The greatest source of security our children have in this world is a God-honoring, Christ-centered marriage between their parents.

Who a man is as a husband and father to a large degree shapes who he is as a minister of the gospel. In fact, his calling is evaluated at least in part by how well he performs his duties in the home. I do not believe it is necessary to rank marriage and ministry any more than I would rank eating and drinking. Both are essential. My point is simply this: it is wrong to argue that marriage is somehow less important than ministry. Marriage is ministry.

God gave marriage as a living illustration of the relationship between Christ and his church (Ephesians 5:32). If you want to teach the world the love of God, become husband who loves his wife as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25). If you want to teach the world how the church submits to the Lord, become a wife who submits to her husband (Ephesians 5:22-24).

We are seeing a complete cultural shift in our perception of marriage as the preferred state. In fact, I believe this trend is foreshadowing something far more serious—a wholesale rejection of marriage as an institution.

...he thought we had what southerners call a shotgun wedding. That's when the father holds a shotgun on his new son-in-law to make sure he marries the man's pregnant daughter.