Biblical Husbanding, Jesus You See, Mens Retreat
Biblical Husbanding
This past May, Sandi and I celebrated our 40th anniversary. We commemorated this milestone by taking a wonderful trip to the Tetons in Wyoming. It has not been an easy journey, however it has been a good one. We gratefully raise our Ebenezer and acknowledge that the Lord has helped us. Without His assistance, we would not be where we are today.
Over the years I have sought to understand what it means to “love my wife as Christ loved the church” (Ephesians 5:25). I have searched the scriptures for additional biblical principles and sought to learn what it means to “live with my wife in an understanding way” (1 Peter 3:7). I am sharing the results of my study and 40 years of applying these tenets, in a series of podcasts I call “Biblical Husbanding.” They begin with number 218 and can be accessed here as well as on iTunes and Google play, by searching for Building Faith Families with Steve Demme.
Jesus You See
I am convinced that the key ingredients for me to maintain a healthy loving relationship with my wife, is to invest in a healthy loving relationship with Jesus. I believe that I need to be vitally connected to the living God in order for me to love Sandi as Jesus loved and loves me. The more I assimilate and comprehend God’s affection for me, the greater my capacity to extend this same affection to Sandi.
For over a year I have been experiencing the presence of God in a special way based on three principles found in Psalm 100.
1. Come into His presence with singing.
2. Enter His gates with thanksgiving
3. Bless His name. During this holy-day season, I have been focusing on singing Christmas Hymns when I come into His presence with singing, thanking God for sending His Son, as I enter His gates, and meditating on the character and person of Jesus, to help me bless His name. I have assembled 10 devotionals for your edification. Each one has a Christmas Hymn, reasons for thanksgiving based on the advent of Jesus, and scriptures illuminating a name of Jesus (Savior, Immanuel, Son of David, etc.) You may use these as a family devotional or for your own times of seeking Jesus. I call these studies Jesus You See. I hope you will be edified as you “taste and see” Jesus in a new way. You can download the devotionals here. Many of you know that God has blessed our family with a son who has Down Syndrome. Several years ago we were invited to attend a Joni and Friends Family Retreat. Over the years I have served at these retreats by working with dads who have a child affected by a disability. This coming January 24-26, 2020 many of the men from our summer camps will be gathering at Spruce Lake Retreat in Canadensis PA for our second Mens Weekend Retreat. If you know a dad who could use some encouragement, and would like to connect with other dads in a similar situation, click here to register. May God help us each to begin 2020 running “with endurance the race God has set before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2) Steve PS For those of you who live near Pennsylvania, Building Faith Families is sponsoring a one day event called “Midwinter Encouragement” focused on home educators. Click here for more information.Mens Retreat