Studies are showing that being a good, supportive spouse is good for your health. “Men over 65 whose wives consider them a source of emotional strength usually live longer than less needed hubbies.”

Galatians 5:13 NIV “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”

During a friendly argument, a husband asked his wife why she married him in the first place.

"People get divorced all the time because they fall out of love," he said. "But I've never heard of anybody falling out of stupid."

A British mathematician says he can predict with remarkable accuracy, which newly married, couples will have a happy life together. Professor James Murray says two formulas he devised have a 94 percent success rate when it comes to predicting whether or not a couple will stay together.

Murray discovered the formula during a 10-year study of 700 couples in the United States. The experiment involved observing couples during a 15-minute interview when they were newly married. Murray says the couple’s ability to communicate on subjects like sex, child rearing, and money were measured using a scale of points for good or bad signals. Good signals included smiles and affectionate gestures, while negative points were recorded for signals such as rolling the eyes, mocking, or coldness. The points were then converted into algebraic terms, which enabled the authors to make divorce projections. Researchers used one formula for the husband and another for the wife. The couples were interviewed again every two years and the model predicted which marriages would fail with near perfect accuracy.

—Reuters, Algebra Points the Way to a Happy Marriage, August 8, 2003, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Amazing! Mutual attraction isn’t reason enough for people to get married. The best marriages are the ones made in heaven—the ones God joined together. That’s why choose a mate begins by discovering God’s will.

According to Lisa McLaughlin, cohabitation before marriage is on the rise, up from 10% in 1960 to 50% 1998.

Donna Wood of the Boston Massachusetts area has posted a sign in her front yard asking, “Who wants to marry my daughter?”

Inspired by recent “reality shows” on television, and frustrated by her 22 year-old daughter’s poor choices in partners over the years, Wood is seeking a soul mate for her daughter, Karah Devlin. Wood also put in ad in a local newspaper seeking the perfect gentlemen. She feels the perfect match for her daughter should enjoy movies, horse-back riding, long walks, and water sports.

Wood says “The last guy, she (Karah) dated prompted my husband and I to do this. He was covered in tattoos, was a lot older than she is and was just horrifying.” Wood says her daughter has very poor taste in men. Wood has taken charge of finding her daughter’s soul mate. She is asking applicants to submit an essay and a picture of himself. Wood will pick ten finalists. After conducting interviews and criminal checks, the finalists will spend time with the family before a winner is chosen. Wood, her husband, and two friends will make the final selection.

Wood says her daughter will have a say in the final selection since she will probably marry that person. Wood adds, “We have to make the decision because if there’s one bad guy and one good guy, she’ll pick the bad one.”

Wood’s daughter, Karah has a four-year-old daughter. She admits she hasn’t made the best choices in her life, saying, “My decisions haven’t always been the best. I’m very gullible. It’s very hard for me.” She adds she is looking forward to the contest.

—Reuters, Monday, August 18, 2003, Mother takes Applications from Daughter’s Suitors, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

I don’t know, but I don’t think the only problem Karah has is selecting a husband. This whole thing seems way extreme to me. Perhaps the best solution to anyone’s problem in which person they should marriage is to ask God, and then follow His will.

Matthew 19:6 NASB “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Ernest Becker, an atheist author, in his book The Denial of Death, writes that in ancient times romantic love was seldom the basis for marriage. Becker says that modern people don't want to admit to what degree they are making up for the lack of inner spiritual fullness by looking out there for their one true love. He puts it this way,

"We still need to feel that our life matters in the scheme of things. We still want to merge our selves with some higher self-absorbing meaning in trust and in gratitude. But if we no longer have God, how are we to do this? One of the first ways that occurred to the modern person, as Otto Rank saw, was the romantic solution. The self-glorification that we need in our innermost being, we now look for in the love partner. What is it that we want when we elevate the love partner to this position? We want to be rid of our faults. We want to be rid of our feeling of nothingness. We want to be justified. We want to know that our existence hasn't been in vain. We want redemption, nothing less…Needless to say, human beings can't give you that."

In other words, the reason why so many marriages fail and relationships end in heartbreak is because we demand too much from them. We idealize and idolize our partner, looking to them to complete us, only to discover that they have faults just like we do, and lack the power to fill our inner emptiness or satisfy our hunger for love. Only God can give to us and be for us what our hearts truly long for. The gospel is that Jesus Christ came and lived for us, died for us and rose for us in order to give us the justification and redemption that our hearts so desperately long for. He alone makes our lives matter.

For more information on The Denial of Death, go to: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684832402/fm082-20

Finding your true love is a good thing—but that doesn’t mean it is an easy thing—especially when it is easy to allow superficial things to divert your attention from more important things. Aaron Ahuvia is a consumer psychologist and associate professor of marketing at the University of Michigan. After studying dating behavior, he said, "People are not good at understanding what they find attractive in other people. People tend to focus on common interests and superficial characteristics and not understand the importance of—or want to talk about—goals, values and what they want to get out of a relationship."

26apr26,0,3743985.story?coll=sfla-entertainment-headlines Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

In my own marriage, I’ve noticed a willingness on both of our parts to adapt to things like preferences and interests. As long as we’re doing it together, it doesn’t matter so much what we are doing. Yet, for many people common interests take higher priority than common values. If we didn’t both value things like our family, faith and our commitment to be world changers, we would be in trouble. But because we do, things of lesser importance seem to fall into place.

Proverbs 18:22 (NASB) “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord.”

________________________________________

For years, conventional wisdom has said that a couple has a better chance of staying married if they live together before marriage. Society quickly dismissed the church as being closed minded and backward for even suggesting that marriage is the proper context for sex and that couples should get married before they cohabitate. But now some researches from Pennsylvania State University are saying that cohabitation before marriage is not such a good idea.

Dr. Catherine Cohan and Stacey Kleinbaum interview 92 couples, primarily white, college educated people without children, who were married for less than 2 years. In general, they discovered that those who lived together before marriage were more verbally aggressive, more hostile and less supportive than those who waited until marriage to live together. The problem, according to the authors, could be that those living together without the benefit of marriage have less commitment to one another and so they don't work at their marriage as much. They summed up their research by saying, "We just know that people who lived together first had poorer communication skills." They weren't quick to draw conclusions from the study, but did say, "…there's nothing in the research that says that living together helps people in the long-run."

—http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020215/hl_nm/living_1&cid=594 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Hebrews 13:4 NASB "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge."

________________________________________

From the April 30, 1999 edition of The Tennessean:

On Aug. 14, 1945, the war ended in the South Pacific. That was the day I met the most beautiful and wonderful woman in the world-my wife. There was a celebration downtown, and I was kissing whoever came along. Then, I kissed Mary. That kiss was special, and I immediately put her name and phone number on a handy piece of paper-a policeman's traffic ticket, which I put in my wallet.

One day, as I lounged in my barracks, I opened my wallet, and out fell that ticket with Mary's name on it. I wrote her a letter and the rest is history.

We have been married for 50 years and have three daughters and six grandchildren. Now, my Mary, my beautiful rose, is wilting. She has Alzheimer's disease, and I am helpless to do anything about it. There are no letters to write, no courtship to win her love, only wonderful memories. I hold her hand, serve her breakfast in bed, hug her and try to hold on. How long this rose will continue to bloom only God knows.

Seeing this disease rob me of this wonderful person is hard, but I am grateful that I have always told Mary how much I loved her. I will never abandon her. She will be with me always until "death do us part."

Merrilee Cole, a homeless Australian woman has announced that she is suing the Catholic church for $25 million dollars because the priest forgot to sign her marriage certificate over 50 years ago.

In May of 1950, Cole walked down the aisle with her childhood sweetheart Walter, promising to honor, cherish, and obey him.

The mother of seven says she endured 16 years of marriage before divorcing Walter. Last year, Cole discovered that the priest had not signed her marriage certificate. She says she would have left the loveless cruel marriage earlier if she had known it was not valid. “I believed, I was a lawfully wedded wife, married and bound by the wedding vows. I didn’t realize I could have walked away at any time,” she says.

Church officials have asked the court to throw out the case noting the “technical defect” had no impact on the validity of the marriage. They say the couple believed they were man and wife, lived together as man and wife, and even registered with Births, Deaths, and Marriages as man and wife. Church officials do not believe the priest expected anyone would suffer loss and damage by failing to sign a marriage license.

Cole says she is seeking a million dollars for each year since her divorce. She adds, I was never treated as a wife; I was treated as a slave.”

—http://www.smh.com.au.cgi-bin, August 21, 2002, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

It was not the lack of a signature that caused this marriage to fail. The failure occurred in the hearts of the people involved.

Matthew 19:6 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “ that the Creator made them male and female, and said “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Recently, network television made a mockery of marriage when they asked the question, "Who wants to marry a millionaire?" and turned a sacred institution into a for profit game show. Though I didn't see the show, I did see a news report about it. Things didn't turn out so well for the couple, but really, wouldn't we have been surprised if it did?

A couple of years ago, I read a news report about a groom that stabbed his wife to death just hours after exchanging their marriage vows. What was the argument about that led to murder? Apparently, Louis Deleg, the groom was jealous of an acquaintance of his bride, so he stabbed his bride, Tina Entwistle to death. Those at the wedding reception tried to intervene, but to no avail.

God's purpose for marriage is in startling contrast to the majority view of our culture. He intended for the marriage relationship to be an intimate, permanent union. God created woman with marriage in mind.

Genesis 2:23-24 "And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. [24] Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."

The demographers are starting to analyze the 2000 census data and are reporting some of the trends they are discovering. On May 14, 2001, the Washington Post reported that the number of cohabitating unmarried couples rose by 72 percent over the past decade from 3.19 million to 5.47 million.

Are we on the lower end of a slippery slope that began decades ago? Will the day come when traditional values will no longer include marriage as the accepted context for sex? Has that day already arrived? Commenting on the trend, Andrew J. Cherlin, a Johns Hopkins University sociology professor said, "The central place of marriage in our family system is eroding."

—http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26160-2001May14.html Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Hebrews 13:4 NASB "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge."

When Country Singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw got married in 1996, they made a vow that they would never spend more than 3 days apart from one another. Faith is keeping that vow.

Her third album, FAITH has surpassed three million copies in sales and she owned the 1999 Academy of Country Music Awards by taking home 4 trophies, including the one for Top Female Vocalist. Yet, she views her family as her major accomplishment. And she is keeping her vows.

About 10 years ago Jim Wilson had a brilliant idea for a sure fire way to get rich. "I wrote a booklet entitled, Getting Close, Staying Close: How to Increase Intimacy in your Marriage, and offered it for sale in the Classified Ads of Modern Bride magazine. It was a perfect plan. The average reader of Modern Bride only buys two copies, yet the magazine has a very high circulation. So I figured that I could run the ad forever and really rake in the dough.

"I wrote the copy for the ad, selling the booklet for $5.00, and mailed the payment to the advertising department. Most of the couples in my church were longing for intimacy, I just knew this booklet would be a great success. It wasn't. I sold three copies. My $200+ investment made me $15.00 in gross receipts."

"I misread the market. Most brides aren't preparing for a marriage, they are preparing for a wedding—there's a difference.

Weddings are important, but they only last a few hours. A marriage is another story. It lasts for a lifetime and can be the closest human relationship we will ever have. Yet, many couples struggle to find real intimacy.

He said he would climb a mountain for her—literally—but he got stuck halfway up the sheer face of Marriage Mountain.

Now, Lillooet-area (British Columbia) T'it'q'et band Chief Norm Leech says climbing a sheer rock face 180 metres high to get to his waiting bride-to-be was so tough—and eventually required a boost from rescuers—that he intends to stay married.

Band tradition requires the bride to climb the mountain using an easier back route through trails. But the groom must climb a steep rock face on the front using whatever means he can muster, including his bare hands.

Once he reaches the summit of Marriage Mountain he is then supposed to lead his bride back down to the village, where the wedding can then take place.

As native bands and dancers continued the drumbeat below, the chief was stuck on a ledge with his brother, with no way of going down or up.

Lillooet RCMP Const. Brian Evans said the call for help came shortly after noon and he decided the chief needed help. He called in a rescue helicopter which finally managed to haul the chief up to where Ireland was waiting patiently.

Several days later the chief stated that he was happily married and that he plans to stay married. "I am never doing that again [climbing a mountain]."

— The Vancouver Province, July 10 2001, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Dave Bootsma

Marriage requires commitment. There are times when it is like climbing a mountain without anything to hold on to. It is tougher than we thought. Only our commitment to the one we vowed to love forever, and our dependency upon God's grace to help us with the climb, will keep us from falling or giving up.

The best way to avoid a life of crime may be to get married. According to a new study released by the University of Florida, ex-convicts who tied the knot were less likely to commit another crime. Researchers also discovered that ex-cons who did not make a commitment and simply lived with a significant other did not fare as well.

Lead author of the study Alex Piquero says, “There is something about marriage that leads offenders to turn away from crime.” Piquero, a professor of criminology and law of the University of Florida, adds, “Common law relationships for living together actually lead to more crime among non-white offenders.”

