Category: Parenting

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Marriage Parenting

3 Things to Consider Before Having a Baby

Beautiful young couple is talking and smiling while sitting near the window at home

Thinking about having a baby? As a conversation that comes up in our house often, here are some things to consider in making your decision.
  1. Your Emotional Stability As a Couple
Are you and your spouse in a healthy place in your relationship? If things are not good now, having a baby isn’t going to fix your marriage. If you have serious relationship issues, take the time to invest in your marital relationship now. Having kids will only complicate things further and make it harder to keep your marriage a priority with your new responsibility. Be intentional about growing as a couple now, your emotional maturity will shine as you prepare to handle parenthood.
 
 2. Your Financial Stability
Can you afford to have a baby? Once you have a child, they never go away. Even having a dog for a pet has showed us how that has impacted our monthly finances, I can only imagine what that looks like adding another human being to the mix! This question may not necessarily have a black and white answer, but we would recommend trying to knock out your debt before getting pregnant, or if you find yourself pregnant, being intentional about saving up to 6 months of expenses in the event something unexpected were to happen.
 
Babies aren’t cheap, and each year has different financial commitments as they grow up. Of course you can find ways to make it work whatever your situation may be, but try to be mindful about what this will look like for you and your spouse.
 
  3. Your Biological Clock
 
Although it is not popular to talk about, your age does play into your ability to have kids, and the older you get, the higher the chance of complications in pregnancy or your ability to get pregnant. While it has become culturally normal to start having babies in your thirties, doctors will show your odds of success in your twenties are significantly higher than later on. However, don’t allow this to be a reason to rush into something you are not ready for. Every couple’s timeline is different, and you need to do what is best for the TWO of YOU.
 
Something to consider: understand that when you DO decide to start trying to have a baby, there is no guarantee that it is going to happen right away or according to the timeline you wanted. Do not be discouraged! Often times couples will try for months, or even years without success, while others get pregnant when they weren’t planning on it. Luckily in today’s day and age there are many fertility options to help assist with the pregnancy process.
 
Unfortunately, fertility struggles often go unidentified until a couple has started trying or experienced complications. I want to encourage you to have this conversation with your spouse NOW.

Categories
Communication Home Marriage Parenting Spiritual Intimacy

3 Priorities to Build the Best Marriage Ever

Closeup portrait of a young couple, guy in yellow shirt kissing woman with blue shirt, happy moments, positive human emotions on isolated outdoors outside background.

Priorities are important for a godly marriage. When there is no order in your marriage, the enemy will major in creating division in your union. Here are 3 good and practical priorities to help keep your marriage flowing in line with God’s principles:

  1. Love God first. Mark 12:30 states to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The Lord must be first in your marriage to keep the foundation of your marriage strong. When we love Him, we can love others from that outflow. Here are some ways to keep God in the #1 spot of your life:
  • Study the Word of God daily.
  • Spend time each day in prayer and worship with your spouse.
  • Encourage and spend time with other godly couples.
  1. Be your spouse’s best friend. Ephesians 5:22-25 speaks of how wives are to submit to their husbands as to the Lord. Likewise, husbands are to love their wives, as Christ loved the church. Your marriage and friendship are like a garden, what you plant is what you get out of it.

Remember romance and sex are important but building a friendship solidifies the foundation of your marriage. Scheduling date nights, taking spur-of-the-moment getaways, spending quality time without phone or computer distractions, and buying one another spontaneous gifts are some ways of keeping your relationship a priority.

  1. Don’t forget your children and family. The next priority after your marriage is your family. After all, ministry starts at home. 1 Timothy 5:8 says that if we do not care for our relatives and immediate family, then we deny the Christian faith and operate as unbelievers. What does making this a priority look like?
  • Creating a family mission statement that intentionally values Christlike development.
  • Spending time with your children to teach and raise them up as the next generation of leaders for Christ (Proverbs 22:6).
  • Building up, encouraging, and supporting your family to walk and keep growing in love of God.

These three practical priorities will cause love and grace to flow in your marriage. What other priorities could you set as a game changer for your marriage?

