I can honestly tell you that my husband is also my favorite pastor, worship leader, Bible teacher, and counselor.  While it is true that God has gifted this man with a great passion for the Word and (in my bias opinion) remarkable talent and wisdom, I know that my favor towards his leadership in these areas flows from my trust in his leadership in our marriage.  He is the only man in the world I am privileged to know so deeply that I can guarantee him to be everything he portrays himself to be in the public eye.  Other men may deliver flawless, Christ-exalting sermons or lead moving worship services, but I clearly can not vouch for their integrity in the same way.

Ephesians 5:25-26 says ^“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word…” I attended a wedding once that included this and subsequent verses in the message and the vows.  I was not yet a Christian at the time and in the company of other non-Christians, who left the wedding discussing the insulting use of the Bible to degrade the wife to something unworthy, needing sanctification through her husband.  I was probably 13 at the time and simply happy to be a part of an adult conversation, but I can remember wondering why someone would willingly plan a wedding with such an outdated message.  Clearly, none of us had any understanding of biblical marriage.

If I could return to that conversation today, I would quickly share with the group that I am being sanctified daily through the washing of water with the word as my husband seeks to love me as Christ loves the church.  I would also tell them that if they are doing it any other way, they are missing out on great joy in their marriages.  My husband cares about my growth and spiritual development, and I learn more from him than any other teacher.  Because this is true, I want to include a brief weekly post entitled “I learned it from my husband.”  In these posts I will simply share with you the fruits of recent conversations, what God is teaching me through him, and what I’m doing with it.  I am very blessed to be married to this man, and I hope to share more of my love and appreciation for him through these posts.