Strong Enough to Be My Man…And Run My Web Site

It isn’t easy being married to a strong-willed and outspoken woman. Looking back over nearly five years of marriage, I think my husband and I could have safely included in our wedding vows the promise to remain faithful through richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, through conservativism and liberalism, through orthodoxy and “heresy,” through hard work and harder work, in faith and in doubt. I’m living proof that the person you marry has a frightful tendency to change, and yet I’ve had the blessing of being loved and cherished through it all.

Despite the fact that we may boast conflicting bumper stickers this election year, Dan and I enjoy what I consider to be a good marriage. This says a lot for Dan, whose watched me evolve from a relatively conventional conservative evangelical to someone who reads Brian McLaren.

Not only have I changed, but I’ve done so with my usual candidness and ambition. This means lengthy conversations with friends about biblical interpretation, the occasional unprovoked tirade against the Bush administration, long hours in front of the computer or behind a book, and the prospect of publishing a few of these crazy ideas for all to see.

The thing about Dan is he’s got a remarkable ability to lead a person who doesn’t generally like being led. He isn’t threatened by my intelligence or emasculated by my drive to succeed. He doesn’t judge me when I’m struggling through difficult theological issues, or argue with me when he disagrees with the conclusions I reach. He leads by example, his measured wisdom and self-control reminding me to be patient, his encouragement and entrepreneurial spirit inspiring me to dream big.

I know that some people may criticize him for not showing more “spiritual leadership” by keeping me reigned in and submissive, but Dan respects me enough to let me grow, and he trusts God enough to let Him guide. Dan’s one of those rare guys who can hold with open arms.

On top of all of this, Dan essentially created this blog. He designed it, launched it, and continues to help me maintain it. So for all of you who enjoy the RSS feeds or appreciate the technical end of things, he’s the one to thank.

Now, for all you independent women out there, I’ve got some advice. Look for a guy like Dan. Go for someone who is both strong and controlled, both inquisitive and confident, both humble and damn good at everything he does. Also, it doesn’t hurt to have a guy who can write a little html.


Micah
Comment
Can't disgree even a little bit
Reply #1 on : Fri July 11, 2008, 11:07:24
There's a reason we called him Dan The Man.

You chose well, Rachel.

But then, so did he.
Comment
Kudos
Reply #2 on : Fri July 11, 2008, 11:29:52
Just want to give a kudos on this design. He has done a great job on it!

Tony Cathey
www.imablogger.net
kristen
Comment
Re: Strong Enough to Be My Man…And Run My Web Site
Reply #3 on : Fri July 11, 2008, 16:16:58
ah, true partnership--isn't it a lovely blessing?! i am grateful to enjoy something similar (down to the bumper stickers), though mine doesn't write code. :)

good for you for acknowledging and thanking your man publicly!
infidel
Comment
Dan is the man
Reply #4 on : Fri July 25, 2008, 10:21:25
After reading the first entry i almost stopped entirely out of disgust. However, for Dan's sake I kept reading and actually enjoyed the next 6. However, I must say, Dan you are the man if you can handle an Obama supporter like that without arguing too much.
infidel
Comment
clarification
Reply #5 on : Fri July 25, 2008, 10:35:39
The front page shows only 12 articles. Only later did I see the archives below. When I reference the "first entry", I am referring to: Why Obama takes the Bible more seriously than Dobson (Jun 28, 2008)
Comment
Thanks!
Reply #6 on : Fri July 25, 2008, 15:02:49
To all: Thanks for your compliments! I'm blessed to be married to a wonderful wife.

@infidel
I think the Dobson-Obama article Rachel wrote brings up good points. Frankly, I grew up with Dobson, and once upon a time thought he could do no wrong. That has changed for me. I'm not exactly an avid Obama supporter... but for me to back Dobson and his unintelligent rant against Obama - merely because he's James Dobson - would be blind. I don't think he even represented what Obama said correctly. The transcript for Obama's speech is freely available (Rachel posted a link to it in her June 28th article)

I appreciate that you have a different stance, and perhaps you have good reasons to disagree with Rachel's article, but simply "almost stopping out of disgust" doesn't count in my book.

I'm glad you enjoyed the next articles you read, and I hope to see more comments and discussions from you in the future.

Write a comment

  • Required fields are bold and marked with *.

If you have trouble reading the code, click on the code itself to generate a new random code.
Security Code:*
 

get an account to edit future comments
and remove the captcha security code