Jonathan and Sarah Edwards: An uncommon union

Last Wednesday I attended our local Minister's Fraternal which meets at the Old Baptist Chapel, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the death of Jonathan Edwards, the great North American theologian of revival. As this was the occasion when wives were invited to join us at the fraternal, it was appropriate that we gave attention to the marriage of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards. Paul Oliver gave an excellent paper on the subject. He began by setting out the backdrop to the Edwards' lives. Jonathan was born in 1703, eighty years after the Pilgrim Fathers landed in America. The English speaking population were subject to attack from native Americans. The great European powers England and France fought for control of the New World. Jonathan Edwards was the son of a Congregationalist minister. He was converted in 1721, being given a sense of new things on reading 1 Timothy 1:17, "From about that that time, I began to have new apprehensions and ideas of Christ, and the work of redemption, and the glorious way of salvation by him. An inward, sweet sense of these things, at times, came into my heart; and my soul was led away in pleasant views and contemplations of them. And my mind was greatly engaged to spend my time meditation on Christ, on the beauty and excellency of his Pearson, and the lovely way of salvation by free grace in him." He met his wife to be, Sarah Pierrpont when studying at Yale College. She was only thirteen at the time, but the twenty year old Edwards was deeply impressed,

"They say there is a young lady in New Haven who is beloved of that Great Being who made and rules the world, and that there are certain seasons in which this Great Being, some way or other invisible, comes to her and fills her mind with exceeding sweet delight, and that she hardly cares for any thing, except to mediate upon him - that she expects after a while to be received up where he is, to be raised up out of the world and caught up to heaven; being assured the he loves her too well to let her remain at a distance from him always. There she is to dwell with him, and to be ravished with his love and delight for ever."

They married in 1727 and soon Edwards was settled at the assistant pastor to his grandfather Solomon Stoddard in Northampton. Stoddard had served the congregation for 60 eventful years. Edwards was to become sole pastor on Stoddard's death. Northampton was to be the scene of the some of the greatest triumphs and tragedies in the lives of Jonathan and Sarah. Together they had ten children. It is well known that Edwards would spend thirteen hours a day in his study. But this does not mean that he neglected his wife and family. He and Sarah would go horse riding together for an hour each afternoon. Edwards was careful to spend a hour every evening with his children, taking an interest in their lives and engaging them in playful conversation. Edwards could entrust the running of his household affairs to his resourceful wife. She guided their home firmly, yet with a cheerful and winsome spirit. George Whitefield stayed at the Edwards' home during the Great Awakening. The domestic bliss he witnessed at the manse made him renew his prayers for a godly wife. Other visitors were impressed by the happy piety of the Edwards household. But Sarah sometimes suffered periods of melancholy, largely brought on by the stinging criticism of Jonathan and herself by some members of the church.

The church, however experienced two seasons of revival blessing during Edwards' pastorate. There was a localised, but powerful awakening in 1735. This was the basis of the preacher's early work on revival, A Faithful Narrative of a Surprising Work of God. In late 1741/early 1741, Edwards was away from home on a preaching tour, leaving Samuel Buell to occupy his pulpit. In his absence, Northampton felt the impact of the Great Awakening. In January 1742, Sarah was given an extraordinary experience of God. After this she no longer cared about the opinions of men. She was also given to rejoice that the Lord has chosen to use another than her beloved husband as an instrument in the revival. She testified,

"I felt more perfectly subdued and weaned from the world and more fully resigned to God that I had ever been conscious of before. I felt entire indifference to the opinions, and representations, and conduct of mankind concerning me; and a perfect willingness that God should employ some other instrument than Mr Edwards in advancing the work of grace in Northampton. I was entirely swallowed up in God, as my only portion, and his honour and glory was the object of my supreme desire and delight. At the same time, I felt a far greater love to the children of God then ever before."

Jonathan Edwards was overjoyed to return home to find his church in the grip of a powerful awakening. He carefully analysed his wife's experiences and concluded that her raptures were of God. However, tensions arose between Edwards and the Northampton Church. Tensions that led to his dismissal in 1756. The pastor asked for a rise in his stipend due to rising prices, but the church would only consent after investigating the Edwards' material affairs. Some were outraged that their extravagant minister had two wigs and two teapots! In addition, Edwards argued that only those with a credible profession of faith should take the Lord's Supper. This brought into question the "Halfway Covenant" policy of Solomon Stoddard which allowed the unbelieving children of church members take the Lord's Supper. This whole area was complicated by the fact that members of the town council had to be communicants of the Congregational Church. Vested interests mobilised against Edwards. He also handled a matter of church discipline in a rather unwise and high handed way. In the end it all got too much and Edwards was voted out.