Categories
Communication Marriage Parenting Spiritual Intimacy

Three Everyday Moments You’re Under-Appreciating

Family laughing around a good meal in kitchen

My wife and I have fallen in love with the Pearson family from the hit NBC dramedy, This Is Us. It depicts a family growing and becoming who they are over the passage of time. We love the realism of the family dynamics, the un-glamorous “real-talk” of the husband and wife, and the lessons that make you realize that God is truly in the details.
I love that it highlights the simple moments. The dad is a hard-working, loving, blue-collar worker, and the mom is a stay-at-home mom with musical aspirations. Simple moments, like being at the pool on a sweltering summer day, or turning a bad Thanksgiving Day into a family tradition, are what make This Is Us really shimmer.
America needs this. America needs to be reminded of God’s gift of family in the little moments. We are apparently under the delusion that life is only significant on the mountain tops. But if we aren’t careful, we are going to look up and see that we shunned the glorious by ignoring the ordinary.
But God is building something in your family, and it is worth paying attention to.
You may be under-appreciating these three everyday moments that, though seemingly ordinary, are actually holy.

  1. Dinner time moments. Humanity has been gathering around a meal since the dawn of time. These are pivotal moments for a young family that will culminate into forming the bedrock of your children, marriage, and family dynamics. This isn’t just a culinary experience; it’s a spiritual one. Before Jesus went to the Cross, He sat down with His disciples for a meal. (Matthew 26:20-30) After His resurrection, when His disciples were trying in vain to catch fish, Jesus was ready to serve them breakfast. (John 21:1-14) Don’t rush through your four-year-old’s never-ending story. You’re going to miss that someday. Actually listen to your spouse divulge all the messy details about his or her day—and don’t forget to share yours too.
  2. Hard communication moments. My wife and I have not had many intense fights in our marriage, thankfully. But we have had tension, as every marriage will. But God is in those moments, too. In fact, there were times that I would be so frustrated by a conflict in our communication that I would tell my wife that I needed a walk. I always come back, though. Those walks usually end up being “walks to the Cross.” I see how I contributed to the dissonance, receive some discipline from my Heavenly Father, and re-enter the house with a genuine posture of humility. Don’t take moments like these for granted. My walks to the Cross have led me to the feet of Jesus every time—and our family has grown in spite of those hard communication moments.
  3. Hilarious moments. Last year, I used some money I received for my birthday to purchase a TV for our bedroom, so we could have mini-dates at home. Last week, my four-year-old son threw a truck at that TV. My wife called me on the way home from work so I could prepare for it. I was…bothered…to say the least. Nevertheless, I walked in the house, kissed my wife, and hugged my children. Yes, even my four-year-old. He looked up at me and said, “But Daddy, I need to tell you da twoof (truth). I thwoo (threw) my twuck at the TV and bwoke it.” I laughed—a lot. “I know, son. It’s just a TV, and you’re just a kid. I love you more than any old TV. It’s OK.” These are moments that build a legacy.

Don’t miss God in these small moments.
 
 

Categories
Communication Dating/Courting Marriage Parenting Spiritual Intimacy

The Unseen History With God in Your Marriage

Time Travel

This past weekend, my wife and I rifled through our memories and found our wedding video. Eleven years and three kids later, we’re still going strong. Yet, amazingly enough, our kids had never seen our wedding video before. So we scooped some ice cream, sat down as a family, and re-lived that magical day all over again. (Well, almost magical. Everyone has a story about a moment in their wedding day that was more tragic than magic.)
Ours truly felt like a fairy tale wedding. It was outside; we were under an oak tree with the wind blowing and the sun gleaming through the clouds. The music, the flowers, the ambience—Oh! And the bride! You should have seen her! She looked like a princess; she still looks like a princess.
Going back to that day with our kids was so special in so many ways, but it really highlighted the true Hero of our story: Christ. Sarah and I have built something together over the past eleven years. We’re still building something together: a secret history with God. He is the muse of our love story. Our marriage is an ever-unfolding tribute to the Lover of our souls.

Unseen Struggles

Watching our video resurfaced all those old feelings of our love. There were moments that I grimaced, like the extremely nerve-induced delivery of my vows. (It’s a wonder anyone could understand me, talking that fast!) But mostly, it made me beam with pride at our amazing story.
I glanced over at my bride and smiled many times. She’s still here. She’s the girl I married and she’s so much more. She’s the woman I’ve slain dragons with. She’s been the eyewitness to some of my most brutal failures; and yet, here she remains.
At the bedrock foundation of a solid marriage, there are often the unseen scars. From the courtship to the wedding day, there were battles. From the wedding day to eleven years, there were wars. The only thing that people see are a man and a woman in love with God and one another, but the unseen beauty of a marriage are the scars of battles fought together to get there—and stay there.

