February/March 2017 Whitesburg Magazine

Whitesburg FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017

A celebration of marriage

PAGE 17

THE

Beauty

OF IMPERFECT MARRIAGES

PAGE 25

Second Chances

WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH

February-April 2017 CALENDAR February 3 Ladies Night Out 4 Upward Soccer Evaluations 5 Souper Bowl of Caring 10 Date Night 11 Upward Soccer Evaluations

12 Lord’s Supper in Evening Service 13 Senior Day at the ROC 25 Upward Basketball & Cheerleading Awards Day

March

April

5 Discover Whitesburg Class 9:30 am & 5 pm 10 LIFE Group Fellowship Night 12-19 High School Choir Tour 12 No Evening Activities 15 No Evening Activities 17 Outdoor Expo 22-28 Boston/NYC Mission 26 Ladies Mentoring Orientation Coffee 31 Middle School Choir Tour

1-2 Middle School Choir tour 2 Discover Whitesburg Class 5 pm 10 Senior Day at the ROC 16 Easter 16 Lord’s Supper in Evening Service 23 LIFE Group Leader Appreciation Day 27-May 9 Romania Mission 28-29 Men’s Conference at Wheeler State Park 29 Ladies Morning Out 30 AWANA Awards

For more details on these and other events, visit WhitesburgBaptist.org.

Inside

Whitesburg FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017

PAGE 2 Marriage by God’s Design

2 Marriage by God’s Design

By Dr. Jimmy Jackson

5 Spring Crossword Puzzle For kids and grown-ups!

6 Meeting in Person

By Susan Fleming

10 RightNow Media

Biblical resources for the family 12 Marriage is Good. Marriage is Hard.

By Scott Tillery 17 The Beauty of Imperfect Marriages

By Lauren Layne

PAGE 10 RightNow media

20 Broken Together

Lyrics by Casting Crowns 22 When Two Become One

By Dr. Harold Fanning 25 Second Chances

By Raymond & Michelle Horne

Whitesburg magazine is a publication by Whitesburg Baptist Church, 6806 Whitesburg Dr., Huntsville, AL 35802-2299. (Permit No. 446) Publisher: Whitesburg Baptist Church Editor-in-Chief: Rev. David Dye Graphics & Publishing: Melissa Schuster, Ron Snyder Editorial Assistants: Karen Tidwell, Beverly Dishman, Jordan Busk

28 HomePoint

Featuring a reprint of

Building a Strong Marriage

Subscribe!

Receive Whitesburg magazine in your home or business by subscribing in one of these ways: • Visit WhitesburgBaptist.org/resources.

• Call the office at 256-704-5678, ext. 279.

PAGE 6 Meeting in Person February/March 2017 | Whitesburg

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Marriage

by God’s design

by Dr. Jimmy Jackson

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When we open the Bible to the book of Genesis, we are

introduced to marriage. The union of Adam and Eve, the first husband and wife, gives us the foundational institution of society.

We have a clear picture of God’s definition of marriage—one man and one woman. This is God’s design and spells out the DNA of human culture.

From this covenantal union comes the gift of procreation.

God’s command for Adam and Eve to replenish the earth gives us the first insight into the purpose of sex. One of the blessings of marriage is the amazing ability to have babies. God’s design calls for a child to have both a father and a mother who are husband and wife.

Statistics still tell us that the most stable and balanced children come out of homes where both parents are present to love and lead their children. Both parents have a role in parenting that is integrally entwined with their sexuality. Children need to have the diverse leadership from people from both Venus and Mars.

Although ungodly people are trying to alter God’s plan, they will find that God will not bless what He has already cursed. He must look upon the human scene with deep sorrow. The greatest tragedy is that the so-called “new morality” will not work. It is already failing and will get worse than we can imagine.

As followers of Christ, we must adhere faithfully and uncompromisingly to the Divine Plan—not to the Human Plan. With love, we must tell the truth about marriage, sex, procreation and pleasure. They all find their highest calling and most honorable results inside the Covenant of Marriage as defined in God’s Holy Word. Life is hard enough without rebellion against or ignoring the holiness and love of God. Dr. Jimmy Jackson is the Senior Pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, AL. February/March 2017 | Whitesburg

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LIFE Groups... where the life of the church happens.

