Marriage and How to Have a Godly Home

In writing this book about marriage, I feel that the Lord has been preparing me to do this work for many years and in many ways. First, I have been blessed to have been married for forty-eight years. So the Lord has given me the chance to learn a little something about relationships. Second, I have been blessed along with my wife, Linda, by the challenges of having raised five children and having seen seventeen grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren born into this world. That means that the Lord has let me learn a little bit about family. Third, I have been saved for almost fifty-two years. So the Lord has let me experience a little bit of this Christian life. Fourth, I have been able to study Bible and Pastoral Counseling as a seminary student at Liberty University. That was a very great personal blessing and rewarding experience for me. I loved attending that school and being a part of that program. Fifth, I have been blessed by having been able to write a number of books for the Lord. So the path in which I have been led up to this point in my life has been very blessed.In the pages that follow, there are nineteen chapters that have been divided into five parts. The first part discusses why a godly marriage and a godly home are so important. The second part identifies some relationship concerns that two people should consider before getting married. The third part lists things that the couple should try to get correct as they prepare to start their life together. The fourth part shares seven reasons that many marriages fail. The fifth part identifies some biblical solutions for saving one's marriage. It is believed that any person considering marriage will benefit from reading this book. It is also believed that anyone already married will benefit from it, too. There are thirty-five case studies scattered throughout the text about different marriage situations that can and do occur. They have been included with this book for individual consideration and for group discussion.Finally, there are three appendices to this text. Appendix A contains a paper that I wrote in 2001 while at Liberty University about how to do family and marital counseling. At the time, it was intended to be a living document that I could modify over time as I acquired more knowledge and experience. In looking at that paper, the reader will probably notice only one small section that I would have changed since 2001. Next, Appendix B contains my suggested responses to the thirty-five case studies that have been given in this text. Since those responses are just this author's opinions, the reader may have different opinions. But that is all right because different individuals will invariably see things differently than I. Finally, Appendix C explains how a person can be saved. Anyone who has seen some of my earlier works will note that that appendix has been included in almost all of them. The reason is because nothing in this existence is more important than personally knowing the Lord as one's personal savior. So with these few remarks, this book can now begin in earnest. My sincerest hope is that the Lord will be glorified throughout and that anyone who reads this book will benefit in their own life.