Ashely Madison: A Late Night Come-On

I was up a little late one night watching CNN waiting for a phone call from my husband, who was on the road to a speaking engagement. As the commercial came on, I got up to get a glass of water and did a double-take. In mid-step, my jaw dropped. Did I just hear what I thought I just heard? Thank goodness for DVR. If I hadn’t been able to rewind, I may have thought I was delusional from lack of sleep. But there it was. A man and woman in bed, the man is awake and uncomfortable. She’s snoring and she’s definitely not attractive. He gets up and Continue Reading

Three Obstacles to True Forgiveness

For a wife who is dealing with her husband’s sexual sin, part of the process of forgiveness includes coming to an understanding of what she has truly lost by the betrayal, and then beginning to release the debt of the offense against her. If she doesn’t go through this process, I’m not sure she can truly say “from her heart” she has truly forgiven. (Matthew 18:32-35) But forgiveness can be a challenge because the hurt may still resonate, and the emotions and fears combine to add confusion as to what true forgiveness looks like.  Here are Continue Reading

Questions Wounded Wives Ask

Renee, you've been telling us about the WIFEBOAT Online Support Groups.  What sort of topics will you cover in this program? The WIFEBOAT Online Support Group will be 2 hours a week for 12 weeks.  After we take some time to share our stories, each session will have a short teaching on subjects relevant to their recovery--boundaries, wounded femininity, children and family issues--then we'll have a group discussion on how this issue is affecting each one. I even have a special guest facilitator planned--my husband Joe will be on hand for a Continue Reading

The Woes of Joe’s Toes

I recently purchased a plaque in honor of my Joe’s and 25th wedding anniversary. It’s hanging in between the His and Hers mirrors in our master bath.  It has a not-so-subtle message: “You and I are pretty unusual:  I am pretty and you are unusual.” So, needless to say, I’m living up to the “Princess” label Joe has assigned to me. (I’m ok with that, by the way--I enjoy flouncing, and I love to make an entrance).  But I’ve also given Joe the label of “Quirky”. Take the issue of our mutual toes. Every morning, Joe and I execute the same Continue Reading

“Looking Good is the Best Revenge” and Other Worldly Myths

Last month the famous editor of Cosmopolitan, Helen Gurley Brown, passed away.  She was a pioneer of sorts in the feminist movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s.  During that time, I was an impressionable young preteen with a fascination for fashion magazines, intent on studying my budding womanhood and looking for role models anywhere I could find them. Don’t get me wrong here – my mother was a wonderful role model for me, and the older I get the more I’m grateful for her and appreciate who she was and what she gave me. She not only was a Continue Reading