In LIFE Groups, you will find a place to connect with others like you. We have classes for all ages, life stages, and family situations. LIFE

Groups meet on Sundays at 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 am.

LIFE

4

groups

WhitesburgBaptist.org connect. grow. serve.

WhitesburgBaptist.org

Spring

d r o w s s o Cr Puzzle

4. Set of words set to music 7. Affection 9. A feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love 12. Term of endearment 14. Rays of light 15. Winged singer 17. Opposite of old 18. Body part that “expresses” emotion 19. Beginning of new life

Down 1. “Life is like a box of _________” 5. Color between yellow and blue on the color wheel 6. Not dead 8. Bundle of blossoms 10. St. Holiday in February 11. Liquid precipitation 12. Capable of developing into another such plant 13. Wind, Benjamin Franklin 16. Marmot holiday 1. Chocolates 2. Daffodil 3. Lion 4. Song 5. Green 6. Alive 7. Love 8. Bouquet 9. Romance 10. Valentine 11. Rain 12. Sweetheart 13. Kite 14. Sunshine 15. Bird 16. Groundhog Day 17. New 18. Heart 19. Birth

Across 2. Bulb flower that signals spring has arrived 3. “In like a _______ out like a lamb”

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Meeting in Person

by Susan Fleming

First off, two things you

should know about me: 1. I am a planner and organizer.

2. I try to laugh about all the crazy things happening in my life. It helps to keep me sane.

From the time I was young, I had my life all planned out: when I would marry, how old I would be at the time, my future children’s names, etc... you get the picture.

However, God’s plans are not always my plans and His ways are not my ways and so things did not go according to my plans. I didn’t actually get married until I was “older” (how old we won’t say), but it wasn’t because I didn’t try.

In my single old age, I had been reading in a magazine about a new trend of meeting people

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on the internet. “How could anyone possibly think they could meet someone on the internet?”

I wondered.

Remember that there were only two or maybe three internet dating sites at the time, not the hundreds that are out there today. This was very new technology for the time, so of course, on a whim, I had to check it out. I made a profile on one of the most popular sites and immediately was hit with numerous responses. Creepy – DELETE, just plain nuts – DELETE, thinks way to highly of himself – DELETE. DELETE, DELETE, DELETE. However, a certain post caught my eye from a guy who had just finished a weekend lock-in with the youth at his church. He

made some very funny comments regarding his adventures that weekend and I just had to reply back. He was excited that someone actually “got his sense of humor” and so we began a correspondence.

He was on this dating site on a whim also, so we decided to move our conversation off the site and use just plain old emails (there was no such thing as texting back then). After emailing for quite a while, I began to look forward to our chats. One day, the dreaded “let’s meet in person” request appeared in my inbox. To prove he was on the level, he sent along a picture (which I was convinced could have easily passed for a prison mug shot - minus the prison numbers across the bottom). But still, there was something drawing me in and definitely compelling

me to go meet him in person.

As the week for our dinner date approached, what do you think was the one topic on the news, in the papers and talked about everywhere? You guessed it! A woman met some guy on the internet and then she disappeared and had not been seen or heard from since. All week long this was the hot news topic. Being the planner that I am, I decided to take some precautions, just in case. I contacted my best friend down the street and told her about the date and to call me the next day for the details - that way I would only be missing for 12 hours or so. I printed off all of our emails and left them in a folder on my desk and put the “mug shot” picture up as the screen saver on my computer.

To top it all off, I added a big

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MEETING IN PERSON yellow sticky note on the monitor, which read, “POLICE: START YOUR INVESTIGATION HERE – THIS IS YOUR PRIME SUSPECT!!!” Then, I drove to the restaurant to meet my fate... or rather, my date.

The plan was to meet at a cute little Italian bistro. I got there early enough to plan my escape route in case I had to sneak out through the backdoor of the kitchen. I was seated right in front of a big picture window with a great view of the parking lot, so I could see when he drove up. Now, it was time for a prayer.

I told God that for some reason I felt a strong desire to be there that night and I didn’t fully understand why. I asked for His protection and peace for the evening. When I finally looked up after my prayer, I found that at every table surrounding me were Christian people. I knew all of them! My old college roommate and her family, several young married couples from my church out on a fellowship night, a co-worker and her husband, and an older couple from the neighborhood who were celebrating their anniversary. I was completely and totally surrounded

by God’s people at every table.

