Praise in Marital Transitions: Stepping into 5787 Together

Welcome to September 2026! As we cross the threshold into the new Hebrew year 5787, we enter the Month of Covenant Faithfulness. Anchored by the royal tribe of Judah (Praise) and the steadfast legacy of Ruth, God calls us to step into new seasons with deliberate worship.

Anita had a major life-changing surgery that physically transformed her. She is about six weeks post-recuperation and it greatly impacted our marriage for the better. We became more grateful to God, and more dependent on each other. 

Life transitions—whether career shifts, empty nests, or new seasons of ministry—can shake our sense of routine. Yet, when we enthrone Jesus through praise, our transitions become divine transformations. “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah...” (Genesis 49:10a, KJV). Let us praise our way into 5787 together.

We thank God for a successful recovery with no complications as we have been given another chance to rejoice in God's goodness as a couple!

Crossing Thresholds into 5787

Entering the Hebrew year 5787 represents entering a fresh cycle of God’s covenant promises. Transitions naturally bring uncertainty, but like Ruth stepping into Bethlehem, our stance must be unwavering loyalty to God and spouse. When seasons change, daily habits easily fracture if not anchored in covenant. Instead of worrying about what lies ahead this month or in this new Hebrew year of 5787, use this momentum to realign your marriage. “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee...” (Ruth 1:16a, KJV). Praise shifts your focus from the anxiety of the unknown to the certainty of God’s presence. 

Some of our most memorable times in church are praising God together. Casting your cares to God as a couple reminds you that neither of you are ultimately in charge. It literally causes you to walk together toward God!

Praise in the Unknown

Judah means "Praise," and in ancient Israel, Judah always marched first. In your marriage, praise is not a reaction to good circumstances, it's a strategic weapon that prepares the way through transition. When facing unexpected challenges or seasonal shifts, choose to praise God together as King over your household. “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength...” (Psalm 8:2a, KJV). When couples lead with praise, heavy burdens lift, confusion clears, and divine clarity take over your home. 

Practical Coordinate: The 5-Minute Praise Breakdown

How should couples practically enthrone praise during life's shifts you wonder? Establish a daily "5-Minute Praise Breakdown." Before discussing budgets, schedules, or household logistics, spend five unbroken minutes praying or thanking God aloud together for His past faithfulness and future provision. “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise...” (Psalm 100:4a, KJV). This simple habit recalibrates your spirit, guards your tongue, and aligns your heart with your spouse. Small, intentional moments of shared gratitude unlock "Boaz-level grace" and abundance in your fields of labor together.

As we welcome Hebrew year 5787, remember that your covenant is built to thrive in every transition. With Judah’s praise on your lips and Ruth’s radical faithfulness in your heart, your marriage will not merely survive seasonal changes—it will conquer them. Sit down with your spouse tonight and declare God's goodness over this new year. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6, KJV). May the Lord richly crown your 5787 with lovingkindness, unshakable peace, and continuous joy. Amen and amen!

 

Sometimes, you need to refresh your spouse with a much-needed apology. As summer reaches its peak heat, daily pressure can cause tension to simmer beneath the surface of a marriage. It's true that the hotter you are, the hotter tempers can be! August's spiritual call to reflection and repentance provides a divine opportunity to cool off. Instead of letting built-up frustration scorch your covenant, let us blow off the steam and step into God's refreshing grace. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” (Acts 3:19, KJV). 

                                                Blowing Off the Built-Up Steam

We have each held on to our anger for too long and ended up being the one to say "I'm sorry" later on. Late-summer heat often mirrors accumulated pressure in a home. Weeks of busy schedules, heatwaves, or unspoken grievances create emotional steam. If trapped, this pressure leads to explosive arguments or cold withdrawal. Blowing off steam Godly-style isn't about venting in anger; it's about safely releasing pent-up tension before the Lord and with your spouse. “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:” (Ephesians 4:26, KJV). 

We honestly recommend going to God FIRST to vent and say "just how you feel" about what caused the anger towards your husband or wife. Open the windows of your heart, unpack the pressure honestly, and allow Christ’s gentle peace to cool your heart first, then your spouse and ultimately your home's atmosphere.

The Refreshing Power of Repentance

Repentance is never a sign of defeat (we used to think so for sure!). It is actually the ultimate doorway to marital healing. When conflict escalates, pride urges us to defend ourselves, but humility prompts us to turn around. True repentance means acknowledging where we have added heat to the home, asking for forgiveness, and changing course. When we repent, God promises “times of refreshing” (Acts 3:19, KJV). Admitting fault clears the sweltering emotional air, replacing tension with sweet, life-giving grace and restored marital intimacy.

