The Sweetest, the Dearest, and the Purest Life

Marriage was reformed during the protestant reformation.  Luther, demonstrated to a new generation what marriage for the glory of God could look like. He said,

Marriage is not a thing of nature but a gift of God, the sweetest, the dearest, and the purest life above all celibacy and singleness, when it turns out well, though the very devil if it does not. . . . If then these three remain—fidelity and faith, children and progeny, and the sacrament—it is to be considered to be wholly divine and blessed estate. . . . One should not regard any estate as better in the sight of God than the estate of marriage.^[1]

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[1] Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, American Edition [Works], ed. Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut T. Lehmann, 55 vols. (Philadelphia: Mulenberg, 1955), 45:47 

Teaching Daughters Theology

On Saturday, Jonathan Sides spoke on "Preparing your Two Year Old for Marriage" at the NCFIC Marriage retreat. He said that "the most important thing you can do to prepare your children for marriage is to teach them the gospel. This is the most important understanding in marriage."

Then he said, "Just because women do not have a teaching role in the church does not mean that daughters should not be taught theology. In a home, the daughters grow up to play the role of the church, as the bride being loved by her husband, so the daughters need to be fortified by the sound doctrine of the true gospel."

A Question for Husbands

During Dan Horn's message Friday night at the marriage retreat, he asked a very important question of husbands,

“When she married you, she gave you her life to spend. Are you spending your life wisely?"

Taylor Tsantles and Blair Brown - Betrothed to be Married

Last Friday, our daughter Blair was betrothed to Taylor Tsantles. The wedding has been scheduled for November 6, 2010. Many of you have met Taylor because he has traveled extensively with me over the past four years and was the best man in my son David's wedding. He and I have been very close partners in ministry ever since he arrived in Wake Forest. God has given us a very special unity of heart in matters of church and family life and he is always a joy to be around - he is a cheerful and gregarious young man. He was only thirteen years old when he came to Hope Baptist and from the moment he arrived he and I worked closely together. He is in the web and graphic design business, Steadfast Designs. He has been an intern at Hope Baptist Church and has always proven himself to be consistent with what Paul said young men should be, "in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you." Titus 2:6-8

This is a very special time of joy for the Brown and Tsantles families. Our church family is especially giddy as they have been watching these two seek to glorify the Lord in the days of their youth.