Enjoying the Journey

How NOT To Choose A Mate

When I was a young man someone told me, “Choose only a date who would make a good mate.” That was good advice. A casual relationship can quickly turn into a serious one. Friendships often become lifelong commitments. There are many choices in life, but few have more lasting consequences that who you will marry. In Genesis 6:1-2 the Bible describes an ancient society where “the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” This would set in motion a chain of events that eventually led to the worldwide flood. Civilization was destroyed because of evil imaginations and carnal desires.  What can we learn from this…

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Happy Homes

One of the most wonderful gifts that my parents gave to me growing up was a happy home.  Yes, they had rules.  No, we did not get to do whatever we wanted to do.  But there was never the sense that we were “missing out.”  After all of these years it is the joy of the Lord that I witnessed in my parent’s lives that has stayed with me. Many years ago Pastor Sexton preached a message titled “Living on the Sunny Side of Life.”  One statement that he made seems especially appropriate today: “Don’t just live on the right side – live on the bright side.”  Christ has designed it so that we can have both! One of the…

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For Married Couples: Dealing with Difficult Days

Marriage is fun.  But not all the time.  Newlyweds rarely think of this when they say, “for better or for worse.” Every young couple need this understanding and preferably before they get married!  Pastor Sexton has taught our young families that marriage is much more than the wedding.  And so it is. Troubles come.  Difficulties arise.  Arguments (“discussions!”) happen.  The question is: how do we respond on tough days? I have the privilege of teaching a class each Sunday of young married couples.  It is such a joy to invest in the lives of couples what others have invested in us.  We are all working through the tests of life and growing in our understanding of the Lord’s way for…

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Aquila and Priscilla: A Biblical Marriage

God’s design is for families to serve Christ together in a New Testament church.  As we find our place in the Lord’s work, every member of the family is blessed and the local church is strengthened.  Aquila and Priscilla demonstrate what a married couple should be in a New Testament church.  We are first introduced to this family during Paul’s ministry in Corinth (Acts 18:1-3).  It is clear that Aquila was not a pastor.  Tentmakers by trade, this husband and wife lived for Christ in one of the most worldly cities of the Roman empire.  As they were faithful to the Lord Jesus, God gave them the opportunity to be a blessing to others. God used this couple to encourage…

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Married Couples Serving God Together

My wife and I just returned from our annual couples’ retreat. We had the joy of spending some extra time with my favorite couple: my dad and mom. Their example has been wonderful instruction. One of the great joys of my life has been to see my father and mother serve the Lord together. There are few gifts parents can give their children that are as great in value as the example of joyfully serving Christ as a couple. My pastor and his wife recently celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary. Their marriage testifies to the power of following the biblical pattern for a husband and wife – giving ourselves first to God and then to one another. In relation to…

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Lessons God Is Teaching Me about My Family – Part 2

Home is the greatest classroom on earth…and not just for the children.  Every day there is more to learn, and our failures serve to remind us that we have not arrived.  In addition to the thoughts I shared in the last post, the Lord is teaching me: 8.  Never argue in front of the children. Now, I am sure you are thinking: “We never argue at all.”  Then perhaps you are farther along than me!  All married couples have “discussions” and some of those should be done in private.  Don’t talk about problems in front of your children.  Speak in faith and encourage them to face their own problems depending on the Lord. 9.  Play good music around the house.…

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Lessons God Is Teaching Me about My Family – Part 1

The kids are growing up so quickly.  At the same time I feel like I am getting old so quickly!  Life moves along at a rapid pace and God is teaching me many things.  I am not the husband or father that I should be.  More and more I thank God for the wife that He has given to me and the mother that she is to our three children. Our home is not perfect.  No home is.  Every day the Holy Spirit is showing me areas that we need to work on.  I would like to share a few things that God is teaching me.  These are not the words of a teacher.  They are the words of a…

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A Faithful Man

On this Father’s Day my heart is full of gratitude for my dad.  He has always been my best friend, but he is also the best man I know.  He has been a faithful man – faithful to God, faithful to my mother, faithful to his friends, and faithful to  his life’s work. Dad has taught me more than I could ever express.  Here are a few of the things my father has taught me. 1.  Dad taught me the meaning of true friendship. He has as many friends as anyone I know.  More than that, he has been a friend.  I have watched him be a friend to hurting people, to those who had failed and others shunned.  He has…

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For Married Couples

Marriage is a joy, but it takes work to have a truly Christian home.  The “oneness” which Jesus intended between a husband and wife must be guarded every day.  I am very grateful that Tammy and I had the privilege of growing up in godly homes.  Both of our parents modeled Calvary love.  We were blessed to have good examples. Fifteen years ago we were married. (Friday the 13th of June to be exact!  Not just bad things happen on that day.)  Watching a good marriage and working to have a good marriage are two different things.  Very quickly we learned that it would take both of us yielding to Christ and submitting to one another’s needs to have a…

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