Piquero and his colleagues followed the lives of 524 young men for seven years after they were paroled from the California Youth Authority. The young men studied had committed serious crimes such as burglary, auto theft, assault, rape, and murder. Piquero says he suspects that marriage brings stability and a positive routine to ex-con’s lives. Living together does not produce the same sense of responsibility and people feel free to live more erratic lifestyles.

The study found marriage was the only lifestyle factor that appeared to deter crime; Living together and heroin dependency were the two factors that made ex-convicts more likely to break the law again.

Dr. Hilten Patel, a psychiatrist in Michigan is not surprised by the findings. He says, Mental health professionals “find that people who are married, especially males, generally tend to do better overall. That’s also true for physical health.”

—Abcnews.com, Marriage Keeps Ex-cons Out of Trouble, By Serena Gordon, September 19, 2002. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. (The University of Florida findings appear in the September issue of Social Science Quarterly.)

1 Peter 3:1 NIV “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.”

Research conducted and published by USA Today shows that the number of church weddings is declining while the number of civil marriages, or couples living together, are on the rise. Family researchers say the growing number of couples living together without the benefit of marriage and raising children is a concern.

Though the numbers of divorces and out-of-wedlock births have leveled off in the past few years, families in which parents co-habit have steadily increased. Researchers say that though an unmarried mom and dad living together look like a married couple, the partnerships lack the formal long-term commitment. This lack of commitment causes problems for children.

Sociologists are discovering that children raised by live-in parents are more likely to experience emotional troubles and to demonstrate poor performance in school. Since a live-in household is less stable, a cohabiting partner is more likely to suffer depression and twice as likely to exhibit aggressive behavior. The children of these unions follow suite by being more likely to repeat grades in school, drop out of school, become sexually active, or exhibit anxiety.

As a result many governmental agencies are working on ways to spread a pro-marriage message. Some offer discounts on marriage licenses if couples take classes designed to build skills needed to make their marriages work. The White House has even added money to pay for counseling encouraging unwed mothers to marry and give them the skills needed to stay together.

Critics of these policies argue that lifestyle decisions are none of the government’s business. Proponents contend that when the welfare of children is at risk, reminding adults that their lifestyle decisions do matter and are important.

—http://yahoo.com.news, Trend to live together, not marry, puts kids at risk, Monday, October 20, 2003. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Matthew 19:4-6 NIV. “Haven’t you read,” he responded, “that at the beginning the Creator made them ‘male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.”

According to University of Toronto psychiatrist, “There is nothing like a good marriage.” Baker has spent the past decade studying the effect of marital strain on cardiovascular health. In a recent study, he followed men and women with borderline high pressure for three years. Baker discovered blood pressure is directly linked to what he terms, “Marital Cohesion,” or how much a couple does and shares together.

An earlier study discovered that couples in good marriages had thinner heart walls than those in bad marriages. A thicker heart wall means higher blood pressure

Baker’s research agrees with a growing number of studies linking the state of a person’s marriage to their overall health. One study showed that marital stress can double the risk of developing diabetes. A Swedish study found that women in marital disharmony had a three-times greater risk of a second heart attack. Another study showed that positive interactions can boost immunity and reduce the risk of heart disease by keeping stress hormones low.

There are lots of good reasons to choose a mate wisely. One reason is for your health.

—http://aolsvc.health.webmd, “The Importance of Being…Married,” May 22, 2002, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Proverbs 19:13-14. NIV A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping. Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”

In ancient times, philosophers were in the marketplace exchanging ideas. But where do philosophers ply their trades today? The only place I can think of is Country Music. It is, perhaps, one of the last bastions of pop philosophy in our day.

I recently ran across a list of quirky titles that left me thinking about what our modern-day philosophers were saying. What collective message does this list of Country Song titles give you?

After I stop laughing at the list of song titles, I’m left scratching my chin. These songs appear to take marital discord for granted. The message is simple; life without “you” is a better life for “me.” Though the scripture does say, “A constant dripping on a day of steady rain and a contentious woman are alike;” (Proverbs 27:15 NASB) it also paints a picture of the home as an ideal place where a husband and wife nurtures one another and their children into wholeness and peace.

The starting place for building a home that a Country Singer would never croon over could be as simple as saying a kind word or doing a considerate act.

Proverbs 15:1 NIV “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

According to sociologist Andrew Greeley, a recent survey of 657 couples showed that 75% of people who pray with their spouses describe their marriages as "very happy" as opposed to 57% of couples that don't pray together.

Galatians 6:2 KJV “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”

The movie "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" recently hit theatres raking in over 186 million dollars. In the film, the Smiths are an ordinary, suburban couple trapped in a lifeless marriage. Each of them, however, is hiding a terrible secret: both are highly trained assassins living covert lives, hidden even from each other. The plot thickens (as does their marital problems) when both are hired to kill each other. Throughout the film both Mr. and Mrs. Smith fling knives, shoot guns and set off bombs with the intention of killing one another. Marriage counseling's not gonna solve this one!

Why would a film with such a morbid plot do so well in theatres? Something about this tale must have struck a chord with contemporary audiences.

Unfortunately, the common attitude is "If you are not happy, get out." There are even jewelry companies that rent wedding rings to young couples who have a supposedly 'realistic' view of marriage.

It's a sad day in America when we trivialize, if not celebrate, such marital strife.

Ephesians 5:22-25 (NIV) "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her"

Ali Aghili and Marney Hurst had planned a June wedding in Aspen, Colorado, but the authorities intervened to halt it. The night before their wedding, they had a knock down and drag out fight that escalated into a fist fight. After responding to a 911 call, the police spent three hours with them sorting the whole mess out and then arrested them. The bond they posted for their freedom required that they stay away from each other.

Eventually the bond will expire and the two will be allowed to have their wedding, hopefully before they do, they can learn to resolve their differences in a healthier manner so they can fulfill their destiny of an interdependent lifelong union.

1 Corinthians 11:11 (KJV) "Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord."

A British couple has worked their way into the Guinness Book of World records by staying married for 80 years. The Guinness organization says the couple holds two records, one for the longest marriage for a living couple, and for having the oldest aggregate age of a married couple. 105-year-old Percy Arrowsmith and his 100 year-old wife, Florence were married June 1, 1925 after meeting at their local church where he sang in the choir and she taught Sunday school.

Mrs. Arrowsmith attributed the success of their marriage to hard work and never going to bed with an argument unsettled. She added, "It has not been easy, but worth every minute because he is much more than my best friend; he is the love of my life."

The couple's daughter Jane Woolley said her parents are both "very perky." The family says the couple always kisses each other and holds hands before going to bed.

—Associated Press, U.K. Couple Marks 80th Wedding Anniversary, June 1, 2005; Agence France Presse, Couple reveal secrets of long—very, very long—marriage. June 1, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Ephesians 5:31 (TEV) "As the scripture says, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one.'"

In England, researchers are interpreting the data from a new report that is showing that marriage is on the decline and cohabitation is on the increase in their country. In the early '70's about 10% of all births were to unwed mothers. In 1974 it increased to 32% and today it is 42%. Robert Whelan, of the Civitas think-tank, said: "Of all the statistics that show our problems this is the one that matters most. There needs to be a programme to educate the public in the problems associated with children brought up by one parent."

Phillip Hodson, a fellow of the British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy, underscores the difference between marriage and cohabitation. "Marriage is when two people become one," he suggested, "and cohabitation is when two people remain two."

—http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/09/30/nmarr30.xml Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Genesis 2:24 (HCSB) "This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh."

In her book, "Who Put the Cat in the Fridge?", Rhonda Rhea writes, "When two people both want the same thing—to live a life that glorifies the Father—a oneness is born that breeds success."

Genesis 2:24 (ASV) "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."

One literally, through a transplant, the other figuratively, through marriage. Dulka suffered from inflammation of the heart and had been released from the hospital expecting to receive a heart transplant as soon as a heart became available.Shortly after noon on his wedding day, Dulka received a call from the hospital's transplant coordinator asking him to come in right away because a heart was waiting.

Since the ceremony was planned for two o'clock, the couple called to ask if they could move up the ceremony.When the chapel agreed, the couple enlisted friends to call everyone on the guest list to inform them of the new time. Immediately following the ceremony, the newlyweds sped to the hospital.

When asked about the change of plans, the bride, Deidre Dulka said, "Even though it was short, it was really romantic, really serious, really loving, really proper."She swept her arms around the hospital room, and added. "This is our honeymoon suite."

—Associated Press, Groom Gets New Heart on His Wedding Day, October 14, 2004. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Proverbs 18:22 (NASB) "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord."

The United State Armed Forces is sponsoring "marriage enrichment" seminars in hopes of saving marriages ravaged by military operations overseas.Studies show that the divorce rate has risen to 21 percent among couples where one spouse has been sent off to war.In response to the need the Army is spending $2 million on a variety of marriage programs such as vouchers for romantic getaway to places like the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, and marriage building weekends.

One program being implemented Army-wide teaches couples communication skills and the value of forgiveness. It includes a 40-hour course with lessons on the dangers of alcohol and tobacco and how to recognize post-traumatic stress. Soldiers who complete the program receive promotion points and a weekend retreat with their spouse.To make the program more desirable, the Army is encouraging commanders to give their soldiers time off to attend, providing babysitting.

Col. Glen Bloomstrom, director of ministry initiatives for the Chief of Chaplains says, "If you learn those skills, you can make an impact on the number of divorces, and the number, we think, of reports of physical violence."Bloomstrom added, "What we're trying to do is change the culture, that it's OK to work on your marriage and take some time, and invest in your lifelong relationship—especially now when we're asking so much of your military spouses."

—Associated Press, $2 million to save Army marriages, December 29, 2004. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Matthew 19:4-6 (NASB) "And He answered and said, 'Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, [5] and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH'? [6] Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

A new study suggests that staying married has unique benefits, and one of the most noticeable may be financial. The nationwide study found the wealth of a married person is almost double that of someone who is single.

The study compiled data taken over a 15-year period, involved 9,000 Americans between the ages of 21 and 28 in 1985. While respondents who remained single had a slow but steady growth of wealth, those who married and stayed married showed a sharp increase in wealth accumulation after marriage growing by about 16 percent a year by the tenth year of marriage.

The study found that divorce among baby boomers reduced personal wealth by 77 percent when compared with people who remained single. Married couple saw their wealth double during the same time period.

Research Scientist and author of the study Jay Zagorsy summed up his findings saying, "If you really want to increase your wealth, get married and stay married. On the other hand, divorce can devastate your wealth."

—Reuters, Marriage builds wealth more than being single?, January 20, 2006. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Hebrews 13:4-5 (TEV) "Marriage is to be honored by all, and husbands and wives must be faithful to each other. God will judge those who are immoral and those who commit adultery. [5] Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, 'I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.'"

(I thought the fact that this two verses were together was interesting based on the results of this study.)

Captain Caleb Holt is a firefighter who loves his job, and thinks he knows what it means to love his wife, Kathryn. While he is valiantly fighting fires and saving lives in the community, a fire of another kind threatens to destroy his marriage. As a firefighter, Caleb knows it is important never to leave your partner alone, especially in a fire. What he must learn is why the same statement is true about his marriage. When Caleb and his wife are at the end of their wits and on the brink of divorce, Caleb’s father challenges him to take a 40-day challenge in an attempt to save his ailing marriage. Caleb reluctantly accepts the challenge, hoping one way or the other, he will be able to find peace, and be free of the troubles in his private life. When he begins the challenge, Caleb learns the task ahead of him is bigger than he thought, especially when his friend Michael Simmons confronts him with an important truth about a marriage relationship.

Option 1: Show Clip from Fireproof, Chapter 7, 30-39 to 33:06 and make application.

Option 2: Describe scene from Fireproof and make application

Caleb and Michael met in the firehouse kitchen after the others have gone to bed. Michael asks Caleb about the challenge ahead. “40 days. Does Kathryn know?” Without looking up, Caleb dryly responds, “I’m not going to tell her. If she wants to go ahead and file, that’s up to her.” Obviously worried, Michael says, “Divorce is a hard thing, man.” Revealing the need he feels within, Caleb responds, “Well, if it brings peace.”

Michael looks Caleb in the eye and tells him, “Caleb, you want the right kind of peace.” Confused, Caleb asks, “What do mean by that?” Michael gestures toward Caleb’s hand. “Do you know what that ring on your finger means?” Nonchalantly, Caleb takes a sip of his coffee, and says, “It means I’m married.” Then Michael begins to go into more detail. He tells Caleb, “Yeah. Well it also means you made a lifelong covenant. You, putting on that ring while saying your vows.” He pauses then adds, “the sad part about it is, when most people say,’ for better or for worse’, they really only mean for the better.”

Caleb’s interest is piqued at the comment, and responds, “Kathryn and I were in love when we got married, but today we’re two very different people, alright? It’s just not working anymore.” To counter Caleb’s objections, Michael looks for something to make his point clear and finally grabs the salt and pepper shakers from the table. Holding them in his hands he says, “Caleb, Salt and Pepper are completely different. Their makeup is different. Their taste and their color. But you always see them together and when you…” Michael’s voice trails off as he looks around again. “Hold on a second.” Then, finding a tube of superglue, Michael begins putting glue on the sides of the salt and pepper shaker.