Unseen Victories

There are also unseen victory laps.
Celebrating our first home together, celebrating the first time the baby slept through the night, celebrating the appearance of the mysterious $100 bill that was carefully and curiously wedged in the pages of Sarah’s Bible during a time of financial famine. These are the moments that get a marriage through the battles! No one knows the intimate joys that I have with my wife over the battles we have fought and won together, except us. That is the beauty of our unseen history: that we take advantage of an opportunity to build something—not a façade, but something four-dimensional together. And nobody sees it or lives it like we do.

Building Upwards

The defeats and victories form the bedrock of who we are as a couple. Now, we’re growing together, rising higher from glory to glory together with God. We’re forging new victories after new battles—adding more glorious layers to our beautiful imitation of Christ and the Church.
Be patient in your battles. Be graceful in your victories. Soon, you’ll look back at that glorious day that it all began and marvel at your unseen history with one another and with your Great God.

Categories
Communication Marriage Parenting Spiritual Intimacy

What Happens When You Get Too Busy for Your Marriage

Black couple distracted by smartphones

My wife and I recently had to shed some commitments as other commitments increased in demand and priority. This is normal; and it is important and healthy to understand your boundaries—where your influence begins and ends. With three kids, a youth ministry, a full-time job, and other demands, we are finally learning how to change the world in ways other than spreading ourselves impossibly thin and being baffled by our limited reach.
Letting go of some responsibility when you’re over-committed is crucial. Eventually we learn to be strategic in where we commit ourselves.
What is not okay, however, is letting your family go by the wayside while other “opportunities” chip away at the enamel of your family integrity. There are consequences. We have all seen a movie where the super-qualified husband chases his dreams, ascending the corporate ladder and achieving mortal greatness while his family quietly decays in the background.
Why does Western culture idolize busyness? Pride. Oh, how important an asset you are to all the intricacies of corporate America when you have to “pencil in” time for your spouse. Way to go! “We all have to make sacrifices.” “It’s for them that you’re working so hard.” “It’s going to be worth it in the end,” we tell ourselves.
Let me politely rain on your parade: This parade was never about you. It’s about others. It’s about Jesus. It’s about projecting the beautiful love of God in real-time, high-definition life where others are wowed by a real demonstration of love that has intervened in human affairs, and wrecked us for eternity. If there’s going to be a parade, it should be us parading the power and love of God throughout culture and society, making His name great.
I know that I’m coming across strong. I don’t want you to miss this, though. As I said, there are real world consequences—in your family—if you get too busy for your marriage.
Consequences include:

  1. You learn to “do without” one another. I knew a couple that worked so hard and long during the week that they had no couple identity. They had individual identity, which of course if important, but they denied the world the power of their companionship because they let everything else take precedence. Yes, in marriage, we are two whole, individual people with specific gifts and talents, but we are also the dynamo of husband and wife that loves God and radiates His glory as a living parable before a broken society!
  2. You don’t have patience for each other anymore. When you learn to do without one another, the presence of the other becomes an inconvenience when you finally are together. When the couple I referred to above retired, there was a new dynamic at play where one was constantly irked by the presence of the other, because they were so accustomed to their own routine.
  3. Someone else pays your spouse the attention he or she should be getting from you. He or she builds up a case in their hearts for emotional infidelity. They make compromises for flirtation, because they are desperately trying to fill a void that your absence leaves behind. Covenant does not allow for distractions. It does not permit you to pawn one another off to the highest bidder.

Here’s my challenge for your marriage: let’s break the busyness addiction. Declare a Sabbath for your family time and let’s take back family nights. Your children and your spouse will never be the same because of it!
 
 

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Home Marriage Parenting Spiritual Intimacy

3 Tips to Maintain Your Relationship With God While Married

Family In Kitchen With Mother Making On Line Purchase

3 years into marriage, 1 Corinthians 7:34 makes perfect sense:

“An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world–how she can please her husband.”

