A recent headline in The Wall Street Journal shone a spotlight on the extreme pressures at work on marriages in the age of COVID-19: “Coronavirus stress has produced a pressure cooker inside homes, hurting even strong partnerships and, experts say, likely breaking others.”
“What our world needs, what our wives deserve, and what our Savior demands--are men who are servant kings.“
The fourth promise of a Promise Keeper is a commitment to build strong marriages and families through love, protection, and biblical values. Building a strong marriage that will not just survive but thrive during the age of COVID-19 is far from easy, but it is possible. Profound stresses, deep strains, and even fractures can be healed. Relationships can be stronger in the broken places.
Men are the key to forging strong marriages in stressful times. As men take up their biblical responsibilities, lay down their lives for their wives and children, and lead like Jesus, relationships deepen, and pressure pushes couples closer together instead of farther apart.
To empower men to build strong marriages in stressful times, Promise Keepers is launching two timely initiatives in January and February.
Initiative 1: Promise Keepers’ First Online Marriage Summit for Men
The PK Marriage Summit, a completely free and fast-paced 2-hour experience, is designed to benefit all men, whether they are married, engaged, single, or divorced. Men can participate in the Marriage Summit in groups at church, home, base, or dorm or as individuals online on January 23.
Speakers include:
- Dr. Gary Chapman, counselor and author of The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts, which has been a New York Times bestseller for 10 years running.
- John Bevere, co-founder of Messenger International and bestselling author. Over 40 million copies of his resources have been given away worldwide.
- Jimmy Evans, founder and CEO of MarriageToday, a ministry devoted to helping couples thrive in strong and fulfilling marriages and families. He and his wife, Karen, co-host MarriageToday, a nationally syndicated television program.
- Al Robertson, entrepreneur featured with father, Phil, on “Duck Dynasty.” Married for over 30 years, his is the story of rescued love in the face of an impending divorce.
- Dr. Gary Rosberg, co-founder of America’s Family Coaches and bestselling author with wife Barb of multiple books on marriage and family with nearly 1 million in print.
- Rick Burgess, co-host of “The Rick and Bubba Show,” bestselling author, co-founder with wife Sherri of Burgess Ministries and founder of “The Man Church”
- Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), author of From Survive to Thrive and Promise Keepers board member
- Crawford Loritts, pastor of Fellowship Bible Church, board member for CRU, Family Life, and Chick-fil-A Inc, and author of Your Marriage Today…And Tomorrow
- Jerrad Lopes, pastor and the founder of DadTired.com, a non-profit ministry focused on pointing men toward Jesus. He hosts the weekly “Dad Tired Podcast.”
- Brad Stine, Christian stand-up comedian, actor, and writer known as “God’s Comic”
- Victor Marx, sexual assault survivor and high risk humanitarian with successful missions to Iraq, Syria, North Africa and Southeast Asia helping orphans and widows
- Dan Seaborn, founder of Winning At Home, Inc. and leader for the Marriage & Family Division of the American Association of Christian Counselors
- Chad Hennings, founder of Wingmen Ministries, COO/Partner at Rubicon Representation, former Dallas Cowboy defensive lineman, and Promise Keepers board member
- Tim Ross, pastor of Embassy City Church and author of Upset the World,which shows how kindness and friendliness can break down barriers and build relationships.
- Jonathan Evans, serves with his father, Dr. Tony Evans, both in the local church and the national ministry. He is the chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks.
- Sen. Tim Scott, United States Senator serving South Carolina, pioneer of legislation to create opportunity zones across America to help distressed families and communities.
- Sen. James Lankford, United States Senator serving Oklahoma, chairman of Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management Subcommittee, and Promise Keepers board member.
- Ken Harrison, chairman of Promise Keepers, host of the “On the Edge” podcast and author of Rise of the Servant Kings: What the Bible Says About Being a Man
Themes include:
- How to reconnect with your partner
- How to resolve conflict
- Positive communication
- Emotional intimacy
- The power of praying for your marriage and spouse
- Sexual integrity
Ken Harrison and Pastor Tim Ross explained the significance of Promise Keepers’ Men’s Marriage Summit.
“Our culture bombards us with a vision of masculinity which is passive, soft, silent, and impotent. The result: men today don’t have a clear model of what it means to be better husbands, fathers, friends and men.
“What our world needs, what our wives deserve, and what our Savior demands--are men who are servant kings.
“Men who as kings are proactive, courageous, generous and humble. Men who embrace their identity as leaders with authority and conviction.
“Men who as servants put their wives and children ahead of themselves, who nurture them and make sure everything they do is in their best interests, and who are ready to lay down their lives for them if necessary.
“The Marriage Summit will not only provide insight into becoming a better husband and building a better marriage, it will also provide opportunities for men to take what they’ve learned and put it into action with other motivated men.” - Ken Harrison
“Promise Keepers continues to provide world-class content for men to grow in their relationships with God. This year our emphasis on marriage will give men practical ways to strengthen relationships with their wives and children to establish a blessing in their families for generations to come!” - Pastor Tim Ross
Initiative 2: The Promise Keepers’ Marriage Challenge
The Virtual Men’s Marriage Summit kicks off a 3-week challenge that will place you side by side virtually with other men as you build up your marriages in a concrete way. Any man, anywhere, at any time, can join the challenge through the Promise Keepers app.
The challenge will be lead on the Promise Keepers’ app and will include:
- Daily scriptures, activities and weekly challenges including leaderboards and gamification
- Video and written content, including additional resources from marriage experts
- Small, virtual groups of fellow men based upon geographic location or stage of marriage
- 21 Day Prayer Guide
Register for the Promise Keepers’ 2021 Men’s Marriage Summit at https://promisekeepers.org/marriage/