Caleb can’t figure out what Michael is up to and asks, “What are you doing, Michael? What did you do that for?” Holding the salt and pepper shakers together, Michael looks up. “Caleb when two people get married, it’s for better or for worse. For richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health.”

Getting a little tired of the lecture, Caleb protests, “I know that, but marriages aren’t fireproof! Sometimes you get burned!” Michael looks him on the eye and says, “Fireproof doesn’t mean fire will never come, but that when it comes, you’ll be able to withstand it.” Caleb takes the glued salt and pepper shakers. “You didn’t have to glue then together.” He begins trying to pull them apart.

Watching him, Michael says, “Don’t do it Caleb. If you pull them apart now you’ll break either one or both of them.” Annoyed, Caleb puts the shakers down and says defensively, “I’m not a perfect person, but better than most and if my marriage is failing, it is not all my fault.” Desperate for Caleb to understand, Michael says, “But Caleb. I’ve seen you run into a burning building to save people you don’t even know, but you’re going to let your own marriage just burn to the ground.” Though he has heard the truth, Caleb struggles with what it means. He looks directly at Michael and says, “Michael, you are my friend and I’ve allowed you to speak freely with me on this job.” He angrily adds, ”Don’t abuse it!” Michael sits back in his chair and sighs as he watches Caleb leave the room. Caleb has heard the truth, but the question is will he choose to act on what he has heard or ignore it?

Application: From the beginning, God designed marriage to be one man and one woman for a lifetime. Divorce is not God’s plan, but the hard heartedness can drive couples apart. The truth expressed by Michael in the movie is that a fireproof marriage is one that can withstand hard times, as well as the good times life brings.

-- Fireproof, Chapter 7, 30-39 to 33:06. Illustration by Jim L. Wlson and Jim Sandell

Matthew 19:3-8 (CEV) Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. They came up to him and asked, "Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" Jesus answered, "Don't you know that in the beginning the Creator made a man and a woman? That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. He becomes like one person with his wife. Then they are no longer two people, but one. And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together." The Pharisees asked Jesus, "Why did Moses say that a man could write out divorce papers and send his wife away?" Jesus replied, "You are so heartless! That's why Moses allowed you to divorce your wife. But from the beginning God did not intend it to be that way.

A bold German, Mika convinced his sweetheart Anna-Bell that a wedding in a warm place such as Africa was a good idea. On New Year’s Eve, they packed their swim gear and headed for the Hamburg airport for their African trip. German police thought something amiss however, and they were right. Mika is only six-years-old; Anna-Bell is only five.

When asked what they were doing by the police officer, Anna-Bell replied, “We just wanted to get married, and so we just thought, let’s go there.”

--Time Magazine, January 19, 2009 p. 16

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/05/german-children-elope-mika-annabel Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Marriage should never happen on a whim. It is a lifetime commitment between two people that God joins together. However, some people treat it as casually as six-year-old Mika and five-year-old Anna-Bell do.

Proverbs 18:22 (MSG) “Find a good spouse, you find a good life— and even more: the favor of God!”

Dominick and Anne Cosentino were married in 1928. She was 16. He was 18. In 2008 the Cosentinos, now 98 and 96 celebrated 80 years of marriage. At the celebration “Anne wore a white wedding veil, and when Dominick kissed her, he laid his hand on her heart.”

In a day when marriage seems more fragile every passing year the Cosentinos have a secret. “Couples shouldn’t anticipate their entire marriage will be rosy,” Mrs. Cosentino told the St. Petersburg Times, “but compassion and devotion can keep them together.”

--World Magazine, September 20/27, 2008, p. 12. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

God’s intent is for a man and a woman to make a lifetime commitment to one another and then keep that commitment even if it takes 80 years. I am sure that the boy and girl that were married in 1928 have changed a lot in the intervening years. The one thing that hasn’t changed is their devotion to one another. That is what makes marriage work.

Proverbs 18:22 (NASB) “He who finds a wife finds a good thing And obtains favor from the LORD.”

According to an Australian Lawmaker one of the best ways to save the planet may be to stay married. Senator Steve Fielding, who heads the independent Family First political party down under, told a senate hearing that staying married is better for the planet because divorce often leads newly single people to lead wasteful lifestyles. Fielding who grew up in a family of 18 children, and has been married for 22 years, quoted statistics based on a study from the United Stares.

According to Fielding, divorce made concerns over climate change worse. He said when couples separate; they need more rooms, more electricity, and more water, all of which increase their carbon footprint. Fielding added, “We understand that there is a social problem, but now we’re seeing there is also environmental impact as well on the footprint.”

--Stay married and save the planet, http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090224/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_climate_divorce, February 24, 2009, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

I don’t always know what to think about climate change, but I know staying married has always been God’s plan.

Matthew 19:3-6 “Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. They came up to him and asked, "Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”Jesus answered, "Don't you know that in the beginning the Creator made a man and a woman? That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. He becomes like one person with his wife. Then they are no longer two people, but one. And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together.”

Despite recent trends toward short relationships and divorce among other stars, rock musician Jon Bon Jovi and his wife have remained married through the years. The couple was high school sweethearts and wed after graduation. When asked about the longevity of the relationship between him and his wife, the former Dorothea Hurley, Bon Jovi said the main factor was fear.

The couple will celebrate their platinum anniversary in 2009. Bon Jovi explained the secret of their happiness this way, “Let get that right here, right now. I’m afraid of my wife.” He then added, “Trust me, she is the best. I am very happy.”

--Bon Jovi: I’m scared of my wife, http://www.nbcactionnews.com/entertainment/story/Bon-Jovi-Im-scared-of-my-wife/0uavBhJuCketNRb64ptjyQ.cspx ; April 27, 2009, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

A defense of marriage showed up in a mainstream news source recently. Time Magazine printed an essay by author Caitlin Flanagan entitled “Why Marriage Matters.” In the essay, Ms. Flanagan points to the statistics in building a case for commitment in marriage.

She appeals for lasting unions based on the discovery that, “on every single significant outcome related to short-term well-being and long-term success, children from intact, two-parent families outperform those from single-parent households. Longevity, drug abuse, school performance and dropout rates, teen pregnancy, criminal behavior and incarceration—if you can measure it, a sociologist has; and in all cases, the kids living with both parents drastically outperform the others.”

In the essay, she quotes a book by a Princeton sociologist and single mother, Sara McLanahan. Ms. McLanahan did not want to believe her own research but she faithfully printed the results in a book, Growing Up with a Single Parent: What Hurts, What Helps. “Children who grow up in a household with only one biological parent,” she found, “are worse off, on average, than children who grow up in a household with both of their biological parents, regardless of the parents’ race or educational background.”

Matthew 19:6 (NASB77) "Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

The University of California, Berkeley studied how couples fight and resolve marital disagreements. They analyzed the conversations of 154 middle-aged and older couples as they discussed the conflicts in their marriage. They discovered that couples who use the words “we” and “our” have happier marriages than those who usually use the words “I” and “his” or “her.”

--The Week, February 19, 2010, p. 22 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Philippians 2:3-4 (NASB77) “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; (4) do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Daniel Gilbert, a Harvard psychologist studies happiness. One thing he discovered is that married people are happier than those who just live together. He uses himself as an example. “My girlfriend and I had been living together for a dozen years.” Because of his discovery, he proposed marriage. How did it work out? “I love my wife more than I loved my girlfriend, even though she’s the same person. Commitment isn’t just a sign of love; it is a cause of love.”

--Reader’s Digest, February, 2010, p. 16 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

God can command a man to love his wife because God already knew that commitment is a cause of love. Sometimes the action of loving someone wholeheartedly precedes the feelings of love.

Ephesians 5:25 (NASB77) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her;

In a study by the National Center for Health Statistics, more couples are living together before marriage. The results of living together first are significant. “If a couple cohabited before getting married (and 28 percent of couples do), the likelihood of their marriage lasting 10 years decreased by 6 percentage points. Cohabiting couples also report lower levels of relationship quality, lower income levels, and don’t experience the same health benefits that marriage gives.” In addition, children living in such situations don’t fare as well academically or behaviorally.

God’s plan for a man and a woman to become one flesh in marriage for a lifetime of love together is still the best plan.

Genesis 2:24 (GW) “That is why a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and they will become one flesh.”

The Center For Disease Control recently reported results from a new study concerning marriage in America. Researchers based the study on a sample of over 12,000 men and women nationwide and found that marriages in the United States tend to last longer than unions where couples live together outside matrimony.

The study found 78 percent of marriages lasted five years or more, compared with less than 30 percent of cohabitating unions. One reason cohabiting relationships were shorter-lived than marriages is that over half of the couples who lived together made the transition to marriage within three years. At the time the interview were conducted 40 percent of men and women aged 15 to 44 were married while 9 percent were living together. The study also found 75 percent of marriages between men and women aged 26 years or older lasted at least ten years, while marriages begun in the teen years did not. Children also played a role with 80 percent of couples who had their first child at least eight months after their marriage were likely to celebrate their tenth anniversary.

--Marriages last longer than living together?; http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62133E20100302; March 2, 2010, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Matthew 19:4-6 (CEV) “Jesus answered, ‘Don't you know that in the beginning the Creator made a man and a woman? (5) That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. He becomes like one person with his wife. (6) Then they are no longer two people, but one. And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together.’"

In his book, What Did You Expect? Paul David Tripp writes “Your marriage isn’t what you expected because you are a sinner married to a sinner and you both live in a fallen world.”

We need to be reminded that no matter the glowing testimonies of marriage we sometimes hear, no marriage is without its difficulties. I am not all that different from others. My marriage needs working on from time to time, and sometimes more often than others.

The good news according to Tripp is that there is sufficient grace to bring your marriage back to life.

A 30 year-old Taiwanese woman says she is looking forward to getting married. She has posed for pictures in a flowing white dress, enlisted a planner, rented a hall, and sent invitations to 30 of her closest friends. The only thing missing at the wedding will be the groom, because Chen Wei-yih is getting married to herself.

Chen says she is facing social pressure to get married, but none of the men she has met were the right person. She says at thirty, she is in her prime and has plenty of good experience along with a good job. Chen says she in planning a honeymoon for one to Australia after the ceremony. Since she is not marrying anyone, Chen will not be allowed to officially register the marriage. That leaves her open to find a husband in the future. She says she hopes more people will love themselves. Chen added, ”It’s not that I’m anti-marriage. I just hope that I can express a different idea within the bounds of a tradition.”

Bride-to-be set to say “I do’ --- to herself, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39793033/ns/world_news-weird_news , October 22, 2010. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

When I look at God’s plan for marriage, I’m not sure he left room for us to provide our own interpretations.

Matthew 19:4-6 (CEV) ”Jesus answered, "Don't you know that in the beginning the Creator made a man and a woman? (5) That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. He becomes like one person with his wife. (6) Then they are no longer two people, but one. And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together."

On October 10, 2010—10/10/10—more than 32,000 couples said their marriage vows. That is 6 times the usual daily number. The last time that many weddings occurred in one day was July 7, 2007. People consider these lucky days on which to begin a marriage.

--The Week, October 22, 2010, p.8 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

It takes more than beginning on a lucky day to make a good marriage. Husbands and wives need to learn to be submissive to one another and he must love her as Christ loved the church. It is more difficult to achieve a lifelong satisfying marriage than simply starting on the right day.

Ephesians 5:22-26 (NASB77) “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. (24) But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. (25) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; (26) that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

Recently published articles seem to indicate that society as a whole is devaluing marriage and that many think the concept is obsolete. Despite those views, recent opinion polls suggest there may be more to the story. The Focus on the Family organization examined the recent stories, and found there actual surveys told a different story. Gary Schneeburger, Vice President of Communications for Focus on the Family says the recent stories are a reminder of how dangerous it can be to base an entire story or a headline or one part of an opinion poll.

Schneeburger says the polling found 39 percent of respondents felt marriage was obsolete, but 67 percent of the same people said they were optimistic about the institution of marriage. He explained, “(People) recognize society does not value marriage as it should, but they personally certainly desire it.”

Looking closely at the numbers in the polling reveals more than half of single adults expressed a desire to be married, and over a third of respondents, married or not, felt it would be easier to have a fulfilling live life inside a marital relationship. Overall, two-thirds of people surveyed believed it was best for society to bear and raise children inside a marriage. Schneeburger believes people’s personal responses to the question are a reflection of Christian beliefs. He said, “From a Christian perspective, we believe that God’s written on the hearts of everyone, those who know Him and those who don’t, that desire to be married, that desire to have a family and that recognition that in the context of that one man, one woman marriage comes some of the things (the survey) talked about: stability, more satisfaction (and) gratification.”

