"What Men Wish Women Knew About Men"

Pastor Laura Guy

September 2, 2007

Here's an instant replay of what happened in worship:

We read Paul's advice in Ephesians 5:21-24, 33 where he tells wives that they should submit to their husbands. We examined whether or not this verse still applied to women today. It is clear that it is not intended to say that men should be above women or that women must submit to an abusive husband. It is found in the context of Paul telling the people of the church to "submit to one another" and also his advice to husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. It can be interpreted as meaning to respect and honor. Wives and husbands are both told to love and respect their spouses.
We saw the survey results from 1,000 men at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. The men said that they feel loved when:
1. Their wives tell them that they are appreciated.
2. Their wives listen to them talk about things that are important to them.
3. Their wives do things around the home like cooking their favorite meal.
4. Their wives are sexually intimate with them.
5. Their wives do an activity with them.
We learned that the men in our congregation would rather hear "I'm proud of you" than "I love you" from their spouse or girlfriend. Men want to know that they are, in some sense, a woman's hero. This doesn't mean they want women to be helpless, but they do like to know that their spouse notices and approves of the things they do to provide for the family and care for them.
We heard that single Christian men are looking for a woman who is a Christian first. They also want women who are attractive, intelligent, and have a sense of humor.
We prayed that God would help all of our marriages become stronger and healthier, and that God would help the single folks among us find someone who could share the kind of love Paul talks about in Ephesians.
We shared communion around the table of love.