Reduce the stress in pregnancy

Trust in the design

It seems that my generation is hyper focused on weight gain during pregnancy. Why does it matter how much weight one puts on when every body is different and does this thing called “pregnancy” uniquely. To some, the 25-30 pound rule works for their body type, whereas others need to put on more or less depending on their starting weight. Interestingly enough, we do not all require the same weight gain. Who’s to know how much your body specifically needs and at what point your body should put it on? I’ve had friends lose 15 pounds in the first two trimesters and then gain 40 in the last. Some steadily gain throughout the months and then others hardly put anything on at all till the last couple months.  This brings me to my theme- why stress over the weight, just trust your body and the way God designed it to be.

I’d say I’m average in the weight department and 25-30 pounds would probably be a good start to gain during a pregnancy. However, when I got pregnant I decided right off that bat that I would not find out how much weight I’ve gained throughout the pregnancy. I knew it would stress me out and make me feel like I was “doing pregnancy wrong” if I crept up past that dreadful 30 pound mark too soon. Instead of stressing myself out I decided to take the back seat and let my body decided what it needed. I drank water like a fish, and ate when I was hungry. I focused on healthy eating and not stressing over a cookie or the number on a scale. Each doctor visit, I’d stand on the scale and look at the wall. They would record the number in my chart and we’d move on. I might hear, “right on track”, or “two pounds this week”. Awesome! I knew that if something was wrong or if my weight was getting out of control due to a medical condition (like preeclampsia or gestational diabetes) the nurses would catch on and we’d deal with it.

I was asked on several occasions by curious friends how much I’ve gained- to which I’d answer, “I don’t know, I don’t keep track.” Some seemed shocked at my answer-as though it’s the most important part in tracking a pregnancy. Let me tell you a secret-it’s not! Now, let’s get something straight. I’m not saying to go around eating for two, taking no prisoners, and throwing nutrition out the window. That’s not good for you or your baby. I simply ate when I was hungry and made sure to be intentional about getting fruits and veggies in my diet each day. If I had pancakes for breakfast with syrup and bacon, I’d eat an apple and peanut butter for my snack. I ate plenty of good fats and didn’t feel remorse if I had a cookie with my lunch. I found that when I wasn’t stressed about my weight gain I was able to be more confident in how my body was changing. This brings me to a whole new point.

Your body changes during pregnancy and it’s not going to be flattering to your own eyes. Things stretch, get wider, fat accumulates, and your skin changes. When you look in the mirror and see these changes and then multiply that with the stress caused by thinking you’re gaining too much weight- you’re going to be overwhelmed. My non-pregnant-self is fairly weight conscious and when I feel like I’m too heavy or needing to get “back in shape”, I go at it like my life depends on it. I’m competitive, it’s my nature. BUT, when you’re pregnant you have to go easy with your body, it’s already doing a lot of things, and it doesn’t need to be “getting into shape” too. Pregnancy is not the time to get fit- it’s the time to trust your body and let it do its thing. These physical changes can take a toll on your pride and self-image. Do yourself a favor and let go of the obsession with weight gain. It’s not good for you or your baby to stress about it. You will gain weight AND it will be okay. Focus on being healthy by not stressing the unimportant things. Be intentional about your nutrition, and let your body put on the weight it needs to and where it needs to. Exercise is important but not with the intention of losing weight or keeping your “gained amount” under 30 pounds. Exercise to feel good and get your blood moving. Be healthy, not skinny. Let’s be nice to ourselves and each other and stop stressing or talking about pregnancy weight. 

On a side note: I did find out my ending pregnancy weight for my own medical records and to compare future pregnancies with. 

I gained 15 pounds more than what is suggested for my body weight and I feel good!

Why the different accounts of the empty tomb?

I'm a researcher- I love the challenge and process in finding the best answer to a problem, or the reason why certain things are done the way they are. For school, i'm often required to research religious topics, submitting 20-25 pages of work with sources cited; and I love it, most of the time. Then, there are the situations when something dumbfounds me and i'm moved to research and figure it out just for knowledge sake- I get this from my father. He inspired my drive for theology and research of religions long ago, particularly in Christianity, but the other religions are fascinating as well.

This brings me to my recent research topic. Being a Christian, I gratefully celebrated Easter today and this evening took to reading the four gospel accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This having not been my first time reading the gospels, I've known there were interesting/weird differences about the 4 accounts of what happened that Sunday over 2000 years ago, but never sat down and tried to figure it out. Many claim the discrepancies between the four accounts discredit the Resurrection. I say there are no discrepancies- just four men choosing to share different details of the same story. Regardless of what we think or assume about the gospel accounts, the facts remain undisputed which historians (Christian and secular) agree on: The tomb was indeed found empty.