Wait one minute, does that essentially say, “marriage can affect our relationship with God?” Yup and when I recognized the reality of this verse in my marriage, especially after my daughter arrived, it grieved me some. Between nursing, diaper changes, heading back and forth to work, helping my husband in ministry and trying to take care of home, there was less and less time for quality time with God. My responsibilities increase,  life is no longer just about me.
So I get… it can become difficult to manage it all being married with kids, especially as women our job can be round the clock.  It’s easy to disconnect from God simply because we are not able to give ourselves as much to the necessary things to keep a strong relationship with Him, like prayer, fasting, reading and studying the word. When I was single I was surely devoted to God, there were no distraction and it was much easier to find quality quiet time with Him.
Now, I have to be more intentional about making time for God and I, although, the above scripture is accurate in my life,  realize God is my first love and I’m also married to Him. In addition, in order to successfully accomplish all of my other goals and responsibilities in life, I need Him!
Below are 3 tips to maintain your relationship with God while married:

  1. Creative Time:

The days of coming home from work and spending the whole evening with God is over. Now, I have to think about picking the baby up from daycare, figure out dinner, and prepare our family for evening service 2 days per week. However, I found several creative places to talk and spend time with the Lord.

    • Commuting: The car is the perfect place to talk with God or even worship. Turn off the radio for quiet time with Him or play your favorite worship songs. I also find time with Him on the train ride to and from  work. I’ll read and even pray softly.
    • Lunch Breaks: If you work full-time like me, you can always fast & pray on your lunch break and/or have bible study. I do this often and in the past I’ve even lead bible study with co-workers.
    • Chores: You don’t have to always be on your knees to pray. I’ve had some of the greatest encounters with God in the most unique places, once while washing dishes. I pray while in the shower, while cleaning and doing other chores. It’s okay to get creative.

2. Requested Alone- Time:
When I start to feeling like I need more than creative time with Lord. I’ll communicate with my husband and suggest him and my daughter have another daddy/daughter date. This way I can have the house to myself to spend quality alone time with God. Consider coordinating time with your spouse to do the same.
3. Family Time:
Although you may not have as much quality alone time with God, another way to spend time with Him is as a family. Something my husband and I do is pray and read one chapter together nightly. My 13 month old daughter is usually right there with us. It’s amazing to see her learn from us and imitate our prayer and worship by lifting her hands as if she’s worshiping too.
 

Categories
Dating/Courting Parenting

Dating and the Single Parent: 4 Ways to Date God's Way

Dark-skinned young couple sitting at restaurant: black man in glasses holding his girlfriend's hands, declaring his love to her or proposing on their anniversary day, both looking happy and cheerful

Being a single parent and dating can be a great experience when it is done God’s way. In my experience, I became a single mother at 22 and came to Christ at the age of 25. I learned very quickly the difference between the world of modern dating and dating God’s way. Growing in God helped me to understand that godly dating and courtship is the precursor to marriage with God as the foundation. I also wanted to give my daughter a godly image of dating so she would be anchored in God’s ways. Here’s what dating as a single parent taught me:

  1. Pursue God. God wants us to pursue Him. He desires that we not search for love or seek self-worth in the pursuit of a mate. Nothing compares to a man or woman who pursues God and shines God’s love and light from the inside out. Jeremiah 31:3 says that “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” This means that you are already loved, fearfully and wonderfully made, and accepted by God. You can rest assured that His love is enough.
  1. Wisdom is the Principal Thing. How many times have you dated only to realize later that he or she was wrong for you? As you date, ask God to give you wisdom and show you His perspective on your relationship daily to make quality decisions. You can trust God to lead and protect you because He wants the absolute best for you (Proverbs 3:5-6). Once He shows you His perspective, follow His guidance. Having a Christ-centered perspective is important because our decisions are based on how we see things. Seeing your relationship from God’s vantage point will help you avoid unnecessary issues. After all, God’s goal for dating is for marriage and family. Wisdom and discernment will help you understand if you and your potential date have similar values and if children will be blessed by being a blended family.
  1. Have Patience. The world’s perspective on dating symbolizes a rush mentality. As Christians, God’s timing is always best because rushing into a relationship will produce half-baked results (Philippians 4:6). When dating, I learned that it was ok to relax and wait to be pursued by my mate (who is now my husband!), keeping God in the center of our relationship and lives. Understanding your motivations for dating will prevent you from jumping in and out of dating relationships. You want to make sure that the person that you date has good moral character (encourages and challenges you to walk closer with God, submissive to God, humble, self-controlled, and demonstrates good parenting behaviors).
  1. Set boundaries. I introduced my daughter to my mate (now my husband) slowly after dating 3 months because I wanted to make sure he was an ideal future husband and a safe influence for her. I limited the number of dates per week and even set a curfew for our dates to prevent compromising situations. It was important to follow biblical standards to show my daughter (who was then 7) how to responsibly date the godly way.