Wow! God does answer prayers!

A wonderful peace settled on my spirit and I knew then that 8

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everything would be fine.

About this time, a major monsoon broke loose and it was storming so bad you could not see anything outside. A vintage Mustang pulled up directly in front of the window and a really cute guy got out. As he struggled with his umbrella and a package, it became very obvious exactly what was going to happen. WHOOSH! The umbrella was blown inside out. There he was, in the ferocious wind and pelting rain, doing these hilarious moves up and down the sidewalk while trying to manage his umbrella and package right in front of the window and in full view of everyone. I have to admit, everyone in the place found his little show quite entertaining. Of course, there was no doubt that this had to be my date. He arrived at my table a few minutes later, soaked to the bone and looking very much like a drowned puppy dog. He said he had always wanted to make a grand entrance but did not think it would be “singing in the rain.” He then had my undivided attention when he presented me with a (wet) box of Godiva chocolates. I do live for chocolate! He sat down and we started talking and never stopped. The conversation was so enjoyable that the restaurant employees were literally cleaning

Being able to laugh has defint i ely helped us grow closer as a couple

up around us when we finally realized it was time to leave.

And the rest they say, is history. Chip and I were married exactly one year later and celebrated our 16th anniversary last fall. I married my best friend and it is definitely his sense of humor, the way he makes me laugh and how we can laugh at things together that plays a huge role in the success and happiness of our marriage.

We have certainly been through a lot together: living in separate cities due to Chip’s job, surviving Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi, the deaths of both of our dads, several major hospitalizations and surgeries, the entire adoption process for our precious son from Russia and then later dealing with all the issues and trials that come along with Aspberger’s Syndrome, moving to Huntsville, adjusting to new house, new city, new jobs, new schools, new friends, new

church, problems and situations too numerous to mention. And on and on it goes. Being able to laugh and to see the humor in so many of these circumstances, both during and after the fact, has definitely helped us to grow closer as a couple.

Some things I have learned: God’s timing is always the best even when it is not what you planned. Also, He can use anything at all in this world to bring together a family – even a computer (I would never have thought I could tell people that I went on the internet and found both my husband and also my child!). I have learned that no matter what my circumstance or situation, at any given time, God loves me and I am truly blessed. I also learned that God has a sense of humor as well – just look at the person my husband got stuck with!

Susan Fleming is mom to a crazy eighth grader who drives her

nuts, but she loves him dearly. She loves to read and if there’s a spare moment, likes to craft. She’s been happily married to Chip for over sixteen years, laughing the whole time.

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rightnow MEDIA Dozens of marriage Bible studies and videos are just a click away!

Find studies and real life stories from noted authors such as:

• Les & Leslie Parrott • Matt Chandler • Kyle Idleman • Francis & Lisa Chan • Gary Smalley and many more!

Free subscription

Request your invitation email by contacting Debbie Davis at 256-704-5678, ext. 222 or debbie.davis@whitesburgbaptist.org.

6806 WHITESBURG DRIVE, HUNTSVILLE, AL

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February/March 2017 | Whitesburg

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is e g a i arr

M

d o o g IS HARD E

G MARRIA

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Tillery

by Scott

On

October 27, 1990, my life was

forever changed when I married

Lori Ann Stevens.

As we began our journey

as a married couple, we were invited by Perry and Marlyn Calvert to join their Newlyweds class. The class focused on our transition from single life to married life and how to deal with the associated issues that came with that transition. Topics included: why we act the way we do, learning to live together as one, being the husband/wife God wants us to be, building trust in our Designer, discipleship and finance. Every topic was rooted in God’s Word and provided a solid, biblical foundation for our marriage. We were also provided an opportunity to develop deep friendships with other newlywed couples in the class; many of our closest friendships

began there. The class made such an impact on Lori and me that after “graduating” from the class, we helped in the startup of a new class for newlyweds.

Eventually, Lori and I were led to teach in an area of transition that compared and even rivaled that of Newlyweds - the Youth Department. In our time working with the youth ministry, we not only experienced growth in the students, we also experienced growth in our family; first with the birth of our son, Scott Jr, and then with our daughter, Sarah Ann. We stayed involved in the youth department until 2011, then we decided to take a break during the last couple of years of our kids’ time in high school.

