Greetings

Tonya and I have several friends that blog. I have often thought of blogging myself, but never really knew what to try and convey. I love politics, football and humor, but I do not have a lot of friends who share my interests, so I went back to deliberating. I finally realized that I was searching in the wrong place. So I started praying. God put something on my heart very heavily. Tonya and I recently were asked to teach a young married couples Sunday school class. After praying and talking about it, we decided to do it, and we have met some wonderful young couples with their whole lives ahead of them. Tonya mentioned that she still thought of us as a young married couple until our first Sunday. We have been married 2 years for every week that some of them have been married.

Anyway, back to God moving in my life. For the past three weeks, I have been attending a men's group on Thursday nights. It starts at 9 pm, but I haven't gotten home before 2:30 in the morning yet.

This group of men has been used by God to do a mighty work in my life. (KL, BL and JM...you guys are rocks.) God was laying on my heart to talk about the things that are going on in my life as a Christian man and husband. One of the things that we have been discussing in our group is being a man completely broken before God. This is not something that comes easy for me, but I completely opened up before my Lord, and He revealed some things in my life that I was not happy to see exposed. And one of those things was that I needed to be broken before my wife as well. He told me to address issues in my own marriage before I started trying to encourage and mentor others in theirs.


I actually sat down to do this last Friday...but something was holding me back. I was not being sensitive to the Spirit leading or to my wife's feelings. Monday proved to be a very difficult day for Tonya and I. But we reached a point where we were broken before God and each other. I cannot explain the almost instantaneous moving of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I made a commitment to love my wife with all three loves, phileo, eros and agape (friendship, romantic and unconditional). I also committed to praying not only with her, but over her (I just prayed out loud over her as she was sleeping). I put her back in her rightful place on my list of priorities...#2.

Just a little bit ago, God started speaking to me. He said "now that I have you where you need to be...I can use you." And I sat down at the computer and started constructing this blog.

It is my intent to use this as a place where Christian men, married and single, can come together to encourage one another, grow in brotherly love and hopefully leave challenged by the words they read here, not only my words, but also the words of all who pass through.

As for the title; Nineteen-Six...feel free to read Matthew 19:6. Satan has tried to put things in our way and destroy our marriage. We have been able to clear all these obstacles through the power, love, grace and mercy of a mighty God. And as the verse states: "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

Ton...I know you know...but I need to say it again and again. I love you...as Christ loves the church and I am willing to give myself up for you.

I look forward to sharing with you all as the days go by.

God bless!