Valentine's Day Season Prompts Liquid Church to Challenge the 'Myth of Finding Mr. Right'

Pastor & Author Tim Lucas Claims Every Married Adult "Married the Wrong Person!" in Provocative Book

MORRISTOWN, N.J., Feb. 5, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- Whether single, married or single again, relationship counseling sessions at Liquid Church of NJ have increasingly involved married couples lamenting that they "married the wrong person." Frequency of marriage has dropped to historic lows in 2015 as adults delay marriage to avoid picking the wrong person. In response, Tim Lucas, lead pastor and founder of the fastest-growing Christian Church in New Jersey has written a new book, "You Married The Wrong Person! The Relationship Secret Every Couple Needs to Know" and is giving it out for free to every married couple and single adult who visits Liquid Church in February. Free chapter downloads are available at www.YouMarriedTheWrongPerson.com

Designed to spark candid conversation with single and married adults, "You Married the Wrong Person!" is a fresh take on modern relationships. "They say love is blind," Lucas notes, "but marriage opens your eyes! According to the Bible, none of us are compatible!" However, instead of lamenting that message, Lucas says it is liberating. "Our culture's quest for the 'perfect partner' misses the point of marriage. Luckily, there's one relationship secret every couple can discover to fill the gaps between expectation and reality," said Lucas.

Liquid Church, which meets in Morristown, Mountainside, New Brunswick and Nutley, New Jersey on Sundays, will be giving away thousands of free copies of "You Married the Wrong Person!" to adults visiting services on Sundays. The book is also available at Amazon.com beginning today in paperback and Kindle formats. Details of the book and author, as well as a downloadable ebook of the first chapter are available at: www.YouMarriedTheWrongPerson.com

Tim Lucas is pastor, speaker, and founder of Liquid Church, one of the fastest-growing churches on the East Coast. Every Sunday, over 3,000 people hear Tim preach at one of Liquid's metro area campuses. A dynamic communicator, Tim is known for his trademark humor, honesty, and insight. A graduate of Wheaton College, Tim is known for his creative use of story, scripture, and multimedia to communicate life-changing truth.

Liquid Church is one of the New Jersey's fastest-growing Christian churches. Founded in 2001 by Lead Pastor Tim Lucas, the church's vision is to "take church to the people" with campuses in Morristown, Mountainside, New Brunswick, and Nutley. Each week, over 3,000 people experience Liquid Church's worship services each weekend in New Jersey and around the globe through Church Online. As a part of its global outreach Liquid provides clean drinking water to the poorest of the poor with dozens of completed projects in several countries including El Salvador and Nicaragua. Liquid Church's innovative approaches to outreach have been spotlighted by CNN and The New York Times. More information is available at www.LiquidChurch.com.

Devote a year to unconditionally love your spouse, the Kendrick's dare you

FROM ALEX AND STEPHEN KENDRICK: A LIFE-CHANGING YEAR FOR COUPLES

'THE LOVE DARE DAY BY DAY'

BHPublishingGroup.com

NASHVILLE – Aug. 7, 2013 – A yearlong journey helping couples transform and deepen their marriages, The Love Dare Day by Day, releases in padded hardback Sept. 1. From groundbreaking filmmakers and best-selling authors Stephen and Alex Kendrick, the new release of The Love Dare Day by Day from B&H Publishing Group also links readers to a free online marriage evaluation resource.

“You’re about to learn more about yourself and your marriage—some of it encouraging, some convicting,” Alex Kendrick tells readers. “In either case, you gain a new view of where you are with your marriage and with God.”

The Love Dare Day by Day—A Year of Devotion for Couples joins the international phenomenon of The Love Dare, with nearly 6 million copies sold. (See Lovell-Fairchild.com for The Love Dare’s remarkable history.) In The Love Dare Day by Day, 52 biblically based “dares”—one each week—challenge married partners to unconditional love. Daily devotions amplify each dare’s scriptural base.