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MARRIAGE IS GOOD. MARRIAGE IS HARD. After being away from teaching for a few years, I was ready to start back up. It was during this time that God brought our lives back full circle in the church. Tim and Shari Roberts approached us about co-teaching with them in their Newlywed class. My initial reaction was “YES!” and Lori’s was “NO!” While our reactions differed, they differed for the same reason: our marriage was not where it needed to be.

Although we learned so much in the newlywed class when we were first married, over the years we struggled in the areas of communication, raising our kids and respecting each other. We were not the husband

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and wife that God wanted us to be. I’m confident that Lori was close to utilizing the “until death do us part” clause of our marriage vows. My thinking was, “We need this,” and Lori was thinking, “They don’t need us.”

After prayer and encouragement from Tim and Shari, Lori and I committed to help. Trying to help the newlywed couples in our class avoid the problems that we were going through in our marriage, our initial contribution was “don’t do as we do, but do as we say.”

But God is good. The more time we spent with the newlyweds, the more time we spent with Tim and Shari and the more time we spent studying God’s plan for a successful marriage, the more our love grew for each other.

Lori and I now have our own Newlywed class. We teach similar topics to what the Calverts taught us over 26 years ago, but have updated them for today’s couple. Some of the newlyweds in our class are children of classmates from the early 1990’s, while

others we taught in the youth department.

Lori and I like to joke with the class that they are our weekly counseling session.

We constantly try to be transparent as we share about our difficulties in living the material we are teaching. We emphasize that marriage is good because God designed it and that marriage is hard because Satan detests it. We share that all marriages will go through difficult times, but God is sufficient and your personal relationship with the Lord is even more important than your relationship with your spouse. Technology changes.

Society changes. Government changes - but the issues that newlyweds face in the early stages of marriage don’t change. The lessons that Lori and I learned as newlyweds are as relevant now as they were way back when‌ because the foundation of a successful

Marriage is

good because

God designed it.

Marriage is

hard because

satan detests it. marriage, the Word of God, doesn’t change. Our marriage is more solid now than it has ever been and we thank God for His continued grace in our lives.

Scott and Lori Tillery are members of Whitesburg Baptist Church and teach a Nearlywed/Newlywed Class.

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Nearlyweds | Newlyweds Class

Sundays in Room 220 at Whitesburg Baptist Church 9:30 am with Scott & Lori Tillery 11 am with Tim & Shari Roberts Designed to help you build a marriage for a lifetime, this class is open to engaged couples and newlyweds. Throughout the course of the year, learn how to avoid the pitfalls of expectations, in-laws, finances, holidays, stress and more. Through Biblical lessons led by a Godly couple, you’ll have a chance to gain insight from their experiences as you build a foundation for a strong and healthy marriage.

Topics include:

Effective Communication Managing God’s Money Intimacy Lifetime Commitment Expectations Being Selfless Giving In-laws Five Love Languages

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Your Different Personalities Building Your Mate’s Self-esteem Emotional Closeness Spiritual Unity Managing Time and Stress Leaving and Cleaving Conflict Setting Priorities and Boundaries Ministering to Each Other & Others

The Beauty of Imperfect Marriages

by Lauren Layne Tibbles

My husband, Dalton, and I

decided a while ago that a perfect relationship between two very imperfect humans is not an achievable goal. I don’t dance around in fields with tall grass in a dress because I was raised on a farm and I know that if I do that I will get chiggers. Dalton doesn’t express to me an interest in sitting outside in dress clothes during the summertime. August in Alabama is not the time for that.

So when Dalton proposed, I texted my friend Amber Harris, who is a phenomenal photographer, and asked her to take our engagement pictures.

I asked her to take pictures that express our relationship, which do not involve dress clothes in a field on an August afternoon.

While others might have found my request strange, Amber knew exactly what Dalton and I were looking for.

We wanted her to just follow us around during a normal day to document an activity that we would normally do together. So, we decided to cook breakfast one morning, then take some coffee and apples on a hike to the spring by my house. We then walked my dog, Mika, in my backyard and around my family’s farm, where I grew up.

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THE BEAUTY OF IMPERFECT MARRIAGES I enjoy cooking and Dalton is usually helping me in one way or another in the kitchen. Breakfast wasn’t staged, and neither was the hike. We go hiking all the time, and stop at the spring do our Bible studies. Mika always wants to go for a walk behind my house and we take her whenever we can. These are ordinary occurrences with flawed, ordinary people.

