Praying for Marriages (PfM)

Please join us this week in praying for the marriages of those in pastoral ministry.  Because of the various demands of the pastoral role, it is easy for the pastor to become wedded to his ministry, fully believing he is doing good when in fact he is a workaholic, neglecting the needs of his spouse and children and unintentionally undercutting the very ministry to which he has been called.  Also, in the process of being "all things to all men,” pastor and spouse can fail to build personal friendships and miss out on the joy and support these friendships can supply.  Finally, marriages of those in the pastoral ministry are lived in a fishbowl.  The business of the pastor and spouse is everybody's business.  This fact can cause those in the pastoral ministry to put up a false front and fail to live authentically before their congregation. As you pray for these couples, pray that they will be able to set priorities, reserving family time and cou...

Please join us this week in praying for marriages that are dealing with the death of a child.   Maybe nothing feels as abnormal and as out of the natural order as a child preceding parents in death.   No parent expects it and no premarital counseling equips couples to deal with this emotionally charged occurrence.   Though a child’s premature death can happen suddenly and without warning or come at the end of a long illness, the end result is still a precious gift gone and the effects of this loss can be devastating on even the strongest marriages.   Married couples that experience such a loss may experience no deeper grief.   Often this grief is accompanied by guilt, even when there are absolutely no grounds for this guilt. One of the most difficult parts of this experience is maintaining a strong marriage when each spouse is processing grief in a different way and at a different speed.   One may be able to re-enter the normal pace of life wh...

Please join us this week in praying for teenage marriages.   For mature couples getting started on the right foot in a marriage is difficult.   Starting well when both spouses are teenagers is even more difficult.   Issues can arise as a simple matter of lack of maturity or life experience.   These young couples many times have not had the chance to face problems as independent adults and, consequently, have not developed the skills to deal successfully with some of the trials of married life.   Even in a perfect situation, just making the transition from dependent teenagers to an independent married couple can be extremely challenging.   Single teenage friends can have expectations of the new couple that can no longer by fulfilled because the marriage now takes priority.   The pressure to be a part of the old group in the same old way can tempt the new couple to regret their marriage decision. Another situation often faced by teen couple...

Please join us this week in praying for marriages facing retirement.   Retirement, whether the retirement of one or both spouses, can be a significant stressor in a marriage.   Even when the retirement is a free choice and comes at a planned time, it creates changes in schedules, changes in relationships and changes in routine.   All these changes, even when desired, carry some level of stress.   When the retirement is forced by an employer or ill health or comes at an inconvenient time (like when retirement savings have taken a plunge), the stress can be even greater. Some level of discomfort in a marriage at retirement time is often experienced just because many people just don’t handle change well, even positive change.   Change means unknowns and unknowns create fear in many people.   A fearful spouse or a fearful couple does not bode well for marital harmony.   And of course we have all heard of occasions when someone has eagerly ant...