“Our marriages reveal our need to grow and deal with our own issues and selfishness,” Stephen Kendrick said. “But if we are teachable, we can learn the single most important lesson in life—to love. One powerful union, our marriage, invites us to learn to love another imperfect person unconditionally. It’s wonderful, it’s difficult and it’s life-changing.”

The Love Dare Day by Day features:

365 readings on aspects of genuine love
52 weekly dares to help readers better live out their love in marriage
Dozens of prayers spouses can pray for themselves and their partners
Questions to spur creative thinking about your marriage
More than 100 “Go Deeper” sections for personal Bible study on marriage and love
A link to a free online marriage evaluation resource
The Love Dare Day by Day is for one or both spouses. Each week’s “dare” ranges from focused prayer to specific ways spouses can build each other up. A few examples:

“Begin praying this week: ‘Lord, teach me what real love is and make me a loving person.’”
“Make a list of positive attributes about your spouse, then choose one each day and thank your spouse for having this characteristic.”
“Ask your spouse if you can begin praying together. Use this time to commit your concerns, disagreements and needs before the Lord. Don’t forget to thank Him for His provisions and blessings.”
Simple? Yes. Easy? Rarely. But practical, doable and potentially life-changing. The Love Dare Day by Day—A Year of Devotions for Couples can lead to new marriages with the same partners.

Brothers, pastors, filmmakers and authors, Alex and Stephen Kendrick co-wrote the international bestsellers The Love Dare, The Love Dare for Parents and The Resolution for Men. They are among the co-founders of Sherwood Pictures and worked together to write and produce the hit Christian films FLYWHEEL, FACING THE GIANTS, FIREPROOF and COURAGEOUS. Kendrick Brothers Productions is expanding their movie productions with renewed focus on encouraging and equipping the next generation of Christian filmmakers (kendrickbrothers.com). Alex and Stephen continue to serve on the pastoral staff of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga.

About B&H Publishing Group

B&H Publishing Group, a division of LifeWay Christian Resources, is a non-profit publisher made up of people who are passionate about taking God’s Word to the world. Because we believe Every Word Matters™, we seek to provide intentional, Bible-centered content that positively impacts the hearts and minds of people, inspiring them to build a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ. Among our print and digital releases for the trade, church and academic markets, titles include The New York Times No. 1 best-sellers The Love Dare and The Vow as well as the award-winning HCSB Study Bible.

The Cupps Announce Their Daughter's Wedding Date.

WILLIAMSBURG, KY - (Nov 14, 2012) Rev. Troy and Barbara Cupp of the Southern Gospel group known as The Cupps from Williamsburg, KY, are pleased to announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Sarah Cupp to Benjamin Dishman on December 22nd, 2012.
Benjamin is the son of Rev. Gerald and Teresa Dishman of Monticello, KY. “The years have gone by so fast, and our baby is getting married. We’re glad that she has found someone that believes in her ministry, and will not take her away from it. Ben is a good person and his talent as a musician will only add to our group. We love him very much.” stated Barbara.
“I love Ben very much, and I’m excited about him becoming a part of our group,” stated Sarah, “I love to travel and sing with my family. It’s what I’ve always known and done growing up. I started singing when I was only 4 years-old, and now I’m 20. Over the years, I’ve seen many people give their hearts to God through our music, and I believe in what we do. Although I’m getting married, I will continue to travel and sing with The Cupps.”
The couple will be united in marriage at the New Life Tabernacle, located at 886 Black Oak Road in Williamsburg, KY, and will also make their home in Williamsburg, KY.

