Marriage, The Foundations

As Margie and I celebrate 30 years of marriage today I was reflecting on our beginnings and journey to this point in our lives.  I attribute our 'success' in marriage to three things; Jesus Christ, mentors, and biblical blueprints.  Our personal relationships with Jesus Christ gives us the capacity to grow together in unity.  Christ-following mentors early in our relationship lived out a picture of what it looks like when two imperfect people join together in marriage.  Biblical teaching in our churches and the Weekend to Remember® getaways we attended throughout our years of marriage have provided solid blueprints on which to build a strong marriage foundation.

In a recent Marriage Memo article, God's Purposes for Marriage, Dennis Rainey writes that "three purposes give your marriage a sense of direction, internal stability, and the stamp of God’s design. They lift your marriage above the everyday, run-of-the-mill relationship and place it on a high and lofty spiritual plane." These purposes are; 1) Mirror God’s image, 2) Complete each other and experience companionship, and 3) Multiply a godly legacy. Margie and I took these teachings to heart in 1980 and look at us now!  To God the glory!

You can find out more details about building a strong marriage foundation in the book Starting Your Marriage Right, by Dennis and Barbara Rainey, Thomas Nelson Publisher, 2000. Or you may listen to Dennis and Barbara on a Starting Your Marriage Right CD from FamilyLife®.

A Very Special Romantic Getaway

Looking for a romantic getaway with your spouse? FamilyLife's Love Like You Mean It Marriage Cruise is the perfect place to reconnect, recommit, and strengthen your marriage. The ship departs February 14, 2011, from Port Canaveral, Florida, and makes stops in Cococay and Nassau, Bahamas. Check it out!

One of the great things about a cruise like this is that you do not have to put up with all the secular stuff of a regular cruise.  There'll be plenty of great teaching and encouragement in addition to time just for you two!  Margie and I have been on two previous cruises and even with our restricted choices of foods we had plenty to eat!  And good stuff too!!

Giving Away Ministry…

There are many heroes of the faith and Steve and Robbie Brooks, I believe fall into that category. In 1980 Steve and Robbie were involved with a ministry of discipleship of which Margie and I were beneficiaries. We learned skills of evangelism and developing disciples fo Christ but most profoundly they invited us to our very first Weekend to Remember! They gave away ministry allowing us to participate alongside of them, helping us help those we could influence. It is hard to imagine what our life would have been like without the influence of Stephen Robbie Brooks.

They are currently on staff with Crown Financial Ministries, Steve is the Area Director for Arizona. They touch the lives of hundreds each year through their ministry in the area of biblical financial responsibility. They are still in the business of giving away Gospel ministry.

As you know, the US economy has been struggling for a couple of years. Many people are trying to make ends meet each month. And unfortunately, most Americans are going further into debt each month, which only exacerbates the situation. I would like to let you know about some of the FREE (and nearly free) resources Crown Financial Ministries has to help people to get their financial house in order. If these resources are not for you, perhaps you know someone who could benefit from their use.

Here are some links that you might like to look at…