daddy4ms

The title of this post is what I used to call the holiday we celebrate today. I had a rather cynical and unromantic view of Valentine's Day. But despite the commercialization of Valentine's Day and the argument that we should not just show love to those around us one day a week, it still has a place. Husbands, we need to show love to our wives every day, but today share love that covers all five senses. Don't just give something, but also say I love you. How will you love your wife today? In addition, dads, we have a great opportunity to show our daughters what a godly man is and does. My daughters need to see me express love to my wife through words, actions, gifts, hugs, kisses, etc. But I can also remind them of the great love God has for them, how they are special for who they are, and remind them daddy loves them. Enjoy the day. Happy Valentine's Day!

On Thursday, I finished reading Real Marriage by Mark & Grace Driscoll.  It was a good book on the topic of marriage and sex.  The best chapters focused on friendship as a couple, being a servant to your spouse inside and outside of the bedroom, and finishing well in marriage.  I would recommend the book to couples looking for a good book on marriage.  However, I would caution couples regarding the chapter entitled, "Can We _____?" This chapter comes from many counseling sessions with couples on what is "ok in the bedroom."  It is a frank discussion and in some ways talks about certain topics that most couples are not asking. Driscoll keeps the standards of Scripture while encouraging couples to have conversation and be thinking of their spouse. The Driscoll's open up personally about their own struggles and joys as a married couple in ministry.  They both have great wisdom to share regarding ministry and healing from abuse.  Here are a few ...

A few years ago, Bethany and I attended the Song of Solomon Conference in Springfield, MO.  Mark Driscoll was the speaker.  He did a great job and it was a great experience for us.  One of the things Mark said to husbands was, "Your wife is your standard of beauty."  That quote has stuck with me.  Too often as men we are distracted by the plethora of women we see in magazines, TV or movies.  We can start to compare our wives to these other women.  If my wife looked more like _____________.  We then set the standard of a perfect 10 with these women.  Driscoll's quote was right on.  My perfect 10 is Bethany and no one compares to her.  But as I was driving today, I started to wonder about romance.  With Valentine's Day over and all these romantic movies being released, do women compare their husbands to the great movie actors?  Is a wife disappointed because her husband didn't act like a character in a TV show or movie?...

Our small group is going through a parenting study called, "Visionary Parenting" by Rob Rienow . It is a really great study. This past week, we talked about biblical fatherhood. I wanted to share a few things with you. Our main roles as fathers is to love our wives and spiritually equip our kids. Rienow used Ephesians 5:25-26 to show us that we need to Love our wives, Serve our wives, and Lead our wives spiritually. He said that Satan will definitely attack us as we try to lead our wives spiritually. We must do these things in order or they will not work. For example, we cannot lead our wives if we are not loving and serving them. This is helpful information, but it doesn't do anyone any good if we are not putting it into practice in our marriage. Husbands, ask God for help and the power to love, serve, and lead your wife! Our second role as fathers is to train and instruct our children. Rienow pointed to Ephesians 6:1-4 for this role. It is our Biblical j...