Since 1996, I have used Prepare/Enrich personal inventory tests in an attempt to help with premarital counseling. I gave up using them this last year. The reason: they do not seem to make a long-term difference.

If I look at the divorce rate from my pre-testing years, it is no better or worse. Although targeting certain areas where a relationship is weak sounds logical, I wonder if it actually saves either time or energy, especially since it takes a session to take the test.

It makes us feel like we are somehow “in control” and “systematic,” but if we are interested in outcomes, I am not convinced.

“My Communist Party addiction lasted only 16 months, but even then I needed God’s merciful intervention to leave that drug behind. Others, though, may be able to regain a grip on reality by popping their right-wing-media-only or left-wing-media-only bubbles. One way to do this is by deliberately developing a Twitter stream that includes both liberals and conservatives.” - Olasky

“Given the cultural challenges facing the church in our day – not only from the outside, but increasingly from within – it is appropriate that we remember some of the keynote truths at the heart of Schaeffer’s work.” - Ref21

“…vocation–the Latinate word for ‘calling’–involves God Himself working through and by means of human beings to bestow His blessings. Thus, He gives daily bread by means of farmers, millers, and bakers; He creates and cares for new human beings through the vocations… the purpose of every vocation is not self-fulfillment or performing great works for God, but loving and serving one’s neighbor.” - Veith

“In Genesis 37–50, there are seven scenes where Joseph weeps. As we read about Joseph’s emotions, they also stir our own….In the Bible, the use of seven is part of an author’s literary strategy. We can look more closely to see whether these seven scenes have an even more strategic design.” - TGC

“A group of about 125 snake-handling churches across America, including Hamblin’s, believe their practice is supported by the ‘signs’ described in Chapter 16 of the Gospel of Mark, which says, in part, that ‘They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.’” - CPost

We’re a week or so into February, so today’s article has a bit of romance for Valentine’s Day and much application (finding happiness in life) for the other days of the year. I came across this true account from Reader’s Digest:

My cell phone quit as I tried to let my wife know that I was caught in freeway gridlock and would be late for our anniversary dinner. I wrote a message on my laptop asking other motorists to call her, printed it on a portable inkjet and taped it to my rear windshield.

When I finally arrived home, my wife gave me the longest kiss ever. “I really think you love me,” she said. “At least 70 people called and told me so.”

“Why all this focus on elders and their character? Because in the church, God’s glory is displayed and God’s people are edified through qualified elders. For that to happen, godly character is essential. Pastors aren’t perfect men, but they should be holy men (James 3:2).” - 9 Marks

“Here are six telltale signs that you may be on the receiving end of emotional manipulation” - C.Leaders

“First, the healthcare system is overwhelmed. There is no capacity for heroics, extra measures or patience. It was, in the moment, remarkable that I was alive, let alone conscious. No doubt, there was no reason to believe that investing time, energy and resources in me was worth it.” - BPNews

“[T]oday a belief even in the possibility that there are things we can identify as good falls prey to cynicism. Culture reflects this. Across the dizzying variety of digital entertainment media, one constant holds: we live in the era of the ‘complex’ protagonist, characters whose stories lean toward a kind of benevolent moral ambiguity at best. At worst, they advance the notion that only evil is interesting, while the good is either dull and boring or, worse, a mask for imposing our will on others.” - Public Discourse

“MacArthur may be America’s anti-prosperity gospel preacher, but his life, and the life of his family members, appears to be quite prosperous—and he seemingly has his ministries to thank.”

