Monday, January 30, 2012

The Foundation of a Christ-Centered Marriage

We just completed our first radio show!  Praise the Lord.

I was so nervous.

We had some crazy sound issues after we played the show back.  There was an annoying beeping while I spoke then the volume on my voice would go low.  Sorry about that.  We didn't know about it while taping and thankfully my Beloved was able to fix it for our next show.

Overall the message is clear so at your convenience, feel free to take a peek, or should I say, a listen to our new ministry!

May the words we have shared draw you and your man closer to Christ.



You can click the button below to hear our show.  Give it some time to download.


For those of you that are not audio learners and/or you prefer to read instead, I thought I would briefly share some of my notes about what we spoke on.

God has placed within me such a huge heart for discipleship, so much so, that when it comes to writing or speaking; the two areas He has called me to are the two areas that terrify me.  But it is with His prompting, leading and strength that I am able to overcome those fears, because I want all women to know our Savior more deeply and intimately.  And I want all married women  to have an absolutely beautiful and glorious marriage in Christ.  Those are the two topics that I am most passionate about that I will discuss here on The Alabaster Jar Out Loud.

Let’s get a few things straight before we get started:

I speak to Christian women, wives and mothers.  I am here to encourage you.  Inspire you.  Sometimes challenge you and at times I hope to equip you.

I am not here to speak to men.  The Bible is very clear that women are not to teach men and that is not up for debate on this show.  But because one of the topics we’ll be discussing is the topic of marriage, my Beloved and I thought it was best for him to be on this show as well, giving a man’s perspective in hopes that it will help you in your marriage.

Also ladies, I encourage you to bring your man into the room while this show is on so he can be encouraged, challenged and equipped by another man.  Not by me, but another man.

If you haven’t noticed yet, I am a very direct and straight to the point individual.  That’s just how God made man.  Trust me,  I have asked Him to change this quality for many years now but, it’s a no-go.

My beloved is also very direct and blunt as well.  I tell you these things because the way we communicate may surprise or shock some of you so I thought I would warn you in advance.  Some may be offended by how we speak with one another.

But please know this:

I have a very deep friendship with my man.

My husband safely trusts in me.

He knows that I have his back

He knows that I will give him honor and respect

He knows that I will not compete with him

And he knows that I will not tear him down

I may challenge him to do better or be better in many aspects of his life, but I won’t challenge his authority

Therefore, he is not threatened by how I speak to him in a direct manner.  Our brains and our personalities understand this type of language, however, that does not mean all husbands and wives communicate the way we do, so I caution you to not start speaking to your man the way I speak to mine.

We will get into communicating with your spouse in another show.

 Tonight's topic:

The Foundation of a Christ-Centered Marriage

We are going to dig deep today because the concept that we are presenting is not one that is discussed very much.  We are going to dig deep down to the root of our marriages.



  • Love and respect your spouse- But why?

  • Here is the answer to the 'why' question...Because the Word of God says so!!

The Bible is the authority in which Eric and I live by but not all couples agree on that authority.   Some may say they do but when the rubber meets the road their actions say otherwise.

What are some people’s authorities in their marriage?  What governs them?  What dictates their actions?



  • Fairness

  • Feeling good

  • Feeling heard

  • Being happy

  • Being respected

  • Feeling loved

  • Having comfort

  • Having security

  • Having the comfort for my family

  • Looking good

  • Your children’s education

When I get off track of what the Bible says, then I get into self-worship.

All of these things can become idols, and our biggest idol is ourselves.

My authority is not fairness, feeling good or being happy.  My authority is the Bible. ~Eric

Here are some principles to build a Christ-centered Foundation



  • Have a common authority/common ground with your spouse and build on it.

  • Strengthen your walk with the Lord.

  • Learn who the Lord is.

  • Pray to become the spouse that the Lord desires you to be.

  • Learn to become that spouse.  Put into action what you found in the scriptures as a God-fearing wife.

  • Emulate Jesus Christ in your marriage.

HERE IS THE CONCEPT THAT I WANT YOU TO GET THIS EVENING...

This is how the marriage is Christ-centered



  • The marriage is not about you but it is about Jesus Christ.

We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works. Ephesians 2:10

  • We are here on earth to bring Christ glory.

And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself."  John 12:32
Practical How-to’s for a Christ-Centered Marriage



  • Be in the Word of God on a daily basis

  • Pray for God to change you

  • Pray for His strength to lay aside your flesh

  • Go to church as a family

  • Be in prayer as a couple

  • Attend a Bible study if it is condusive to your season of life.  This will help you to learn more about Christ.

  • Be in fellowship with other strong women of God so you can glean from them, be encouraged by them, be strengthened and supported by them and challenged by them as well.




As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.  Proverbs 27:17

I am God’s daughter first before I am Eric’s wife.

Remember that these are just notes from the show.  If you have the time to listen in, I encourage you to do so.  Also, do me a favor and spread the word for this new ministry.  I believe there are many Christians marriages out there that are hurting and I think what my Beloved and I shared can certainly encourage them and strengthen them.

Live a poured out life for the Master,


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2 comments:

  1. Thank you Eric and Jolene for the wonderful radio show..I loved listening to you both..and yes ..there was some sound problems.. But I was able to follow through...

    I loved the practical tips..at the end.. Really, very useful for me!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I absolutely loved reading this post! Such great words, thank you so much for sharing!!!

    ReplyDelete

Your kind remarks bless me tremendously!

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