The family removed to the frontier town of Stockbridge, where Jonathan served as a missionary to the Native Americans. He wrote some of his most important theological works in the wilderness of Stockbridge, including The Freedom of the Will and Original Sin. Sarah was kept busy in the home and was active in the community. The town was affected by the Indian wars. Sarah put in a claim for providing 800 meals for needy refugees. Jonathan Edwards was later called to become Principal of the newly formed Princeton College. But died of a smallpox jab shortly after after taking office. The dying Edwards sent a message to his wife via Lucy, his youngest daughter,

"Dear Lucy, it seems to me to be the will of God, that I must shortly leave you; therefore give my kindest regards to my dear wife, and tell her, that the uncommon union, which has so long subsisted between us, has been of such a nature, as trust is spiritual, and therefore will continue for ever. And I hope she will be supported under so great a trial and submit cheerfully to the will of God. And as to my children, you are now like to be fatherless, which I hope will be an inducement to you all, to seek a Father who will never fail you."

Shortly after this Edwards looked about and said, "Now where is Jesus of Nazareth, my true and never-failing Friend?" Then, on March 22 1758, he went to be with the God of his salvation. Sarah responded to this heavy and unexpected blow with great grace,

"What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands upon our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be."

Another week in my life: Day 4

We have our Prayer Meeting/Bible Study on a Wednesday evening. Tonight we'll be looking at 3 John, which completes a trilogy of studies on John's three letters. The format is discussional, but I still do some prep, studying the letter with the aid of commentaries by John Stott (Tyndale IVP) and David Jackman (Bible Speaks Today IVP). Stott is really outstanding, giving concise and accurate and thought-provoking comment. But before I get down to business, my wife and I have to give Rebecca's hamster, Oliver its daily dose of antibiotics. The poor thing seemed like it was at death's door last Wednesday so we took it to the vet. He has a "wet tail" infection that is potentially fatal. But he has been responding well to treatment. Trying to get him to take his medicine is a bit tricky. We have to feed it to him through a plastic syringe and he wriggles and squirms like crazy while we are trying to dose him up. Ah well, "a righteous man careth for his beast."

That done I work on an outline for the Bible Study, structured around the three people John mentions in his letter, Gaius, Diotrephes and Demetrius. Jot down a series of questions that will hopefully help us engage with the text and its message for us. This takes me more or less until 12.30. This morning an Ebenezer deacon has been doing door-to-door work with evangelist Tim Serjeant. I phoned to see how they got on and was encouraged that they had some promising conversations with people in the West Lavington area. Door-to-door evangelism is a long-term venture and we've been at it for over a year now. One or two people we've contacted have just started to attended services. After phone call, I do some paperwork before lunch.

It's my daughter's school sport's day today so I head off to watch her compete in various events. Running, skipping, discus, javelin, ball dribbling, long jump etc. She did pretty well, coming first or second several times. She may well have won in her group. Get home at 3.30pm. More paper work and some preparation for this evening. Pick up my son from an after-school cricket match. Rush evening meal - fish and chips, and then attend a briefing at Beccy's school regarding a residential school trip in July. Get back and do a bit more prep for Bible study and then head off at just gone 7pm.

Some helpful discussion in the Bible study with an emphasis on supporting mission and avoiding "Diotrephes syndrome" by cultivating the mind of Christ (Philippians 2). Good time of prayer. Home at 9.45pm. July's Evangelical Times has arrived including my article on The Spirit and the Word in preaching. If you don't get ET and would like to see it (as a Word doc.), drop me an e-mail.

Another week in my life: Day 3

We have two children, Jonathan & Rebecca. Jonathan is coming toward the end of his second year of Secondary School. Rebecca is in her last year of Primary School. Today she went to Secondary School for an "Induction Day" where she met her form tutor and attended some lessons. Before the kids set off at 8.00am, we had a time of family worship. I read Psalms 132 & 133 and prayed.

