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strange if you ask if you may discuss marriage with them. 3. Read recommended materials. There are many well-written books and articles available. Your minister will have these books for you to read and discuss together. Purchase one recommended book on Christian mar riage and another approved book on sex in marriage. 4. Recognize that God created you. He also instituted marriage. Discover what the Scriptures and the church have to say on the subject. The Chris tian view of marriage was first found in the New Testament. The insights of modem scholarship are based upon these original principles. Every time you attend a Christ-centered church, you are developing attitudes that pre pare you for marriage. First you must also be sure that you are a Christian by faith in the Saviour. 5. Participate in pre-marital coun seling. Pre-marriage counseling is a process of assisting the couple, through the use of professional tests and interviews, to understand them selves, each other and the marriage relationships better. Your minister may be trained to conduct these inter views, helping you to think about marriage in an atmosphere which is free from judgment, criticism and ad vice. 6. Consult a medical doctor. This is required in many states and consists only of a blood test. However, it is advisable that a more thorough exam ination be taken, with the view to ascertaining general health, discuss ing pregnancy and the spacing of children. Be sure .to enter your mar riage in the best possible physical and emotional health. This all takes time and you are a busy couple. So does marriage take time. It is almost a full-time job. If you are too busy to prepare for mar riage, then you are too busy to get married. I suggest that you evaluate your time and begin to discover which activities that claim your time are the important and maturing ones. When you establish such a pyramid of values, you will discover that you have time to prepare for marriage.
I n a t y p i c a l Southern California city, an attractive and talented young man graduated from his local high school. His graduation gift was to be the down payment on a new automobile. For three months, this teenager shopped around, carefully selecting the car he wanted to buy. Not long after this, the same young man spent two weeks getting ac quainted with a girl whom he quickly married. A few months later, he asked for a divorce. Just six months from now, thou sands of Southland young people will be exchanging wedding vows in our churches and chapels. If you are among them I would like to congratu late you. I sincerely trust that your planning goes beyond mere prepara tion for the wedding. Are you plan ning and preparing for your mar riage? A beautiful wedding is desir able and memorable, but is essentially external. .It has little to do with mari tal success. Preparing for marriage is not an abstraction. There are concrete steps you may take to preparing yourselves for living together. In fact, uncon sciously you have been determining certain features of your marriage for years. You won’t be much different in your new home than you are in your family home. This brings us to the first steps you may take: 1. Start contributing love and hap piness within your own home. Love is never “wasted.” The more that your capacity to love is exercised, the more it grows. You may only have a few months left at home. Tell your par ents that you want to begin giving mature love to your own family. Get ting married won’t make you loving and unselfish. Better begin developing these attitudes right now. 2. Talk with happily - married friends and relatives about their views of marriage, the time of marriage, planning for children, recreation, hob bies and mutual interests. Evaluate suggestions received; use or reject as you choose. If these couples are rea sonably happy, they know that their success did not just happen. They worked at it. They will not think it
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Dramatic film presentation of a mighty
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missionary ministry SOUTHAMERICA A National pastor tells his own story of his discouraging battle against religious fanaticism and communist penetration. Strength and hope come with the arrival of PTL and the forceful impact of the Word of God on the very citadels of fear and superstition.
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20 minutes — 16mm — color— sound
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Write today for bookings to Dept. K1 m e t Testament League,«, 49 Honeck Street • Englewood, New Jersey
Theological Seminary Thorough.Preparation for l Pastors * Missionaries Teachers • Evangelists offering B. D. and Th M Degrees Premillennial * Dispensations!
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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