Retro SGM Radio: Artist Love Stories - Adam Crabb

Adam Crabb: Making a House a Home

From the Crabb Family to Crabb Revival, Adam Crabb’s life on the road has been busy and exciting. This singer, musician and evangelist has a fervency to touch hearts and see lives changed with the power of Jesus. A huge part of Crabb’s wild life has been a lady by the name of Kristi who became his wife ten years ago.
Adam Crabb freely admits that an artist’s life is not easy on a marriage and the couple have had some rough times. In an interview on New Year’s Eve 2010, Crabb talked about keeping a marriage solid when everything around is in turbulence. Be sure to read the March edition of SGN Scoops for the full Crabb Revival interview.
“Kristi traveled with me for nine years,” Crabb begins. “2010 was our tenth year anniversary. I have learned that being married is an every day process. You have to understand them and they have to understand you. But more than that, without the Word of God and the Love of God in your house, it won’t work. It is the glue that holds it together.”
Adam Crabb has made the Lord the center of their home. “My Dad wrote a song called, A House Ain’t A Home ‘Til Jesus Moves In. That is so true. The moment you allow other things to take the place of Jesus, that’s when it all starts caving in.”
“You have to keep Jesus as the focal point and pray with your spouse,” continues Crabb. “Have I always been faithful in this? Not always, but I’ve tried to do the best that I could. I believe that this year is going to be our best year as a couple, in our marriage and as a family. I’ve got two beautiful kids, my boy is four and my girl is eight. They are the greatest kids in the world. I’m a blessed man.”
Many marriage counselors will urge couples to continue doing the romantic things that they did while they were courting. Crabb says he does try to do little things to keep the romance in their relationship.
“I do try, but I’m a man, you know how that is,” Crabb laughs. “This past year I probably did [those things] a lot more. I think that’s important to do those romantic things because women need that and women want that. But the main thing I think a woman wants to see is a guy that is secure in himself and is stable. She wants to see a man that knows where he wants to go in life. And men: with Jesus, you can’t fail.”
Every marriage takes work, even those relationships founded in Christ. Crabb says, “Marriage is a fragile thing and the least little thing can break it. The reason I’m saying that is that this last year we went a lot. I learned so much. Sometimes you say, ‘God, why in the world did I have to go through that?’ But it’s for a reason. I can’t tell you the number of husbands and wives that have come up to me and said, ‘You were speaking right to me. You knew everything I was going through and it’s because of you that we are going to stay together.’”
As a Christian artist and an exhorter of the Word of God, Adam Crabb recognizes his responsibility to walk his talk. “Somebody told me one time, ‘You are a shepherd, guiding the sheep. I didn’t really understand that until this year,” says Crabb. “There are a lot of people watching. If I fail in my marriage, what kind of a sign is that to those people? So it’s important to me to keep my marriage and my house strong.”
“I’ve been blessed to have ten incredible years in which my wife has been behind me and supported me,” continues Crabb. “My kids love their Daddy and they go with me as much as they can.”
Crabb does have a warning for those who are careless about their marriage vows or their family commitment: “The enemy loves to destroy a family. If he can get your family, he’s got you. I don’t care what anyone says, once you’ve been through a struggle with your family, whether its divorce or whatever, there is always something there. God can heal it, but it’s always there. I encourage everyone to work on your marriage and work to make your house a better home.”
Adam and Kristi Crabb have a beautiful family and they are working to keep Jesus at the center of their home. As Adam continues to travel across the country, he continues to encourage his audience to strengthen themselves, their relationships and their marriage in God. That’s the way to keep real love strong, no matter what day it is. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Pictures above courtesy of Adam Crabb
For more information: http://adamcrabb.com/

By Lorraine Walker
First Published on SGM Radio, February 2011
For more artist features and current interviews click on to http://www.sgmradio.com/

Southern Gospel Love Stories - Retro SGM Radio

In a world of broken promises and shattered relationships, it is always heart-warming to hear of those who have learned the secret of a lasting marriage. The job demands of a southern gospel artist can be hard on family life and often make married life difficult. SGM Radio was able to chat with several artists who have learned the secret to making relationships work and these wonderful couples are sharing their stories this month.

Soloist Mark Bishop and wife Carolyn, Kentucky: “ I met my wife Carolyn back in the early 80's. Mom and dad had decided that they wanted to start taking their boys ( I was the oldest of four boys ) to the church they grew up in and were later married in.

When we first walked in the church house, as folks do, many turned to see who was walking in. Carolyn was sitting on a pew with one of her friends and I can still see her turning and looking over her shoulder as we caught each other’s eye for the first time. We were both high school age at this time and the courtship process that ensued was filled with all of the awkward moments and memorable milestones that many relationships begin with.

