marriage

/Tag: marriage
22 August

Everything I know about bad relationships, I see in Stanton

By |2019-08-27T13:11:31-06:00August 22nd, 2019|Uncategorized|1 Comment

One day a few years ago, I got a call from the adult son of a Stanton member. I'll never forget how he described, point by point, his relationship with his mom. It was like he was describing my relationship with my mom. Personalities were very similar, after decades in the sect. Stories of dysfunction in family gatherings were eerily similar. And yet, I'd never met his mom (or if I did, I was a young child). This is not a random coincidence. It is because Stanton is a petri dish for bad relationships, spurred on by "counsel" from the ruling rabbis (teachers) instructing their students in how to live life. They have built a culture that destroys families even when the family is intact [...]

20 March

Marriage, sex, and submission

By |2019-04-11T17:17:53-06:00March 20th, 2019|Uncategorized|18 Comments

That title should get your attention. :-) My wife and I have been enormously blessed in our marriage. It's not a perfect marriage—no marriage is, because it's made up of two imperfect people. Things cannot be greater than the sum of their parts. Or can they? We have had highs and lows in our 29 years. But just as the highs get higher, so do the lows—they get higher as well. Higher highs and higher lows is good in investing, but it's a spiritual experience in marriage. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm not saying you have to be a Christian to have a good marriage. I'd like to say you did, because I would love for all of you to be believers [...]

12 October

Love and marriage, love and marriage

By |2019-04-11T02:09:18-06:00October 12th, 2013|Uncategorized|2 Comments

Note: The "a-ha" moment I describe in Turning the Tables on Legalism about what it would feel like to receive legalistic love from my kids first clicked in my mind regarding marriage. This article is the true story of when I first made that connection. I'm thankful for the love of my wife, in part because she exhibits her love for me in ways I neither deserve nor ask for. That makes me feel privileged and honored to be her husband. I know without a doubt that I have her loyalty and affections. I could argue that most everything good in my life flows from the fact that I feel such security in our relationship. That's because love is inherently inspiring, motivating, and empowering, whether it's [...]

12 August

Rules for marital sex

By |2019-09-26T10:46:06-06:00August 12th, 2013|Uncategorized|118 Comments

This is a subject I intend to handle with as much tact as possible, but I make no apology for treating the subject boldly as well as 100% scripturally. It is important to speak the truth on this, because the oppressive reach of church teaching extends even into the sacred realm of the marriage bed, which Paul declares to be "undefiled." The church leaves no sacred cows, so unfortunately, neither can we. I believe sex within marriage to be a gift of God, and something to be enjoyed without guilt or shame. The teachings of the church on sex seem to start with the premise that it is dirty and shameful; hence rules such as abstaining on Saturday night. In one instance, a woman was [...]