Cultivating a Healthy Marriage -

Mike and I listened to this lecture after dinner (a few dinners to be exact - we paused it a few times) and really enjoyed it.  It is full of practical suggestions and techniques to help grow your marriage.  Though cheesy, the analogy of a garden really makes a lot of sense in marriage.  You have to work on it, every day, or it will most definitely have weeds and pests in it.  In a drought, you have to water the garden.  In overwhelming amounts of rain, you have to diligently weed the garden.  Where as in marriage, when life is hard, it's hard on your marriage.  When life is "easy", you still have to work on your marriage.  Tim & Kathy explain it better, but I really enjoyed it.
Another of my favorite points that they made was in regards to debriefing.  They emphasized the importance of debriefing arguments after the fact.  When the air is clear and the nerves have calmed, talking about the fight and where it came from and how we can better communicate next time to keep conversations as that, and not fights.

Did I mention that we also laughed a lot? They make a good team.

From the Redeemer Presbyterian Website:

Using the metaphor of cultivating a garden, Timothy and Kathy Keller address methods of cultivating healthy marriages by exploring eight practical areas in marriage: planning and planting, roles, headship and submission, fertilizing and watering, love language, sex, conflict resolution, forgiveness and repentance, and spiritual life together.

Listen Here

Quick note: The audio tracker moves very slowly, making it seem like the recording is hours and hours long.  In reality, about halfway through, the audio restarts back to the beginning, so you have to fast-forward until you catch back up to where you were.  Not the best technical job ever, but the message is worth it.

Book Review

"O Me of Little Faith" by Jason Boyett

2 thumbs up
An easy, non-overwhelming read.  He is a clever writer with witty comments and funny footnotes.  Besides, you have to have a good sense of humor to put that picture on the cover :)

This book has made me think hard about my faith and how I handle my doubts and uncertainties.  I am definitely going to keep it on the shelf and refer back to it in the future.  I also plan to recommend it to a few friends. 

Buy it online!

PS - kudos to me for actually finishing a book.  Yes, I said it was an easy read.  That is in comparison to books my husband reads.  I also have a tendency to start books and not finish them.  So, regardless of how high the hurdle, I give myself points for jumping it at all.  :)

I love my job

I'm such a dork. Today, I was getting ready for work, and actually excited to go there. I was looking forward to seeing customers, coworkers and the products! I love those products. Before you go on thinking how lame and nerdy I am (cause I am, don't you worry) chew on this: how many people get to say they are looking forward to going to work? Excited to go to work! Now who's the nerd :) I'm so blessed that God has brought me where I am today. Not just a job, but a good one, and not just a house, but a free one, and not just a husband, but an awesome (and hilarious) one at that.
 

God has blessed us through this journey, and I am so grateful for it.


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An interesting read if you have a moment and are interested in some of the reasons that make this a company different than other retailers.