--Marriage Is Not Obsolete, Family Expert says, http://www.christianpost.com/article/20101119/marriage-is-not-obsolete-family-expert-says;November 19, 2010, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Matthew 19:6 NASB “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

39% of Americans surveyed by the Pew Research Center say that marriage is becoming obsolete. Census data for 2010 also reflects a declining interest in marriage. Only 54% of adults are married today compared with 57% ten years ago and 72% in 1960. Those that are getting married are waiting later to say the vows. The average age at first marriage for men is 28.2 and for women, 26.1. That is up almost 2 years since 2000.

These statistics reflect the alternatives available in our postmodern culture. Cohabitation, for example has nearly doubled in the last 20 years and many of those living together believe it is a step toward marriage.

--USA Today, November 18, 2010, p. A1 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Matthew 19:5 (NASB77) and said, ' FOR THIS CAUSE A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND SHALL CLEAVE TO HIS WIFE; AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH'?

In Taiwan, a culture that prizes families and denigrates unmarried women, Chen Wei-yih has reached 30 years old with no prospects. Her answer? Marry herself. She has planned a wedding, complete with photographs, reception, and invitations to 30 of her closest friends. The only thing missing will be a groom. After the wedding, she is going to be taking a solo honeymoon to Australia.

--World, November 20, 2010 p. 23 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

She can have the party, she can have the reception, she can take the pictures, she can go to Australia, but the Bible says a marriage requires two, one man and one woman. We wish Chen Wei-yih the best and pray she will find someone with whom to share her life.

Mark 10:6-9 (NASB77) (6) "But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE. (7) " FOR THIS CAUSE A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, (8) AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. (9) "What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

A new Harris Interactive poll indicates a dangerous new trend is emerging in America. The poll of over 2,000 Americans found that 31 percent of American couples who have combined finances admitted they regularly committed “financial infidelity,” by lying to their spouses about money. The results showed that one-third of respondents say also said they have been deceived about family finances, and both sexes said they lie to their partners about money in equal numbers. The most common lie was hiding cash, followed by hiding minor purchases, hiding a bill, not disclosing a major purchase, and finally by keeping hidden bank accounts.

The most disturbing trend revealing in the study is the result of the financial infidelity was consequences on the marriage relationship. Sixteen percent of couples surveyed said the deception led to divorce, while 11 percent said it caused them to separate. Most of the couples reported less severe consequences saying the lies resulted in an argument and decreased trust within the relationship. Chief Executive of the national Endowment for Financial Education said, “These indiscretions cause significant damage to the relationship.”

--Three in 10 Americans commit financial infidelity?, http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70C4WS20110113 ; January 13, 2011. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Ephesians 5:8-10 (HCSB) “For you were once darkness, but now ?you are? light in the Lord. Walk as children of light— (9) for the fruit of the light ?results? in all goodness, righteousness, and truth— (10) discerning what is pleasing to the Lord.”

Love that is special, and a marriage that lasts, are not automatic. Many of the celebrities we are fascinated with wish they could have found lasting love. Jack Nicholson, now in his 73rd year, admits that “his wandering attentions haven’t made for lasting relationships. ‘I’ve been in love in my life, but it always starts with an obsession that lasts exactly 18 months. Then it changes.’ Though he’s had a good run, he believes his prospects for finding love again are dim. ‘I’ve had everything a man could ask for, but I don’t know if anyone could say I’ve been successful with affairs of the heart.’

--The Week, Feb. 18, 2011, p. 10 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Jane Fonda would like to celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary. At 76 and divorced from her third husband, she realizes that isn’t going to happen. "I wish that I had the man of my life when I was about Hilary Duff’s age (17) and stayed married for 40, 50 years and had been able to celebrate a 50th anniversary." I wish that I'd been able to do that, but I just wasn't dealt those cards."

What does a long lasting love take? Sheryl P. Kurland interviewed 75 couples, all of whom had been married for 50 years or more and published their insights. (Everlasting Matrimony Pearls Of Wisdom From Couples Married 50 Years Or More, Bai Publishing August 2007). Some of the pearls were things like, “Praise your spouse. Keep your own ego in check. Keep communication lines open. Display affection for the other. Live within your financial capabilities.”
When Canadian couple, Archie and Winifred Mulford, celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary they simplified the secret. The secret to their happy marriage according to Mr. Mulford: "She liked me and I liked her and that's all there is to it."

Getting married can be stressful enough, not to mention the added worries over how to pay for everything. Staying on a budget can put a couple on the edge on what should be one of the happiest moments of their lives. A church in the Toledo Ohio area plans to help relate financial concerns for newlyweds by offering free wedding weekends. Pastor Josh Plaisance of The Dwelling Place Church says the church offers the minister’s services, live music, sound, and even a photographer free on a first come first served basis on two specific weekends.

The only requirement is the church asks couples to agree to their time frame, have a marriage license and attend two pre-marriage mentoring sessions. The church hopes the marriage weekends will draw new families to the church. Plaisance adds, “The average cost of a wedding is $24,000 in America; which is outrageous to me. So we just said that we’re going to do something about it to help a couple take that step to get married and make it a little bit easier. We’ll bear the burden.”

--Church giving away free wedding weekend, http://www.foxtoledo.com/dpp/news/local/
Church-giving-away-free-wedding-weekend ; March 9, 2011. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Ephesians 5:31-33 (CEV) (31) As the Scriptures say, "A man leaves his father and mother to get married, and he becomes like one person with his wife." (32) This is a great mystery, but I understand it to mean Christ and his church. (33) So each husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself, and each wife should respect her husband.

When a couple decides to marry, they have a very rosy view of their future together. In a recent survey of marriage-license applicants, 0% felt like they would ever get a divorce. This optimism can lead to a decision to neglect the counseling and preparation for marriage that is available.

Ephesians 5:22-33 (ESV) (22) Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. (24) Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (25) Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, (26) that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, (27) so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. (28) In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (29) For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, (30) because we are members of his body. (31) “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” (32) This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (33) However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Instead of a lifetime covenant of marriage, couples in Mexico City will be able to sign a limited time contract of marriage if a legislative proposal becomes law. The contract time can be as short as two years. The state advantage is “you wouldn’t have to go through the tortuous process of divorce.”

--The Week, October 14, 2011 p. 6 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

The “tortuous process of divorce,” is the dividing up of community property, and most importantly, the custody of any children. In addition, there are the emotions involved in any breakup, but the biggest problem I see, is the disregard for the Biblical admonition to love as Christ loved the church. Thankfully, he made an eternal covenant with us, not a time limited contract.

Ephesians 5:25-33 (NASB) (25) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, (26) so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, (27) that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. (28) So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; (29) for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, (30) because we are members of His body. (31) FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. (32) This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. (33) Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

Anthony Hopkins spent his career as an Actor; most would agree he was a good one. The English crown knighted him Sir Anthony for his acting achievements. At age 73, Hopkins is dissatisfied with his life’s profession.

Recently in Memphis, he visited a cinema complex. “They were just about to start the matinee and I looked inside. All these people were waddling around with their popcorn and their hot dogs.” After imitating a snore he said, “I thought, ‘That’s it? This is the movie industry I’ve invested my life in?’”

When asked where he found contentment he said, “In marriage.” His wife, Stella, “Has brought a lot of peace to my life, I learnt from her to just take life as it comes. I expect nothing and accept everything. And it makes life so much easier.”

--The Week, February 25, 2011 p. 12 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Like many others, Sir Anthony has discovered that the real key to a good life is our relationships, in loving others, and in investing in other people.

Philippians 1:1-6 (KJV) “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: (2) Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (3) I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, (4) Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, (5) For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; (6) Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

The very first institution created by God was marriage. (See Genesis 2:24) When Paul looked for a way to describe the relationship between Christ and the church, he chose the marriage relationship. (See Ephesians 5:22-33) Because marriage is so essential in God’s economy, it is only logical that it comes under attack from forces opposed to God.

According to the US Census Bureau, marriage is at an all-time low. The percentage of married adults has dropped from 57% to 52% in just the last ten years. Young Americans are waiting longer than ever to get married increasing from 22.5 years to 28.4 years for men, and from 20.6 to 26.5 for women. In the meantime, more and more couples are cohabiting rather than marrying.

The cohabiting alternative solves none of the problems of marriage. Seven of ten cohabitations end in divorce and the breakups are as painful as divorce. With children involved in both situations, the question must be asked about the impact on the young. The Center for Marriage and Families shows “cohabitation is even more detrimental for children than divorce. While one of four children born to married parents will see them divorce by age 12, two out of five will experience parent cohabitation by age 12—and the breakup rate for these unions is almost three times higher”

In addition, government data show that children are at least three times more likely to be emotionally, physically, or sexually abused in a cohabiting household.

--World, December 3, 2011, p. 58 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

These are just some of the reasons we need to continue promoting the God created institution of marriage.

Proverbs 31:10 (HCSB) Who can find a capable wife? She is far more precious than jewels.

New research suggests marriage is becoming less common in the United States. The report showed that Americans are getting married less frequently and when they do marry, they are doing it later in life. The findings are similar to results in the United Kingdom where researchers found that only 48 percent of adults reported they were married. While researchers debate the impact the findings will have on society, they point out the decline in marriage is evident. In 1960, the number of adults reporting they were married was 72 percent. In 2010, it was only 51 percent. Between 2009 and 2010 the number of reported marriages also declined by five percent. Combine that with more people waiting to marry, and researchers say the signs point to marriage as being less important to people today.

The study found a number of factors might be at work. Other kinds of living arrangements, such as cohabitation, are more socially acceptable now than in the past. It is also more acceptable for a single person to live by himself or herself, or for a parent to remain single while supporting children. The fact that people may consider they have more options now than they once did contributes to the number of adults waiting until after college to settle down. Social researchers say economically, married couples tend to have more income and more wealth. Studies have also found that marriage partnerships also force people to plan for the future, share assets, and build wealth together. The overall impact might be to create a future where people are less able to build wealth, affecting the overall economic well being of the country.

Researchers say in other countries where marriage has declined, many people live together, and the assumption is that is the same as being married. They say they will continue to study the trends to see which direction America moves in. The country could continue to place marriage in a state with more recognition and legal benefits, and grant other forms of cohabitation a lower status. They agree the choice will affect the nation’s future well being.

--Marriage rate in America drops to new low; http://www.inflexwetrust.com/2011/12/14/marriage-rate-in-america-drops-to-new-low ; December 14, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Matthew 19:4-6 (CEV) Jesus answered, "Don't you know that in the beginning the Creator made a man and a woman? (5) That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. He becomes like one person with his wife. (6) Then they are no longer two people, but one. And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together."

The Wall Street Journal calls nagging the marriage killer. In fact, it is much more common than adultery and according to the journal potentially as toxic.

Every couple, at some point faces “the interaction in which one person repeatedly makes a request, the other person repeatedly ignores it and both become increasingly annoyed” Or nagging for short.

People nag when they have a perception that they will not get what they want from the other person. They need to keep asking and reminding in order to get it. Usually the more they badger the other person, the more the other spouse starts to withhold resulting in even more nagging.

--Wall Street Journal, January 25, 2012, p. D1 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

1 Peter 3:1-2 (ESV) Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives— when they see your respectful and pure conduct.

Baylor University psychologists questioned 3,539 married couples to determine what couples argue about. They discovered that although arguments involve many different topics the tension that sparked the arguments “almost always involved deeper issues relating to whether the partners felt understood or valued.”

Scientific American says “all fights come down to two basic issues that have little to do with the content of the arguments: One person feels that he or she is being unfairly controlled or feels neglected.”

--The Week, July 16, 2010 p. 21 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Ephesians 5:33 (ESV) However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

A New York judge has ordered a divorcing couple to build a wall dividing their home in half. Pinchs and Nechama Gold have two weeks to decide on the exact location of the wall. Mr, Gold’s attorney said “the unusual order made perfect sense. They’ve been living like there was a wall up for two years now.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 (ESV) Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

A Florida judge recently came up with an unusual sentence for a man accused of domestic violence. Officials arrested Joseph Bray after he and his wife had a fight because he neglected to wish his wife a happy birthday. Records indicated police took Bray into custody he and his wife had argued, and he pushed her onto a couch, grabbed her throat, and raised his fist, but never hit her. Broward County bond court Judge John Hurley asked bray’s wife Sonya if she felt threatened by her husband, had been injured by him, or if money and or alcohol were involved.

The tearful woman repeatedly told the court the problem was a lack of communications between them. The judge asked a few more questions before ruling. He discovered she liked Red Lobster and bowling. Then Judge Hurley told Mr. Bray’s lawyer that he would be released by 3 PM. Bray was instructed to stop and get some flowers and a card. The judge ordered him to change clothes, pick up his wife, take her to dinner at Red Lobster, and go bowling afterward. Judge Hurley explained his creative ruling saying the testimony he received from Mrs. Bray convinced him to be lenient. He ordered the couple to sign up for marriage counseling the next day. In his instructions to Mr. Bray, Judge Hurley said, “Flowers, birthday card, Red Lobster, bowling. You’ve got your work cut out for you.”