Later on, after graduation and employment, we were married in that same church that my mom and dad had been married in so many years later... by the same preacher!

Mark shares these words of advice: “We have now been married 23 years, have two daughters, Courtney aged fifteen and Haley aged eight. I have never, ever regretted my commitment to this woman. She is still the most wonderful person I know. We were given some wonderful advice when we were first married and it was this... marriage is not a fifty/fifty deal. It is a 100%/ 100% commitment. Some days you may feel like you are giving all 100% and the other is giving nothing, but you do it anyway. Because the time will come when the other partner will be carrying you.

In today’s "disposable, fast-food society", folks give up to easily if something doesn't meet their idealized, romanticized ideas. But there are rewards to be reaped from a relationship that endures for the length of two life-times.”

Psalms 101, Angela and Bill Fulkerson, Florida: “I [Angela] am a preacher's kid and being raised in church is all I've ever known. I started singing when I was 3 years old in revivals and camp meetings. My dad was an evangelist and I traveled with my family all over the country. Our home base was Florida and in 1987 our family ministry took us to Houston, Texas. I had no idea that this revival would be such an important part of my life.

We went to a church in Houston that had just lost their pastor. We were there to hold them a revival while they searched for a new pastor. After the first service they voted my Dad in as their new pastor. On the back row of that little church that day was Bill, a 14 year old boy who came from a broken home. His dad left him when he was a baby, his mom raised him from pillar to post and from step-dad to step-dad. Those step-dads were cruel and abusive and told him he would never amount to anything. He dropped out of school, started hanging with the wrong crowd, got addicted to drugs and had just started drinking alcohol. He had already been in trouble with the law several times and sent to the Juvenile Detention Center. Bill happened to be in the service that morning because his grandparents had just decided to raise this troubled teen and this was their home church. It was in this very service that Bill accepted Jesus into his heart, was delivered from his drug addiction and his life was changed forever.

In the year and a half that my dad pastored this church, Bill & I became best friends. We found out he had a talent and he joined our family group playing acoustic guitar. We were only 15 and 16 years old and having the time of our lives traveling around in a big old bus singing with our heroes like Kenny Hinson, the Hemphills and many others.

The time came when my dad was called to go somewhere else. Two weeks before our last Sunday there, I got a phone call from my friend Bill. He decided to inform me that he wanted to be more than just friends. We called & wrote each other love letters every week for 6 months. My family stopped traveling full time and we started doing just weekends. I went to nursing school and tried to get Bill out of my mind. One day he called and said he had been working odd jobs and saved up enough money to get a bus ticket from Houston to Lakeland, Florida and that he would be down to see me in a few weeks. We did not think he was serious. He was only 15 years old.

One month later, we picked him up from the bus station and brought him home for a visit. Well, he did not stay in our house. My dad would not have that. Bill had to stay in the back yard in our old singing bus. He also had to get up at 7am every morning and go to work with my dad & brother in their painting business so Bill & I would never be left alone at the house. Bill quickly caught on to painting and my dad started paying him. After 3 weeks, my dad saw the way Bill and I were looking at each other across the dinner table and finally told Bill it was time for him to go back to Texas. Well he did and this time we both knew that we loved each other and that God had something special for us.

At 16 years old, Bill worked hard for 4 more months and saved enough money to come back to Florida. Daddy was going to make it hard for Bill. He would not allow him to stay with us this time. So, some dear friends of mine allowed Bill to live with them and gave him a job in construction. However, they lived 3 hours away from us. So, Bill & I only got to see each other on a weekend here and there. Bill kept on working and he saved enough money to buy him a car and rent a little apartment 1 mile from my parents house and right across the street from the church my dad was pastoring. At 17 years old, Bill started his own painting business, which he still has today. Nobody could tell him this time to go back to Texas. He was here to stay. We still had never been on a real date and never even kissed. We were never left alone!

