Category: Basic Training

I am white and I am privileged.  I also did not understand what that meant until recently. Over the weekend, I decided to change my plans for posts leading up to Father’s Day due to the killings of George Floyd, Brionna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and others. My desire to understand all of the reasons for the protests took on higher importance since peaceful gatherings in the town where I live, turned violent leading to broken storefront windows, looting, and vandalism. Like many white people, I did not think racism affected me because I am not a person of color. I also do not see my “whiteness” as my racial identity. Like many, I am sickened that a white police officer would allegedly murder a black man in what one person called a “modern-day lynching”.  It is heartwarming though to see people of all ages, races, genders, and religions rightfully protesting.

This two-part series about marriage began with a list of the lessons that I have learned in my 37 years of marriage which my wife, Cyndi, and I recently celebrated.  In the first post, I detailed three lessons that are more traditional or secular in nature. I conclude now with the remaining 3, which are more internal and biblical.   First, let me recap and categorize the lessons for you: External (Traditional) Companionship Offset Loneliness Provision (Security) and Support Sex for Intimacy and Procreation (and Avoiding Temptation) Internal (Biblical) Character Refinement and Holiness Self-sacrifice / Servant Leadership  Love and Respect  In my opinion, this second set contains the hardest lessons since they will reveal your inner weaknesses that need the most work… at least those did for me!  So let’s go over the second set. Character Refinement and Holiness Many men jokingly say that “they married up” to denote that they

In an earlier set of posts, I wrote about the biggest challenges men face. These included Managing Work-Life Balance, Reordering Our Priorities, Resisting Temptations, and Maintaining Sexual Purity. Someone recently suggested though that another of a man’s biggest challenges is marriage. Well, at the risk of sounding like a “humblebrag”, that was not me.  I’m blessed with a great marriage! So during this week in honor of my 37th wedding anniversary, I’m writing not of the challenges, but about the benefits of marriage, and to share some of my experiences from more than three decades of wedded bliss. In this post and the next, I will describe several of the lessons I’ve learned from my marriage such as:  Companionship Offsets Loneliness  Provision (Security) and Support  Sex for Intimacy and Procreation (to also avoid temptation) Self-sacrifice  Servant Leadership  Love and Respect  Character Refinement and Holiness  First, let’s start with some biblical