--Sentence for domestic abuse: Jail or dinner and a date, http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/667768--sentence-for-domestic-abuse-jail-or-dinner-and-a-date ; February 8, 2012, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Ephesians 5:25 (HCSB) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her

John and Frances Canning learned that the Queen of England was going to be in the local area on the day of their wedding so they sent her an invitation. The Queen graciously turned down the invitation, but began making plans for a surprise appearance. The couple was stunned and reported, “the surprise made the day.”

Christian couples pray that the Lord will show up on their wedding day and seal them to one another in a lifetime commitment. When the Lord is present, his presence makes not only the day, but also the marriage.

Ephesians 5:25-27 (ESV) Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Yogi Berra and his wife Carmen have been married 63 years. Sports historians recognize Berra as the greatest living Yankee baseball player and he literally has a museum full of memorabilia from his years as a Yankee player, coach, and manager. (The museum is in Upper Montclair, New Jersey) His teammates have included some of the greatest baseball players in history and he is still a part of the Yankee teams today.

Broadcaster Michael Kay, wanting to know which teammate out of all the players he had been friends with over the years, asked Berra, “Which person would you most want to have in a foxhole with you.” Without a seconds hesitation Berra answered, “Carmen.”

--Araton, Harvey, Driving Mr. Yogi,( Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012), 42. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

That is the way it should be. When two people partner up for life, they should work at becoming so close that they would rather have one another than anyone else.

Genesis 2:23 (ESV) Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

Jeffrey and Amanda Radle don’t exactly see eye to eye when it comes to politics. Apparently, when Jeffrey couldn’t persuade his wife to come around to his political point of view, he tried to stop her from going to the polls to cast her ballot.

He stood in front of the family Dodge Durango so she couldn’t pull out of the driveway, when she tried to go around him, he hurled his body in front of the car, which led to admission into the local hospital for “injuries to his head, neck and back.”

--http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/weird/Wifes-SUV-Rams-Husband-
Who-Tried-to-Block-Her-From-Voting-Police-Say--150763055.html Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

There is a difference between leading and controlling. Mr. Radle wasn’t giving himself up for his wife—he was asking her to lose herself in him. Marriage is never about one person capitulating to another, it is about two people caring about each other so much that they respect, love and submit to one another.

Ephesians 5:22–25 (HCSB) Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, 23 for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her

In India, the wedding day is very important. Aamir Khan says, “We put all our energy into making a success of the wedding ceremony, rather than the lifelong commitment that follows it.” While parents are responsible for arranging most weddings in India including the choice of a spouse, they are more concerned with the wedding day than the marriage.

In the United States we get to choose our own spouse, and arrange our own marriage, and yet somehow we often go overboard in wedding planning and neglect marriage planning. Couples spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on a one day celebration but remain reluctant to spend a few hundred dollars and 10 or 12 hours receiving good pre-marital direction on building great marriages.

Matthew 19:4-6 (ESV) He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

“We get the feeling they can’t stand the sight of each other.” Those words describe the relationship of long term mates. Authorities had to separate them because they were afraid they would kill one or the other. No amount of counseling could help these two. They were giant turtles. They had been mates for most of their 115-year-old lives.

No one knows why they suddenly turned on one another. No one knows how to help. Fortunately for human couples there is help. Understanding the principles in God’s word relating to love, trust, communication, forgiveness, and mutual submission can bring love back to the relationship.

Ephesians 5:24-26 (ESV) “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

Spouses who are concerned that their other half may not remain faithful have a new weapon at their disposal. It is a wedding ring that has “I’m Married” engraved into the inside in such a way that when the wearer takes the wedding band off, the message remains imprinted on the finger. I think it is kind of like, branding your spouse.

Husbands and wives should remember their vows and take their commitments seriously. God intends us to be faithful to one another for a lifetime, no brand needed. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Matthew 19:6 (HCSB) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

When Alan Tucker and his wife were married, they took the usual vows, promising to be true to one another “in sickness and in health.” When Alan took his vows, he knew they would be difficult to fulfill. His wife Jennifer was born three months premature and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy while still very young. Now, 40 years later, Alan still provides care for his bride, 24/7 without complaining. Alan chose not to ask for outside help either. He takes care of all of Jennifer’s personal care, medications, and personal affairs, and then keeps up the housework. Alan takes his responsibilities in stride saying that caring form his wife is second nature to him and his never gives it a second thought.

Since Alan has been so faithful to her, Jennifer recently nominated him for an Adult care Giver of the Year Award. She said,” Alan doesn’t like the limelight, but I think people should know how good he and other carers are.” She added, “I know other people with disabilities whose husbands have upped and left them because of their problems, but he has always stayed by my side. I feel blessed to have him with me because he never grumbles about what he has to do.” --Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

--“In sickness and in health-he’s a hero.’ http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/sickness-health-s-hero/story-16274791-detail/story.html; June 4, 2012,

Philippians 2:13–14 (HCSB) “For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing,”

Lena Henderson and Roland Davis got married in Tennessee when they were teenagers. After four children and twenty years, they divorced in 1964. Davis remarried and moved away, but the coupled stayed friendly and kept in touch. When Davis’s second wife passed away, his daughter suggested he moved back to New York to be close to the family. Not only did he move, he also called Henderson and asked if she would marry him again. She agreed, and the 85 year-old couple will tie the knot for the second time.

When the couple went to get their marriage license city workers cheered for them. The family says the ceremony will include four generations of their family. The bride will wear blue, and the groom will be decked out in a tuxedo. When asked about getting married again, Davis said, “You don’t think people are going to get married at this age. We’re just thankful we’ve lived this long and that we’re still here. We have a lot to be thankful for.”– Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Couple to remarry almost 50 years after divorce, by Claudine Zap, http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/couple-remarry-50-years-divorce-163752742.html; Accessed July 30, 2012.

Mark 10:7–9 (HCSB) “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother [and be joined to his wife], 8 and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

Disagreements over finances are the most common source of marital discord and experts say fighting over money may do may damage than couples realize. A study conducted by the Utah State University found that couples who disagreed about money once a week were twice as likely to divorce as those who differed less than once a month. They say the reason is that money involves other issues such as power, control, self-esteem, freedom, and even love.

Experts say communication is the key to resolving money issues, because couples are often blinded by their own views about how to use the money they have. To keep monetary issues to a minimum, experts recommend couples be completely open about all their financial dealings and exchanging information with each other. They also recommend understanding the other’s money personality, and establishing and living on a budget. The experts say regular weekly discussions about finances may prevent bigger arguments later. --Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

The Best Ways to Prevent Money Arguments With Your Spouse, by Daniel Bortz, http://finance.yahoo.com/news/best-ways-prevent-money-arguments-163024950.html, Accessed September 7, 2012.

1 Timothy 6:10 (TEV) For the love of money is a source of all kinds of evil. Some have been so eager to have it that they have wandered away from the faith and have broken their hearts with many sorrows.

A recent study out of Norway shows that divorce rates there are about 50% higher among couples who shared the housework compared with those in which women did most of the chores. One clue to the reason for this comes from another study by Bosch, the high-end dishwasher company. They say that 40% of couples fight over how to load the dishwasher.

It may be that there is something to the differences in the sexes. My wife doesn’t like the way I wash and put away the dishes. I don’t appreciate the way she cleans the garage. The key to overcoming this obstacle, according to Craig Wilson in USA Today is never share the same chore. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Proverbs 31:1-31 (HCSB) (1) The words of King Lemuel, an oracle that his mother taught him: (2) What ?should I say?, my son? What, son of my womb? What, son of my vows? (3) Don’t spend your energy on women or your efforts on those who destroy kings. (4) It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers ?to desire? beer. (5) Otherwise, they will drink, forget what is decreed, and pervert justice for all the oppressed. (6) Give beer to one who is dying and wine to one whose life is bitter. (7) Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty and remember his trouble no more. (8) Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed. (9) Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy. (10) Who can find a capable wife? She is far more precious than jewels.acrostic. (11) The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good. (12) She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life. (13) She selects wool and flax and works with willing hands. (14) She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from far away. (15) She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and portions for her female servants. (16) She evaluates a field and buys it; she plants a vineyard with her earnings. (17) She draws on her strength and reveals that her arms are strong. (18) She sees that her profits are good, and her lamp never goes out at night. (19) She extends her hands to the spinning staff, and her hands hold the spindle. (20) Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy. (21) She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed. (22) She makes her own bed coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple. (23) Her husband is known at the city gates, where he sits among the elders of the land. (24) She makes and sells linen garments; she delivers belts to the merchants. (25) Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come. (26) She opens her mouth with wisdom and loving instruction is on her tongue. (27) She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle. (28) Her sons rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her: (29) “Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!” (30) Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD will be praised. (31) Give her the reward of her labor, and let her works praise her at the city gates.

Using GPS tracking devices, miniature cameras, and specialized software, spouses can monitor one another’s activities. This type of spying is increasing even though at least five U. S. circuit courts have ruled that spousal surveillance violates the Federal Wiretap Act.

Some may argue that Reagan’s doctrine: “trust but verify” works for marriages, but I suspect that this type of verifying is more of a precursor of divorce than a way to build trust. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Ephesians 5:22–26 (HCSB) “Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, 23 for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word.

General Colin Powell rose from modest beginnings to become the top military commander of the U.S. Armed Forces. He served as Secretary of State under George W. Bush. When he was ready to retire he gave up the 20 bodyguards, the private plane, and the adulation to become an ordinary citizen.

Powell says, “I was sitting at home with my wife, and I said, ‘Darling, this is the first day of the rest of our lives. I won’t be leaving the house at 5:30 in the morning anymore.’ She froze. Then I heard her mutter under her breath, ‘This fool doesn’t know how we stayed married for 50 years.’”

Absence may make the heart grow fonder, but living according to the biblical principles of marriage enables us to have long and healthy marriages.--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Ephesians 5:22–31 (HCSB) “Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, 23 for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of His body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”

Victor Cruz is an NFL star with a modern lifestyle. He lives with his girlfriend and their child. Even Time Magazine can see the hypocrisy in a confessed Christian living such a lifestyle. They asked, “You’re Catholic, and you have a kid with your girlfriend, who is also your manager. Why haven’t you married her yet?”

Cruz’s answer is insightful. “I just want the timing to be right. And I feel like we’re almost there, but once I wake up that one morning and I look over at her and I get that “go buy a ring” feeling, that’s when it’ll happen.”

The only explanation for such an attitude is a young man who is so totally swayed by a secular worldview. It is telling that he does not even see the moral issue involved here. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Genesis 2:24 (HCSB) “This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.”

In the current rush to certify Homosexual marriage, many are neglecting to understand the purpose of Marriage. Jordan Lorence, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom recently talked about that purpose.

“When two people apply for a marriage license, the government doesn’t ask them to prove their love, their capacity to find happiness, or even their ability to make money. At its core, the public purpose of marriage is to promote the continued existence of a society. Marriage laws exist because children are the natural product of sexual relationships between men and women, and both fathers and mothers are important for children. That’s the reason diverse cultures and faiths have recognized one-man, one-woman marriage as the best way to promote healthy families and societies.” --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Genesis 2:24 (ESV) Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

“Who am I? And how, I wonder, will this story end?” That’s the first line of Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook, his first novel, which was made into the movie of the same name. He is an 80 year-old man reflecting on his life, which he summarizes like this: “I am a common man with common thoughts, and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.”

We find the old man reading a love story from a notebook to an equally old woman who suffers from Alzheimer’s. It soon becomes clear that the old man, Noah, is reading to his beloved wife Allie, who can no longer recognize him. And he is reading the story of their life. In the story, Noah’s children try to get him to come home with them since Allie can’t recognize any of them.. They reason that they could all take turns visiting her. But Noah tells them, “Your mother is my home,” and he stays with her to the end.

Noah and Allie’s story could be yours. Nicholas Sparks based his story on his wife’s grandparents. He said that it was amazing to him that after 60 years of marriage, these two people were treating each other the same as he and his wife were treating each other after 12 hours of marriage. --Jim L. Wilson and Steve Long

Ephesians 5:33 (ESV) However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Former NFL football player turned pastor; Miles McPherson says a lot of people don’t understand the real purpose of marriage. Speaking to a group of college students at Liberty University, McPherson warned the students not to get married because they want to get happy, because that motivation is wrong. McPherson said marriage is not designed to make you happy, it “is there to make you holy.” He encouraged the students to focus less on what they can get in a relationship and more on what they can contribute to it. He says takers acquire what they want on their own terms, while people who are receivers get what they need by giving to others. Using experience from his own marriage as an example, McPherson said, “You realize that the only way the relationship is going to work is if you deny yourself. You have to give. Your marriage will never work if you are a taker.” He added, “It’s a compromise; we both have to give, why? Because God wants to make us holy and the only way to be holy is to let go.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Marriage Not There to Make You Happy, Says Megachurch Pastor, By Leonardo Blair, http://www.christianpost.com/news/marriage-not-there-to-make-you-happy-says-megachurch-pastor-8932, Accessed February 4, 2013.

