Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, … Read More
Happy Together: Moms, Dads, & Healthy Marriage
Recovering God’s heart for dads means recovering his heart for moms and healthy marriage too. In God’s ideal and design, dads do their best work together in a loving relationship with mom. To say it another way, women and wives are essential and full partners in raising healthy kids. And marriage is intimately tied to fatherhood. It’s been said that … Read More
What I Learned About Marriage from Kay Hymowitz
Most Christians believe deeply in marriage and see it as the foundational institution of the human race (Gen. 2:18), but many have never thought about what it does for society. For me, the most insightful book I’ve read to date on this is Marriage and Caste in America by Kay S. Hymowitz. Hymowitz is an incisive American author and senior … Read More
Nuclear Family, 2 of 2
What of Jamie Smith’s critique from Part 1 that many nuclear families are “closed, self-sufficient, autonomous” units with little concern for others, including a church or spiritual family? He’s right but the reasons for this are myriad and complex and certainly not an indictment of the traditional family itself. Further, being self-sufficient isn’t always bad. Paul tells us to “bear … Read More
Are You the Head of Your Home?
I thought he was kidding at first. As we finished our meal, we left our spouses in the living room and stepped into his man cave. A talented woodworker, my friend showed me many of his creations, and then somehow our conversation drifted toward gender and sex roles: “When I get time, maybe when I retire,” he said, “I want … Read More
Children Are God’s Treasures to Change the World
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. Psalm 127:3-5, ESV Verses 3-5 … Read More
Marriage: Capstone or Foundation?
“Marriage, even in the minds of most Christians, is now perceived as a capstone that marks a successful young adult life, not the foundational hallmark of entry into adulthood. The nomenclature attests to this. A capstone is the finishing touch of a structure. It’s a moment in time. A foundation, however, is what a building rests upon. It is necessarily … Read More
What I Learned from Gordon Lightfoot, Part 3 of 3
“Writing songs is about finding the time, because it’s an isolated thing. You need to lock yourself in a room to do it, in one shape or another, whether it’s an empty house or hotel room.” Gordon Lightfoot in Nicholas Jennings, Lightfoot (Viking, 2017), 88. I mentioned in Part 1 that, among other things, Lightfoot and I share a connection … Read More
The Adoption, Foster Care, and Special Needs Addendum
A friend wrote me this week and encouraged me to write up one additional and important addendum to the article I shared last week on “Four Gospel-Centered & Non-Political Things Every Pastor Can Do to Decrease the Impact of Abortion“. Here it is– a fifth thing every pastor can do: Encourage healthy families to consider adoption and foster care. Further, … Read More
Navigating the Empty Nest
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,whom he has redeemed from troubleand gathered in from the lands,from the east and from the west,from the north and from the south.He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,and burst their bonds apart.Let them … Read More