The thing is. . . there’s more to Lisa Young than meets the eye. Much more. Just like any really good cup of coffee – you don’t know how sweet, filling, soothing and nourishing it can be until you take a few frothy sips.
Many know her as the other half of her larger-than-life spouse, Ed. She’s been by his side since day one – well actually long before there was a “day one” in their ministry which now reaches millions of people via their television broadcast and best-selling books.
They met as young teens and have been in love ever since. Their effervescent personalities and unconventional techniques have reached a whole new world of people for Jesus.
And Lisa. . . she’s that rich, robust, flavourful cup o’ joe I reference early. Her words of wisdom reveal a deep seated, solidly rooted relationship with Jesus that has been the core of her marriage, years of motherhood (she’s raised four children) and success in ministry. Every shred of insight she shares nourish you with grace and wisdom. They lead you quietly but intentionally to the right place – a holy place.
This woman is juggling a full schedule of thriving women ministry programs through Fellowship Church, keeping her man contented at home, advising her young adult children and balancing her own personal speaking and teaching ministry. To top it all off, she has a fierce sense of fashion that’ll make your eyes water with . . well. . .fierce-ness.
Today, she shares with us the bedrock of her marriage to Ed. This is the simple, foundation that keeps the most important thing they’ve build in tact. It’ll make you warm inside. Just like a smooth, buttery latte should. 🙂
Read this. . .and then go buy her fantastic book for incredible insights from this fantastic woman.
Enjoy,
Priscilla
I had an amazing time last week with Priscilla, Lois Evans, and Stephanie Carter discussing the importance, priority, and reality of marriage and ministry with other Pastors’ wives! It was so refreshing to talk openly and honestly about the issues that we all face as we seek to not only sustain, but to strengthen our marriages, our families, and our ministries.
As wives committed to godly marriages, we have been placed in a unique role – one that is ordained by God – to help our husbands and our families achieve all that God has planned for us. We have the ability to provide encouragement, reflect holiness, and display godliness through our marriage to the world around us. One of the most important aspects of that is our ability to present a unified front with our husbands.
The Bible speaks to this in Genesis when it proclaims that a husband and wife “will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). It’s that word “become” that tells to you and me that this will be an ongoing process. In other words, a great marriage doesn’t just happen.
As Lois so poignantly reminded us, an effective, successful, and healthy marriage is all about honest, open, and loving conversation with our husbands. It is when we work together that we move forward as ONE.
My husband Ed and I have tried to live this out for the past 32+ years of our marriage. We don’t have a perfect marriage, but we have one that is built on faith, trust, communication, love, and dedication to one another. One of the things I brought up in my recent discussion when it comes to this is something we have written in our book, Sexperiment. We call it our “10 Commandments of Purity”.
Developing the level of security in marriage that supports oneness is intentional and deliberate. So we developed this list of commandments for our own marriage in order to stay ahead of any hint of impropriety in our marriage. These commandments, coupled with our wedding vows, give us both a sense of security in marriage that helps strengthen oneness. I encourage you to sit down with your husband, talk about these together, and then develop your own list!
10 Commandments of Purity
1) I shall have no other human relationship before Lisa/Ed.
2) Remember date night and keep it holy.
3) Honor Lisa/Ed on anniversaries and special days so that I may live long in the land the Lord has given me.
4) I shall not take the covenant of marriage in vain.
5) I shall not ride in a car or eat in a restaurant alone with a member of the opposite sex.
6) I shall not travel alone.
7) I shall not counsel with a member of the opposite sex alone behind closed doors.
8) I shall not share the details of my marriage with others.
9) I shall not watch, read or expose myself to sexually explicit shows, books, websites, etc.
10) I shall remember the implications of committing adultery.
The world is dying to see true, authentic, high definition marriages. The world is dying to see high definition love, high definition forgiveness and high definition unselfishness. Where are they going to see it? They will see it in our marriage and yours and every other couple who puts Christ at the center of their marriage.
Lisa