Ephesians 5:25-27 (ESV) (25) Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, (26) that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, (27) so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

A new book by Wendy Moore, How to Create the Perfect Wife: Britain’s Most Ineligible Bachelor and his Enlightened Quest to Train the Ideal Mate, tells the story of Thomas Day, an 18th century author who experimented with raising his own perfect wife. He adopted two prepubescent orphans believing he could teach one of them to be the wife he wanted. The experiment failed miserably for all the obvious reasons.

God’s word is the best source for an excellent wife. Love her, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her.” Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Ephesians 5:25 (ESV) Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

Karl Lagerfeld is a multimillionaire German fashion designer. Recently the 77-year-old announced he has fallen in love with Choupette and would like to marry her. The only thing holding him back is the fact that Choupette is a Siamese cat. “I never thought I would fall in love like this with a cat,” he told a CNN interviewer.

With the long-standing definition of marriage in flux, it is not surprising that someone would think like that.--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/05/karl-lagerfeld-cat-love (accessed 7/1/13)

Hebrews 13:4 (CEV) Have respect for marriage. Always be faithful to your partner, because God will punish anyone who is immoral or unfaithful in marriage.

The actual cost of a wedding hasn’t risen all that much, still a few dollars for a wedding license but the amount couples are paying for a wedding has skyrocketed. An average American couple paid $28,427 in 2012 for their wedding, including the reception. Depending on where you live the price goes even higher. In Boston the average is $39,239, in Santa Barbara, it’s $42,319; and in Manhattan, $76,687.

All this is happening at a time when marriages are less likely to last. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the divorce rate of first marriage is around 50 percent; second marriages are at 60 to 67 percent and third marriages are at 73 to 74 percent.

As the value of a marriage drops, the cost of getting married rises. Perhaps as a people we are putting too much value on the wedding celebration and not nearly enough on the health of the marriage.--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

The Week, June 21, 2013 p. 13 (Price of wedding)
http://www.wbez.org/blogs/bez/2012-10/ever-changing-marriage-carousel-103197 (Divorce statistics) (accessed 7/1/13)

Hebrews 13:4 (CEV) Have respect for marriage. Always be faithful to your partner, because God will punish anyone who is immoral or unfaithful in marriage.

After 80 years, and over 100 descendents later, Jose Riella and Martina Lopez of Paraguay had a religious ceremony to augment their civil union from 40 years previous. It just goes to show that it is never too late to do the right thing. –Jim L. Wilson

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2463150/Paraguayan-groom-103-marries-99-year-old-bride-80-years-together.html (accessed 10-27-2013)

Genesis 2:25 (NASB) And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

The phrase, “the two shall become one. . .” took on a new meaning when Kyle Froelich married Chelsea Clair, the donor of his transplanted kidney.

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/watercooler/article/251019/155/Ind-Woman-Who-Donated-Kidney-Weds-Organ-Recipient- (accessed 10-27-2013)

While it is unusual for an organ that once functioned in the bride to now function in the groom, it is not unusual for a couple to share the same heart. Not literally, of course, but with time, marriage has that effect on some people. —Jim L. Wilson

Genesis 2:25 (NASB) And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

“Every dozen or so seconds in the United States, a woman is beaten, assaulted, or strangled. Domestic violence is the top cause of injury for American women between the ages of 15 and 44.”

This is not God’s plan for women. It is not a godly man who treats his wife in such a way. God’s plan is for men to love their wives. Love them just as Christ loved the church. Jesus loved the church enough to die for her. Men should love their wives that much. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Ephesians 5:25 (NKJV) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

Michael Roach and Cristy McNally made a very unusual vow when they were married in 1998. The Arizona couple lives in the desert and teaches Buddhist meditation. They vowed, and practiced togetherness on an extreme level. They promised never to stray more than 15 feet from each other. Daytime, nighttime, 24-hours-per-day they were with each other.

Could your marriage survive is arrangement? Roach and McNally’s didn’t. They divorced in 2010.--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

In his weekly column in Time Magazine Joel Stein comments on Gwyneth Paltrow’s conscious uncoupling remarks as a nicer way to say divorce. Paltrow’s holistic doctor wrote the essay defending her actions. He said that human traditions of marriage date back to when life expectancy was 33 years. Now that we live into our 80’s one marriage is no longer enough for many people.

Marriage is under attack on many fronts. Is it because good marriages are the foundation of a solid society? There is a reason sexual sins are condemned so often in the Bible. It is the sin that strikes at the very heart of who we are as humans. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Matthew 19:16 (HCSB) (16) Just then someone came up and asked Him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”

Marriage is still an important element in our culture. For many, the wedding is a major life event that requires detail planning. Perhaps none has planned like Rearna Ackord, a 22-year-old British woman who has spent six months planning her wedding down to the tiniest detail. She has picked out a church, a $1,700 bridal gown, the menu for the reception, and even the music for her walk down the aisle. “Every girl grows up dreaming of their wedding day,” says Ackord. “I’m just taking it one step further than most and making those dreams a reality.”

There is just one detail that hasn’t been solved. She hasn’t found anyone to marry. She makes all these plans in anticipation of the day she finds a groom. There is a difference between a wedding and a marriage. Too bad many people spend so much time fixating on the former that they miss the potential beauty of the later. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Genesis 2:24 (HCSB) (24) This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.

Christian marriage is from God. God joins two people together, for life. Jesus is specific; humans are not to separate what God had joined. That makes the statement of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin a sad one. In announcing their divorce they stated, “It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to . . . consciously uncouple.”

We are eyewitness of the unraveling of the institution of marriage. The problem is not just in the redefinition of marriage, but in loss of respect for it as well. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

http://time.com/38650/what-gwyneth-paltrow-really-means-by-conscious-uncoupling/

Mark 10:9 (HCSB) (9) Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

32-year-old Walid Chaabani had enough, so left home to get away from his wife, even though he knew that doing so would result in going to prison for breaking the terms of house arrest.

According to police, "Living with his wife was particularly difficult and unbearable." He told authorities that he was "tired of continuously fighting with his wife." So to escape his wife, he decided to go to prison.—Jim L. Wilson

Proverbs 25:24 (HCSB) Better to live on the corner of a roof than to share a house with a nagging wife.

Singer, songwriter, actor, and television personality Adam Levine recently married after the longtime professed bachelor had insisted that he would never get tie the knot. In writing his own vows however, he stumbled on a biblical truth that many a spouse should remember.

He wrote and then vowed, “Behati, I love you more than I love myself and we all know how much I Love myself.” --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Mark 12:31 (NASB) "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

In an HBO documentary, filmmaker Doug Block has followed up on 112 of the weddings he has recorded. He tells about some that have been successes, some that didn’t last. The documentary, 112 Weddings, helps its audience realize that “Happy weddings are easy. Happily ever after is complicated and messy.” --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Ephesians 5:25 (NASB) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

As Jason and Jessica Roth were preparing to celebrate their tenth anniversary, an old photo revealed that they had known each other a lot longer than they thought. Instead of meeting at students at Florida State University, they actually met for the first time in preschool. It turns out that when Jason was four, he was sent to live with his aunt in Jessica’s hometown of Lakeland, Florida. Jason’s aunt operated a preschool that Jessica attended, and Jason started going there while living with his aunt. At a party Jason discovered that Jessica had gone to the preschool and when he searched through some old pictures, he found a picture with both of them in it. Both of them were amazed at how they had met so early and then followed similar course that brought them together again 17 years later. Jason said he hesitated to call it destiny, but added, “We were always kind of in each other’s orbits, we were just waiting for the stars to align. Very rarely in life do you see how all the pieces fall into places to make things happen.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

'Phenomenal happenstance': Married couple discovers they first met as preschoolers, By Marisa Kabas, http://www.today.com/news/married-couple-discovers-they-first-met-preschoolers-1D80069169, Accessed August 15, 2014.

Proverbs 18:22 (NASB)He who finds a wife finds a good thing And obtains favor from the LORD.

Ron Washington as manager of the Texas Rangers was at the peak of his career. After admitting he had been unfaithful to his wife he resigned his position with these words. “I broke her trust. I am here today to own that mistake.”

He could have kept his job and remained silent on the indiscretion. Instead he chose to resign and try to save his 42-year marriage. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

1 Peter 4:8 (HCSB) Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins.

A study of 3000 marriages, conducted by two Emory University researchers, indicates that if you want your marriage to last, date for 3 years before you tie the knot, spend the money on the honeymoon not the wedding, and stay active in your local church.

The researchers found that couples who
• date for at least 3 years before their engagement are 39% less likely to get divorced than couples that dated less than a year.
• spend between $5,000 and $10,000 are46% less likely to get divorced than those that spent more than $20,000.
• attend religious services regularly are 46% less likely to divorce.
• honeymoon are 41% less likely to divorce than those who don’t. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/10/the-divorce-proof-marriage/381401/

Mark 10:9 (HCSB) (9) Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

According to an article in the National Review, marriage is essential to the growth of our economy and the best social program of all. Heritage Foundation economist Stephen Moore writes “that marriage with a devoted husband and wife in the home is a far better social program than food stamps, Medicaid, public housing, or even all of them combined.”

The reasons are simple. “Children of married parents are more likely to graduate high school, less likely to go to jail, and more likely to delay sexual activity.” Children growing up without a father are “five times as likely to live in poverty.”

This is hard to hear in a society where more than 40 percent of children are born out of wedlock. One of the things we as the church can do is keep calling our culture back to traditional values. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Genesis 2:24 (NKJV) “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Jugal Kishore, 25, was going to be married to his beloved. They were about to exchange vows when he was struck by an apparent epileptic seizure. He was rushed to the hospital. The 23-year-old bride was furious that she had not been told of Kishore’s medical condition. She asked a member of her brother-in-laws family to marry her on the spot. By the time Kishore returned to the wedding venue, the wedding was over and his bride was married to another.

The foundation of a marriage found in the vow, “to love for better or worse,” certainly didn’t apply here. Kishore is upset with the proceedings, but he may be better off without a wife who would so quickly desert him. -- Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Ephesians 5:25 (HCSB) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her

When Professor Robert Oscar Lopez was very young, too young to remember his dad, his parents divorced. His mother began a relationship with a woman who also had kids. They moved in together permanently when Robert was a teenager. In 2012 Lopez shared his view publicly that his same-sex upbringing was detrimental, resulting in attacks from all sides by gay activists.

Lopez doubled down and co-launched an advocacy group, the International Children’s Rights Institute, whose mission involves defending the right of children to have a mother and father—their biological ones, whenever possible.

This institute is defending a child’s God-given right to grow up in a family with his mom and dad. What a concept! How many generations must be damaged before we understand that God’s recipe for marriage and family is the best one? -- Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Genesis 2:24 (HCSB) This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.

Clint Eastwood says, “They say marriages are made in heaven. But so is thunder and lightning.” -- Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Some marriages have more thunder and lightning than others. We should work to follow Biblical advice on how to have a peaceful family.

Colossians 3:18-20 (HCSB) Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. (19) Husbands, love your wives and don’t be bitter toward them. (20) Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Roy Runyon has been on the city council of Bremerton, Washington for 6 years. With his term due to expire he filed for reelection. On the same day a challenger also filed for the same seat. This was no ordinary challenge since Kim Faulkner, the challenger also happens to be Runyon’s wife of 12 years.

She said, “I just think our district needs more qualified people to run.” He said, “Our marriage has been fine, up to now.”

Marriage is not easy. Blending two lives into one couple necessitates give and take, love and giving. This cannot make it any easier. --Jim L Wilson and Rodger Russell.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weird-news/i-do-want-unseat-you-wife-takes-husband-council-seat-n359611

Ephesians 5:25 (HCSB) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her

Candace Bushnell, whose writing and personal adventures spawned the Sex and the City TV show, has made a career out of her search for the perfect guy. Now she tells The Times (U.K.) she has given up on men. She says that plenty of her friends share her disappointment with men. Bushnell says, “I say, ‘You must be so happy, you’re married.’ They Say, ‘No, let me tell you something, I hate my husband. I hate him all the time.’” Bushnell says, “I really feel an increasing anger from women toward men, and I think that anger is very, very justified. The problem is that husbands bully their wives and act like the rulers of their own kingdoms.”

Candace and her friends need to meet a biblical husband, one who lives by the Apostle Paul’s admonition in Ephesians to “Love his wife as Christ loved the church.” A woman has real trouble hating that kind of husband. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Ephesians 5:25 (HCSB) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her

Time magazine asked several people the question, “Is Monogamy Obsolete?” Pastor Andy Stanley replied that it is more like an endangered species. “Rare, Valuable. Something to be protected.”

According to Stanley, “beside the fact that women and children do not fare well in societies that embrace polygamy and promiscuity, ‘sexual freedom undermines financial and emotional freedom.’”

He said, “We desire intimacy—to know and to be fully known without fear. Intimacy is fragile. Intimacy is powerful. And intimacy is fueled by exclusivity.”

When Jesus was asked about marriage he was clear, a man and a woman together form the bond known as marriage. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Mark 10:9 (HCSB) "Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

When Time Magazine asked Nathan Collier if Monogamy was Obsolete he responded with a definite, “Yes.” He said, “We need to legalize polygamy.”