I start my working day with a time of prayer. The longer I go on in ministry the more I realise how entirely dependent we are upon the Lord. "Facing a task unfinished that drives us to our knees." Read another chapter of John Frame's The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God. He adopts a perspectival approach to theology, looking at things from a normative, situational and existential perspective. The norm for theology is Scripture. We do theology in a given situation, using the tools of language and logic. Today's chapter was on The Existential Perspective - The Qualifications of the Theologian. Very thought provoking. Theologians must be personally engaged in their work. Detachment is both impossible and undesirable because all we know we know as individual persons. Theology is personal because it is an attempt to apply the truth of God's self-revelation to people. The knowledge of God is not merely cerebral, it is heart-knowledge. Frame makes the important point that the theologian's character will have an impact on his work. Love, honesty and humility will ensure that the theologian will deal fairly with those with whom he disagrees. Then comes an extended discussion of the place of reason, experience, emotion, the will, skills and intuition in the work of the theologian. Good stuff.

Then I wrote up a report of the London Theological Seminary End of Year Service. I've already done a couple of blog posts on this here and here. But I was asked to produce a 400 word account for the Protestant Truth Magazine. I work part-time for the Protestant Truth Society, which mostly involves taking meetings, preaching and writing.

After lunch visit a church member who has been unwell. She is suffering from bad arthritis and is getting over a bout of bronchitis. She is in a lot of pain. But I find her refusing to complain and rejoicing in God's goodness to her. I has the privilege of baptising this lady a few years ago. This afternoon she spoke of how the Lord have her remarkable freedom from pain on the day of her baptism. I read Psalm 90 and prayed before leaving. I felt humbled and challenged by the grace of God at work in the life of this elderly sister in Christ.

Back home in time for the children to get home from school. Beccy enjoyed her day at "Big School". Read another chapter of Frame. He applies his three perspectives to Method in Apologetics. Phone rings. A consignment of chairs is about to be delivered to the chapel. Can I be there by 4pm? I grab a book and go. As I leave my son asks why do I have a book in my hand. I explain that with a book waiting time is not wasted time. The lorry arrives at 4.30! But in that half hour I was able to get through some of The Goldilocks Enigma by Paul Davies (Penguin, 2007). It's a fascinating book which asks, "Why is the universe just right for life?" The section I read while waiting for the lorry suggested that the chances of the universe being right for life is the statistical equivalent of tossing a coin and getting heads 400 times in a row. Does Davies therefore postulate the existence of a Creator God? I'll have to wait for the chapter on "Intelligent and not so Intelligent Design". Judging from his earlier work, God and the New Physics, Davies does believe in some kind of deity, but his god is not the Lord God of the Bible.

Visit to the Big Pit

On Friday we met up with my sister and her family and went to the Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenavon. It must have been more than 20 years ago since my last visit. I had wanted to take the kids to the Big Pit for ages. Their great grandparents were both coal miners, so mining is part of our family history.

When the Blaenavon mine stopped working in the early 80's, it became Wales' National Coal Museum, with old miners acting as tour guides. All the guides and workers at the pit are still ex-miners, although only two used to work at the Big Pit. One of them is John, our guide for what was meant to be a 50 minute tour of the old mine workings. But before going underground, we were equipped with hard hats, miner's lamps and emergency gas masks. All "contraband" had to be surrendered before entering the cage lift in which we would descend 300 feet (90 meters) into the old mine. "Contraband" included all smoking materials and anything fitted with a dry battery. We had to leave our 21st century gadgets behind before entering the historic mine. All cameras, mobile phones, digital watches and car keys had to be surrendered. Below ground lurks the ever present danger of methane gas that could be ignited by the smallest spark. My daughter gripped my hand tightly as we entered the cage and began our journey into the dark depths of the earth.

In all there are 26 miles of tunnels in the mine and we only explored a small part of the workings. But what we saw was enough to give us a glimpse into the tough and dangerous world of the coal miner. John, our guide was a real character. There was no doubt that he was in charge as he led us into the inner workings of the Big Pit. The old miner was a real working class hero, full of information and friendly banter. Woe betide any member of the tour party who had the temerity to ask a stupid question! At one point John told us to switch off our helmet lights. The darkness could almost be felt. You could not see your hand in front of your eyes. Eyes could never adjust to such utter blackness. Small old boys used to work ten hour shifts in that darkness, opening and shutting doors as they heard pit ponies approaching. Here and there I spotted rusting, disused drams, the kind of which were filled with "black gold" and hauled to the mineshaft by the pit ponies.