Dating as a single parent can be an awesome learning experience with God. Take time to enjoy and trust God as He leads your life, and have fun dating God’s way!
 

Categories
Parenting

3 Ways to Affirm Your Children

Cute father and son playing together at the park

As a parent of a teenage daughter, I am familiar with the path of parenting. One of the most powerful parenting tools is the power of affirmation.
God the Father affirmed His Son Jesus in Luke 3:22, setting the pace for Jesus’ earthly ministry to fulfill the will of the Father. What we say over our children carries a lot of weight because our words shape our children into the people that God wants them to be. Those words should be a reflection that they are fearfully and wonderfully made sons and daughters of the King (Psalm 139). Asking God for eyes to see our children through His eyes helps us, as parents, to speak words of truth into our children’s lives.
Along the way, I have learned that children are like sponges that soak up the messages that are spoken. They need regular encouraging, inspiring, and uplifting words. The messages that we speak over our children have the potential to lead them closer to God or cause them to pull away from their God-given value. By simply saying, “I love you, I am pleased with you, and I pray God’s absolute best for your life” speaks volumes to children to help launch them on their path of purpose and destiny.
Here are 3 things that I have learned that every parent can do to positively affirm their children:

  1. Set aside time each day to affirm your children. Spend valuable time to speak words of blessings over your children. I’ve found that these meeting times with my daughter are filled with love and powerful moments that navigate the course of her future. It is during these times that I am guiding her with my affirmation to consider all the great things that God wants to do through her to be a blessing.
  1. Affirm your children in front of others. Speaking affirming words and special blessings openly lets your children know that you value and honor them. Using family time is a great time to speak and pray blessings over your children! When I speak openly about my daughter, I share the greatness I see within her, how God will use her as a vessel of honor, and encourage her to continue pursuing God’s plan for her life.
  1. Surprise them. Random acts of love and kindness mean doing something awesome that your children were not expecting. It speaks to their hearts as affirmation. Taking my daughter on unplanned day trips, lunches to her favorite restaurant, or to special events that she has talked about shows my appreciation, letting her know that I am proud of the godly young woman that she is becoming.

Our children are destined to do great things for God! What other ways can you think of to affirm your children?

Categories
Home Marriage Parenting

The 7 Words Every Pregnant Wife Needs to Hear from Her Husband

Pregnant Woman And Husband Having Breakfast In Kitchen

 
Children are a true blessing from the Lord, and bring so much joy to your lives. But, the process by which they come into the World is nothing short of God’s grace and mercy. The journey of pregnancy is different for every expecting mom, and having the support of family and friends means the World to them. We learned so much during our first pregnancy that our second one has gone by so quickly with the amount of fun we’ve been having. One thing I learned in particular was the words my wife needs to hear in order to reassure her during the journey of bringing a tiny human into this World.
 
