Marriage

It’s Not Good for the Man to be Alone

If you have been a Christian for even a little while, there is a good chance that you are familiar with the teaching that Eve was created to be Adam’s helper. Many churches still teach this from Genesis 2:18. Christian wives are rightly encouraged to take this role in their marriages. While there is understandable emphasis given to the second half of this verse, I have noticed that the first half of this verse does not often receive the same attention. Have you considered how it might relate to your marriage? […]

National Marriage Week 2014

We are three days into National Marriage Week. It started on February 7 and runs to Valentine’s Day. Marriage Week originated in the United Kingdom in 1996 and made its way to the United States in 2002. Today it is observed in countries all over the world. The aim of the week is to highlight the importance and benefits of marriage and to offer encouragement and assistance for married and engaged couples. […]

Talk Isn’t Cheap – It’s Essential! 10 Guidelines for Good Communication

When I was growing up, I made a list of four things that I thought were essential for a good relationship. They all started with the letter C. I can’t remember how old I was when I made it or why I made it or even what the four things were! They say the memory is the first thing to go. I must be well on my way. At least I do remember one of them. It was communication. […]

God-Fashioned Living

The Christian wife’s biblical submission is a subject that I will be writing about on a regular basis. It is one of the main reasons why Chapter 3 Ministries exists. I have seen the blessing of living according to God’s will in marriage, and it is a delight for me to encourage other women to see it too. Though there are blessings, it does not mean that submission is easy. It can be quite difficult. In my writings I will address both the blessings and the challenges of and to submission. I do not believe that it does anyone any good to ignore or cover-up the challenges. […]

New Year Fresh Start

This New Year’s Eve was the twenty-eighth that my husband and I have spent together. Starting with the first year we met, we’ve never missed a year; even the year I had the flu and he took care of me. I remember details from other New Year’s Eves as well. Remember Y2K? So much hype. So little consequences. We did try to have some fun at our house that night. At midnight we shut the main power off. The house went black! Well, none of our party guests fell for it; but we did all have a good laugh. […]

thirdstrand

You may have noticed that my author name on these posts is thirdstrand. I’d like to share its meaning. I came up with the username thirdstrand years ago. I was in need of a new username for an online account. Because I love symbolism, I sat down and tried to think of a name that would have special meaning instead of something like sharon123! I went through different ideas and combinations of words and eventually drew from something that was significant in my life. […]

Why Chapter 3?

“Why Chapter 3?” is really two questions. The first is “Why is this ministry called Chapter 3 Ministries?” The second is “Why does this ministry exist?” Chapter 3 Ministries gets its name from 1 Peter chapter three. The idea for the name came to me when I noticed that 1 Peter chapter three contains verses about two subjects that have long been dear to my heart, the role of the Christian wife (1 Peter 3:1-6) and defense for my faith (1 Peter 3:15). […]