There really is a fair bit of advice in this chapter, ranging from a repeat of the main points of chapter eight to great advice on choosing jobs & a spouse.Kevin at one point apologizes for seeming to come down hard on young men, anyone reading my blog this week will probably gather that i'm with him on his stance that much responsibility is at our feet. In my post i'm going to, primarily discuss the 'marriage' section.
The One
I wonder what you thought of Kevin's view that before marriage there is no such thing as 'The One'? But that once the vows are said & the ring is on, that husband or wife is now the 'one' and hard work should be put into keeping, building & remaining in that relationship.
Women
I wonder how the ladies felt about his discussion on their education, careers etc and marriage & parenthood? Do you agree or disagree?
Men
I have to say that there are many great Christian guys i know, with whom i'd love to look in the eye & pass on Kevin's advice on page 107-108
"Gentlemen, there are wonderful Christian girls waiting for you to act, well, like a man. Stop waiting for romantic lightning to strike. . .Stop "hanging out" every night without ever making your intentions clear. Go ask a girl on a date, ask her "to court," or whatever you think is the appropriate language. But do something. If you want to be single, that's great. Jesus was single. . .But if you want to get married, do something about it. Take a chance. Risk rejection. Be the relational and spiritual leader God has called you to be."
Older Christians
At the end of the chapter Kevin gives great advice to older Christians, asking them to "set a good example of steady, faithful responsibility; to model Christ-centered consistency and risky decision making for the glory of God; and to be honest with the rest of us about when you have failed and where you are struggling to live up to the good example you want to set."
So there's some great advice! For anyone who hasn't yet got the book ~ there's loads more in it that we cover in our discussions and the book will be of definite use to you!
Your Turn
What did you think of this chapter? What did you agree with or disagree with? Was there anything new that you hadn't heard or thought of before?
Next Week
Next week we turn to our final chapter; 10 ~ The End of the Matter