We did not want to conform to what the media and society

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have told us engagements and weddings are supposed to look like. We wanted to be able to show the intricacy of our Creator’s creation by showing who we really are as individuals and not what is “popular.”

Dalton and I wanted to express what a real relationship looks like. It is messy, complicated and imperfect, but isn’t that what makes the relationship between Christ and the Church so beautiful? If the Church was

comprised of perfect humans, the love of Christ would not be amplified so boldly for the world to see. We are imperfect so that His perfection can be magnified all the more.

The reality of relationships is not portrayed correctly in social media, so don’t think that other people “have it all together” if they are in a relationship, engaged, or married. Because they don’t.

The reality is that none of us

have it all together, but by the sanctifying grace of our Savior, we can all be made complete in Him. Dalton and I do not by any means “complete each other.”

Colossians 2:10 states, “And in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.” To me, this is the beauty of our relationship. We love each other deeply, but we both, individually, submit to a higher Love, which surpasses all human love.

Lauren Layne Tibbles is currently doing her student teaching as she completes her degree in education. Lauren is married to Dalton, loves her dog Mika and enjoys her friends, cooking and the outdoors. Lauren is most passionate about living a life not in pursuit of perfection, but of our perfect and holy Savior.

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Casting Crowns What do you think about when you look at me I know we’re not the fairy tale you dreamed we’d be You wore the veil, you walked the aisle, you took my hand And we dove into a mystery How I wish we could go back to simpler times Before all our scars and all our secrets were in the light Now on this hallowed ground, we’ve drawn the battle lines Will we make it through the night?

It’s going to take much more than promises this time Only God can change our minds Maybe you and I were never meant to be complete Could we just be broken together If you can bring your shattered dreams and I’ll bring mine Could healing still be spoken and save us The only way we’ll last forever is broken together How it must have been so lonely by my side We were building kingdoms and chasing dreams and left love behind I’m praying God will help our broken hearts align And we won’t give up the fight It’s going to take much more than promises this time Only God can change our minds Maybe you and I were never meant to be complete Could we just be broken together If you can bring your shattered dreams and I’ll bring mine Could healing still be spoken and save us The only way we’ll last forever is broken together

MARRY, MARRY, CONTRARY Harold Fanning

QUITE

When Two

Marriage is one of the

most profound of all human relationships. This relational bond between a man and a woman is as ancient as the world itself. It began at the creation and the rules of engagement have not been altered or modified in any way, despite the political meandering of those who disagree. God Himself said, “It is not good that man should be alone…” (Genesis 2:18).

Then, the Bible declares, “Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man” (Genesis 2:22).

Adam took one look at Eve and said “I do” and a special, intimate relationship between a man and woman began. Jesus Himself would comment on this unique marriage relationship by declaring, “But from the beginning of the creation, God

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made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh” (Mark 10:6-9).

It is no accident that the Apostle Paul applied the husband/wife analogy to the relationship between Christ and His church. He points to the husband as the head of the wife in the same way that Christ is the head of the church. Paul makes it clear that this relationship is a divine design whose foundation is held together by a bond of love. Husbands are to love their wives by protecting, cherishing, and serving them. Wives are to be submissive out of love and respect for their husbands.

Comparatively, Christ loves His bride, the church, and is her Savior. Christ gave His life for

become One

by Dr. Harold Fanning

her. Likewise, the husband is to love his wife as Christ loves His church. A husband’s love should be sacrificial, nourishing, cherishing and protective. A man should love his wife in the same way he loves his own body (Ephesians 5:25-28).

When we think about the analogy between marriage and Christ’s relationship to His church, it is an amazing concept.

Christ gave His life without requiring anything in return.

He never gives up on the bride - even though there are plenty of reasons to do so. He doesn’t get impatient with her because of her persistent shortcomings.

And He never complains even though she may give Him many reasons to do so. And one day the Bridegroom will return to retrieve His Bride, the church, to be with Him forever. But until that great event occurs,

the Bride is to continue to serve and love those around her, doing so with an anticipating eye turned toward heaven. Just as a bride longs for the return of her groom who has been away on an extended journey, the church is to be waiting, longing, and hoping that today might be the day when the Bridegroom comes to carry her home. One day the family of God will finally be together in the great house that He has prepared for the Bride.