When I turned 18, my dad let me go on a first date with Bill. He had finally earned my parents trust and they saw how much Bill loved me. You better believe we kissed on our first date! We were both each others first love and we knew God wanted us to be together for a purpose. We dated for 2 more years and finally daddy performed our wedding in 1992. My dad went evangelizing full time again and Bill & I were the music part of his crusades for over 6 years. Our travels took us to over 40 states and 6 countries. We had the opportunity to sing to our military at the service centers in Germany. We saw many miracles and many folks saved.

In 2003, the Lord called Bill & I to our own music ministry, Psalm 101, and we are now raising our son on the road as well. September 15th of this year Bill & I will celebrate 15 years of marriage and we are still each other's best friends and he still makes me laugh. We have just produced our 2nd CD and we are still having the time of our lives traveling and telling others about the love of Jesus. The name of our new CD is Worth The Wait. We get invited to churches, youth events and marriage classes to share our love story of how we stayed pure and waited for each other. God is so good and we thank him everyday for bringing us together for His glory.

Soloist Melinda Hand and husband Paul, Missippi: “Melinda and I met at a Mike Warnke (Christian Comedian) concert in Jackson, MS. I was 15, a sophomore in high school and had talked my parents into letting me take my car and some friends to the concert. We were basically going scouting for girls! Anyway, when we got to the concert hall, I spotted a gorgeous blonde all the way across the foyer. I punched my buddy next to me and said...."Do you see that girl over there? I'm gonna marry her!" I had never met or seen her before. A couple of minutes later after watching her from afar, I saw another girl approach her and start talking...I recognized this girl, so I decided that this was my chance to meet this dream girl! After meeting Melinda( and her boyfriend that walked up later), we all proceeded to our seats...our seats somehow ended up being directly behind hers! She ended up flirting me most of the night...I have no idea how I avoided a fight with the boy friend! I did not see or talk to her for the next six months, but did find her when school started back in the fall as I had moved to the school where she attended. I asked her out a couple of weeks later and we have been together since....boy, she sure is lucky!”

Paul’s recommendations: “We both would agree that the best advice for other couples: Christian couples must remain focused on God. Priority to Him is a must. When we each are where we need to be in our relationship with God, then there is no way He will let it (marriage) fail.”

Paul and Melinda’s story is more than just a fairytale of ‘happily ever after’. They will be celebrating their 16th anniversary this May, but there was a time when they thought that might not happen. They told their story in a quarterly church publication and they have agreed to share it with SGM Radio readers.

Melinda and Paul married young and were both working and going to college during the first four years of their marriage. Starting a family, beginning careers and building a home left little time for togetherness. Both were extremely active in their church and they appeared to be the perfect Christian couple.

Despite appearances, Paul says that this was not a good time for him spiritually. “There were so many things in my life that were not God’s will, things that kept me from getting close to him. It took almost losing my wife for me to finally ‘get it’”, Paul explains in the article. The couple was drifting apart spiritually and emotionally.

At this point, Melinda began to develop a closeness with her boss, which ended abruptly when a minister from their church confronted her. She immediately quit her job and confessed what had happened to her husband. Paul knew he had to make things right with the Lord and with Melinda. They asked forgiveness of each other. Then they asked forgiveness from God. “We asked God to restore all the love we had for each other [and] He did”, says Melinda.

Since that point, Melinda and Paul have developed a strong, growing marriage that is founded on the Lord. Their focus has switched from a big house and material things to family and relationship. The Hands attend a yearly marriage retreat, schedule regular date nights, and take time to get away as a couple, twice a year.

Prayer is a strong focus for this couple as well. Paul and Melinda pray together every morning. They never pray alone with a member of the opposite sex. Each night, they re-affirm their love and faithfulness to each other verbally before retiring. They are bonded spiritually and emotionally, and their marriage grows along with their relationship to Christ.

Anyone spending time with this lovely couple can see the deep love and commitment they have for each other. It’s a blessing to see how a marriage can not only last but even become stronger despite being dealt a hard blow. They are living out the reality that the strength of a bond between husband and wife is only as strong as each individual’s bond with the Lord. And that is the secret of an enduring, Christ-centered marriage.

