Crazy in love?

Our small group just finished reading the book "Crazy Love" and if you haven't read it...go buy it...NOW!! It was such a good book and it sparked such wonderful conversations among us. It also got Jeff thinking in a way I have never seen before which is super exciting for me. Although he is often a man of few words, when he does have something to say, it always seems to be really profound! That's not just the thought of a doting wife, others have said it before too. :)
The whole premise of Crazy Love is to be obsessed in your love for Jesus. To toss your cares for things of this world, like our cars, houses..stuff aside and live with abandon for our God. One of the ways in which this has struck me has been with our house. Before we moved here, we weren't really living in God's will. We believed in Him, but we were more inclined to go for things like the bigger house, fancier car..etc. Now, not so much. One thing that has become a priority for us is figuring out a way to provide our children with Christian schooling. Matthew attends Kalamazoo Christian for preschool and Caroline will attend next Fall. To be honest, it never even crossed my mind as an option before. But, now, after seeing what it has to offer..I feel very convicted that this is what the Lord wants for our children. Furthermore, I very strongly feel like the sacrifices that would be needed on our part is what God is calling us to. There are alot of uncertainties right now in our lives as far as careers and where we will be in the next three years go. But, one thing I am absolutlely sure of is I want GOD in the center of this decision. I want to seek HIS will for our lives. I want to look back five years from now and breath easy knowing..whatever came our way that we sought the Lord through it all! Defintely five years from now..heck, five days from now I want to be able to say I am crazier in love with God than ever!! How about you?? Are you CRAZY!!???

Marriage preservation

So lately I have been surrounded by people getting divorced. It started with two of my parents friends, who after 40 some years of marriage called it quits. Now it has trickled down to the demographic of which I am in (married about ten years, small kids, etc.) Yesterday my sister told me about a couple, for whom I nannied for and actually lived with for four months were calling it quits. My mom later asked me if I was shocked and I answered No..sadly, people giving up on their marriages seems to be happening all too frequently. Then, I started considering my own marriage. I mean, I lived with that couple, hung out with them alot and they seemed pretty happy, in fact, their marriage has a lot of similiarities to my own. It was seven years ago that all this occured and obviously alot could have gone on in those years. This lead me to seriously consider how much I potentially take my marriage and its well being for granted. I think that I do. I just assume that Jeff will always be there, always love me, always take care of us, always put up with me and whatever mood I decided he gets that day. I have joked before that I sometimes talk to Jeff like Kate Gosselin talked to Jon. Really, this isn't funny. I should be more honoring and respectful of him..always, not just when the mood strikes.
I blogged about making time for intimacy, and I don't want to be TMI here, but that is one area that we struggle in. But, I think this is defintely one area that people over look but can truly have detrimental consequences to the survival of a marriage. If you lose that part, what are you other than roomates and if your a roomie with your spouse it becomes way easier to "break your lease" so to speak.
I am saddened by all the people I know who are struggling in their marriages and especially for those who have deemed theirs unrepairable. My heart aches for the innocent victims, the children of these unions. I have been lifting these people in prayer because I truly believe our Lord is capable of restoring anything and no situation is ever hopeless. But, I also am determined to learn lessons from other people's mistakes and to remain proactive in my attempts to preserve my marriage.