In his defense of polygamy Collier gives many of the same arguments we have repeatedly heard over the last few years. “I’ve always been a polygamist. Those of us who practice polygamy need to be protected by law. The state is discriminating against those who believe marriage involves more than one spouse. While monogamy is natural to many, “polygamy is just more natural to us.”

Marriage is under attack from many directions. God spoke, Jesus affirmed, biblical marriage is defined, one man, one woman, one marriage. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Matthew 19:5 (HCSB) and He also said: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?

Wendy Birmingham, lead author of a new study out of Utah on marriage, said the study said they found a quarter of the couples in the research were genuinely happy, but the rest fell into the ambivalent category. Couples in what the researchers termed “ambivalent marriages,” those that not bad enough to leave, but still have distinctly negative attitudes do not get many of the advantages of couples in fulfilling marriages..—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

A Better Marriage Is Better for Your Health, By Belinda Luscombe,
http://time.com/4075847/better-marriage-health, Accessed October 17, 2015

Proverbs 18:22 (HCSB) A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.

Ryan Anderson, a Heritage Foundation senior research fellow, has released a new book, Truth Overruled: The future of Marriage and Religious Freedom. In an interview with World Magazine Anderson speaks about the current situation in the United States regarding gay marriage. “Gays and lesbians aren’t to blame for the problems that our marriage culture faces;” he says, “It’s heterosexuals who bought liberal ideology during the sexual revolution of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Only after 40 years of the cultural redefinition of marriage could you have five Supreme Court justices legally redefine marriage.”

If marriage is truly between one man and one woman, as we so often argue, we need to have as much emphasis on the “one” as we do the man and woman part. The truth is, we have allowed Biblical marriage to come undone, long before the Supreme Court ruling. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

World, October 17, 2015 p. 29

Mark 10:6-9 (HCSB) But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. (7) For this reason a man will leave his father and mother [and be joined to his wife], (8) and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. (9) Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

There is another new kind of marriage on the horizon according to Ryan Anderson, a Heritage Foundation senior research fellow. He is referring to an idea introduced in the Washington Post called “wedlease.” “A wedlease would be a 5-year marriage contract that you could renew if you wanted to, but otherwise it has a presumption of ending after five years: lease a house, lease a car, and lease a spouse.

That kind of marriage is as far from being biblical as gay marriage, polygamy, or open marriage and has the potential to cause far greater damage to the family. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

China has created a problem. For years they had a one-child policy and as a result prospective parents aborted their child when they found out it was a girl. Now they have a shortage of women that rises to the level of a crisis. Zhejiang University economics professor Xie Zuoshi has a possible solution. Multiple Chinese men should be allowed to marry the same woman. He defends himself against criticism by declaring “No one is forcing anyone to accept “one wife, many husbands!”

Known as polyandry, one woman with more than one husband may take its place alongside of polygamy, gay marriage, and no fault divorce as another threat to the family. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

World, November 14, 2015 p. 14

God’s intended marriage to be between one woman and one man who remain together for a lifetime creating a stable family.

Genesis 2:24 (HCSB) This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.

In an article in Relevant magazine, Debra Fileta, a licensed Counselor, lists five ways couples can invest in their marriage. She says, couples need to connect spiritually, and the best way to do that is to pray with each other about the concerns of the day. The second is to communicate meaningfully by setting aside ten to twenty minutes a day just to talk, sitting face to face. This gives couples a chance to catch up and keep up with each other. Fileta recommends that couples touch often because physical contact is important. She says couples need to confess and forgive and take time to get away on date nights or other opportunities to rekindle their love and friendship. Fileta says investing in a marriage means doing small things that have a large impact, and adds that it is never too late to start.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

5 Things Married Couples Should Do Every Day By Debra Fileta, http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/relationships/5-things-married-couples-should-do-every-day, November 17, 2015.

Hebrews 13:4 (HCSB) “Marriage must be respected by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge immoral people and adulterers.”

When Bobby Wesson wanted to honor his wife’s hard work, he never dreamed so many people would see his message. Wesson took a picture of his wife and son sleeping and described how her day would go when she woke up in an hour. He described how she took care of her family and then worked hard taking care of others who might be having the worst day of their lives. He said sometimes she would come home and talk about her day, and other days she might laugh or cry, but he said no matter what she would be on time for her next shift. He closed saying, “My wife is a trauma nurse. My wife is a hero.” So far, the post has been shared over 92,000 times.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Husband’s Facebook post about overworked wife goes viral, http://wnep.com/2015/11/13/husbands-facebook-post-about-overworked-wife-goes-viral, Accessed November 13, 2015.

Proverbs 31:27-28 (HCSB) “She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle. (28) Her sons rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her:”

Marriage

When Charles and Frances Hamlin celebrated their 68^th wedding anniversary, they decided to see if they could recreate everything, including the $8 price. The Hamlins still had the original receipt from the Poinsett from 1947. Today, a room in the hotel costs between $250 and $300, although Hamlin said he thought $8 was expensive 68 years ago. At first, the hotel balked at giving the couple a room for $8, but reconsidered when they learned that they had their original receipt. John Geddes, director of sales and marketing at the Westin Poinsett they have helped couples replicate their experience at the hotel and decide to help the Hamlins. Geddes said it was unusual for the couple to have their original receipt, so they thought it would be a fun thing to do. “It’s very neat,“ Geddes said. “It was kind of a no-brainer for us to recreate the magical night.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

68 years later, couple to recreate 'magical' honeymoon for $8, By Angelica Davis

Proverbs 5:18 (HCSB)“Let your fountain be blessed, and take pleasure in the wife of your youth.”

Marriage

Chris Dempsey overheard a coworker talking about his cousin who was in desperate need of a liver donor. Chris, a former Marine now working for Village of Frankfort, IL volunteered. After testing he donated more than half of his liver to save the life of Heather Krueger. The two had never met before the donation but in the weeks leading up to the surgery and during the grueling recovery they became close and are now engaged to be married.

Heather said, “We share a special bond. It’s not only the organ donation, but how much he was there for me through the worst time in my life.”

Spouses don’t have to share organs to stand together in the good times and the bad. In fact, that is part of the marriage vow, “for better or for worse.” When the two, husband and wife are joined together, they become one flesh, sharing even more than half a liver apiece. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Genesis 2:24 (HCSB) This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.

Marriage

Immediately after repeating their wedding vows, Lynnette Beedle and Stephen Klejka began running a half-marathon in Canton, Ohio. –Jim L. Wilson

I love the symbolism here. Marriage is not a sprint; it is a marathon. For better or worse, richer or poorer, ‘til death do we part.

Mark 10:6–9 (HCSB)“But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. ⁷ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother [and be joined to his wife], ⁸ and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

If you have ever watched sea otters sleep, you will notice something unique about them. They sleep holding hands. It may seem strange, but there is a legitimate reason as to why they do. They sleep holding hands so that they do not drift apart. While they are sleeping, the current in the sea can cause them to drift for several miles, leaving them all alone if they are not holding on to their family.

The same is the case with marriage. Life pulls you in so many directions that you and your spouse can drift apart. “No one gets married thinking they will end up miles apart but if we aren’t intentional, like those sea otters, we will likely wake up one day, look at our spouse and think, who are you?” –Jim L. Wilson and Eric Gibbs

Colossians 3:18–19 (HCSB)“Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and don’t be bitter toward them.”

One of the results of the divorce revolution in our culture is that many who have experienced their parent’s divorce are delaying or rejecting marriage. Over 60 percent of them think cohabitation before marriage is a good idea, and they are more likely to be living with their partner than those from intact, married families. The thing that makes this trend worrisome is that cohabitation “leads to more breakups, divorce, and economic instability, creating a complex web that increasingly involves children.”

The sanctity of marriage is real. God created the marriage bond and it is best for all parties, men and women, boys and girls. Live with your partner only after you marry, and stay married despite the difficulties. –--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Mary Jackson, Sins of their Fathers and Mothers, World Magazine, June 11, 2016 pp. 50-53

Matthew 19:6 (HCSB)“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

According to Ramesh Ponnuru, senior editor for National Review, Families provide the foundation people need to be successful in a challenging and chaotic world. Ponnuru says that abundant evidence shows that children generally do better academically, economically, and behaviorally “when they are raised by parents who are married to each other.” Adults who go unmarried or raise children without a partner, meanwhile, are more likely to struggle personally and economically.

While Ponnuru uses political reasons for the necessity of families, our civilization itself is in dire need of a return to the biblical family. –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/426655/family-still-americas-most-crucial-institution-ramesh-ponnuru

Genesis 2:24 (HCSB)“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.”

When Leroy Black died of cancer his obituary appeared in the Press of Atlantic City twice. In the first one, he was described as a well-loved fiberglass technician. After some other niceties, the obituary said he “is survived by his loving wife, Bearetta Harrison Black.”

The observant reader would have seen an almost identical obituary following the first one. The difference was in the surviving line. “Black is survived by his longtime girlfriend, Princess Hall.”

Jesus reminds us that we are united as one to our spouse. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Matthew 19:5 (HCSB) “and He also said: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?”

According to a January poll from the National Endowment for Financial Education, 42 percent of people admit to being financially unfaithful to their partner. They admit to keeping secret bank accounts, hiding big-ticket purchases, or covering up bad investments. Mandy Walker in ConsumerReports.org says that lying about money can be as devastating to a relationship as old-fashioned physical infidelity.

In a good marriage, partners keep nothing from one another. How can you even imagine you are treating one another with love and respect, as the scripture tells us to do, if we are lying about something as basic as money.

Finances are one of the main things that cause friction in a marriage. Lying about it just increases the harm.—Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Ephesians 5:23–31 (HCSB)“for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. ²⁷ He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, ³⁰ since we are members of His body. ³¹ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”

Larry Ripple stole $3000 from a Kansas City bank at gunpoint. Then he sat down in the bank lobby, told a security guard, “I am the guy you are looking for,” and waited for police. He then confessed to police that he had earlier argued with his wife and told her “he’d rather be in jail than at home.” The police charged him with bank robbery, then released him.

This may be an extreme example, but marriage often becomes a battlefield rather than the place of emotional warmth and intimacy that God intended. How are we working to keep our own marriages places of refuge? It doesn’t take much to make a marriage superior to jail time. I wonder if Ripple when home when he was released? --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Ephesians 5:22–33 (HCSB) “Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, ²³ for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. ²⁷ He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, ³⁰ since we are members of His body. ³¹ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. ³² This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.”

Rogelio Andaverde, a Texas husband allegedly staged his own kidnapping. He wanted to hang out with friends but his wife would not give permission. Andaverde arranged for friends to don masks, display guns, and come to his home and take him away while his terrified wife looked on.

A good marriage requires honesty. It seems like an arranged kidnapping falls short of the Biblical mandate to love your wife as yourself. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Ephesians 5:25 (HCSB)“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her”

An 82-year-old man found his missing wedding ring, with a carrot growing through it in his garden, just like his wife said he would. He lost the ring as he and his wife were celebrating their 50^th wedding anniversary. His wife assured him that he didn’t need to worry, that they would likely find it while working in the garden some time. That time came three years later, just six months after his wife passed away. When asked to comment on the discovery, the widower said, “you reap what you sow.” —Jim L. Wilson and Daniel Noh

I’m sure his delight in discovering the ring hand more to do with his memories, than its monitory value.

Proverbs 18:22 (HCSB) “A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

MARRIAGE

In Saratoga Springs, New York, a European company has established the first Divorce hotel in the United States. Using a pattern first established in Amsterdam in 2012 a couple can check into the Gideon Putnam Resort on Friday as a married couple, and check out on Sunday, Single.

What God intended as a picture of the relationship of Christ and the Church is degraded to a no pain exit from a relationship. I am glad Jesus doesn’t desert His sometimes faithless church so easily. –--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Ephesians 5:21–33 (HCSB)“submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. ²² Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, ²³ for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. ²⁷ He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, ³⁰ since we are members of His body. ³¹ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. ³² This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.”

Glen Campbell, who wrote the lyrics to the song ‘I’m Not Gonna Miss You’?” is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. On their anniversary, his wife Kim blogged, “Thirty-four years is a monumental testament to love, faith, selflessness, and commitment. “ I will always celebrate our family’s life and love I’ve shared with my husband and I will continue to do the remembering for us!” —Jim L. Wilson & Stephen Hayes

Genesis 2:24 (HCSB)“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.”

Karen Spence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, said that while they were dating she told her future husband that he was her number 1. She said he replied that he would probably disappoint her because he is only human. He told her she needed to have God and Jesus in that spot rather than him. A Washington newspaper recently reported that the vice president will not eat alone with any woman other than his wife. –Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Second Lady Karen Pence Says Her Husband Told Her To Put God First,

Colossians 3:18 (HCSB)“Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”

Actress Scarlett Johansson recently commented on her thoughts about what she calls, “the very romantic and beautiful institution of marriage.” Now separated from her second husband, she isn’t sure monogamy is natural. “I don’t think it’s natural to be a monogamous person. It’s a lot of work. And the fact that it is such work for so many people—for everyone—proves that it is not a natural thing.”