Sometimes it takes a while to cool off to both give and receive an apology, but it needs to happen in your home as soon as possible so that the enemy does not make it a stronghold!

Healing Through Attentive Hearing

We learned that you cannot cool down a heated relationship when both spouses are shouting over each other. Healing begins when we quiet our tempers and attune our ears to our spouse’s heart. “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” (James 1:19, KJV). This August, commit to listening without defensiveness. Hearing your partner’s heart with empathy acts as a soothing balm, quenching the flames of misunderstanding.

Do not let late-summer friction scorch the beauty of your covenant bond. Turn to the Lord today, blow off the steam through honest dialogue, and experience the healing power of genuine repentance. Sit down with your spouse and ask: "How can I better hear and support you this month?".  May the Lord blow away every shadow of conflict and refresh your home with His abundant peace this August as you repent when needed, and forgive when an apology is offered. 

The Grace Pause for a Stable Marriage

June 2026 was our 25th Anniversary Month!! 

Busy summer schedules and sudden irritations can easily cause our marital dynamics to fluctuate. God calls us to step off the emotional rollercoaster and plant our feet on solid ground. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable...” (1 Corinthians 15:58a, KJV). Let us explore how to transition from reactionary feelings to unwavering covenant consistency this month. After many years of bumping heads, we now try to implement what we call, "The Grace Pause"...

The Trap of Fleeting Feelings

It is all too easy to let fleeting moods dictate how we treat our spouse (especially for women during that time of the month). When we allow daily stressors, fatigue, or minor frustrations to control our tone and attitude, we fall into the trap of instability. Our emotions become as unpredictable as changing tides, shaking the security of our home. Marriage cannot thrive when it is anchored to something as shifting as human feelings. Covenant consistency requires us to intentionally choose love and kindness, even when our temporary emotions tell us to do otherwise.

The Warning of Reuben

Jacob gave a sobering prophetic word concerning his firstborn: “Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel...” (Genesis 49:4, KJV). Water takes the shape of whatever container holds it; it has no stable structure of its own. When we mirror this instability in our marriage, we compromise our marital growth and spiritual inheritance. An excellent marriage requires a firm structural foundation. God desires your covenant to be a rock-solid sanctuary, entirely unmoved by temporary emotional storms or the demands of a hectic season.

Activating the "Grace Pause"

How do we break the cycle of emotional reactivity? By implementing the "grace pause." Before responding to a sudden irritation or a harsh word, intentionally pause for three seconds. It takes practice for sure! This moment allows the Holy Spirit to recalibrate your heart. Scripture reminds us, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19, KJV). Use that brief moment to choose an edifying response rather than a defensive reaction, building stability one conversation at a time.

Marital excellence is built on steady, predictable love, modeled after Christ's unwavering devotion to us. This summer, let us cast off the instability of changing water and embrace the security of the Rock. Commit to practicing the "grace pause" together this week. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6, KJV). May the Lord richly anchor your hearts, steady your steps, and bless your marriage with enduring peace. 

Guarding the Gates: Family Stability in a Digital World

While scripture warns against being "unstable as water," it calls us to build an unshakeable foundation. In today's noisy world, maintaining marital and family stability requires us to be active gatekeepers. We cannot allow the chaotic currents of society to slip into our homes unnoticed. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable...” (1 Corinthians 15:58a, KJV). Let us explore how to guard our family camp’s alignment and protect our household's peace this summer.

The Danger of Outside Alignment

A study of the wives of Dathan and Abiram with Anita's Wifestyle Image Network, warns us against aligning with rebellion and discontent. A stable marriage thrives when a husband and wife protect their unified front, refusing to let toxic outside influences sow seeds of discord. Both of you must discern and then decide to keep your marriage and household safe from sin - little fozes that spoil vines.

Guard your covenant against gossip, worldly advice, and comparison. “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3, KJV). Stand shoulder-to-shoulder, ensuring your collective steps are firmly established in God’s truth. By filtering out negative outside voices, you secure a fortress of absolute peace for your family.

Guarding the Digital Gates (Media)

An unstable home often begins with unguarded screens. Media, entertainment, and social platforms can quietly erode biblical values and compromise your spiritual atmosphere at home. As spouses, we must aggressively audit what we allow past our threshold. At our house, we even intentionally put oil on our doors and pray over gifts entering our home.