(scripture taken from the NIV)
Mathew 28
1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Mark 16
1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robesitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him,just as he told you.’” 8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
Luke 24
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightningstood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
John 20
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Clearly, to the modern reader the accounts have variation. In my experience, when I seek truth in scripture I often find that i'm asking the wrong question. I started asking, why are the stories not identical? Why are there discrepancies in the gospels?
After reading several scholars' take on the differences, I reworded my question to find the answer to what I actually care about: What are each accounts saying about the Resurrection? Should I be worried about the differences? Are the main facts clear?

What are the accounts saying about the Resurrection?
According to Bible Gateway, "in each Gospel account the core story is the same: Joseph of Arimathea takes the body of Jesus and puts it in a tomb, one or more of Jesus’ female followers visit the tomb early on the Sunday morning following his crucifixion, and they find that the tomb is empty. They see a vision of either one or two angels who say that Jesus is risen. Despite the differences concerning the women’s number and names, the exact time of the morning and the number of angels, we can have great confidence in the shared core story that would be agreed upon by the majority of New Testament scholars today." Jesus was not in the tomb and there was a representative of God stating that Jesus had risen from the grave. Everyone was awe struck and had a hard time believing, but it shouldn't have been a surprised to them for Jesus told them that he would raise from the dead in three days time.

Should I be worried about the differences?
Historians (Christian and secular) who have studies the gospel accounts of the Resurrection are not worried. They claim that the facts that are important to the story are well represented and the discrepancies are merely relegated to secondary details. When I say secondary details, I mean the number of women who came to the tomb, or how early it was in the morning. Bible Gateway sums it all up well saying, "none of the Gospels pretends to give a complete list [of those at the tomb]. They all include Mary Magdalene, and Matthew, Mark and Luke also cite other women, so there was probably a group of these early disciples that included those who were named and probably a couple of others (maybe Mary Magdalene arrived first and that’s why John only mentions her). That’s hardly a contradiction. In terms of whether there were/was one angel (Matthew) or two (John) at Jesus’ tomb, have you ever noticed that whenever you have two of anything, you also have one? It never fails. Matthew didn't say there was only one. John [which he often does] was providing more detail by saying there were two." Secondary details don't make or break the facts, they simple bring the story to life.

Are the main facts clear?
Yes. The known skeptical historian Michael Grant, concedes in his book Jesus: An Historian’s Review of the Gospels, “True, the discovery of the empty tomb is differently described by the various gospels, but if we apply the same sort of criteria that we would apply to any other ancient literary sources, then the evidence is firm and plausible enough to necessitate the conclusion that the tomb was, indeed, found empty.” This means- my Jesus lives! I doesn't really matter how many people were there when it was first discovered, or how many angles told them Jesus rose- what matters is that he did and that means my sins are paid. 

For the rest of Biblegateway.com's article that simply sums up why the differences aren't really contradictions click here.

Why aren't men encouraged to be good husbands?

In this world, when a man works diligently at perfecting his sport- he rightly receives a metal for a job well done. When a man puts in long hours at work, makes sacrifices, and proves himself to be an asset- he gets promoted. When a man fixes something, creates a masterpiece, or is a good friend he is regarded highly. But when a man sacrifices sports, promotions, friends, and crafts to being a dedicated husband, he’s made fun of. Why is it uncool to be a good husband? Why aren’t men helping one another with encouragement KNOWING how hard it is to actually be a good husband; how many sacrifices need to be made, how many hours of work that don’t get done? I’d venture to say it’s harder to be a good husband that it is to get a promotion at work; it’s even harder to be a Christ-like husband.

On TV, I’ve noticed that when a man is going to do something nice for his wife, and his friends find out- they advise him not to for various reasons. What’s more frustrating is that that husband usually listens. When a man is seen being sweet to his wife in public, he’s seen as whipped. On King of Queens, I’ve heard the lead character say that at the beginning of marriage a man needs to set the bar low, so that in 50 years when he buys her flowers it’ll be seen as romantic. Heaven forbid he does that in the first five years because than he’ll really have to get creative later on to come up with something bigger and better than flowers. I’ve even seen men get mad at other men on TV Sitcoms who out-love their wives, “making other husbands look bad”. The theme here is that if every husband did the bare minimum then all husbands will be “good” husbands. Since when is the bare minimum the goal?

