“And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:3

The promises above are incredible!

The promises above are out of this world!

The promises above can be yours if you want them!

Are you prospering in your marriage? Is your marriage growing? Is your marriage fulfilling?

I want to encourage you to open your Bible to Psalm 1 and read verses 1-3.

Go Ahead, Read Psalm 1:1-3 before you continue.

Everyone can grow in their marriage. Everyone can do better as a spouse. You know the answer to the common question, “Good.” That’s how many people answer: “How is your marriage?”

Rebecca and I have a great marriage! This is not without MUCH effort. This is not without struggle. The fact is, relationships are work. The amazing thing is that God promises that the person who is willing to meditate on His Word regularly and consistently will prosper in ‘whatever’ he/she does.

Want a stronger marriage? Meditate on God’s word regularly and consistently.

“How can you say that, Randy? How does that work?”

God’s Word teaches us to Forgive. God’s Word teaches us to Love. God’s Word teaches us to look out for others more than ourselves; this is called being Unselfish. God’s Word teaches us to Think Right.

Go ahead, claim the promises of God for your marriage!

Have a Great Week!

“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm…” Song of Solomon 8:6

This morning Rebecca and I woke up to this view. We are staying on the Oregon Coast while attending a marriage conference. In this blog, I am going to give you some of the teaching that we received last evening at our last teaching session led by long time pastors in our conference.

Regaining the Joy of the Dance by Tom and Roberta Hurt (Retired Pastors from OCEC)

“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm…” Song of Solomon 8:6

“Two are better than one…A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9, 12

The way you think about your spouse is the way you live towards your spouse. Make sure your thinking is right towards your spouse.

If you have betrayed your spouse or have been betrayed, please consider these steps. Having a strong marriage takes work but it is totally worth it.

Heavenly Father, please bring restoration to marriages in our churches. May our marriages become a blessing to You, Lord, and an example to the communities that we live in. Amen.  

“O my strength, I will sing praises to Thee; For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.” Psalm 59:17

This morning, on my prayer walk, I was asking God to continue to change me into the man that He wants me to be. I asked God to help me be a husband and a father that brings love, joy, and peace to my household. I said, “God, please help me bring a piece of Camelot to my home.” I borrowed this idea from a book I recently read by Stu Webber.

The home is supposed to be a place of safety.

The home is supposed to be a place of rest.

The home is supposed to be a place full of joy and peace.

The home is supposed to be our little piece of Camelot.

I love the verse above because it shows us where are True Home is…with God!

Husbands…Wives…Dads…Moms…you have the privilege of working towards having your own piece of Camelot at home.

How do we get there? How do we achieve this?

Having a piece of Camelot doesn’t take money…it doesn’t take perfection…it doesn’t take a round table…

Having a piece of Camelot takes intentional effort to be the people that God designed us to be in the first place!

Have a Great Week!

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.” Psalm 103:8

As I type this, I hear the low roar of our woodstove. There is something comforting to me about a contained roaring fire that brings heat to my home. As hot and strong as the fire is right now, it didn’t get there on its own. I got up out of my chair seven or eight times to interrupt my reading to tend to the fire. Add a piece of wood, rearrange the wood, add a piece of wood, open the door, add a piece of wood, close the door…responding to the fire in the right way this morning led it to burn hot.

As a parent and a spouse, the way I respond to my family can either weaken or strengthen my relationship with my family member. Just as my responses to the fire in the woodstove this morning led to a strong fire. My responses can lead to a stronger family. My responses are highly important to building a strong bond between us.

God is compassionate and gracious. God is slow to anger. God is full of lovingkindness. God expects me to live by His example. God gives us the example of how we should respond to our family.

Is there an area that you need to improve your responses to your family? I certainly need to continue to grow in this area.

One way to grow in this area is to spend extra time thinking on the parts of scripture that reveal the character of God. As we think about God’s word and His character while trying to practice it; God starts adding His character to our lives.

Want to start today? Try spending some time in Psalm 103:8-10.

Have a Great Week!

“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,” Psalm 37:7

My wife and I love to sit and watch the ocean! We love to watch the waves crash on the shore and the mist dissipate into the air! There is something soothing and restful about watching the ocean.

Waves by nature are not peaceful. Waves by nature are not restful. Waves are destructive. Waves are forceful. Waves are full of terror.

There is One is who stronger than any wave…there is One who can provide safety when the waves are crashing…there is One who says, “do not fret…rest in Me…wait for Me”

One of the best things you can do for your family is to practice resting in the Lord. Have times of resting in the Lord individually. Have times of resting in the Lord as a family.

At the beginning of each year, my family takes a retreat. At this retreat, we practice resting in the Lord. I don’t have room in this blog to share the details. But, it starts with a choice. We choose to take a retreat centered on God and spending time with Him.

Do you have a time that you and your family rest in the Lord?

Choose today to plan a time for your family to rest in the Lord.

Have a Great Week!