“I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes...” (Psalm 101:3a, KJV). 

Intentionally filter the digital noise in your living spaces. We limited the social media in our home for many years by not allowing R-rated material at all, and all screens would shut down via a timer at 9pm. When couples align on digital boundaries, they protect their intimacy from external distractions and keep their hearts anchored in the Lord. This can be hard to define the media line, but work on this with your spouse to have set rules. It's important to guard your gates; your peace depends on it.

Shielding Our Children

The choices we make as gatekeepers directly affect our children’s hearts and minds. Children are highly vulnerable to the cultural currents flowing through modern media. We must courageously shield them from spiritual instability, teaching them to discern light from darkness. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6, KJV). We used to discuss what we saw on TV with ours sons on a regular basis. We had discussions comparing it to the Bible and God's standards. By modeling stable, media-mindful behaviors and setting healthy boundaries, we cultivate deep roots of faith that will sustain our children for a lifetime. We trust that those planted seeds will yield right responses in their adult years.

Conclusion

Family stability is not accidental; it is a daily, intentional choice to protect what God has entrusted to you. By guarding your media, filtering outside influences, and shielding your children, you build an unshakeable home. Will you sit down with your spouse tonight and discuss your household boundaries? “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6, KJV). May the Lord richly bless your home with steadfastness, Christ-like wisdom, and a peace that surpasses all understanding this July. Amen.

The Mckaneys'

Can't Forgive them? Three decluttering ideas...

 

We’ve all been there. You open a closet that’s been neglected all winter, take one look at the clutter, and want to close the door immediately and walk away. Spring cleaning takes effort. It requires us to look at what we’ve accumulated, decide what no longer serves us, and do the heavy lifting of clearing it out.

But as we stand on the edge of summer, I want to step away from our physical spaces for a moment and look at a different kind of clutter. Couples deal with a lot of emotional "dust" in the corners of their marriage, including us.

We are approaching twenty-five years of marriage and it's not by accident.

If we aren't careful, we carry the residual weight of old misunderstandings into a busy new season. To enter summer with a light, joyful heart, we need a simple but powerful tool of everyday diplomacy: Forgiveness.

When Offenses Gather Dust

In diplomacy, we talk about "frozen conflicts"—issues that sit beneath the surface, unresolved, blocking any real progress. In our homes, this looks like the small things we let slide but didn’t actually let go of. A careless word during a stressful work week, a forgotten chore, or a moment where you felt unheard.

Holding onto those pieces of clutter doesn't protect us; it just fills the sacred space of our union with unnecessary friction. Recently, together we cleaned a closet in a spare room in our home that we haven't touched in years. Needless to say, it was horridly filthy. Dust had gathered and it was painful to declutter. Marriage can be like that sometimes...

The Word of God gives us a very practical instruction for this in Ephesians 4:31–32:

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Notice the phrasing: be put away from you. It’s a choice to gently pack up the bitterness, open the front door of your heart, and carry it out of the house. Forgiveness doesn't mean the hurt didn't happen; it just means you are refusing to live in the clutter of it. Tackle those dirty closets people!

A Gentle Guide to Clearing the Air

To walk together toward God (Amos 3:3), we have to be willing to adjust our pace and lighten our load. Forgiveness is simply the protocol that lets us hit the reset button.

As you look forward to the summer months ahead, here is a relaxed, three-step approach to clearing the air:

1. Acknowledge the Clutter: You don't have to make a grand production out of it. Just be honest with yourself and your spouse. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us to "Keep thy heart with all diligence." If a little bit of dust has settled in your communication, it's okay to admit it.

2. Offer a Clean Slate: Forgiveness means deciding not to use past mistakes as leverage in future disagreements. It is an act of grace that mirrors how the Father treats us. Come on - if He can forgive us, we can forgive each other, right?

3. Breathe Fresh Air into the Routine: Once the air is clear, make room for what matters. Plan a quiet date night, laugh together, and protect your peace.

Moving Forward Lightly

Healthy marriages are built deliberately, piece by piece. When we choose forgiveness, we are simply sweeping the porch so that the Lord can continue to build a strong foundation for our family (Psalm 127:1).

Let’s take a deep breath, extend a little extra grace to ourselves and our spouses, and walk into this next season completely unburdened. Let your spring cleaning make way for summer!

