Wives: Are You a Gift or a Burden?

Patricia Hartman
30 Dec 2014
one comments

Marriage is not a word. It’s a life sentence. Is this how your husband feels about your marriage? Are you unknowingly destroying your husband and killing your marriage? According to an article by Katelyn Carmen on FamilyShare.com, there are five ways to do exactly that. As you take this inventory, consider how these relate to God’s command for wives to respect their husbands (Ephesians 5:33) and how they relate to God’s design for men as protectors and providers. Further, don’t get distracted with “what about me” feelings. It will be the husband’s turn next month. This month is about your […]

-Read More

The In-laws Who Stole Christmas

Patricia Hartman
5 Dec 2014
no comments

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all thro’ the house Not a couple was merry, not even one spouse.   The stockings hand quilted by Grandma with care, Were replaced by Dad’s mom with new store-bought pairs.   The children played video games all snug in the den, In hopes that Mom and Dad would get it together again.   I, in the kitchen, with Sammy the cat, Begged for more scraps while Mom and Dad spat.   When out in the family room there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my dog bed to see what was the […]

-Read More

What’s Lurking Under the Hood?

Patricia Hartman
1 Nov 2014
no comments
under the hood

On a scale of 1 — 10, with 10 being the highest, how would you rate the condition of your marriage?   Husband 9.5 – Wife 2.0 Before founding Live the Life, Richard Albertson attended a marriage class with his wife. When asked to rate their marriage, he pridefully proclaimed a 9.5. In shock, Elizabeth showed him her 2. She was mortified he was unaware of her misery. He was sure she was the one who needed straightening out. The oil had slowly leaked from their marital engine. Both had a lot to learn.   I don’t love him. I’m […]

-Read More

Does Marriage Matter?

Patricia Hartman
14 Oct 2014
no comments

Standing at the altar with her groom by her side and three “possible” dads behind her, Sophie halts her wedding ceremony, saying, “Now I know what I really want. Sky, let’s just not get married yet.” Sky: “What?” Sophie: “You never wanted this anyway. I know that. Let’s just get off this island and see the world. All right?” Sky: “I love you.” That’s the climax of the wedding movie, “Mama Mia.” To a Boomer, this makes no sense. It’s a millennial thing. Many just don’t see the need for marriage. The numbers are in From a report earlier this […]

-Read More

Vows: Will You Love Me in The Rain?

Patricia Hartman
9 Sep 2014
no comments

“I, Patricia, do take you, Patrick, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony; to love, honor, respect, trust, cherish, encourage and support you according to God’s holy ordinance forsaking all others and keeping myself only unto you, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, in joy and in sorrow, in failure and in triumph, from this day forward until death do us part. Do you really mean for better or worse? Who remembers Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham and […]

-Read More

God’s To-Do List for Marriage

Patricia Hartman
4 Aug 2014
no comments

“I, Patricia, do take you, Patrick, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to live together in the Holy Estate of Matrimony; to love, honor, respect, trust, cherish, encourage, and support you according to God’s Holy ordinance …” At a monthly Living Waters Counseling how-to-do-life seminar, my good friend, Dr. Norman Wise, painted perhaps the best picture of what often derails marriages. He said that as singles, we feel unhappy. We meet the opposite sex, and they make us feel happy. So we marry. Then we become vampires, sucking the happiness out of our spouse. If your spouse is the same […]

-Read More

The Holy Estate of Matrimony

Patricia Hartman
2 Jul 2014
one comments
The Holy Estate of Matrimony

Installment five in the marriage vows series. “I, Patricia, take you, Patrick, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony…” The word holy means divine, set apart, sacred. Estate is a state of being, and matrimony is, of course, marriage. Marriage was the first institution that God set apart for his good purposes. The other two were government and church, which powerfully indicates the importance he places on marriage. Where dreams come true However, our expectations of marriage may resemble a fantasyland. Supercharged young children surrounded us as we rode our Disney bus […]

-Read More

Lawfully Wedded

Patricia Hartman
8 May 2014
no comments

I, Patricia, take you, Patrick, to be my lawfully wedded husband… While Christian marriage is a spiritual event, to be legally married according to Florida state laws, you must follow Florida Statutes Chapter 741. Accordingly, you must apply for and get a license to marry at the courthouse, documenting your identity and paying a fee which will be discounted if you can prove you took a recognized 4-hour premarital course. Your marriage must be officiated by an authorized agent of the state like a pastor or notary public. After your wedding, your officiator and two witnesses must sign your license. […]

-Read More

Shrinking the Expectation Gap

Patricia Hartman
17 Mar 2014
one comments

Lorraine gave up on her marriage. “I don’t love Rich anymore. In fact, I don’t know if I ever loved him. We live separate lives. I guess we just grew apart.” Lorraine’s statement is ironically accurate. She stopped demonstrating love (action) toward her husband. However, her true reason for quitting is that she is not feeling loved. When asked about the vows she took when she got married, Lorraine got a deer-in-the-headlights look that said, “Vows. . . what vows?” Traditional wedding vows Although Lorraine has convenient amnesia now, she repeated these traditional vows when she got married: I, Lorraine, […]

-Read More

Divorce by the Numbers

Patricia Hartman
4 Feb 2014
no comments

Fact or Fiction: “Christians divorce at roughly the same rate as the world.” Fact. Surprised? Perhaps this is misleading because “Christians” include anyone who says they are, even though they are not true believers. So is there a difference between believers and the world? Professor Bradley Wright (University of Connecticut) found that the number of self-identified Christians who have been divorced is 60% for those who rarely attend church versus 38% for regular attendees. W. Bradford Wilcox (University of Virginia/director of the National Marriage Project) compared stats of those with and without religious affiliations for the likelihood of divorce. “Active” […]

-Read More

divorce