"The love we have in our youth is superficial compared to the love that an old man has for his old wife." (Will Durant)
This quotation caught our attention, perhaps because we are both having one of those milestone birthdays this year that make us think about getting/being old. We look out at the fresh, young faces in our Preparing for Marriage class and try to convey to them that, if they stick with it, marriage can be a place for a deep love beyond anything they have yet experienced. Valentine’s Day approaches - a great time to express your appreciation for the love that endures in your marriage.
Last November, a group of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars released the Manhattan Declaration, (www.manhattandeclaration.org) which addresses the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty. The 4,700-word declaration issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere to their convictions and informs civil authorities that the signers will not—under any circumstance—abandon their Christian consciences. An excerpt “We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right—and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation—to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence.”
Why is a declaration, such as this one, important or even necessary? Speaking only to the issue of marriage, we are moving into a new phase of assault by the culture on our values. Proposition 8 in California, which affirmed marriage between one man and one woman, is under attack. We have no doubt that it will be challenged in court and appealed, regardless of which way the decision goes. Most signs point to the issue going to the Supreme Court level. We believe that the Supreme Court will follow the same course that it took in the sanctity of life case. Human life was devalued at that time.
We believe marriage will be further devalued. When/If that ruling occurs, The Church will have to make a clear stand and decision on how it will handle this re-definition of the basic family structure. The Church must aggressively strengthen marriage against the assault and also bringing honor to marriage between one woman and one man for life. A ministry focused on biblical marriage is more important than ever - one of the reasons we are in the battle. We will share more on this topic next month.
Many thanks to all who prayed for us in January, a busy month for us this year. Donna is still working on her stamina after recovering from her surgery, but she is able to work a full week now, even with extra teaching. We have a good group in our Preparing for Marriage class, very diverse make-up. Our marriage retreat in Chickasha went well. We were very impressed with the diligence of the Caddo Baptist Assoc, to consistently provide a marriage enrichment retreat to the people in their churches.
Next month contains even more speaking and teaching events. Ed is speaking to a men’s group at Emmaus Baptist Church, Saturday, February 13. We are starting a marriage enrichment class, Sunday evenings, 6-7:30, beginning February 14, at Putnam City Baptist Church. This class last eight weeks and is open to the public, not just church members. We are teaching another weekend marriage conference in Ponca City, February 20-21 (this conference was re-scheduled from November).
With the Marriage Network Oklahoma team, we are actively sponsoring and promoting Marriage Week, February 7-14; the theme is Together Forever. Churches and organizations have an opportunity to be a Marriage Forever church (no cost) and be a part of this great movement to honor and celebrate marriages. More details are available on the website, www.marriagenetworkok.net.
We ask you to join us in a concerted, sincere prayer to our Father to provide for our budget, so that we may meet all of our financial obligations. Donna’s expenses for surgery have started rolling in and the amounts are daunting, even with insurance. We ask you to pray that our donations will be sufficient to pay our salary amounts, so that we can meet our medical bill obligations.
Thank you for your love, support, and prayers. Our love in Christ,
Ed and Donna Edwards