Brian Houston: ““We are particularly grieved that, in many cases, inaccurate accounts in these stories have been reported as if they are true. Hillsong Church strongly refutes that our culture casually allows for such gross misuse of church funds.” - CPost

“Because both sides have noble intentions, the merits of the debate on minimum-wage laws and minimum-wage increases should be judged by Christians on empirical evidence that it will help, rather than harm, the poor.” - TGC

“ ‘You’re about to meet one of the greatest minds of the past half-century,’ says Jason Riley as he introduces his new documentary about economist Thomas Sowell. For once, a host’s description of his subject does not disappoint.” - Acton

“I’ve been asked this question more times and by more people than I can count over the past several weeks. …First of all, realize that the wisdom is true that one cannot reason someone out of something one was never reasoned into in the first place. …There is no easy step-by-step argument to pull someone out of a Facebook echo chamber. Even so, here are some suggestions.” - Russel Moore

“Archaeology reminds us of the ‘earthiness’ of the biblical accounts. As a field archaeologist at the site of Bethsaida, next to the Sea of Galilee, I oversaw the excavation area of the New Testament/Roman domestic quarter. Not only did we uncover some of the houses from that time, but we found lots of fishing gear, such as hooks and weights, inside the houses.” - TGC

“From one of our live events, Derek Thomas corrects this common misunderstanding about the radical corruption of man.” - Ligonier

“A task force studying the effectiveness of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission issued its report today (Feb. 1), acknowledging both support within the Southern Baptist Convention for the entity and that some see it as ‘a source of significant distraction from the Great Commission work of Southern Baptists.’” - BPNews

“One of the ugliest sights in the world is that of a child who rules over his parents. But ahead of even that is the sight of human beings who believe they have the right to rule over their God—who erupt in anger, who are insistent, who demand that God do things their way.” - Challies

A Review of 40 Questions about Biblical Theology* by Jason S. DeRouchie, Oren R. Martin, and Andrew David Naselli, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2020, 400 pages, paperback.

“I love this country, but I love it with eyes wide open. The aspirations of our founding have long been tempered by the brutal realities of our fallen nature. The same nation that stormed Normandy’s beaches to destroy a fascist empire simultaneously sustained a segregationist regime within its own borders. Our virtues do not negate our vices, and our vices do not negate our virtues. America isn’t 1619 or 1776. It’s 1619 and 1776.” - David French

“Amid debates on race within the Southern Baptist Convention, some black pastors wonder if it’s the right denomination for their churches” - WORLD

“The handover of the artifacts, which included manuscript fragments, funeral masks, parts of coffins, and the heads of statues, was preceded by extensive discussions with Egyptian officials that started in late 2017, MOTB Chairman of the Board Steve Green said in a statement last week.” - C.Post

The Christian is a joyful being! He’s one who has come to know God and hopes to know him more fully, indeed, to know him face to face in glory where there will be an eternal enjoyment of who He is and who we are in Him. In this world, this kind his joy is contagious.” - Ref21

“How can God be truly virtuous, truly good in a meaningful way, and foreordain the fall of humanity into sin and certain individuals to eternal torment in hell? It is impossible to reconcile Edwards’s account of God and virtue and ‘goodness’ with what he believed as a Calvinist about God’s sovereignty with regard to reprobation.” - Roger Olson

“The power of human greatness (and, by extension, reading about it) comes from the fruitfulness of the imago Dei, and Christian understandings of biography repeat the theme of the imago Dei shining forth the abundant goodness of its Maker.” - Davenant Institute

The Church in America has had some interesting ideas about what roles within the marriage ought to look like. Some good. Some bad. Some … are just weird. We looked at the wife’s responsibilities in the last article. Now, we turn to the husbands.

What the Apostle Paul actually says about this topic is not nearly as complicated as we’ve made it. Like so many things in the eternal struggle between Christianity, culture and tradition, Paul’s remarks here aren’t complicated at all – but they’ve become complicated by the baggage we each bring to the table.

“In troubled times, ‘looking out for Number One’ is absolutely the wrong thing to do. Just as a threefold cord is not easily broken, so we as believers benefit by facing the certain troubles as a unified body, looking out for and supporting one another. Troubled times are the worst times to be fragmented or to go it alone.” - Olinger

“A funeral sermon should not exceed 20 minutes and should highlight these three categories, preferably expounded from a text(s) of Scripture” - C.Leaders