Can you imagine how amazing our marriages would be if we loved our spouse as Christ loved the Church?

Dr. Harold Fanning

has been married to his wife Debbie for 41 years.

He is a retired pastor who currently serves as a Hospice Chaplain.

Harold speaks each Wednesday night at WBC’s Prayer Meeting service and is a hotrod enthusiast.

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Weddings at Whitesburg

Chapel Dining Room Wedding Directors Instrumentalists Catering for Receptions and Rehearsal Dinners For more information contact Mary Lou Herald at 256-704-5678, ext. 711 or marylou.herald@whitesburgbaptist.org.

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Second

Chances

by Raymond & Michelle Horne

Our story is a story of God’s never-ending love. God took two lives that had been wounded and hurt by great loss and healed those lives with His great faithfulness.

Michelle

I had a plan for my life. I was going to graduate from college, marry my college sweetheart and have a family. I truly believed my life was following my blueprint

until that fateful day in June of 2013 when I learned that my husband of 23 years had taken his life. The life I had envisioned disintegrated before my very eyes. Everything fell apart for my four children and me. Our lives were forever changed.

What happened to the plan, God? This was not part of my plan!

Over the next year, Isaiah 61:2b-3 became very important to me. I had to believe that God February/March 2017 | Whitesburg

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SECOND CHANCES

was going to give me “…a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair.” Along with this passage, my life theme became “God is Faithful.” I had to believe that God was faithful to take care of me, to provide for my family and to make everything that was going on in my life work for good.

I began praying for the future. I knew that I wanted to marry again. I wanted a second chance at love; a second chance to have a marriage as God intended marriage to be. I just had no idea if or how that could happen.

Raymond

In 2002, as my youngest of six children approached her second birthday, my wife left me and the kids to pursue an alternative lifestyle. A year later we were divorced. I was still pursuing my degree and working a full-time job while raising six children.

Although it took 16 years, I finished my degree, but my life at that point was still less than perfect. In 2012, after several failed relationships, which I pursued on my own and apart 26

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from God, I finally decided to give control of my life back to God. The way I had been living my life wasn’t working. I told God that I was finished making my own plans for my life. It was up to Him to pick out my future and final wife, if there was to be one. I asked God to make it very clear to me who she would be. I began praying and waiting.

Michelle

Once upon a dream… that’s how we met. While we were friends in high school, we weren’t close and we certainly didn’t have many reasons to keep in touch.

We had only seen each other

once and messaged occasionally over the past 24 years. We lived in different states and had different lives. You can imagine my surprise and bewilderment when I dreamed that I ran into Raymond in Walt Disney World, my ‘happy place’. I struggled for 2 days wondering if I should contact him or not. God would not let me let it go. I messaged Raymond, praying that he wouldn’t think I was just a bit crazy! Raymond actually answered and we began chatting that night, the following night, and many, many more after!

In just 6 short weeks we both realized that God was doing something in our lives. Pieces of the puzzle started coming together and the reasons for things happening in our lives started to make so much sense.

Raymond Three months after Michelle’s

dream we were engaged. Within

four months of Michelle’s dream, I sold my house in Houston. Five months after the dream, I moved to Huntsville and started a new job. In just under seven months from Michelle’s dream, we were married under a beautiful tree with dear friends, family and 9 of our 10 children by our side. It was an amazing day that could only have happened because of God. Only God could bring together two high school friends that had little in common, but a desire to wait for His timing.

Only God could take our despair and mourning and turn them into joy. He has been faithful; bringing beauty from the ashes of the plans that were once so important to us.

Raymond & Michelle Horne are

members of Whitesburg Baptist Church.

Together they have ten children and countless animals.

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The next four pages

are a reprint of the Building a Strong Marriage pointer from our Home Point center.

Home Point has the resources to build your faith at home and Biblical guides to overcome challenges you may be facing in your family. Our materials are tailored for you and the people you love the most, whether you are single, married, have children, or are an emptynester.

You can find many other books and brochures on various topics in our Home Point center in the South Lobby at Whitesburg Baptist Church.

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Building A Strong Marriage

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Building a God-Honoring Marriage From David Loyed, Family Pastor With Kurt Bruner, The Center for Strong Families

No one plans to become a broken family or a miserable couple. We marry because we yearn for a life-long, thriving relationship. So, how can believers become intentional about building a God-honoring marriage?

