational, successful marriages. My parents just celebrated their 37th anniversary. My sister and her husband their 11th. My husband, Steve’s, parents just celebrated 42 years. Just last month our board members, Greg and Rosemary, hit the 40 year mark. Steve’s
By Ashley McIlwain I feel like everywhere I turn someone is attacking or doubting the validity, significance, benefits, and splendor of marriage. It grieves my heart because marriage rocks. It really does, and I think a lot of why we’ve lost our sense of appreciation for it is because we’ve screwed it up so badly.
By Rick Poleck After what feels like a long and dreary season, winter is always somehow coerced into giving up its shades of steely gray to peeks of warming sunshine, welcome blue skies, intermittent dots and splashes of color, and the fragrances of floral displays called “spring.” The senses come alive, awakening a body’s dormant
By Ashley McIlwain I had gone to the post office and was met by a line of people out the door. My shoulders sank at the reality that I couldn’t just come back and was sure to be waiting for quite a while in this long line. Sure enough, over 20 minutes later, I finally
By Coleen York I don’t know what it is about the mind of a woman, but it seems like we struggle with worry way more than our male counterparts. Our female psyche is able to simultaneously think of 75 different outcomes for every decision and situation. Usually 90% of them are ways things could go
By Dr. Jeff Klick The Bible is the only book I know that says about itself: Hebrews 4:12 - For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
By Stephanie Tracey Forty-four years ago, we began our marriage as two young kids madly in love. We did not begin it as mature Christians who knew and understood God’s word and His ways. But after five years of marriage and the birth of our first child, I was struggling to decide what I believed.
By Ashley McIlwain In my experience, life is an adventure. Granted, I haven’t always viewed it that way. Those all-time lows and moments of despair hardly feel like just a fun thrill ride that I should wave my arms in the air for, although the screaming part is on par. In fact, those moments usually
By Ashley McIlwain Love. What does that word even mean? These days it seems no one really knows anymore. When you ask someone what they believe love to be, oftentimes you get a description of euphoric, idyllic feelings that sound like a chapter out of a romance novel or a scene from the latest chick