We were shown the pit pony stables, still replete with the old horse's names, "Thunder", "Hercules" etc. When the mines were nationalised in the 1940's, the hard working ponies were given two weeks to scamper above ground when the pits closed for "Miner's Fortnight". These days, we tend to think of nationalised industries as inefficient monopolies. Many of them were in the 1970's & 80's. But when the mines were nationalised, miner's safety, pay and conditions were vastly improved. John led us through a seemingly endless series of passageways. We saw old conveyor belts, heaped with coal dust, frozen in time since they stopped transporting coal into drams ready for the journey to the surface.

Our "50 minute tour" complete, the party ascended to the ground level. We had been underground foe an hour and a half . One of the surface workers joked that they were going to send out a search party for us. But we had not suffered a collapsed tunnel, or methane gas explosion. It was just that time had passed so quickly without our digital watches, that we didn't realise the minutes were ticking away relentlessly above ground. It was John who made the tour so enjoyable. In him we had an authentic human guide, sparking with ready wit and full of insider knowledge. You don't get that with one of those automated "press button 7 for commentary" audio guides. The banter between John and his mates was a reminder of the time when the pit was alive with workmen, whose lives depended on each other during the hours they spent cutting coal from the seams that still glimmered in the mine.

After the underground tour came an opportunity to explore the museum's above ground features including the dramatic Mining Galleries and the excellent Pit Head Baths Exhibitions. With the decline of the Welsh mining industry in the 1980's it is difficult to imagine the time when coal was king. But Welsh coking coal powered the British Empire and Welsh anthracite burned brightly in the hearths of most British homes. In 1901, 18 million tonnes of Welsh coal, amounting to 46% of UK output was exported overseas. In the 1970's a miner's strike brought the country to its knees. Industry was reduced to working a three day week to conserve coal stocks. Electricity supplies (mostly generated by coal) were were cut, plunging homes into darkness. I still remember our house being lit by candles during the period. But the days of King Coal were numbered. In 1985, Arthur Scargill led the miners on strike in an endeavour to halt the closure of a limited number of unprofitable collieries. The strike was a failure. Most of the Welsh coalmines were closed and with them a way of life perished for ever.

Or did it? Someone in our tour party asked John if rising oil prices would mean a return to coal. Our guide pointed out that a hundred years worth of "black gold" still lay undisturbed in the Welsh coalfield. Who knows if men will once more risk life and limb to keep the home fires burning? Many ex-miners bitterly regretted the closure of the pits, meaning an end to the camaraderie that is born of shared danger. But others were relived that their sons would not have to follow them into the darkness. Will we see a new generation of Welshmen called into the service of old King Coal? That remains to be seen.

The role of the Christian faith in Welsh mining communities was highlighted in the exhibition. An old family Bible and photos of huge chapels were among the items on display. The money in miners pockets helped to fund the building of many Nonconformist Chapels. The 1904-05 Revival was given a mention. It is said that during the revival, the colliers held prayer meetings deep underground. Such was the change in the conduct of the men who worked with pit ponies that the poor animals were left confused. They were used to being sworn at and treated harshly. But the newly converted colliers treated the ponies with a new gentleness and care.

I highly recommend a visit to the Big Pit. Our visit was informative, engaging and deeply moving. The men who worked underground were honoured but not sentimentalised. My grandfather, Vernon Llewelyn Davies, a miner in Risca pit was one of them.

Like all Welsh museums, the Big Pit is FREE!

Phil Arthur on the Puritan Family

At Monday's Minister's Fraternal in Honiton, Devon, we had Phil Arthur speak to us on Puritan family life. He gave us a vivid picture of the Puritan view of marriage and child rearing through the eyes of a fictional couple, Richard and Abigail Adams. The Adam's family lived in Bedworthshire, England. We catch a glimpse the newly-weds in the early 1640's prior to the turbulent years of the Civil War.

