Unfortunately, every time I attempt to study the Word of God, I run into one of two dilemmas: (1) Inadequate resources, or (2) too many resources to sort through. Here are a few specific suggestions to assist you in avoiding this same dilemma.

Bible Software: (poor quality resources) I would suggest to you that you stay away from purchasing any Bible Study Software, as I find the translations available through them far outmatched by the free study sites available to us today. I have also spent a decent amount of money to purchase premium packages of books for software like Logos and Quickverse, but  am never impressed or assisted in interpretation by their commentary collections. (YouVersion.com,  bible.logos.com, and BibleGateway.com)

At the present time, I have not found an online Bible Study portal or electronic software that allows for the guided study of Scripture...but I am hopeful that this is forthcoming. Perhaps one of our readers will suggest a good one!

Church Libraries: (too many resources) If you have access to a library of study resources, but are not sure where to start, be sure to utilize www.bestcommentaries.com, which will give you a listing of the top two rated Commentaries for each book of the Bible, along with other suggested study tools for each book.

If your church does not have a good library, I suggest that you consider utilizing the library of a nearby church or Bible College (I've rarely seen a library refuse to allow an interested person to use their collection).

Further tools that can be utilized are online article databases like ATLA, which can be accessed through many secular libraries computer systems (sometimes even through the city library).

And, if you choose to purchase the books, please utilized the discounts of online retailers and search sites like AddAll.com and Christian Book Distributers (www.ChristianBook.com).

One Excellent Resource: On a final note, I constantly rely upon the expository outlines of Warren Wiersbe, which acts as an excellent Bible Study resource for understanding the meaning of a passage of Scripture. If there was one item I would suggest that your purchase for your personal library, it would likely be his outlines. See them here.

This post begins a multipart series of tips for marital bliss. I hope you appreciate my suggestions, and that they contribute to a smoother ride for you and your beloved companion.

Read the previous posts here:
Part 1 -http://www.journeymanproject.org/?p=81
Part 2 -http://www.journeymanproject.org/?p=93
Part 3 -http://www.journeymanproject.org/?p=96

Park the Car, Rent a Limo, and Leave the Kids with Your Parents:
On your fifteenth cup of Texaco coffee? Tired of hearing the kids ask, “Are we there yet?” Starting to count the lines in the middle of the road? Good. It’s time for some extreme action. That’s right, ditch fiscal and domestic responsibility for the weekend. Park the Car, Rent a Limo, and Leave the Kids with Your Parents for a few days.

Life always tends to spiral into the steady plodding of humdrum responsibilities and habits. That’s a great thing! Habits and responsibilities are what raise children, provide a comfortable home, and built dynasties. Unfortunately, they don’t nurture motivation and perspective. Every now and then, you’ve got to get a fresh view of your life. Every once in a while, tragedy or reward will provide that opportunity for you…but these circumstances hardly provide opportunities to nurture your marriage. So plan them yourselves.

Stacy and I get away once every four months, three times a year. We check out of the apartment and into a nice hotel, even if it’s only 10 miles away. We spend a few days eating out, visiting new places, and pursuing new interests. Because we’re together 24/7 away from home, we stop discussing bills and work, and start talking about struggles, insights, and plans for the future. As a result, we starting getting that romantic feeling again, and just enjoy one another’s company. While we wish the vacation lasted longer, we feel better about going back to work after it’s over. And it tends to keep that feeling of “us” alive apart from the bills, the kids, and the home that tend to define us for the over 350 days of the year.

A lot of people talk about doing a date night once a week, where you get out of the house once every week or two. While I agree that this is a great idea, you need more than a couple of hours a week to kindle the flame. My suggestion: do both.

This post begins a multipart series of tips for marital bliss. I hope you appreciate my suggestions, and that they contribute to a smoother ride for you and your beloved companion.

Read the previous posts here:
Part 1 -http://www.journeymanproject.org/?p=81
Part 2 -http://www.journeymanproject.org/?p=93

Drop Expectations & Welcome the Adventure:

Sometimes the worst enemy of a great road trip is lofty expectations. Have you ever followed one of those grand travel center brochures to a complete waste of time? Ever visited the world’s coolest shopping center in Atlanta, Denver, or Austin? We’ve seen them all. Our review: “underwhelming”.

Marriage can be like that too. What’s sex like to someone who’s watched prime-time television? Underwhelming. What’s romance like in marriage compared to the thrill ride of dating? Underwhelming. Why? Expectations. Life, both secular and sacred, can give us unrealistic expectations for the future. There is nothing harder on a spouse than expecting him or her to live up to the example of your father or your dream husband after one year of marriage. Change takes time. Change takes encouragement, not condemnation.

This is not to say that you should expect the worst for your marriage, or that you shouldn’t consider it a relationship with a lot of thrills in store for your life. But be realistic, and plan to let the best parts of married life surprise you. Celebrate the flowers when he brings them home for you. Thank her for dinner, even when it’s not as good as Olive Garden. And find something worthwhile to talk about around the world’s largest Cast Iron Skillet. The more you allow the contributions of your spouse to thrill you, the more that you are thankful for them, the more they will want to do them for you.

]]> http://www.journeymanproject.org/thoughts/marriage-and-the-road-trip-part-3-of-4/feed/ 0 http://www.journeymanproject.org/thoughts/marriage-and-the-road-trip-part-2-of-4/ http://www.journeymanproject.org/thoughts/marriage-and-the-road-trip-part-2-of-4/#comments Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:09:38 +0000 admin http://www.journeymanproject.org/?p=93

Married life can be comparable to an extended road trip…spending long hours together deciding where to go, how to get there, what to eat and who’s driving. There’s bad weather, dull conversations, and traffic to make the trip difficult sometimes (not to mention occasionally getting lost), however, find the right traveling companion and follow a few key rules of road etiquette, and your bound to have a great time…and collect a lot of great road trip memories.

This post continues a multipart series of tips for marital bliss. I hope you appreciate my suggestions, and that they contribute to a smoother ride for you and your beloved companion.

Read Part 1 Here: http://www.journeymanproject.org/?p=81

Play to Your Spouse’s Strengths (and acknowledge your weaknesses)-

Rarely are two people gifted with equal navigational abilities. Stacy and I don’t just have different ways of navigating, we have different strengths and weaknesses that we’ve learned to balance on our trips. I navigate by map. I need to see the big picture in order to get there. Stacy needs step by step directions. She’s lost without street names. In cities like Tulsa, where everything is laid out in a grid by numbers, Stacy navigates. She knows that to get from 71^st to 105^th, we need to go east…she even knows which way east is without a compass. I just pull over and look at the map. On the other hand, if we’re in Atlanta, I drive. Atlanta is a twisting network of roads that constantly change names. There are no roads that go east or west, for more than a half-mile. Stacy has called me lost and crying from that city before. I have the picture in my head. Forget the road names, just give me the destination and I can get you there!

There are a lot of gifts between couples other than navigational skills. Some people are detail-oriented, others are big picture people. Some are entertainers and love to be around people, others prefer to spend their time reading, writing, or reflecting. Some feel loved when you give them a note, others want you to hold their hand. If you aren’t aware of the differences between you and your spouse, find out right away. You will be absolutely astounded at how much depth knowing your differences will bring to your relationship. Figure out their personality and their life aspirations as soon as you can. Most importantly, find out the emotional needs of your spouse. For help, check out the books, Fall in Love, Stay in Love by William Harvey and Personality Plus by Florence Littauer. You’ll be very glad you did!