Covenant Rings

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave  unto his wife:
and they shall be one flesh.” — Genesis 2:24

The Marriage and Family ministry team started with two couples (the Elbourns and the Seiberts) meeting monthly with the Pastor with the goal to help strengthen families with regular activities and events and to assist in developing healthy, growing marriage relationships centered on the Lord, as a foundation for building a family which honors God.

Our “Sweetheart Dinner” has become an annual event, where couples share memories and stories, a catered meal or potluck dinner, and some local entertainment on or around Valentine’s Day each year.

We also co-sponsor the annual Mid-Summerfest & Talent Fair at the end of June.

Watch the church bulletin and this website for notices about upcoming events.

Resources for Couples

Marriage and Relationships

Focus on the Family has a wonderful section on its website with online resources for every phase of a marriage relationship. Read more here. We encourage you to browse that site and explore the many resources and materials available there.

Book Reviews for Adults, by Joanie Elbourn. “Understanding the Man/Woman in Your Life” 

How many “Understanding the Man/Woman in Your Life” books have you read? How many times have you been perplexed by the reactions of a spouse or even just a friend of the opposite sex? To be sure, the Lord created male and female just as He wanted to, but it is often VERY obvious that we tend to think and process information very differently.

Last summer, I came across four small books that gave me much food for thought: “For Women Only,” “For Men Only,” “For Young Women Only,” and “For Parents Only.” Written in a simple, straightforward style, these books contain a wealth of information based on Biblical principles and personal interviews of over 1,000 men, women, children and teens from all walks of life.

For Women

Of the four books, my favorite (surprise!) was ” For Women Only.” I have certainly read many other books about how to understand the male mind, but as the author, Shaunti Feldhahn, says, ” I discovered that there were many things I thought I understood about men-but really didn’t. In several areas, my understanding was pure surface level. Once I got below the surface and into specifics, everything changed. I felt like a cartoon character who suddenly had a light bulb over my head.”

I felt the same way. I grew up with all brothers and was the sole caretaker of my Dad and mentally handicapped great uncle for five years. I really thought I had a good idea about how men thought, how they reacted. This book let me know that there is a lot more to it. This short read is filled with direct quotes from men, about men. Just look at the chapter headings!

Lightbulb on! Or, “How I Woke Up to What I Didn’t Know ABout Men!”

  • Your love is NOT Enough: Why Your Respect Means More to Him Than Even Your Affection
  • The Performance of a Lifetime: Why Your Mr. Smooth Looks so Impressive but Feels Like a Failure
  • The Loneliest Burden: How His Need to Provide Weighs Your Man Down, and Why He Likes it That Way
  • Sex changes Everything: Why Sex Unlocks a Man’s Emotions (Guess Who Holds the Key?)
  • Keeper of the Visual Rolodex: Why It’ so Natural for Him to Look and so Hard For Him to Forget What He Sees
  • Chocolate, Flowers, Bait Fishing: Why the Reluctant Clod You Know Really Does Want Romance
  • The Truth About the Way You Look: Why What’s on the Outside Matters to Him on the Inside
  • Words for Your Heart: What Your Man Most Wished You Knew About Him

It is real stuff, straight from the mouths of over 1,000 men, and it certainly rings true with me. While reading this book, I had many “AHA!” moments when things became so much clearer. Suddenly I could see more clearly why men often react the way they do, say what they do and often act in ways I do not expect. This book helped me so much that each of our daughters will soon have a copy in their hope chests!

For Men

Lest I seem biased, our son will have a copy of “For Men Only” in his dad-made chest. This book really said things to men that I wish I could have said. The author, Jeff Feldhahn (Shaunti’s husband), took how I felt about things and transposed it all into guy-speak. Finally, here is a way to show a man how we women think, what we mean, how we see things, in a way they can relate to.

Read these books!

Resources for Parents

Schooling and Home Schooling Resources

Focus on the Family provides extensive information and resources for parents on many issues that affect your children’s learning, and guidance on how to choose a home school curriculum and related issues. Find those resources here.

Book and Movie Reviews and News

Movie Reviews for Parents

To find reviews of other movies on these sites, follow these links:

  • Plugged In!
  • Christianity Today
  • MovieGuide (Movieguide is Dr. Ted Baehr’s ministry dedicated to redeeming the values of the mass media according to biblical principles, by influencing entertainment industry executives and helping families make wise media choices.)
  • Film Reviews for Parents Before you rent that video or cart your children off to the theater, read the reviews. Not every movie is what you would expect from the advertisements or promotional trailers.

Resources for Women and Wives

Read a daily meditation by the Proverbs 31 Ministry team. Many other devotional resources for women are also available at the Proverbs 31 ministry website.

Resources for Men and Husbands

Read daily meditations on a variety of subjects at Men of Integrity. Many different topics to choose from with Biblical advice and testimonies.