Ask people what concerns them most on day-to-day; it’s not global terrorism, the economy or the price of gasoline. It’s their marriage and family. In our bones we feel that home should be a sanctuary, a place of peace. At the same time, I imagine most readers of this column could count on two hands the number of people they know where marriage eating them alive and home is chaos. And maybe YOU’RE on that list.
So what’s to be done? Are there “winning strategies” that can be applied to secure the home front? Over the last several months, I’ve been working with two men I greatly admire on something we call HOMELAND SECURITY. (I seem to recall that there’s a government agency with the same name!) We’re putting on a three-night seminar deigned to enable YOU to secure your own personal homeland with timeless and timely strategies that WORK.
Did you know that the average American marriage starting out today has about 41-43% chance of ending in divorce? But research reveals that committed Christian couples—those who regularly attend church and apply themselves to their faith—divorce at a rate 35% lower than “secular” couples (that is, they profess no adherence to any faith)! Clearly, there’s something different. There are life principles that change outcomes! Now here’s a stunning statistic: nominal Christians, who seldom or never attend church but who profess faith, actually have slightly higher divorce rates than “secular” couples!
The seminar is from June 10-12. June 10 from 6-8 PM, I will lead session one. I’ll start with “Biblical Foundations of Marriage.” This is a study into the God-designed origins of marriage that will fascinate and surprise you, and give you a whole new view of marriage. In the second hour, we’ll build on that in “Don’t Survive, Thrive! Making Marriage Work.” I guarantee that you’ll hear some of the most practical things you’ve ever heard on marriage. We’ll spend of lot of time on the God-designed differences in men and women, how husband and wife are designed to complete the inner needs of the other and other great keys like The Tingle Principle.
On Monday and Tuesday nights, June 11 and 12, we welcome two great expert guests. Since those are work nights, the schedule shifts to 7 to 9 PM. On Monday we have Steve Robbins of RobbinsNest Ministries. How do children develop a heart that loves God? Steve will lead us in “The Spiritual Formation of Children.” Last year Steve has published his first book, Transforming Beliefs and is working on a new book about the Sermon on the Mount. He will share his insights as a dad and as a director of a ministry that specializes in deepening people’s experience of God. I’ve been fascinated to hear how Steve and his wife Ruth Ann have worked to form a heart for God in the lives of their children. If you’re a parent or a grandparent or if you work with children, you won’t want to miss this.
On Tuesday night, we welcome Richard Rupp. Rick is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a frequent speaker at men's conferences and retreats. He has also taught on Men's Issues as an adjunct professor at Fuller Graduate School of Psychology. He is co-author of a new book, What Wives Wish their Husbands Knew about Sex: A Guide for Christian Men. Rick’s specialty is gender identity. In a world in which gender identity is confusing and chaotic, Rick brings sanity back into focus. He’ll be speaking on “Raising Your Sons to be Men and Your Daughters to be Women.” Remember that on Monday and Tuesday nights, we’ll go from 7 to 9 PM.
This all takes place on the campus of First Baptist Church in Temple City, June 10-12. You can register by calling (626) 286-3125 or by email at glenn@templecitybaptist.org. All you have to do is register. This is so important that we’re not charging for this seminar. We want as many people as possible to come and benefit from this. I’ll see you there!
No comments:
Post a Comment