http://godhungry.org/2009/02/27/before-you-marry-4/ Attempting to connect life to what matters most Wed, 23 May 2012 03:39:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://godhungry.org/2009/02/27/before-you-marry-4/comment-page-1/#comment-7853 Quick Takes - 3/7/2009 at Ray Fowler .org Sat, 07 Mar 2009 20:50:33 +0000 http://godhungry.org/?p=2014#comment-7853 [...] Martin shares some good thoughts on before you marry. “Marriage can be wonderful. It is a gift of God. Yet, it is very important to think through [...] [...] Martin shares some good thoughts on before you marry. “Marriage can be wonderful. It is a gift of God. Yet, it is very important to think through [...]

]]> http://godhungry.org/2009/02/27/before-you-marry-4/comment-page-1/#comment-7852 Michelle Van Loon Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:47:51 +0000 http://godhungry.org/?p=2014#comment-7852 A young woman I've been mentoring (well, OK - maybe mentoring is too big a word for what we do: hanging around together, talking about life/God/school/friendships, and praying through and after our conversations) got engaged yesterday. She hears her fellow Christian College senior girlfriends equating "wedding" with "marriage", and she has gotten militant in recent months about a wedding being a very important day, but not a goal or destination. She and I have been sorting through all the pressures and expectations you describe in this blog post. She wants the life, not the wedding. Her boyfriend (now fiance) put together a scavenger hunt that would celebrate their relationship. I got to be "stop number 2" - I met her and had a chance to hug her, to remind her to enjoy the special day her boyfriend had created, and to pray with her. What an amazing privilege to be a part of their journey.   A young woman I’ve been mentoring (well, OK – maybe mentoring is too big a word for what we do: hanging around together, talking about life/God/school/friendships, and praying through and after our conversations) got engaged yesterday. She hears her fellow Christian College senior girlfriends equating "wedding" with "marriage", and she has gotten militant in recent months about a wedding being a very important day, but not a goal or destination. She and I have been sorting through all the pressures and expectations you describe in this blog post. She wants the life, not the wedding. Her boyfriend (now fiance) put together a scavenger hunt that would celebrate their relationship. I got to be "stop number 2" – I met her and had a chance to hug her, to remind her to enjoy the special day her boyfriend had created, and to pray with her. What an amazing privilege to be a part of their journey.  

]]> http://godhungry.org/2009/02/27/before-you-marry-4/comment-page-1/#comment-7851 karin Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:39:55 +0000 http://godhungry.org/?p=2014#comment-7851 It's been a real concern of mine that in recent years many, many people do not even wish to get married. Their parents' marriage was not a good model and it failed. They wish to have the benefits of marriage, especially the physical, are filled with all the romantic notions about being a couple, but do not want all the responsibilities that go with it. Among the 30+ staff I alone supervised, there were almost 10 who had and were having children, but were never married and emphatically stated that they chose not to get married. Some others had been married, then divorced and were now entering affairs but refused to marry the second partner.  You have excellent observations!  Hopefully there are young people who will listen to advice, make wise decisions and a life-time commitment that honors God - my grandkids included. Certainly is so important to keep them in prayer! It’s been a real concern of mine that in recent years many, many people do not even wish to get married. Their parents’ marriage was not a good model and it failed. They wish to have the benefits of marriage, especially the physical, are filled with all the romantic notions about being a couple, but do not want all the responsibilities that go with it. Among the 30+ staff I alone supervised, there were almost 10 who had and were having children, but were never married and emphatically stated that they chose not to get married. Some others had been married, then divorced and were now entering affairs but refused to marry the second partner.  You have excellent observations!  Hopefully there are young people who will listen to advice, make wise decisions and a life-time commitment that honors God – my grandkids included. Certainly is so important to keep them in prayer!

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