Is it possible to have lustful motivations in marriage? What makes an attitude or action loving or lustful? Hebrews 13:4 says, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” Could this apply to married people engaging in sex within their own marriage? In today’s podcast, we’ll explore just that…
Why “I love you but I’m not IN love with you” is a lie
One of the truest markers of genuine love is its staying power—its longevity, its ability to persevere, and its ability to withstand. This is the type of love Christ shows us, and its the type of love we’re called to express in marriage. However, our culture and our humanity would have us believe something else. Without a biblical understanding of love, we’re prone to follow…
God’s Daughter First, My Wife Second
I’m feel like a blessed man, but not because of material things (though, I’m happy to say my family is warm, dry, and fed). I feel blessed because of the people God has entrusted into my care. Namely, God has graciously given me two beautiful baby girls. (They’re just about all I post on Instagram.) Every Easter, our church has baptisms (we also have them at other…
My 3 New Goals for Pursuing My Wife
I’m not a natural romantic; but I think I can change that. I’m realizing that my ability to love my wife well greatly depends on my intentional, ongoing pursuit of who she is and what she’s feeling. That’s the essence of romance: intentional pursuit. I’m not just talking about covering the bed with rose petals and lighting a few candles. That might be part of it……
Devotion: Love vs. Lust
It’s important to make a sharp distinction between love and lust in marriage. When a husband and wife love each other’s souls, time and aging only strengthen their love. Lust has the opposite effect. Understanding the differences between the two will help you address toxic tendencies directly. Here are a few key distinctions between lust and love: Lust is selfish, love is selfless. Lust is…
3 Ways I’m Pursuing My Wife & How it Multiplies Our Love
As a follower of Christ and a husband, I’m learning what it means to truly love my wife “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25). That oft-quoted marriage passage is chock full of depth. Most days I find it’s charge unbearable. I’m a man… a human man. I sin and I have selfish tendencies. How can I possibly love my…
How Christ’s Suffering Speaks to Suffering In Our Marriage
With Easter quickly approaching, I’ve been spending time in the book of Matthew reading about Jesus’ crucifixion and the Lord has been opening my eyes and mind to the suffering he experienced this Holy Week. All too often I feel I gloss over the deep anxiety, despair, abandonment and betrayal that our blameless Savior walked through in order to give us the opportunity for eternal hope and life with him.…
The True Beauty of Marriage
Everyone wants a happy marriage, and happy marriages are very good! However, happiness is not what makes marriage most beautiful. This may come as a shock, or you may know exactly where I’m going with this. Either way, I hope you learn something as you read on. Selena and I have been through plenty… plenty good and plenty bad. We’ve experienced both because of things we did (we’ve…
Reclaiming Real Romance: 3 Reminders for Valentine’s Day This Year
This year we’re trying to do something different. We’re not too different from most folks in that we’ve exchanged thoughtful cards, I’ve given Selena roses, and on a few occasions, jewelry. But this year, our entire focus has changed to treasuring each other. My tendency is to wait until the last minute, buy something to make up for lost time, and hope Selena feels loved. As…
Our 7 Most Read Posts of 2015
This past year has been incredible. For us, it’s been a year of change, a year of momentum building, and a year of immense growth. Though God is present and working in every moment, in the past year His work has been especially evident to us. There have been hard times for sure (the loss of friends and family, sickness, and stress), but God was always…