Family Foundations
Never take those you love for granted ...
Murray and Carol's adult 'kids' in 2008 (above)
Positive family experiences don't just happen.
Rather, whatever your family-of-origin experience may have been, finding healing or giving forgiveness if needed, and building solid family foundations for the generation to follow - is always the right priority.
As you prepare for, or build, your own marriage and family heritage, please consider these reflections on:
Sharing Candidly and Deeply - becoming deeper friends - as singles, dating couples, after marriage, parents with children and outside the family - grows as we learn the art of asking good questions ...
Dating:
basic perspectives which will serve you well ...
reasons for abstinence before marriage ... (outside link)
how long should marriage be postponed ...? (outside link)
why marry? Consider some of the benefits of marriage
Building Your Marriage: When we marry the selfishness we could hide in part and satisfy while single can longer be hidden from our spouse. If we permit God to do so, he uses the intimacy of marriage for our sanctification as we learn to face and overcome our selfishness. Don't shy away from the profound changes God wants to bring about in you to make you a Christlike person. More here...
Parenting: After marriage, parenting challenges innate human selfishness most profoundly and in parenting we have opportunity both to mature and to give the gift of preparation for a meaningful and satisfying life to our children. Yet after marriage, we are first and foremost parents and will remain so. There are many complex elements to effective parenting but let me share some which Carol and I have come to believe to be the most foundational:
Finances - how do we relieve the stress and make finances work for us?
Divorce? There's a better way...Aging - avoiding the pitfalls...
Murray Moerman (