We thank each of these couples for sharing their love stories with us this month. It’s great to know that even with the demanding schedules of artists in Southern Gospel, building a strong relationship with God and each other is not only possible, but also necessary. SGM Radio salutes all those couples whose commitment to marriage and family demonstrate the love of God. Your lives are a witness to the message you sing about. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Southern Gospel Love Stories By Lorraine Walker First Published February 2007 on http://www.sgmradio.com

For current features, be sure to visit http://www.sgmradio.com

A Marriage Conference Where the Whole Family Is Invited (Even the Kids)

ASHEVILLE, NC, Oct. 17, 2011 To attend the average Christian marriage conference, Mom and Dad have to hire a babysitter.

By contrast, at the Gospel-Centered Marriages for a Glorious Church conference coming up October 27-29, Mom and Dad are encouraged to bring their children with them to learn about marriage together as a family.

Despite its unique vision, 2,200 have already registered to attend this near-capacity event located at the LifeWay Christian Conference Center in Asheville, North Carolina and organized by the National Center for Family-Integrated Churches (NCFIC). Remarkably, 65% of the attendees are 25 years old or younger.

Committed to proclaiming the sufficiency of Scripture for church and family life, the NCFIC believes that marriage is the one neglected area that, at least sometimes, should be inclusive of the whole family.

"This gathering is designed to bring parents and their children together to consider the biblical doctrine of marriage in order to prepare the rising generation for gospel-centered marriages," said Scott Brown, the director of NCFIC. "One of the reasons that marriages are in trouble today is that parents did not instruct their children, from their years as toddlers, about marriage." Amazingly, one of the messages is entitled, "How to Prepare Your Two-Year-Old for Marriage."

And, now, thanks to modern technology, Christians from across the country can virtually attend this life-changing marriage conference. Registrants can watch live-streaming video of the 10 keynote addresses and receive downloadable audio for all 27 messages.

Brown's vision for this conference is that it is a place where the attendees stand together to instruct the rising generation about marriage and teach them the way in which they should go (Proverbs 22:6).

He said, "I pray that everyone there will use their time wisely and teach their children personally, by discussing, reviewing, repenting, and memorizing together the things that God has in mind for marriage."

Twenty-seven messages will be delivered including:

· What the Gospel Has to Do With Your Marriage?

· Friendship in Marriage

· Courtship Catastrophe Mitigation

· How Fathers Qualify Suitors

· Do We Have Our Cart Before Our Horse When It Comes to Love?

· Sexual Intimacy in Marriage

· What Is the Role of Romance and Emotions?

· Church Life that Prepares Young People for Marriage

Paul Washer of HeartCry Missionary Society, Doug Phillips of Vision Forum Ministries, Scott Brown, Kevin Swanson of Generations with Vision, and Dr. Joel Beeke, President and Professor of Systematic Theology of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary will be the keynote speakers.

One of the critical messages of this conference is that the gospel is meant to be the center of marriage.

Another is that when you have weak marriages you also have weak churches. This is important to the organization since NCFIC is dedicated to the building of gospel-centered, biblically-ordered, .

A third message is that families should not be intentionally age-segregated from one another during the instruction of the Word of God. Brown stated, "When Jesus taught, whole families were there. We should do the same."

What's the bottom line at this unusual family-integrated marriage conference?

"It's one thing to believe in the message of the gospel. It's quite another thing to live the gospel in your preparation for marriage and after you are married. Marriage is one of the ways God has designed for the gospel to be displayed. Therefore, every marriage problem and every perversion of marriage is an expression of problems in applying the gospel in our lives," said Brown.

"I hope that each married person leaves this conference with wounds healed and hearts changed. I also hope that each single person departs with a greater vision for the glory of the gospel in marriage. It's time for singles to throw off the bondage of the worldly and bankrupt vision that has so saturated our culture and our thinking. And it's time for a new generation dedicated to gospel-centered marriages."