If a man did the bare minimum at work, he’d be seen as lazy. If he does the bare minimum in athletics he’ll get fat, and never achieve much. It’s never been okay in any subject of a man’s life to just do the bare minimum, but somehow it’s acceptable when it comes to a lifelong commitment? Men who are in the NFL are only there until their body gets too old, men in the Olympics are only there until they’re replaced by better athletes, men are only good at their job until they retire. However, all that is way more important than being active in a marriage which lasts a life-time. How is this okay?

This is what I would love to see for my husband:

I’d love to see his boss encouraging the men to be stand-up husbands, who are sweet and caring. I want the top ranking man in every office going to his subordinates encouraging them to be great men at home, loving their wives and children better every day.

I’d love to see his co-workers talking about their wives at the lunch room with respect and love. I want each of them to keep the others accountable to getting home at a reasonable time and serve their wives. I want to see those men working hard to keep their priorities straight and seeing what’s really important.

I’d love to see pastors walking up to a married man and ask him about his marriage, just as if he was asking him about work. I’d love to hear more sermons empowering men to put aside these ridiculous ideas from the world and decided to be that husband that the other men get encouraged from. I want pastors to acknowledge how hard being a husband is and do what they can to help men in the congregation being successful at it.

I want to see prizes given to husbands who are outstanding and selfless. I want to see commercials about men being great husbands. I want to see a cologne advertisement of a man’s man being that of a simple guy who is madly in love with his wife of 30 years.

I don’t think there has ever been a time when men were highly regarded for being the best husbands they could be. I’m not disillusioned into thinking that one day I’ll wake up and the world’s view on husbands will be right. However, it’s something that has been ignored and out of balance for way too long and I’m tired of it. I’m not willing to stand by and watch young husbands get pushed around by older men who are terrible at loving their wives. It’s time for a change of attitude and I think it will start with the young men. It will begin with those husbands who are good at loving their wives and are courageous enough to boldly proclaim it. To love your wife in public could be exactly what this world needs to see. Men, prove a good marriage is not a thing of the past, good husbands are everywhere, and you agree it’s time for a change. 

Becoming a Wife

WARNING: A lengthy, wordy post but if ya have the time- please read and tell me what you think.

Abstract

What is a wife, who should be one, and what does that role involve? Many don’t realize the struggles women have transitioning into the person of a wife from singlehood, until they are one and needing help. God knew the transition would be hard and elected many Bible authors to write on the subject of how to be a good wife. Titus wrote, “then they [older women] can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God” (NIV, Titus 2:4-5). It’s easy to get carried away with the wedding, name changing, and dreaming of the future; but when all is said and done what is left is a woman in her new role as wife, struggling to find her purpose and fulfill it. Here is some research on that life transition including the definition of a wife, the common struggles she will face, and wisdom she can rely on.

Life Transition: Becoming a Wife

            One of the biggest, most life changing transitions for a woman is to become a wife. Interesting enough most women spend more time, energy, and money preparing for their wedding day then they do preparing for their life-long marriage. A fact known to many is that a wedding will be expensive and time consuming to plan. On average, couples spend one year in planning and an average of $25,748 according to The Cost of Weddings Today (2004). There was no published research found on the average amount of money or time a couple spends preparing for their marriage, but it can be assumed it’s less than that spent on the wedding day. The transition from man to husband and woman to wife is big with many obstacles, rules, and hardships. It is important for women to understand her new role and expectations, common struggles she will face, and to glean wisdom to make the transition well.

