How does submission look?

Ephesians 5:21-28
"submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself."

Lots of opinions out there of what this looks like.

Anyone have any examples of how these verses look in your marriage?

Still in love

A few weeks ago, I spent a few days in historic Galena,IL with my wife Lisa. She wanted to try a bed & breakfast to celebrate her birthday and we were not disappointed. We chose the historic Stillman Inn. The mansion was beautiful, the location was ideal, and the service was impeccable. Our inkeeper, Dave, was a delightful Christian man who spent time talking to us about our lives, about his life, and about the sights to see in the area.

We had a great time away from the hustle of the city and enjoyed the time with just the two of us. If you are looking for a romantic get-a-away, I would suggest the Stillman Inn in Galena without reservation.

Has anyone else tried a bed and breakfast? What did you like and dislike?

Husbands, have you taken time to romance your wife lately?

Wives and Husbands

We are going through the book of I Peter as a church. Sunday, we will be looking at I Peter 3:1-7.

Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

There is a lot there. Any thoughts?

Family Photos

One of my greatest joys in life is being a husband and a father. I can't say that I love getting the family together and taking family pictures, but I do appreciate the end result.

I'll take half!

A sad picture of where a bitter divorce can lead. This Cambodian couple decided to saw their home in half and he moved his portion.

What are your thoughts on divorce?

Is it always wrong according to the Bible? Is it ever OK?

How do you see divorce being destructive?

Sarah Palin and the complementarian

I have noticed that the nomination of Sarah Palin has not only livened up the presidential race, but it has also generated a lot of discussion on the roles of men and women in society. Many who are excited about Palin's nomination also hold to a complementarian view of the family in which the man is the head of the household as talked about in Ephesians 5. So I have a series of questions for people to consider:

Can someone support Sarah Palin in her bid to be the VP and be a complementarian?

Is there a difference between male and female roles in the home and in society at large?

Does supporting Palin mean that men and women's roles in the workplace should be exactly the same?

Is there any correlation between male and female roles in the home, in the church, and in society at large?

11 wonderful years

Today is my wedding anniversary! I don't know how the time has past so quickly, but I thank God for eleven wonderful years of marriage. It seems like just yesterday that Lisa and I were spending the week together to celebrate ten years.

God has blessed me with a wonderful wife, friend, support, and compliment. Most don't know how much Lisa does to support me in the things that God allows me to be a part of. I have tried to do the same for her as she pursues the dreams that God has given her. What a wonderful gift marriage is.

I look forward to the many years ahead and to my beautiful bride I say "I love you forever".

Wedding day

I am attending a wedding this afternoon. This will be the first wedding in the past year and a half that I get to attend as only a guest with no responsibility. The last six weddings that I have attended, I have officiated three and had some part (prayer, speaking, etc.) in the other three.

It has been an honor to be a part of so many people's special day, but I am looking forward to sitting back and just enjoying the wedding today.

Are you ever glad to not have any responsibility?

Celebrating Loving Day

Check out that cake topper

I had the joy and privilege of officiating another wedding yesterday. Mr. and Mrs. David and Robin Rankin. Robin has been a close friend of our family for about eleven years. It was a joy to be a part of her special day.

Last week, I was reading Edward Gilbreath's blog and realized the significance of her wedding. I learned for the first time about loving day celebrated on June 12th. June 12th, 1967 was the date that the Supreme Court of the United States overturned all laws banning interracial marriage. Richard and Mildren Loving took their "illegal marriage" before the Supreme Court.
In the midst of sharing the joy with David and Robin, I also reflected on the history of our nation that would not have allowed them to get married just over 40 years ago.

Congratulations Robin and David!!!!

Do you ever find the joys and pains of your life reminding you of history?
Do you feel any desire to learn the history of our nation's racial mistakes in order to be more affective at living righteously and justly in loving "your neighbor"?

Compromise

Marriage is when you agree to spend the rest of your life sleeping in a room that's too warm, beside someone who's sleeping in a room that's too cold.

A breakdown in communication

A man is a person who, if a woman says, “Never mind, I’ll do it myself,” lets her.

A woman is a person who, if she says to a man, “Never mind, I’ll do it myself,” and he lets her, gets mad.

A man is a person who, if a woman says to him, “Never mind, I’ll do it myself,” and he lets her and she gets mad, says, “Now what are you mad about'

A woman is a person who, if she says to a man, “Never mind, I’ll do it myself,” and he lets her, and she gets mad, and he says, “Now what are you mad about?” says, “If you don’t know I’m not going to tell you.”

Sound familiar to anyone?

The breakdown of a society

Sociologist and historian Carle Zimmerman, in his 1947 book Family and Civilization, recorded his keen observations as he compared the disintegration of various cultures with the parallel decline of family life in those cultures.

Eight specific patterns of domestic behavior typified the downward spiral of each culture Zimmerman studied.

*Marriage loses its sacredness...is frequently broken by divorce.
*Traditional meaning of the marriage ceremony is lost.
*Feminist movements abound.
*Increased public disrespect for parents and authority in general.
*Acceleration of juvenile delinquency, promiscuity, and rebellion.
*Refusal of people with traditional marriages to accept family responsibilities.
*Growing desire for and acceptance of adultery.
*Increasing interest in and spread of sexual perversions and sex-related crimes.

What are your thoughts on his observations?

Graduation Day

Robin & Lisa
Lisa & me
Lisa with the kids


Lisa with her mom & dad

Today was graduation day!!! Lisa went back to school two years ago and today she finished her degree in elementary education. We are all so proud of her.

It made it extra special that she graduated in the same graduating class as Robin. We never would have thought when we dropped Robin off at college that she would graduate with Lisa. We are very proud of you too Robin. We knew you could do it. God is so good.

Love and Respect

Someone once taught me that women have a need to know that they are loved and men have a need to know that they are respected.

I have observed a lot of marital trouble in my time that is centered around this issue.

A man who feels disrespected. A woman who feels that she is not loved.

In Ephesians 5, Paul offers us some instructions on a healthy marraige. He knew that men and women are not the same. So his instructions for a husband were different than his instructions for a wife. The section ends with verse 33 where Paul says:

each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Love and respect

I am slowly learning how to love my wife after ten years of marraige. I still have a long way to go, but knowing what she needs helps a lot.

Anyone else still learning things about marraige?

Coaching

For the last several years I have coached a 5th-6th grade boys basketball team in our neighborhood. Today was the last day of the season and we did not win the championship. We had talent and size (important in basketball), but one thing was missing that is a key for success.

TEAMWORK

The boys were always on each other for simple mistakes. Always trying to do things on their own. Always seeing the faults of others and never taking responsibility for their own mistakes. Not all of them were like this, but most of them.

Basketball is just a game, but life requires teamwork as well.

Marriages are in trouble when a spouse sees every little mistake in their spouse. A business won't last if each employee tries to accomplish everything by themself. A church will be in trouble if it's people are always pointing out each others faults and too prideful to face up to their own failures.

How do you see teamwork as important?