This is going to be brief. Got some friends coming over to watch the Super Bowl in a few minutes. GO COLTS! Here are my ruminations on the day.
— Funny how after 2 record setting Sundays in attendance, services can seem “down” when a few weeks ago it would have been a high. Crazy how quickly
— Started our new series today called “Desperate Households: From surviving to thriving”
— Such a HUGE topic to take in. All week long, even today, I felt I bit off more than I could chew.
— Hope today starts the process for couples to take their next step to thriving in their marriage.
— Talked about “How do I divorce proof my marriage?” Here are some excerpts:
- Preached from Matthew 19:1-12 (Jesus’ response to the Pharisees question “Can a man divorce his wife for any reason?”)
- According to Barna research group, 53% all marriages end in divorce. Another research group shows that 1st marriages end in divorce 41% of the time, 2nd marriages 60% and third marriages 71%.
- God’s design for marriage is NOT divorce, but it also isn’t to just SURVIVE. God has designed our marriages to THRIVE!
- Divorce proofing is the wrong question. How do we make our marriages thrive? THAT is the question. Why? Because when our marriages begin to thrive, we begin to eliminate the threat of divorce.
- There may be times in which Jesus “allows” or “permits” divorce, but He ALWAYS hates it!
- Just as much as God hates divorce, He also hates when we don’t offer those who are going through it or gone through it grace, hope and redemption. We must offer divorcees HOPE!
- How do you know if you’re married to the right one? If you’re married, you found em’. THAT is God’s person for you!
- Husbands, in order for us to be leaders we must be going somewhere worthwhile and doing something worth noticing or not even our wives will follow us.
- We’ve made Matthew 19:9 our escape clause. That verse may ALLOW divorce but it does not DEMAND it, yet that’s how we often use it.
- It’s funny how we take the allowances of Jesus VERY seriously but not His commands. We take the allowances from Jesus on divorce seriously, but what about His commands to turn from your selfish ways, die to yourself, take up your cross and follow me? Husbands love your wives as Christ loves the church? Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord? Forgive one another 70 x 7 times (which by the way is 490 times)?
- Check out the sermon online later this week www.elementweb.net
— Band NAILED it today. Love the original song Till The End (Adam Cruz) EVERY time we sing it. So powerful. Those are the kinds of songs that the church needs to hear. VICTORY FREEDOM POWER So good!
— Next week we’re talking about the keys to intimacy in marriage, then the top 10 things I think we MUST know about marriage.
— Don’t forget, Lord willing, on February 28th my parents and grandparents will be joining Sabrina and I on the platform to help us talk about “Creating a marital legacy”. My Grandparents will be married 62 years this May. My parents 40 years in August. Sabrina and I 13 years in June. I’m looking forward to learning from THEM. I still have a LONG way to go in my marriage.
— You can submit questions online HERE.
— Ok, shuttin’ er down to spend time with the family and friends. I’m OUT!
Till the end,
Jeff