Role of a Wife

            The first woman created was only single for the amount of time it took God to pounce her wife to the first man. We read the account in Genesis where God took a rib from Adam and with it formed a woman and in that moment they were united as the first husband and wife (2:22, NIV).  Eve only knew her role as a wife and never as a single woman. The perfect woman for Adam was Eve and vice versa. What can be understood from their story is that a wife is designed for her husband as she is forever with that man. Once a woman becomes a wife she is given a God designed role and the purpose to fulfill it; knowing her role is the only way to accomplish it successfully. 
            A wife’s legal definition is inarguably a woman who is married to a man, or as the female partner in marriage, according to Webster’s Dictionary. Her job description as a wife is more often debated between worldviews. Written in the journal of American Sociological Review is an article on the family and cultural change during the 19^th century and describes the new expectations placed on married woman. It states how women’s role altered from home care and child bearer to being pressured to significantly contribute to the family income (Stern, 1939, p.199-208). Since both of those jobs are full-time positions something had to take the back seat; and the second income and propriety were found too important to give up. In the 21^th century it’s widely accepted for women to be CEOs, managers, career focused, and have little time for a husband and family. Those who have valued careers over being a wife and mother to their family have gone against their God given purpose. In Proverbs 31, Titus 2, and 1 Timothy 5 the wife is asked to be busy in the home caring and providing for her husband and children. Women working outside the home is not the issue; but the priority line-up is where women have gone wrong. Putting a career before her husband and children is praised in the sights of the world but grieves the heart of God as money and status become of higher value then love and servitude (1 Tim. 6:6-10).When a job takes precedence, the women goes against God’s design for her role and the consequences include children being poorly raised and a high divorce rate. According to the European Sociological Review,women working full-time outside the home have a 29% higher risk of divorce (Dronkers, J., Kalmijn, M., & Wagner, M., 2006). When there is no risk of neglect to family, there is no reason why a woman can't pursue higher education and a career.
            According to the Biblical worldview a wife is to be submissive, putting her husband’s desires above her own (Col. 3:18). The husband will be judged by the choices the couple makes as one. When the wife makes choices apart from him he will be held responsible by God for the consequences. This is exemplified in the Garden of Eden when Eve sinned and Adam was held responsible (Gen. 3). As part of Eve’s punishment after the fall included her desire to be for her husband; one commentary translates this as her desire would be to rule over her husband (Grudem, W. A., (1994), p. 454-471). This is why submission is so difficult and women long to be in charge and manipulate their spouses. Along with submission, a wife is called to respect her husband (Eph. 5: 33). This command is made without clause and doesn't exclude wives who are married to men unworthy, in their opinion, of respect. Lastly, a married woman is called to be her husband’s helper. Woman was created after man to be his helper or counterpart as Kay Arthur said in one of her lectures. She also said that a wife is to be the completer of man not someone in competition with him. This is a high calling for a woman to complete God's design of man for without her, God said it is not good (Arthur, 2011).

Struggles in Marriage

Marriage is not easy. According to American Law and Economics Review, the highest rates of divorces are among women between ages 20-25, within the first 7 years of marriage, and two thirds of all who file being women (Brinig, M. F., & Allen, D. W., 2000). It is widely accepted that marriage takes work, but why? Shouldn’t what God called “good” be natural and harmonious? The answer is in Genesis after the fall. Not only was the relationship between God and man broken but also between man and woman (Gen. 3:12). Since then, the marriage covenant has been under attack exemplified by the 41% of all first marriages ending in divorce with a 20% increase for second and 30% for third marriages (DivorceRateStatistics.org).
            Myths believed by couples are one of many culprits responsible for the struggles in the first years of marriage. Les and Leslie Parrott in their lecture, Preparing for Marriage, say a common myth is that women often believe their spouse will complete them as a person, making them whole for the first time. Men tend to think marriage will fix what was going wrong in relationships and that their problems will disappear after the vows are said. The Parrotts name these myths as unrealistic expectations testifying from their years as marriage counseling that humans cannot complete each other outside of God’s design and marriage isn't meant to solve problems (Parrott, L., & Parrott, L., n.d.). Another big issue the Parrotts talk about in their lecture is bridging the gender gap. Wives must understand that men talk with purpose to each other, preferring to share only necessary information and solve pressing problems as they come. Women differ in that they prefer to connect emotionally, and focus on improving relationships preemptively by spending long hours in communication. Women want to be desired, and men want to be admired. Often men will seek to connect with his wife though an activity, known as shoulder to shoulder; while women seek to connect to her husband face to face (Parrott & Parrott, n.d.). These simple differences can either be fought against and continually misunderstood or seen as variances and appreciated to comprehend each other.
            A young bride has the challenge of relating to a man, problem solving with him, and sharing dreams for their future. A wife is responsible to cultivate a friendship with her husband as seen in Titus 2 when the Hebrew word Philo is used for love. Her goal is to connect with her husband spiritually, emotionally, and physically to maintain that relationship. Physically a wife is told to give her body to her husband, fulfilling her marriage duty stated in 1 Corinthians. Paul explains saying, “the wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband…Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time,…Then come together so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Cor. 7:3-5). Paul is boldly stating that it’s for their protection that the wife is intimate with her husband often. Today our culture is sexually saturated and every man is over-loaded with sexual stimuli when he leaves the house. A married woman can help with this temptation by initiating sex the way God exemplified for her to do so in Song of Solomon. In Real Marriage, Mark and Grace Driscoll walk through Song of Solomon and point out the sexual pattern seen there. Throughout the chapters, Solomon admires his wife and the wife initiates sex (Driscoll, M., & Driscoll, G., 2012, p. 170-176). A successful sexual pattern is seen when admiring is done by the husband and initiating by the wife. That goes to say that if there is a problem with the physically element of marriage both husband and wife need to take specific personal effort in finding the solution and protect their marriage.

