God's Successful Marriage

  “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” — Psalm 138:8 There is something in most of us that wants to fix whatever is broken. When something in the house stops working, we look for the right tool. When a plan falls apart, we begin making another one. When someone we love is hurting, we search for the right words, the right answer, or the right action that will make everything better. That instinct is not always wrong. Marriage requires effort. Difficult conversations should not be avoided. Apologies should not be postponed. Wounds should not be ignored, and unhealthy patterns should not be allowed to continue simply because addressing them is uncomfortable. But there are moments in marriage when effort does not seem to be enough. You have prayed, but the situation has not changed. You have talked, but the conversation keeps returning to the same place. You have apologized, forgiven, served, w...

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16 There is an atmosphere in every home. Sometimes we notice it the moment we walk through the door. We can tell when a home feels peaceful. We can tell when it feels tense. We can tell when laughter has been normal there, and we can usually tell when everyone has been walking on eggshells. There is something about the tone of a home that speaks before anyone says a word. That is true naturally, but it is also true spiritually. Every marriage creates an atmosphere. Every husband and wife, over time, help shape what the home feels like. Not just by what is hanging on the walls, not just by what music is playing in the background, and not just by whether a Bible is sitting on the coffee table, but by how Christ is welcomed into the ordinary places of life. A home can have Christian decorations...

  America at 250: Young, Imperfect, and Still Blessed God’s Successful Marriage — A Common Man Independence Day Reflection “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” — Psalm 33:12 There is something different about this Independence Day. Every year, the Fourth of July gives us the familiar things. Flags in front yards. Families gathered around food. Children waiting for fireworks. Veterans standing a little straighter when the anthem plays. People wearing red, white, and blue who may not have thought much about history all year, but still know this day means something. But this year carries a little more weight. America is turning 250. That sounds old when we say it. Two hundred and fifty years is a long time for families, towns, churches, farms, cemeteries, battlefields, and memories. It is long enough for generations to be born, raised, married, buried, and remembered. It is long enough for a nation to have songs, sc...

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” —Psalm 34:18 There are phrases that become so commonly used that they can begin to lose their meaning. “Church hurt” may be one of them. Someone unknowingly sits in another person’s usual seat and is rudely told to move. Someone is criticized for the way they dressed. Someone is made to feel less spiritual because they listen to modern Christian music. Someone is ignored, excluded, spoken about, or treated unkindly by people who should have demonstrated the love of Christ. Those encounters can be painful. They can be embarrassing. They can make a person feel unwelcome in a place where they hoped to find grace. They should not be dismissed. Christians are commanded to be kind, tenderhearted, patient, and gracious toward one another. When church members behave arrogantly, carelessly, or thoughtlessly, they misrepresent the Savior whose name they carry. A person’s feelings should not be mocked ...