PRIORITY ONE – Discover God’s Design for Marriage We must understand that every marriage is intended to be a masterpiece reflecting THE marriage between God and His people. Marriage is the most frequent metaphor used in the Bible to describe God’s relationship with His people. In fact, writing to the Ephesians, Paul called marriage a “profound mystery” because it is a picture of “Christ and the church.”

PRIORITY TWO: Commit to a Covenant Marriage Today’s civil marriages are much like business contracts—easy to get into and easy to get out of. God’s covenant with His people was a promise to remain eternally faithful even if His people weren’t faithful in return. In covenant marriage, both spouses are committed for a lifetime—in sickness and health, for better or worse. They don’t threaten divorce or consider it as an option.

PRIORITY THREE: Pursue a Passionate Marriage Couples aren’t supposed to just stick it out and find a way to make their marriages survive. God calls us to pursue a passionate, thriving marriage.

The Song of Solomon expresses the kind of love, joy and celebration God designed for marriage. That passion is built on much more than infatuation and sexual desire. It is rooted in the physical, emotional and spiritual intimacy God created couples to experience as a foretaste of the eternal unity, communion and intimacy we can have with God.

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PRIORITY FOUR: Become Heroic in Marriage Christ made the ultimate sacrifice to rescue humanity. Writing to the Ephesians, Paul connected Christ’s sacrifice directly to marriage: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25) and “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands” (Ephesians 5:24).

In other words, mutual submission to one another requires giving up our own interests to heroically serve the other person.

PRIORITY FIVE: Fight for Your Marriage Every couple will mess up. Too often, however, they also choose to give up. Throughout scripture, God fights for His relationship with His people, remaining faithful in the face of unfaithfulness. He forgives again and again. No couple can avoid strife and arguments, but we can avoid giving the “devil a foothold” in our marriages by keeping short accounts and quickly restoring the relationship regardless of what happens.

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GOING FURTHER - Resources Recommended Books: (Available at the Home Point Center or church library checkout.)

• It Starts At Home (by Kurt Bruner and Steve Stroope) explains why marriage is a key path of our spiritual formation and provides practical advice for intentional couples.

• The Marriage Masterpiece (by Al Janssen) unveils the beauty of God’s design for every marriage.

• Building Your Mate’s Self-Esteem (by Dennis and Barbara Rainey) shows why one of the most vital ingredients in a marriage today is to build one another’s self-esteem.

• Love and Respect (by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs) discusses a powerful biblical model for each spouse understanding and meeting the other’s most deeply felt need.

• The Five Love Languages (by Gary Chapman) describes how to discover and serve your spouse’s unique love language.

• A Celebration of Sex (by Dr. Douglas Rosenau) is a guide to enjoying God’s gift of sexual intimacy.

GOING FURTHER Whitesburg Baptist Church Support Pastoral Counseling In an effort to come alongside our families, Whitesburg Baptist Church offers a wide range of ministries. If you need a pastor to speak into your life, email david.loyed@whitesburgbaptist.org. For a full list of resources available, please visit our website at WhitesburgBaptist.org/HomePoint.

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WhitesburgBaptist.org

WHITESBURG BAPTIST

OUTDOOR Friday, March 17 with Hank Parker

Wild Game Tasting • Vendors • Door Prizes Live Music by the Madison Mountaintop Band Doors open at 4:30 pm Whitesburg Baptist Church South Campus 7300 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, AL 35802 Tickets: Adults - $12 each or $15 day of event Children 10 and under - $6 each or $8 day of event

Tickets at WhitesburgBaptist.org February/March 2017 | Whitesburg

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Sundays:

Come worship with us on Sundays!

WhitesburgBaptist.org

Photo: Trisha Stacey and Jon Muccitelli leading worship in the 11:11 am Contemporary Sunday service.

WhitesburgBaptist.org

BAPTIST CHURCH

WHITESBURG

LIFE Groups 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 am Blended Traditional Service 9:30 am with Dr. Jimmy Jackson Contemporary Service 11:11 am with Rev. Steven Dunne Evening Service 6:15 pm

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6806 Whitesburg Drive Huntsville, AL 35802

Whitesburg Baptist Church

PAID

Huntsville, AL Permit 446

Non-Profit Organization US Postage