The Marriage Covenant as a Diplomatic Mission

                                                           H.E. Dr. Anita Mckaney

In my work as a Peace Ambassador and Chaplain, I often find myself discussing the nuances of international relations and the high-stakes world of diplomacy. We think of diplomacy as something that happens in marble halls or at large roundtables between nations. But as I reflect on the beauty of "walking together towards God," I am reminded that the most important diplomatic mission we will ever lead is the one that takes place within the four walls of our own homes.

Recently on our mission trip to Ghana through The Titus Ten Foundation program, my husband and I had the opportunity to walk royal residential halls in a historic monument to African freedom. After the amazing tour and history lesson, we had the distinct opportunity to sign our names as a testament to this amazing tour and diplomatic mission as a couple. I sentimentally call it the Grace Treaty and this document got me thinking...

The Home as an Embassy

In 2 Corinthians 5:20, the Word tells us, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ..." An ambassador is a high-ranking official sent by a country as its resident representative in a foreign land. As believers, our citizenship is in Heaven, which makes our marriages the primary "Embassies" of God's Kingdom here on earth! Imagine that. When people look at our union, are they seeing the culture of the Kingdom—peace, love, and reconciliation—or are they seeing the chaos of the world? 

Walking in Agreement

Amos 3:3 asks the poignant question: "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" In diplomacy, agreement doesn't mean you never have a difference of opinion. It means you are committed to a shared mission that is greater than your individual preferences. To walk together towards God, a couple must:

1. Maintain Open Channels of Communication: Just as nations must keep dialogue open to avoid conflict, a "Diplomatic Marriage" requires us to be "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James 1:19).

2. Practice Soft Power: In leadership, "soft power" is the ability to influence through attraction rather than coercion. In marriage, this is the power of a "soft answer" that turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1). This is especially important for us wives!

3. Protect the Covenant: An ambassador’s first loyalty is to the government they represent. Our first loyalty in marriage is to the Covenant God established. Always.

The Mission of Reconciliation

As we close out the month of April and look toward the future, I challenge you to view your spouse not just as a partner, but as a fellow diplomat. When you "walk together towards God," you aren't just moving in the same direction; you are representing His character to a world that is desperate for a visual aid of true peace.

Let your home be a place where the "treaty of grace" is signed every morning and where the "peace that passes understanding" guards your doors.

Less Average People

The nations of Genesis 10 have been used as an origin of the "races" proof text and has been very controversial. It has been widely accepted in Christianity that Noah's sons "Japheth is the father of the Caucasian "race", Shem of the Mongoloid race, and Ham of the Negroid race. Some have interpreted Noah's prophecies of his sons in Genesis 9 to be the Scriptural basis for discrimination of one "race" against another. Particularly, the supposed curse on Ham's son, Canaan, was purported to be Biblical support for Negro slavery." "...the majority of European artists and Bible commentators painted and described all biblical characters, including God, as White. This had the effect of excluding blacks from being a part of Scripture and has led some people of color to question the Bible’s relevance to them." "...according to some scholars, there are no black people mentioned." Don't trust another man to tell your story!

I remember hearing back in the 80's, and still today scientist believe that humans originated in Africa. I believe that the Bible and about ninety percent of it's Old Testament people mentioned were predominantly black. The best evidence of this is the Bible itself. Here are some of the adjectives and proper names the Bible uses:

Cush (Ham's son) = "black" in Hebrew. (Cushi or cushim means black skinned people)

Mizraim or Egypt in English was Ham's son. The ancient name for Egypt is Kemet and means "black land".

Ethiopia (Jeremiah 13:23) = "burned face" in Greek.

Kedar (Genesis 25:13) = blackness, swarthy, very black, dark skinned.

Niger (Matthew 27:32, Acts 13:1) = black in Latin. (Same argument of name meaning/race)

Phinehas (Moses' great nephew - Judges 20:28) = the Nubian (black).

Song of Solomon 1:5 (King James Version); "I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon."


Hebrew which is equated to "Canaanite" by today's definition is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family.

If Ham's sons were different "races" (or subgroups) in one family, as some believe, that ("argument from silence") would be a pretty drastic and peculiar thing for the Bible not to even hint to it; also like Israel (and the Motherland) nations spun off of large families. They weren't some chaotic "melting pot" like America; and names back then were descriptive and had meaning.

Although this subject is a non essential for life in Jesus Christ, nevertheless the truth should not be suppressed.

Maurice

Russia's Black Icons