A Quick Note From Richard:
This is my first blog for XXXchurch.com and I am so excited to be leading this ministry with my wife, Brittni. Several years ago I was on staff at our church and I stumbled upon a magazine from XXXchurch and I knew God was telling me to give it to Brittni. This magazine was the very thing that reconnected my wife to XXXchurch. She met them when she was in the Adult Industry, they used to minister Jesus to her.
Who would have thought that almost 7 years after reconnecting with Craig, he would pass this ministry to the two of us? Certainly not us, but this is God’s plan. I am humbled and honored to be one of the new quarterbacks of this ministry, because if God could set my wife free then He can set so many others free as well. God has moved mightily over the past 20 years through Craig & Jeanette, but He is not done yet. There are more Brittni’s out there, there a more porn addicts out there and God is on a mission to set the captives free. We can’t wait to see what He will do over the next 20 years. Thank you for joining us on this journey. We are blessed to serve you.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog…
This month on XXXchurch.com we have been covering conflict within the marriage. Oftentimes what brings the conflict to marriage is lack of communication. When you don’t communicate effectively you open the door to assumptions. Assumptions will give the enemy a foothold in your marriage. He will sow seeds of discord which will produce disunity and will ultimately affect your relationship. In order to create peace, we have to learn how to communicate effectively.
James 1:19 NLT says, “ Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”
I love this passage because it reminds us to be quick to listen and slow to speak. In other words, when your partner is speaking don’t interrupt. I know this is easier said than done, but if you interrupt then how would you know what is going on in your spouse’s heart? In my marriage, I’ve learned that my wife doesn’t always want my advice. Sometimes she just wants me to listen to her. She can talk for a solid half-hour and I may get only a few words in, but so long as I listen to her it means everything to her! Why? Because time is valuable.
To get to her heart I have to be all ears. Remove the “h” and “t” in heart and it will spell ear. Your ear is where your heart is. Most of us don’t have a speaking problem we have a listening problem. Listening is half the battle. Friends if we want to diminish the conflict we must learn to listen more and speak less. Today, I encourage you to be quick to listen and slow to speak. As you do so the fire in the chaos will diminish, but the fire in your relationship will strengthen!