1. Husbands and wives

In medieval Christendom, marriage was regarded as a second best option for those who wished to take their faith seriously. But the Puritans recaptured the Bible's healthy and positive teaching on married life. For them, marriage could be a stimulus rather than a stumblingblock in the quest for godliness. In the Catholic view, marriage was a necessary evil for the procreation of the human race. But the Puritans stressed that God has ordained marriage for the loving companionship of husband and wife, procreation and the prevention of sexual immorality, in that order. Puritan preachers devoted a lot of attention to the marriage relationship, focusing especially on Ephesians 5:22-6:4. Richard Adam's uncle bought him a copy of William Gouge's great tome, Domestical Duties as a wedding present. Gouge gave directions for conducting family worship and offered lots of practical advice on coping the stresses and strains of married life. Contrary to their caricature, the Puritans were not at all repressed and embarrassed by sexual intimacy in marriage. They positively reveled in marital love and Gouge urged couples not to deny one another the pleasures of the marriage bed. One of their favourite texts was Proverbs 5:18-19. Puritan preachers were against sexual immorality, not sex in itself. Indeed, a Puritan wife in New England reported her husband to their pastor for neglecting his "duties" in this regard. When the man still refused to sleep with his wife, the matter was brought before the whole church, who excommunicated him! Abigail Adams was glad that Protestant teaching elevated her from being little better than a baby factory. In the Puritan vision she was her husband's beloved and honoured companion. While the Puritans stressed male headship in the home, they taught that the husband should exercise his responsibilities with tenderness and grace.

2. Parents and children

Richard and Abigail were blessed with their first child, whom they named Richard in honour of his father. The lad was fortunate as the Puritans has a penchant for quirkily biblical names like Praise-God, Barabbas and Pharaoh. Puritan teaching regarded abortion as murder. Children were to be cherished as gifts from God and nurtured in godliness. Teachers like Gouge had no illusions about the innate goodness of children. They are born in sin and need discipline and correction. The Puritans knew the wisdom of the biblical injunction, "spare the rod and spoil the child". Children were to be educated and fitted for a useful calling, whether academic or practical according to aptitude. The great aim of Christian parenting was to bring children to trust in the Redeemer. Puritan families would meet daily for times of Bible reading, prayer and instruction. The father was a prophet who taught his family the Word of God, a priest who prayed for them and a king who ruled his own household well. The mother was to guide the home and care for her children. In a very modern touch, Gouge argued that mother's breast is best and discouraged the use of wet nurses.

3. Masters and servants

Wealthier Puritan households kept domestic servants. These were to be treated fairly and with respect by their masters. The domestics were to offer loyal service to their masters. All was to be done in accordance with the biblical teaching in Colossians 3 and Ephesians 6.

The paper concluded with Abigail being awoken to breast feed little Richard one cold December night. Her husband arose from his bed to place a blanket around his wife and their baby. "I love thee, my lass!" said Richard, "And I love thee too!" responded the tired, yet happy and contented young mum.

4. Discussion

Perhaps we have taken the traditional nuclear family for granted. We would to well to recapture the Puritan vision of marriage as an ennobling and liberating institution. Their Scriptural understanding of marriage is much to be preferred to today's casual attitude to adult relationships. We need to get rid of feminist inspired suspicion of marriage and work out a truly biblical pattern of godly family life. Of course, we should not try to ape the Puritans who developed their teaching in the context of a highly stratified and deferential society. We would not expect a wife to curtsy to her husband or a husband to bow in reverence to his wife. We don't have to worry about the servants overhearing our intimate conversations. But contemporary believers have much to learn from the Puritan's wise and practical teaching on marriage. In chatting to Phil after the meeting, I suggested that he develop the fictional Adams family into an historical novel. I hope he will.

Phil Arthur originally gave his paper on Puritan Family Life at the 1997 Westminster Conference. Drop me an e-mail for more details.

Raising Children God's Way by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Raising Children God’s Way, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Banner of Truth Trust, 2007, 85pp.

One of the major social concerns in our day is that of unruly, disrespectful children. Some youngsters are pampered and spoilt. They think that they can get away with anything and resent discipline. Others have been neglected by parents who put their career ambitions before family life. The politicians and child care experts do not seem to have any real solutions to the problem of bad behaviour in children. Here, in five sermons on Ephesians 6:1-4, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones sets forth God’s way of raising children. These sermons were originally preached in the 1960’s, but they are strikingly fresh and contemporary.

Being a parent is a huge, God-given joy and privilege. But parenting skills do not come in a free information pack when babies are born. That would be nice, but it doesn't happen. Christian parents need biblical instruction on how to raise their children in the best possible way. The Scriptural teaching has to be understood and applied. Lloyd-Jones brings out the Bible’s wise and balanced approach to child rearing. Parents are to discipline their children, but not in a harsh, “Victorian” manner. The Christian home is to be a place of love, where the Bible is applied to the whole of life. Children need to be nurtured and encouraged as well as corrected.

