Joel Lopez

You and your wife loving each other will have a bigger influence on your kids decision to believe in God than going to Church every Sunday. The once a week event can't compete with what they see everyday.

When you become a new dad for the first time you get: - Dad Jokes - Sneeze loudness increase - Thermostat awareness And it increases with each kid.

God put Adam in a garden and told him to work it and keep it. Then He told Adam AND Eve to fill the earth and subdue it. The garden was his to tend. The world was theirs to take, together. Your marriage was built for a mission bigger than duty sex.

Having kids is the new tattoos. Once you get one you keep wanting more.

When a man gets his identity from God, his wife can't manipulate him. Circumstances can't move him off his foundation. That's a man worth following.

How to read your Bible. Genesis 1 and 2 are what God intended. The REST OF THE BIBLE is God restoring us to that design.

"As the man goes, so goes the family, society and the world." Myles Munroe The average man today is: -Lukewarm in his faith -Fat -Numbs himself with porn and video games It's no mystery why we are where we are. Fear God.

If I could hop in a time machine and I ONLY had 10 seconds with 23-year-old me the night before I got married, I'd tell him this. "Fear God." After 27 years with my wife, 21 of them married, and six kids, I'm sure of that one. We've trivialized God. "Jesus is my homie." "God's my buddy." He is a friend, but we forget who He is. Fearing God doesn't mean being scared of Him. It means being afraid to live without Him, and living in awe of how holy He is. "But Joel, perfect love casts out fear. We're supposed to love God, not fear Him." That verse is about the fear of punishment, the kind that makes you hide from Him. Like Adam covering himself up in the garden. Holy fear is different. It pulls you closer. Jesus said if you love Me, you'll obey Me. The fear of the Lord is what makes that love more than words. I've loved God my whole life, and loving Him didn't stop me from sinning. Fearing Him did. When I feared Him, I obeyed Him, and I obeyed right away. "Here I am, Lord." Delayed obedience is disobedience. "You want me to do what??" "I'll apologize later." "I'll pray about it tomorrow." "I'll lead once things calm down." All still a no. "What does fearing God have to do with marriage?" Everything. "Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways... Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children like olive shoots around your table." (Psalm 128:1, 3) Pay attention. He fears the Lord first, and then his home flourishes. When I feared my wife's reaction more than God, I was a nice guy. I walked on eggshells, kept score, and wondered why she pulled away. When I started fearing God more than her, I got steady. I didn't need her approval to lead, so I could finally love her without an agenda. So, 23-year-old Joel, fear God and obey right away. Work on the root, and the fruit takes care of itself.

Imagine. Asking a beautiful woman out and she says "yes." Asking her to marry you and she says "yes." She calls you baby and gives you babies. And you don't cherish her?? Oof.

Most men are trying to fix their marriage when they should be fixing themselves. Not because the marriage isn't broken. But because a broken man always has a broken marriage.

The Lie people believe. The best time with your wife is before you marry her. "It's all downhill after you marry her" Loser talk.