Phrases like "family values" and "focus on the family" have become platitudes (or worse, epithets), but there is something behind them. The family is, in many ways, a petri dish for growing disciples. At the risk of mixing my metaphors, I propose the following recipe:

• Start with a husband and wife.

• Add a child.
• Apply heat.
• When mixture boils over, add Holy Spirit to bring back to a simmer.
• Add children to taste.
• Stir constantly.

After a generation or so, voila! Disciples! (And I'm not talking about just the children, either.)

I recently saw an episode of “House, M.D.” Entitled “Fidelity.” In this episode, the patient was the wife of a married couple, each of whom was very dedicated to, and clearly in love with, the other. As it happened, the diagnosis of the wife's ailment depended upon whether she or the husband had ever had sex outside of their marriage. In a minor subplot, Wilson, a doctor on the show who was married at the time, had been seen having lunch with a nurse from his department. During the course of the show, three characters—the husband, the wife, and Wilson—were confronted about whether they had committed adultery. In all three cases, the response was a variation of: "Of course, not; I love my wife/husband." This is a typical, almost cliche, response in mainstream American culture. However, the more I considered it, the more I realized that it is wanting. In fact, it encapsulates and reflects a core problem with the institution of marriage in modern America. » read more »

Vox proposes that Obozo's "health care" plan may lead to restrictions on divorce. The result, of course, will be the destruction of marriage. I find it ironic that the same people seeking to expand so-called marriage to include all kinds of perversions may end up destroying the institution instead. » read more »

Jeff and I celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary today.

As a follow-up to this thread...

Christians should take note of their own law. 1 Corinthians 7:5 tells us that we have a sexual responsibility to our spouse:

Stop depriving one another...

If both agree, then there is an exception:

...except by agreement for a time...

Even then, the cessation of sex is for the Lord's purpose (a kind of short-lived fast):

...so that you may devote yourselves to prayer... » read more »

CA voters long ago passed DOMA (defense of marriage act, defining marriage as one man and one woman). The state Supreme Court overturned the law as being unconstitutional. The voters responded by passing Prop 8, an amendment to the state's constitution that succinctly defines marriage as one man and one woman. Now the CA AG is refusing to defend it--he's fighting it, in fact--because it's "unconstitutional". » read more »

Some friends of ours have just been blessed with their first child, and they are having a hard time. The new mom, especially, is struggling with her fears about parenting, and with nursing in specific. They are also having a hard time getting sleep. They are both strong believers, but I am afraid they are having a hard time hearing the Lord right now. » read more »

The title of this post is a quote from Matthew 24:37: "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." (NKJV) In the past, I have wondered just what this meant. I recently learned something that may shed some light on this issue. » read more »

Wives, you clean your husbands' houses. You raise his kids. You fix his dinners. You tend to his sexual needs and desires. You stand by him through thick and thin. Yet, for some reason, he still treats you as a servant, doesn't romance you often enough, and is always failing to make as much effort as you do. What's wrong with him? » read more »

You (the husband) do a great thing for your wife. It costs you a lot of money, time, and effort. It's a real measure of the lengths to which you'll go just to demonstrate your undying love for her--something you'd certainly never do for anyone else. In fact, you double-check your own sanity to have even considered this grand gesture, let alone carrying through with it. Prior to your own marriage, you would have locked up your married friend--for his own good--for even considering such a gift. Yet here you are, professing your undying love in a way so grandiose as to make all other husbands look evil. » read more »