“The Harry Potter Girl,” Marriage, & God

In her speech at the U.N. headquarters last week, Emma Watson announced the #HeForShe campaign, which encourages men to support women’s rights. I wrote about the new movement, feminism, and marriage in this article for StartMarriageRight.com. Click HERE to continue reading.   Image courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Marriage according to the Master

Looking for God’s direction concerning your marriage? Here is some clear instruction from 1 Corinthians 7—along with some encouragement and challenge, too: Marriage is not a place to “stand up for your rights.” Marriage is a decision to serve the other…. [I]f you are married, stay married. This is the Master’s command…. If Read more…

“Her” Prayer

Last week, I shared with you a husband’s prayer. Today I want to share with you a wife’s prayer, based on Scripture. May God honor your prayers as you honor Him. I thank You, LORD, for my husband and for Your awesome design in creating him; thank You for shaping him Read more…

“His” Prayer

Do you have “his” and “her” towels at your house? How about “his” and “her” prayers? Today I want to share with you a husband’s prayer, based on Scripture.  Next week, I will share a wife’s prayer. And as always, I am glad to hear your thoughts, too! I thank Read more…

Calibrating the Compass of Your Heart

We tend to think that we love someone when that person attracts us. When we no longer feel attraction, we feel that we no longer have love. We see others as magnetic-like forces with the power to attract or repel us. But are we really helpless magnets compelled to move toward Read more…

Why Eve Came from Adam’s Side

We can call bitter “sweet,” if we want. That’s nothing new. (See Isaiah 5:20.) But this semantic violence fails to produce anything more than confused thinking: changing labels does not change essence. If we call homosexual union “a marriage,” then we need another word for this: God’s design for one man and Read more…

Who is getting your crumbs?

Are you giving your spouse your best “bread” or the leftover “crumbs”? When Jesus spoke with the Greek woman about the children’s bread and the pet dogs under the table, He was not belittling her; He was explaining His priorities and being faithful to His calling. Our spouses are our Read more…

How to Change Your Marriage … Right Now

How do you see your marriage–as a power struggle? a fight for your rights? a duty? a trap? Let me suggest a radically different perspective. What if you saw your participation in your marriage as an act of worship? If you will see your “wife-ing” or your “husband-ing” as an Read more…

Forget Your Marriage!

Forget your marriage.  Why would someone who is committed to encouraging marriages tell you to forget your marriage? What I mean is this: Focus on your spouse, not on your marriage. Trying to achieve a certain kind of marriage can make us crazy! This is misplaced energy; we are actually off-target when Read more…

The Emotion that Devours

In reading “my new favorite book on marriage,” I was interested to discover an entire chapter devoted to the topic of anger. Author John Piper bases much of his discussion in This Momentary Marriage on the Biblical directives given in Ephesians 5:21 through 6:4. When the apostle Paul speaks to Read more…

My New Favorite Book on Marriage

“Yes! Yes! That’s right! That’s it!” That was my ongoing mental refrain as I read This Momentary Marriage by John Piper last week. It is an excellent primer on marriage, dealing with the most basic, most essential, and most profound aspects of marriage, such as the purpose of marriage, the Read more…

A “Word for Your Marriage”

“Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7, RSV). The apostle Paul gave this instruction to all believers in Christ. But Dietrich Bonhoeffer pointed out that these words also create an excellent guideline for husbands and wives to apply specifically in their marriages.  While Read more…

Head Signs

Old Testament Nazarites, such as Samson, wore long hair as a symbol of consecration to God. In the New Testament, married women wore long hair as a symbol of marital consecration. The Scriptures say that this sign of submission is important “because of the angels” (1 Corinthians 11:10, NIV). Could Read more…

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