Relationships

God’s To-Do List for Marriage

Patricia Hartman
4 Aug 2014
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“I, Patricia, do take you, Patrick, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to live together in the Holy Estate of Matrimony; to love, honor, respect, trust, cherish, encourage, and support you according to God’s Holy ordinance …” At a monthly Living Waters Counseling how-to-do-life seminar, my good friend, Dr. Norman Wise, painted perhaps the best picture of what often derails marriages. He said that as singles, we feel unhappy. We meet the opposite sex, and they make us feel happy. So we marry. Then we become vampires, sucking the happiness out of our spouse. If your spouse is the same […]

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The History of Diamond Engagement Rings

John Fisher
3 Jul 2014
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Summer is the season for weddings, and today, having a diamond engagement or wedding ring is virtually a given. But, it wasn’t always that way. The custom and use of engagement rings dates back to the ancient Romans and Greeks. The rings were placed on the fourth finger as it was once believed that it contained a vein that led directly to the heart. First made of iron to withstand everyday manual and household labor, engagement rings eventually were made primarily of gold—even if only to be worn out on public occasions. It was during the Middle Ages that the […]

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The History of Diamond Engagement Rings

The Holy Estate of Matrimony

Patricia Hartman
2 Jul 2014
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The Holy Estate of Matrimony

Installment five in the marriage vows series. “I, Patricia, take you, Patrick, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony…” The word holy means divine, set apart, sacred. Estate is a state of being, and matrimony is, of course, marriage. Marriage was the first institution that God set apart for his good purposes. The other two were government and church, which powerfully indicates the importance he places on marriage. Where dreams come true However, our expectations of marriage may resemble a fantasyland. Supercharged young children surrounded us as we rode our Disney bus […]

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Vows: To Live Together Forever

The Good News
4 Jun 2014
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This is the fourth installment in a study on marriage vows.  “I, Patricia, take you, Patrick, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to live together…” No, this is not an article answering whether Christians should live together before marriage. As my friend Pastor Tommy Boland, says, “There are some things you need to pray about and seek God’s direction. But when the Bible is clear, what is there to pray about?” In the case of living together before marriage, God calls it fornication, and the Bible says, “No.” The questions we should be asking are: What does God expect of […]

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in marriage

Renew a Happy and Holy Marriage

The Good News
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Most of my days counseling are filled with praying for and providing resources to people in deep emotional and relational pain.  There is no lack of pain and struggle.  However, the application of Christian truths will renew a Christian marriage.   The concepts below are for spouses who are safe from violence in the home. In case of violence, we strongly recommend refuge elsewhere and professional help before returning to the home. Brothers and sisters in Christ First, the husband and wife have to recognize that their most eternal relationship is as brother and sister in Christ.  In the death […]

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Six Pillars of Parenting for Fathers

Dr. Tommy Boland
1 Jun 2014
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The first Father’s Day in the United States was observed on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington. The day was proposed by Mrs. John B. Dodd, who wanted to honor her father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran who raised six children alone after his wife died in childbirth. Clearly, Mrs. Dodd took seriously the Lord’s instruction, set forth in the fifth commandment, to honor your father.  I understand that not all of us have a father like William Smart, who seemed worthy of honor. But the commandment does not tell us to honor our father if he is honorable; […]

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pillars

Lawfully Wedded

Patricia Hartman
8 May 2014
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I, Patricia, take you, Patrick, to be my lawfully wedded husband… While Christian marriage is a spiritual event, to be legally married according to Florida state laws, you must follow Florida Statutes Chapter 741. Accordingly, you must apply for and get a license to marry at the courthouse, documenting your identity and paying a fee which will be discounted if you can prove you took a recognized 4-hour premarital course. Your marriage must be officiated by an authorized agent of the state like a pastor or notary public. After your wedding, your officiator and two witnesses must sign your license. […]

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Breaking Free From Unhealthy Relationships

Sasha Richardson
7 May 2014
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After attending church for about 13 years by her mid-twenties, Tewannah Aman, director of Broward Right To Life and the Guard Your Heart ministry, said she felt convicted about her relationship with a man at the time. She had asked in prayer, “Lord if it’s not your will that we’re together, I need you to show me. If you make it clear, I’ll leave.” A few days later, Aman’s pastor posed a series of questions: Does he really love Jesus? Does he read the Bible on his own and live it? Does he pray about his life? Does he care […]

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A Vision for Unity

Jeremy McKeen
6 May 2014
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Before Jesus went to the cross, he gave the world a vision for unity. He prayed, “That they may all be one.” Yet there seems to be a lot of confusion about what this vision for unity actually is and how it should be realized in the world. For example, people can be frustrated with all the doctrinal differences and denominations in Christianity and conclude that Christians are not following Jesus’ vision for unity. But does Jesus have in mind a one-world church with no more denominations? What is this unity? And how is it realized in the world? What […]

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Shrinking the Expectation Gap

Patricia Hartman
17 Mar 2014
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Lorraine gave up on her marriage. “I don’t love Rich anymore. In fact, I don’t know if I ever loved him. We live separate lives. I guess we just grew apart.” Lorraine’s statement is ironically accurate. She stopped demonstrating love (action) toward her husband. However, her true reason for quitting is that she is not feeling loved. When asked about the vows she took when she got married, Lorraine got a deer-in-the-headlights look that said, “Vows. . . what vows?” Traditional wedding vows Although Lorraine has convenient amnesia now, she repeated these traditional vows when she got married: I, Lorraine, […]

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