**NOTE** While this is intended for unmarried Christian men - I think those of us who are married currently will also benefit from this refresher.  Hopefully, it will help married men as well and encourage you to consider some areas where maybe you've dropped the ball and need to re-engage in the fight for your marriage again.

In part 1 of these series, we looked at 5 things that Christian men would benefit from by knowing about marriage BEFORE they said, "I do!".

Today, we're going to look at 5 more ideas that can help save you some trouble and help you plan for and prepare for your sacred vows.

(Click here if you missed #1-#5 in Part 1)

5 More Things You Should Know About Marriage

6.  Sometimes it will be harder than you think.  But don’t ever give up or give yourself an out!

Let's just be brutally honest here.  Marriage is amazing!  But...

Marriage can be really tough, too.  In fact, it may be harder than you ever imagined. ...

**NOTE** While this is intended for unmarried Christian men - I think those of us who are married currently will also benefit from this refresher.  Hopefully, it will help married men as well and encourage you to consider some areas where maybe you've dropped the ball and need to re-engage in the fight for your marriage again.

Have you ever thought, “Gosh, I wish I had know this before I got here!”? 

Maybe you thought that about parenting, or money, or some health issue that you're dealing with.  Today, though, we’re talking about how nice it would be to have some wisdom and insight about marriage before you say, "I do!".  

Hindsight is 20/20 they say.  But wouldn’t foresight be even better?!

We think so, too, and that’s what we’re doing in this post today; trying to help serve those of you who have never been married before (or maybe are hoping to re-marry again and do it better one...

Dating can be a tricky topic for many Christians.

On one hand, dating can be a beautiful experience that leads to a fulfilling marriage. On the other hand, it can be a minefield of temptation and compromise that leads to regret and heartbreak.

For single Christian men (whatever the age or circumstance), it can be particularly challenging to navigate these waters while staying true to their faith and values. However, it is possible to date in a healthy and godly way.

Let's look at five ways that a Christian single can keep himself pure in dating.

1. Set Boundaries

One of the most important things a Christian single can do is set clear boundaries when it comes to dating. This may include physical boundaries, such as avoiding sexual activity, but it also includes emotional and spiritual boundaries, too.

This means setting limits on how much time and energy you spend with your date, how much personal information you share, and how involved you become in their life. It...

"We must reverse Adam's choice; we must choose God over Eve.  We must take our ache to him. 

For only in God will we find the healing of our wound." - Wild at Heart

When life - or the devil - wounds a man's heart, what is the intent behind it?  What is the ultimate endgame?

Brennan Manning, in his book, Ragamuffin Gospel, says that man was created for union with God.  This is why we were created.  It's why we exist. 

If he's right, then the wounds that we receive are an attempt to keep us from that union.  They are arrows aimed at our heart that are meant to keep us away from the life that we've been created to live.

So when the heart is wounded and when we realize that we're not right and we're not right with God, we begin to feel deep shame, guilt, and embarrassment.

John Eldredge says, in his book Wild at Heart, that - "Guys are unanimously embarrassed by their emptiness and woundedness; it is for most of us a tremendous source...

Do I have what it takes?

Am I powerful enough to handle this?

Am I real man?

These are the questions that men wrestle with along their journey of life.  And, as John Eldredge says in his book, Wild at Heart, "Men are haunted by the question(s) or crippled by the answer."

Haunted By The Question

I remember my own story (one of many stories!) of wrestling with these questions.  I was probably in 4th or 5th grade and there was a kid at school who kept teasing me and making me scared.  That probably wasn't hard because I was afraid of everything!  But, it was really bothering me and somehow it got mentioned when I was home one day.  

I remember talking to my dad about this and, with my dad being a godly man and a soft-hearted guy, I really thought I knew what he would say.

"Son, you just gotta walk away.  Boys can be mean but Christians walk away and be 'the bigger man'".  

But that's not what he said.  Instead, it was more like this:

...