 
1. I LOVE everything about you.
The one thing you can count on during pregnancy is a lot of change. Change in schedules, change in pace of life, and also change in your wife’s body. It is during this time that she needs to hear you say and be reassured that you love everything about her. I had to train myself to tell my wife everyday that I loved everything about her.
2. You are so BEAUTIFUL to me.
There will be times when your wife just doesn’t feel or look like herself. She will need to hear the word beautiful from your mouth so she can believe it for herself. Pregnancy is very beautiful, but for women it can make them feel the total opposite.
3. I am GRATEFUL for everything you do for our family.
The downfall of pregnancy is you will see your wife make faces, different types of noises, and possibly get called some hurtful names. But, the thing is you can’t feel her pain or the discomfort she is going through. This is when you must remind her how grateful you are for her and all she is doing to bring your children into this world. The spirit of gratitude has a way to make challenging times worth it.
4. How can I HELP you?
You will need to ask her this everyday especially going into the 3rd trimester. She will be very limited in her mobility and the most simple of tasks will now become challenging for her. She needs to know that you are there to help her which speaks LOUDER than any others words you may say.
5. Lets PRAY together.
I’ve learned there are some things I just can’t do for my wife that only God can. When we take time to pray together it really does help us to come back to the central purpose of why we are doing what we do. It helps us to connect with the baby that is brewing in the oven. But, most importantly we put our trust in God to continue to help us in areas we can’t help ourselves. Prayer is a POWERFUL tool that you has the husband need to make sure you’re making time for each day.
6. Do you need a MASSAGE?
This right here is the golden ticket to glory. If I had a penny for every time my wife mentioned how much her feet, back, and every other body part hurt then I would be a rich man. This is your indicator to offer up a massage to her.
7. I will COOK dinner.
Now, if you don’t know how to cook then this is a great time to learn. I guarantee the amount of brownie points you get when you offer to cook dinner and CLEAN up after yourself is ridiculous. Remember she is only pregnant for 9 months, so this season won’t last forever. Challenge yourself out of your norm and ask the Lord for grace to help you do something different. Serving your wife in this way shows a tremendous sign of support, concern, and understanding of what she is going through.
Pregnancy is such an amazing journey and it’s all worth it when your bundle of joy comes into this world. At times your wife will feel alone with carrying your child, but it’s then that you much assist her so she knows that it’s a team effort.  This will make the pregnancy much more enjoyable for her and yourself. You got this!
 

Categories
Marriage Parenting

Three Things I Want My Sons to Know About Marriage

A happy African American man, woman and two boys, father, mother and sons, family sitting together at home looking at photo album

I have two sons. Jonathan is three months old and Noah is three years old, but Noah echoes my words and mirrors my actions only minutes after he hears or sees them from me. Right now, where I go, he goes. My words and demeanor towards him have a profound impact on him. It’s scary, to be honest. Even now, he’s picking up my mannerisms. He’s catching onto what I value and care about, and even adapting them for himself. I love Batman, he loves Batman. I love music, he loves music. I speak too harshly to his mother—guess what—so does he.
So in the backwards world that my boys are growing up in, it is crucial—perhaps more crucial now than ever before—that I model godliness in life, work, and family. I have at least 18 years, God willing, to model these things well.
These are three things I want my sons to know about marriage,

  1. It’s not just a piece of paper. There’s a fallacy that circulates the airwaves that marriage is just a piece of paper. Subscribers of this fantasy and lopsided view of marriage will soon find their “paper marriage” in the waste basket. No, sons, marriage is “a cord of three strands”: God, husband, wife! (Ecclesiastes 4:12) Saying that marriage is a piece of paper bears the same logic as saying that insurance is a piece of paper, but I guarantee that you want what that piece of paper represents when the wind blows your roof away! What you regard as temporary will become temporary. 
  2. It is relevant. Marriage is not outdated. Some argue that marriage is old-fashioned.They’re right, it is old-fashioned. It was fashioned by God at Creation. It has endured for millennia because God ordained it as a standing institution for earthly existence. Ancient does not mean outdated. Marriage is still relevant because it is still not good for man to be alone. (Gen. 2:18) It is still relevant because it is something that God has ordained from the foundation of the world and He has never parted the clouds and called for its end. God has called husbands to demonstrate the power of godly affection to their wives as an eternal illustration of divine marriage.
  3. It is good. I want my sons to know that marriage is good. I become a better a man because of the wisdom that I attain only from my wife. My wife becomes a better woman because of the support and strength I provide for her. I am closer to Jesus now than I have ever been because my wife will not allow me to stagnate in my transformation into the image of the Son. My wife is closer to Jesus because I refuse to allow the darkness of this world to cast her down and lie to her about her identity! Marriage is good because it is a chosen instrument of God’s love to teach us about reflecting the glory of God to the world and to one another. In marriage, two imperfect people are left practice mercy, grace, and forgiveness toward one another before they demonstrate it to anyone else. Marriage is the maturation process of true discipleship where growth occurs when no one else is watching, besides God and our spouse.

I want my kids to see me regard my wife as the princess that she is. I pray that they bring out the princesses in their future wives as a result of watching me. Instilling a godly view of marriage just may be the most important lesson I ever teach my sons.