I remember seeing a poster years ago explaining the stereotypical differences between men and women that was presented in what really was a sarcastic, smart aleck and rather demeaning manner. I'm sure you've probably seen a version of "The Rules" at some time or another. While there is some tongue-in-cheek humor to be found in the "The Rules," it certainly won't help you to have a happy home.
This Sunday morning I will complete a short series of sermons on marriage. As I prayed about how to end this series I really struggled with exactly how to approach the last sermon subject - sex. Should I address those who have never been married and share how to stay pure until marriage or simply deal with the subject of sex within the confines of marriage? Since I have spent the past three weeks dealing with what might be considered the burdens of marriage - wives submitting to their husbands and husbands living with their wives with understanding - I decided to end with a blessing of marriage, what the writer of Hebrews calls "the marriage bed."
One of the things that is increasingly evident to me as I look back on the discipline that my parents exercised and instilled into mine...
It is an unambiguous statement. You can’t dodge it or soften it. God says it openly, plainly and publicly – “I hate divorce…” (Malachi 2:16)
Why does God hate divorce? Why does divorce break the heart of our God? I believe, among other things, it is because of what it does to the family – the picture of our relationship with Him and the foundational building block of society. More specifically, I believe that God hates divorce because of what it does to the children of those families that suffer the tragedy of divorce.
Being raised in a pastor's home, I didn't have the opportunity or blessing of being raised near my grandparents like some people I know. For example, my wife spent the first part of her life living in a house that shared the same driveway with her grandparents and from birth until the time she moved to college living in the same town with both sets of grandparents. She tells stories of eating at her grandparents' house after church on Sunday mornings, summers at her Grandmother Robinson's house, planting strawberries with her Granddaddy Dowdy and huge family get-togethers in Gleason, TN.
This past week I had the rare opportunity to spend several days with my dad at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Phoenix, AZ. Since we're both in full-time ministry (Is there any other kind?), it can be difficult to see each other. We do talk to each other by phone or by text at least once a day, sometimes several times a day, but that really isn't the same. That's why I really enjoyed getting to share a room and spend some time together this past week.