These sermons are deeply practical and applicatory. Christian parents will find lots of helpful teaching from Lloyd-Jones on principles to follow and pitfalls to avoid. At a time when many are tuning in to TV programmes like “Supernanny” for parenting advice, we need to recapture the Christian view of raising children. These expositions from “The Doctor” will help us to do just that. All Christian parents from new mums and dads to those coping with the stresses and strains of bringing up teenagers will benefit from Raising Children God’s Way. The publishers are to be congratulated for making this material available in such a handy format.

(Originally published in Life in the Spirit in Marriage, Home & Work: An Exposition of Ephesians 5:18 to 6:9, D. M. Lloyd-Jones, 1974, Banner of Truth Trust).

Half term snaps

From:

Living Coasts, Torquay, Devon,
Babbacombe Model Village, Devon,
Cheddar Gorge & Caves, Somerset.

Short break

From last year's trip to Devon's Paignton Zoo

This has been a rather busy week so far, with meetings of one kind and another on every evening. We're off to Devon tomorrow. I have to take a Protestant Truth Society meeting in Galmpton on Thursday night. We'll be staying in the area until Saturday with some old friends of ours.

Home

We got back from our hols on Saturday. We had an enjoyable family holiday with mostly good weather. We did stuff like kayaking and go-carting and had some beachy days. Our time away culminated in the Aber Conference. I hope to do a report of the conference in the next day or so. While away, I managed to snatch some reading time and finished Grisham's The King of Torts, Barth's Evangelical Theology and a book on Karl Barth and Evangelical Theology. I plan to post some reflections on Barth during the coming week.

It was good to get back home yesterday and to be reunited with our people at Penknap today. I preached on John 9:1-12 in the morning and started a new series on Jonah, preaching on 1:1-3 this evening. After the morning meeting, I was able to announce to the church members that one of our young people has applied for baptism and church membership. The Lord is good.

Hendon Lane is Memory Lane

Yesterday I preached at Kensit Evangelical Church, Hendon Lane, Finchley. The church building is part of the Kensit Memorial College complex that now houses the London Theological Seminary. I studied at LTS from 1988-1990 and was an associate member of the church during those years. I was in my early 20's back then, as were several of my old friends at the church. Now we are all 40-somethings and married with children. We have made frequent visits the church over the years, as my wife's parents are members there. The folks at Kensit have known our kids since they were babes in arms. Now our 10 & 12 year-olds try not to cringe at the "look how you've grown" routine.

The church itself has grown over the years. There were over 80 in the multi-ethnic congregation on Sunday morning, with several first-time visitors. In the evening we had about 60. Before the morning service, Philip Eveson, Principal of LTS and former pastor at the church mentioned that David Jussley, Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi was in the congregation. Jussley teaches preaching at the RTS. I tried not to sound too bothered about his presence. But I could imagine the Prof telling his students one of those "how not to" anecdotes: "I heard a Welsh preacher while visiting London and do you know what he did....?".

In the morning I preached on 1 Kings 18:21 and in the evening on Romans 5:5. The people were warmly appreciative and encouraging. David Jussley couldn't have been more kind and gracious. After the evening meeting, Sarah and I took the children to the top floor of the LTS building and showed them my old room. It was there that I proposed to their mother. We were married at the church 16 years ago this Friday. Hendon Lane is Memory Lane.

Ten things for a Christian mum

A previous "Ten things" focussed on Christian dads. A reader asked for a list for Christian mums. Why John wanted this, I'm not sure. Anyway, I pursuaded my wife, Sarah to enter the stange world of blogdom for a guest post.

1. A passion for the glory of God in family life.
2. A desire to communicate God's word to children.
3. A loving, caring and supportive attitude.
4. Pray with and for the chilren.
5. Be there for the children.
6. Guide the home.
7. Treat the children as individuals.
8. Be firm but fair.
9. Laugh and play with the children.
10. Try to be a role model as a Christian wife and mother.

Ten things for a Christian dad

1. Make the glory of God the chief end of family life.
2. Pray for your children.
3. Read the Bible to them and help them understand it.
4. Point your children to Christ.
5. Love your children and be patient with them.
6. Be firm when necessary.
7. Be fair always.
8. Be fun quite frequently.
9. Make time to talk and play.
10. By God's grace, try to be a good example as a Christian, husband & father.

Also, see here for some helpful hints on how to raise a Pharisee.