Status Updates From Together for Good: A Couple...

"Only by looking together to Christ can we understand our priorities, calling and expectations rightly. When we do this, we stop acting as adversaries and instead function like the teammates we are intended to be."

"No matter what ministry you are in, admit that you cannot do it all. Don't be too proud to accept the sacrifices other want to make for you, whether that be with their time, finances, or emotional energy." 

"Faithful stability is rooted in the belief that, because God has joined them together, neither spouse has the right to simply walk away from their marriage when circumstances are difficult."

"Marriage vows are made not only to the radiant bride or handsome groom in front of you but also to the middle-aged and elderly person they will become."

"Incarnational care means you are for each other. You have become one, so each of you fundamentally wants to see the other thrive."

"Your job is to love your spouse well, by God's grace, and one sign of this love is to invite the intimacy that comes from sharing oneself and being heard with sympathy."

"Supportive partnership begins with accepting God's sovereignty in pairing you and your spouse-weakness and all."

"Empathy doesn't blame the other for their weakness; instead, it takes on the other's suffering as its own."

"Without ongoing access to water, a tree cannot continue to bear fruit. Perhaps it will produce for a season, but sooner or later it will die without water to sustain it. Likewise, in ministry, we need to draw refreshment from the sustaining gifts that God offers us." 

"When we acknowledge our God-given limitations, we are unburdened of the pressure to do it all. Rather than being frustrated by our finitude, let it drive us to our knees to ask God ti do what only he can-and let us rejoice when he answers those prayers." 

"Those of us in ministry must allow for seasons of busyness, yet we must also keep a finger on the pulse of our home and ensure that we are faithfully ministering in the parsonage as well as in the sanctuary."

"Harboring secret sin will inevitably strain one's marriage. One must deceive to hide sin. As hard as the betrayal of an affair or an addiction to pornography is, it is compounded by the deception involved in maintaining the facade. If couples are to have God-honoring ministries and marriages, integrity is nonnegotiable." 

"Ministry is a calling, not merely a career. fear the day when you view ministry as just a job!" 

"The wise Christian learns to view sleep not as a waste of time but as an investment that pays dividends both to one's family and to one's ministry." 

"Servant-leadership in the home is essential not only for your wife and children but also for you yourself. Learning to serve in tedious, thankless ways emulates Christ."