"...The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. .."-1 Corinthians 7
I'm just laughing as I'm writing this webpage. As a single guy at age 26, I never thought I would be doing a webpage on this issue at this point of my singhood life. The reason for doing this today (9.23.03) is because I'm looking to help my younger baby brother prepare for his "big day"-wedding next year in June-yeah!
The best source is God and you can find the best marriage resources in the Bible. That is what all the resources down below lead up to-God's Word. As I was surfing the web on Christ centered marriages, I found these links:
"Genesis 2:18
The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
Marriage/Couple Relationship Challenges
I'm not married yet (Nov 06'); however, I would like to share some wisdom from God's word after many rcecent incidents (e.g. friend's boyfriend "pushed her around", so she went to a guy's friend's house overnight this past week; parents' going through a season of challenges again; friends just broke-up; co-worker asked me to work for her as she is going through a "mental breakdown"; financial challenges; etc..) lately.
My personal input is the need of God to be the center of your marriage relationship-this means have Jesus the Lord of your finances, house, jobs, totally everything...(learn more!).
I believe there is some "spiritual attacks", which the "man of the house" needs to be equipped to combat the enemy-Satan-"he" wants to divide whatever God brings together! When I was at my parents' house one weekend, I notice the "tension". I decided to do what I do at my house, which is playing "Christian music" 24/7 in various volumes (low at night and loud during the day). Somehow this brings a "positive", "peaceful", "God present"-environment; try it!
I could say most or all of the recent incidents is caused by the "lack of fellowship/socializing" with others (better with believers/Christians because of the encouragement to build one another up in a "Godly" way!). We need to be part of a "community" that helps support one another, which is one of the reasons why I love it at Morris.
Still not married (July 7th of 2007) as I write more on this topic. This has been a growing and on-going issue in my intermediate family, so I decided to "google" on this. I found some interesting advice...
"Whatever your living arrangements are, certainly some important questions regarding the purchase of a home have entered your marital discourse a time or two. And the topic of buying a house is often a hot-button for couples: the mix of the financial and emotional elements too often lead to a conversation catastrophe."
"Turning financial trouble around
The first step is to recognize that being different is not being inferior. God put different gifts and abilities in the marriage, and it takes two people working as one to succeed in the home. Since men often are guilty of excluding their wives from financial decisions, a concerted effort must be made to use their gifts and abilities as counselors. Honesty between partners is an absolute necessity. Almost anyone can handle a situation if he or she knows about it and is a part of the planning.
Get help
If the problems and the communication gap are very intense, most couples will need outside help to get on the right track. Seeking counsel for marriage or financial problems should be as normal as seeking medical counsel. God has established various gifts and abilities throughout His kingdom, and unless couples are free to use them, someone’s ministry goes wanting. "Without consultation, plans are frustrated, "
"Married couples often argue about money and finances. The wife complains, "He won't put my name on the bank account." The husband grumbles, "She spends too much." She gripes, "Our house is falling apart, but he only spends money on his hobbies." He wishes she would keep track of her spending."
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Newspapers and websites across America are saying that on 07-07-07, more marriages are occurring then ever in history. Wedding Chapels and churches are booked across the land. But could we be in a time, a Joel 2 time, where our marriage to Jesus is of higher priority than our natural marriages? What if God would really test us on the urgency of this hour, and in particular the Biblical Joel 2 mandate? Let the Bridegroom come out of His chamber and the bride out of her dressing room (see Joel 2).
We have received the following report that a pastor said to a couple, "I cannot marry you on 07-07-07, even though the day is set. I must go to Nashville on 07-07-07--it is the highest priority." The couple was understandably upset by the decision of the pastor, but the following week a special guest speaker spoke on Joel 2 at the Church declaring, "Let the Bridegroom come out of His chamber..." With tender hearts toward God, the couple publicly asked forgiveness for their response to the pastor and said, "We are going to Nashville and will postpone our marriage."
We are receiving many reports now of couples changing their marriage dates because they have heard, The Call. I believe that pastors must make hard decisions, for it was the priests who were to weep between the porch and the altar, crying out, "Spare your people, Oh God." Also, the elders have been affected with internet immorality and compromise. We must gather and bear the reproach before the Lord. Who knows, He may turn and pour out His Spirit as promised in Joel 2:28, "And afterward I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh..."
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"The need for marital counseling cannot be emphasized enough, even for Christians, because we live in a world that often encourages the destruction of marriage. As Christians, we additionally recognize the presence of an enemy, on the prowl to devour (1 Peter 5:8) marriages. From the beginning, marriage has been part of God's plan for His creation, and Satan is vehemently against this precious tradition. If we need evidence that we are in trouble, just take a look at the divorce rate both in Christian and non-christian environments. "
"The diamond industry also adopted a voluntary System of Warranties with no independent monitoring to claim that their diamonds do not originate from conflicts. These warranties are rarely kept - in a survey conducted in February 2006, Amnesty International found that only 18% of retailers had a policy toward ensuring their diamonds were compliant with the Kimberley Process.
While diamonds have been used to fund conflict, the problem is not the diamonds themselves but the rebels, governments, and individuals who exploit diamonds and in turn, other humans, to achieve their illicit goals."
"Dan Ashley: "So if a jeweler tells you that it was mined in socially responsible circumstances, that's tough to prove."
Beth Gerstein: "It's tough to prove a lot of times. Conflict diamonds get mixed into the general supply and you can't tell a blood diamond from a blood-free diamond."
The bottom line is ask a lot of questions and don't be satisfied with sketchy answers. "
22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church– 30for we are members of his body. 31“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32This is a profound mystery–but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.-Ephesians 5
Above are some reccomendations from my personal searching on the web. For you experienced couples out there, please contact me for your personal reccomendation. Thanks
