Rebuilding the Family Unit: Instructions from the Book of Nehemiah part 2

by Scottie Joines

O Lord, I beg You, let Your ear be open to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who delight to fear Your name. And I beg You, bless Your servant today and grant him mercy before this man. For I was cupbearer to the king. (Neh 1:11)

Nehemiah was about to go before the King, and he prayed for favor from the King.  I recall times when I would pray the Lord grant me favor in my husband’s eyes before I would try to talk to him about relationship issues.  The cupbearer to the King was a position that allowed Nehemiah to be in direct contact with not only the King, but his wife as well.  As family members, we are in positions that are esteemed by trust.  We must always try to remember that trust damaged or lost is the hardest thing to recover once lost.  If we have trust with the one we love, we should take care to guard it diligently.

Rebuilding the Family Unit: Instructions from the Book of Nehemiah part 1

by Scottie Joines

The Book of Nehemiah is about the rebuilding of the City of Jerusalem, the fortification, and the establishment of civil authorities.  As I was reading the Book of Nehemiah, I was amazed at the similarities between the rebuilding of the City and a rebuilding process that is taking place within my life at this time, particularly one of rebuilding the marriage and family unit into one that is built on the Chief Cornerstone with a solid foundation, not easily shaken.  It is as if the Lord is giving us instructions for rebuilding HIS way.

Ramblings of a Changing Man: Striving

by Steve Ferber

By definition striving is a good thing; it means to try very hard to achieve something.  In application it is not such an easy thing to do.  In our American way of life we demand to see quick results, we will strive at something for a short period of time then give up when we do not see the results that we expect in a short amount of time.

Thoughts On Marriage, part 3

by Scottie Joines

Wives are to submit to their husbands (obey) as they would obey Christ. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, giving Himself up for her (sacrificial love), cleansing and sanctifying her as if she were holy and blameless. Can you imagine a marriage on the edge of divorce, where the woman is bitter from years of deceit and disrespect and a man who is angry from years of badgering and complaining from her, if being the head of the house as the Bible says, he would begin to take responsibility for his wife’s anguish and begin to consider her blameless and holy, cleansed from all past wrongs, treating her as such with love, kindness, and empathy? How would that action totally change the outcome of a divorce? She would begin to feel cherished.

Thoughts On Marriage, part 2

by Scottie Joines

God’s vision of marriage for us is very different than the average American marriage. What does it look like to apply these principles to our marriages? God tells us that too. It’s a passage that I’m sure that the majority of people who read my blog are familiar with. God’s vision for marriage is clearly stated in Ephesians 5:21-33. But there’s a catch...

Thoughts On Marriage, part 1

by Scottie Joines

Have you ever thought about what a child learns from watching a love-filled marriage where the Father and the Mother cherish and protect each other and prefer each other? On the other hand have you ever thought about what a child learns from watching their Father and Mother fight, divorce, and proceed to degrade one another? We are told to prefer one another in the Word of God. He tells us pretty simply how to act, and yet it is so hard to do at times and I fail miserably many more times than not.

Why Are You a Christian?

by Linda Hagen

We met Martin at one of our prison ministry meetings.  There was something about him—a certain  humble, inner confidence.  The kind that comes from knowing.  Uncommon in prison.

We structured our meetings much like a home group, pretty casual, and not too "churchy."  Martin seemed genuinely pleased and eager to see us and added a real depth of spiritual insight to our discussions about the Kingdom of Christ. Over time, we learned that he was a college educated man.  Although born and raised in the USA, he read, spoke, and wrote two middle-Eastern languages.