Wisdom of a Wife

In the Gift of Sex by Cliff and Joyce Penner they explain how sexual issues can cause major problems in a marriage in regards to: connection, intimacy, confidence, trust, and respect. They give great detail on how to overcome these struggles but boldly explaining that if sex is not good for one it’s not good for either (Penner, C., & Penner, J., 2003). Their advice to couples is to seek help and don’t stop looking until the problem is fixed. Sex may seem like an insignificant problem to a newly married woman but a weak sex life in a marriage can give Satan the foothold he needs to destroy a new and vulnerable relationship (1 Cor. 7:5).
            Mark and Grace Driscoll end their book Real Marriage, with a thought provoking chapter titled, “The most important day of your marriage is the last day”. On that last day you will look at your marriage either filled with regrets or rejoicing over the many years of life lived together (Driscoll & Driscoll, 2012, p. 207). Will the marriage represent something beautiful or the constant struggle of selfish wants not being satisfied? This power couple makes a strong point that the only way to have a marriage without regrets is to plan for it from the beginning. “Marriage starts with passion and over the years accrue principles, but apart from a plan, the passion and principles are powerless” (Driscoll & Driscoll, 2012, p. 207). This plan should include dreams and hopes for the future giving the couple something to always look forward to. If there are problems or regrets already seen in the marriage these needs to be talked about and dealt with so they do not continue making a pattern (Driscoll, 2012). There are many couples who get to celebrate their 20, 30, even 50 year wedding anniversary and the advice most often shared is to never give up. Marriage is hard but as Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 9:10). Where humans fail Jesus prevails.

 Conclusion

            Marriage to me was the next chapter that I couldn’t wait to start but I was blindsided by the immense amount of responsibilities and hardships that came with it. No longer was I making choices that just affected me; instead I became responsible to submit to another human just as sinful as I was. From the type of food I cooked, clothing I bought, friends I made, or the way I talked; everything I did from then on reflected my husband. Meeting a guy friend for a mid-day coffee was no longer acceptable nor was confiding in my mom when I fought with my husband. My whole way of living needed to change so that I was respectful to my husband in words, actions, and deeds. It seems to me that women are taking this next chapter lightly instead of putting to prayer and serious thought the changes that will occur in order to be successful in this new role. To be a wife is to complete the design of man and to complement him in all things (Proverbs 31). It is a blessing above all blessings to become a wife but it is hard for a sinner to fulfill that role without the grace of God and an understanding of what it means to be a wife.

References

Arthur, K., (n.d). A marriage without regret. American Association of Christian Counseling.

Retrieved from Liberty University Blackboard, CCOU304. Module 6, lesson 24
Brinig, M. F., & Allen, D. W. (2000). These boots are made for walking: Why most divorce

filers are women. American Law and Economics Review, 2(1), 126-169.

The cost of weddings today. (2004), Credit Management. 12-12. Retrieved from            http://search.proquest.com/docview/228363585?accountid=12085

Divorce rate statistics. (2011). Information on divorce rate statistics. Retrieved

December 5, 2012, from http://www.divorcestatistics.org

Driscoll, M., & Driscoll, G. (2012). Real marriage. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Dronkers, J., Kalmijn, M., & Wagner, M. (2006). Causes and consequences of divorce.

European Sociological Review, 22(5), 479-481.

Grudem, W. A. (1994). Man as male and female. Systematic theology: An introduction to

biblical doctrine (pp. 454-471). Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press.

Parrott, L., & Parrott, L., (n.d). Preparing for marriage. American Association of Christian

Counseling. Retrieved from Liberty University Blackboard, CCOU301. Module 2, lesson

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Penner, C., & Penner, J. (2003). The gift of sex: A guide to sexual fulfillment (Revised and

Expanded ed.). Nashville, TN., Thomas Nelson.
Stern, B. J. (1939). The family and cultural change. American Sociological Review, 4(2), 199-

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