When I “stole” Kristi’s heart in college during a Valentine’s Day game I had no idea how God would bless me!
My story is not as much about romance as genuine love.
True love is the will-good-for-others kind of love; it’s the love of deep-spirited friendship; it’s 1 Corinthians 13 love that’s patient and kind; it’s divine love.
For Kristi and I our love didn’t start with romance.
Our love started with soul talk over time. We resonated because of our love for Jesus and serving him. We shared our life stories and families, the spiritual books we enjoyed, and our sense of how God was calling us to help others as counselors.
Then we kissed! What a blessing it’s been for me to be married to my best friend for thirty years! To share our lives, raise our children together, and partner in ministry is a great grace.
During the year that we were engaged we were 2,000 miles apart because I graduated a year ahead of her and started in on my training for a PhD in psychology. During that year we wrote hundreds of love letters and talked on the phone often (these were expensive landline calls!).
Have you ever written or received a love letter? How about from the Lord?
Some years ago, inspired by those first love letters, I wrote two of my favorite articles, both of which are free and very popular on our website: “God’s Love Letter to You” and “A Love Letter to Jesus.”
Kristi and I also enjoy connecting on walks in nature settings.
Yesterday we walked in a Redwood forest in Northern California. Often we walk around the lake near our home or at the ocean which is a short drive for us. As we walk we share our hearts. Often we pray. Sometimes we hold hands and are quiet.
It’s about friendship, enjoying the moment, and enthralling our minds and hearts with the beauty of nature and our God who created it. Since we’re happily bonded in marriage our walks may feel romantic too. But most of all they foster growth in God’s agape love.
Have you ever taken a walk with Jesus? Have you ever held his hand, smiled, and skipped a few steps because the Lord loves you! I love doing this!
The most unforgettable and wonderfully life-changing walk with Jesus that I’ve done is the one I’ve written about in my new booklet: “Unforsaken: With Jesus on the Stations of the Cross.”
It’d be a great blessing if we could share this prayer walk together!
In last week’s Soul Shepherding Devotional I told the story of the first time I did this cross walk: “With Jesus You Are Unforsaken.”
Let’s Read Unforsaken Together!
During Lent on our “Soul Talks” podcast Kristi and I will be sharing our personal responses and applications to the readings in Unforsaken.
You and your friends can follow along with us, week-by-week. It’ll be like we’re in a small group together!
It’s all starts with the episode of “Soul Talks” that broadcasts on Saturday February 25th!
You can subscribe to “Soul Talks” for free using the Podcast App on your phone, on iTunes, or at SoulShepherding.org/podcast/
This week’s “Soul Talks” podcast features my “Love Letter to Jesus” with Kristi and I sharing our hearts for Christ.
Soul Talks Podcast: Nurturing Your Marriage to Bless Your Children
A married couple asks us, “How do you care for your marriage when you have young children? The responsibilities of parenting are so demanding!” Bill and Kristi talk about effective parenting and putting priority on your marriage as a way to love your children drawing from Psalm 127 which calls us to be a family that rests in the Lord.