She is right about one thing. It is a lot of work to have a successful marriage. Jesus said it requires a man to love his wife more than himself. He is to love her as much as Christ loves the church. It is a love that is willing to give its life for the one loved. I don’t know if we can call marriage “natural,” but it is the way God has commanded. –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Matthew 19:5 (HCSB)“and He also said: ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?’”

Living together is very different from Marriage. “Anybody who tells you that it’s the same is lying,” says actress Scarlett Johansson. While not sold on the institution of marriage she recognizes the difference between marriage and living together. Marriage is “a beautiful responsibility, but it’s a responsibility.”

One of the ways it is different is that marriage honors God, living together does not. God calls us to make a lifetime commitment to others. –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Genesis 2:24 (HCSB)“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.”

Biblical marriage is on the decline. New polling shows that 64% of American adults say that same-sex marriages should be recognized as legally valid—the highest percentage to date. In 1996 only 27% agreed.

As culture moves further and further from a biblical standard we can only expect these percentages to grow. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Matthew 19:5 (CSB) “and he also said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?’”

Perhaps the newest trend in the continuing saga of attacking the institution of marriage is the number of longtime single people who are now having full ceremonies in which they marry themselves. Called sologamy, it is popular in places like Brooklyn and San Francisco. Erika Anderson, 37, recently tied the knot with herself. She explained its meaning. “It means that we are enough, even if we are not partnered with someone else.”—Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Genesis 2:24 (CSB) “This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.”

Brad Wilcox, a sociology professor at the University of Virginia is also the director of the National Marriage Project. In an interview in World Magazine he states that “Men who work diligently, attend church with their spouse regularly, are emotionally engaged in their marriages, and don’t abuse drugs and alcohol have a pretty slim chance of getting divorce.”

He further states “Christianity turns men’s hearts and minds toward the family. They are more emotionally engaged with their wives and children. They are more likely to read to their kids, to hug and praise their children.”

Marriage was God’s idea after all. If we include the creator in the creation the result will be much better. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Genesis 2:24 (CSB) “This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.”

A German man was heartbroken when he lost his wedding ring while gardening. When he told his wife about the loss, she assured him that the ring would eventually reappear. The couple had just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary, and continued to hope they would find the symbol of their enduring love. Three years later, he was harvesting carrots and found the ring wrapped around one of them. When the man told the story to a local broadcaster, he said he was glad that he had found the ring and saddened that his wife had died six months before being proved right. —Jim L. Wilson & Jim Sandell

Report: German man loses wedding band, carrot unearths it,

Ephesians 5:31 (CSB) “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”

A federal judge sentenced a Kansas man to probation after the man admitted that he robbed a bank to get away from his wife, Lawrence Ripple wrote a note demanding money from the bank in front of his wife, and then took it to the bank and gave it to a teller. Ripple’s note also claimed that he had gun. After receiving the money, Ripple waited for police to arrive and turned himself in. Records indicated Ripple told the court that he was depressed after recent heart surgery and said he had not been feeling like himself. – Jim L. Wilson & Jim Sandell

Kansas husband who robbed bank to avoid wife given probation

https://www.yahoo.com/news/kansas-husband-robbed-bank-avoid-wife-given-probation-121124911.html, accessed june 14, 2017.

Job 7:6 (CSB) “My days pass more swiftly than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope.”

At 40, Laura Mesi finally got married, but she did not marry another person—she married herself. Commenting on the ceremony, Mary Louise Kelly of NPR’s Morning Edition said: “Now this ceremony held no legal weight. On the other hand, no one to bicker with over who has to write the thank-you notes.” —Jim L. Wilson

As he prepared to graduate with an aviation degree, Gavin Becker decided to use his piloting skills to propose to his girlfriend. He used a snow blower to carve a giant message in the snow on a frozen lake. He wrote the words “Marry Me” surrounded by an oversized heart and offered to take his longtime girlfriend, Olivia Tuft, for a plane ride over a resort that his family owned. When she saw the proposal, Toft accepted. –Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

When we take wedding vows we intend for them to be forever. Sometimes they don’t last quite that long. For one couple in Tennessee it didn’t even last overnight. Kate Prichard and James Burton ended up drinking a little too much after their nuptials and at the motel got into a fierce argument. Kate reached under her wedding dress, pulled out a pistol, and pulled the trigger pointed at her new husband. Fortunately, the gun was not loaded. But when she loaded it and fired it into the air, Police showed up and arrested the bride.

That may be a record for a short marriage. The end of marriages, while not usually as animated, all contain stories of anger and hurt. The husband who loves his wife as Christ loves the church and the wife who respects her husband are the marriages that survive. What can you do today to show your undying love for your spouse? —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her

Ten years after they met in the canned vegetable aisle at the supermarket, Larry Spiering and Becky Smith got married next to shelves of canned carrots and peas. Smith said she worked at the Community Supermarket when Spiering walked up to her and gave her a piece of paper with his name and phone number on it. Smith decided he might be worth the risk and followed up and the two fell in love. The couple thought it was only fitting to get married in the aisle where they met and the owner of the market was glad to accommodate them. The judge who performed the ceremony said it was the first time he had married anyone at a grocery store, but after the ceremony Smith said the wedding was exactly what they wanted, “something nice and easy.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Police in Miami Beach, Florida say a man they identified as Kenneth came into the station to ask for their help with his proposal. The department agreed and they arranged for the couple to be pulled over as they drove down a city street. When the officer pulled the couple over, he asked them to get out of the vehicle and then asked Kenneth if he had anything to say. At that point, the young man got down on one knee and held out a ring, as he asked his girlfriend to marry him. She said she was so surprised that she didn’t know what to say at first. She looked at the police, then her boyfriend and the ring, and finally blurted out, “Yes!” The video released by the department showed her answer and then the officers saying, “Congratulations, guys!”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Sharyn Rubin and Eric Schlesinger first meet in a dorm building elevator on move-in day at Temple University in 1972. A few days later, Rubin recognized Schlesinger at a mixer and formally introduced herself to him. Her opening line was “Hi, Mr. Elevator Man.” That meeting turned into a marriage that lasted more than 42 years. When Rubin passed away due to colon cancer, her husband and the school wanted to honor her, so they put a plaque on that elevator, inscribed with Rubin’s quote. Now everyone living in the dorm will know about a chance meeting that changed two lives. Schlesinger said meeting his future wife in that elevator was “The most important thing” that happened to him at Temple University.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

When a Michigan couple learned that they broke the law when they married two years earlier, they asked a judge to void the first marriage and then marry them again. Philip Timmer and Trish Stewart were both divorced with children from previous marriage when they met in 2010. They married in 2016, but afterwards Stewart learned that her divorce had not been properly finalized and she was still legally married to his first husband. Stewart worked to get the details settled and asked a local Circuit Court Judge Ronald Schafer to void her first marriage to Timmer and marry them again. Schafer agreed even though he had never presided over a wedding before. Afterward he said, “It’s not enjoyable finalizing the end of a marriage. To have the opportunity to join two in marriage was a pleasant surprise.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Ephesians 5:33 (CSB)“To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.”

A study published in the journal PLOS One reports that married people have better physical health at older ages than unmarried people. One of the biggest differences is married people tend to walk fasten ad have a stronger grip. The researchers studied English adults over age 50, and a group of American adults aged 51 and older. Researchers said they separated people into those in their first marriage and those who had been remarried, and then people who had been married and divorced and those who had never been married. Researcher Natasha Wood from University College London’s Institute of Education said walking speed is an overall measure of health because it includes balance, agility, and speed. Wood added, “There’s been a lot of other research which has shown that married people are healthier and have lower rates of mortality but very little research which has looked at physical capability.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/24/health/married-people-fitter-healthier-study-scli-intl/index.html

Proverbs 18:22 (CSB)²² A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

We have all heard the saying, “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” Well new research reported in the New York Times indicates what makes momma happy. The paper reported that their research shows “the happiest of all wives in America are religious conservatives, followed by their religious progressive counterparts.” 73 percent of wives who hold conservative gender values and attend religious services regularly with their husbands have high-quality marriages.

Those of us who believe the Word of God are not surprised. After all, marriage is God’s invention and he knows the best way to make it work. –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Ephesians 5:25–26 (CSB) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word.

When asked about the secret of his 75-year long marriage to Arlene Dean, Loyal Dean said. “I feel that we each understand what each one of us desires and what we need,” –Jim L. Wilson

Romans 15:7 (CSB) “Therefore accept one another, just as Christ also accepted you, to the glory of God.”

On leap day 2020, twenty-nine couples tied the knot at two twenty-nine p.m. in Hell, Michigan, a small town 20 miles outside Ann Arbor. The Rev. Yvonne Williams officiated the mass ceremony. The ceremony was short and sweet, less than 10 minutes, and was held outside the town’s chapel. Couples had to have a Michigan wedding license. Rev. Williams said to the couples, “When you get married in Hell, there’s nowhere for your marriage to go but up,”

Sometimes every marriage has tough times. It can be a difficult road. A marriage built on biblical principles should more resemble heaven than hell. Love from the husband and respect from the wife makes that kind of marriage. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Ephesians 5:33 (CSB) “To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.”

OK, until way after death do us part. When Le Van’s wife died 16 years ago, the Vietnamese man said the thought of bidding an eternal farewell to his wife was so objectionable that he slept on her grave. In stages, he kept getting closer and closer to her. First digging a tunnel to get next to her coffin, and then he dug up her bones and enclosed them in a plaster statue. He cleans and dresses the statue twice each day and at night he sleeps with the bones of his long dead wife. “People said I’m crazy because I take care of a corpse,” he said, “but I strongly believe that she is always with me.” His plans are to “sleep with her dead body until I die.”

Losing a loving spouse is difficult. Le Van’s commitment to his wife is commendable; it is a lot like God’s love for us. It is never ending, surviving even through death. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

One of the keys to a marriage’s survival is effective communication skills. Communication is not completed until the recipient receives the message intended by the sender. A woman in India has filed for divorce from her husband because his communication is being received differently than he intends. She says she wants him to communicate by arguing with her. “Whenever I make a mistake, he always forgives me,” the woman complained. “I am feeling suffocated in such an environment.”

We may think we are the best communicators ever. We want to forgive our spouses as we are encouraged to do. We must be sure it is communicated in the right way. —Jim Wilson and Rodger Russell

bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.

An unnamed man in England was ready to propose to his girlfriend. He lit hundreds of tea-light candles in his apartment, poured two glasses of wine, then went to fetch his girlfriend so he could wow her with a proposal. When the couple returned to the apartment, they found it engulfed in flames.

That may have been a little more excitement than he intended. Fortunately, firefighters said she still said, “Yes!” At least the marriage is still going to happen. I’m pretty sure that is not what Johnny Cash meant when he talked about love as a burning fire. —Jim Wilson and Rodger Russell

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her

A Taiwanese man who happened to get one of the first PlayStation 5 consoles was forced to sell the device when his wife learned he had lied to her, saying the device was an air purifier. The buyer, Jim Wu talked about his experience on social media. Wu said he arranged to meet the seller in purchase and called to verify the price, but the phone was answered by a woman who did not sound like much of a gamer. When Wu met the seller, he was greeted by a sad husband who admitted he had tricked his wife and she made him sell it. Wu said he felt the price he paid for the console was the best find of the day. He said, “I went silent after seeing the look in his eyes. I could feel his pain.” He concluded his post adding, “Seems like women can still tell the difference between a PS5 console and an air purifier.” –Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.

When the pandemic began, many experts predicted it would have a negative impact on relationships and lead to more break ups and divorces. Susan Albers, a psychologist with the Cleveland Clinic said the actual results have been more mixed. Albers said for couples experiencing a lot of tension before the pandemic, the extra stress made them think about what they wanted and valued, and some ended their relationships. For other couples who experienced normal everyday issues and conflict, the pandemic drew them together. Albers said couples who are home around the clock should make some time for themselves. She said that after reviewing 43 studies which interviewed 11,000 couples, the number one factor in keeping couples together is expressing appreciation. She said, “So, today, make sure you tell them one thing you really appreciate about them. It can be small or something that is really significant to who they are.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Charley and Martha Harris had been together for 65 years. They and fell in love at the age of 12 and were married at the age of 19. The couple blossomed over the year and their commitment to each other and their family never wavered. As they aged their health declined from different issues and finally both were taken to local hospital on the same day. For the next two weeks, nurses would wheel the couple to each other’s rooms daily so they could see and talk to each other. Their son Richard said one day, Charley was doing well, and was taken to say goodbye to sweetheart. After Martha passed away Richard said his father’s health declined rapidly. 42 minutes later, still holding hands with his wife of 65 years, he passed away. Richard said services will be held at the same church where they were married 65 year earlier. He added, “You know this is conjecture of course, but it’s nice to think about that they help hands going through the gates.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

https://www.wkrn.com/news/joelton-couple-married-65-years-dies-minutes-apart-holding-hands/?nxs_link=article-image_1_title_2&email=fe7e6dff92530f1ce662b87a250ee5a76ffc90fb&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WKRN%20Evening%20News%202021-05-19&utm_term=Evening%20News

Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.