Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - October 24, 2023


Ep 895 ｜ Is Motherhood God's Plan for Every Woman？ ｜ Q&A


Episode Stats

Length

26 minutes

Words per Minute

168.51535

Word Count

4,502

Sentence Count

340

Misogynist Sentences

8

Hate Speech Sentences

11


Summary

In this episode, I answer some of your questions about whether or not motherhood is part of God's plan for your life. Is it biblical? Is IVF ethical? What's my favorite movie? We ve got all that and more on this episode of Relatable, which is brought to you by GoodRanchers.


Transcript

00:00:00.660 Is circumcision biblical or barbaric?
00:00:04.200 Should you keep trying for children if you've been trying for a long period of time and
00:00:08.700 God has not yet allowed you to conceive?
00:00:11.700 What about IVF?
00:00:12.740 Is it unethical in all cases?
00:00:15.180 Also, what's my favorite movie?
00:00:17.340 We've got all of this and more on this episode of Relatable, which is brought to you by our
00:00:21.240 friends at Good Ranchers.
00:00:22.280 That's American meat delivered right to your front door.
00:00:24.520 Go to GoodRanchers.com.
00:00:25.600 Use code Allie at checkout.
00:00:27.200 That's GoodRanchers.com.
00:00:28.360 Code Allie.
00:00:30.000 Hey guys, welcome to Relatable.
00:00:42.320 Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.
00:00:44.120 I've got some questions to answer from y'all that you sent me.
00:00:48.500 All right.
00:00:48.880 A lot of interesting ones.
00:00:50.360 First one, advice for someone who is wondering if motherhood is part of God's plan for me.
00:00:54.360 We've been trying for over a year with no results.
00:00:56.280 I keep feeling like God is teaching me that I don't need this and I should be satisfied
00:01:02.020 with Jesus alone.
00:01:03.220 How do I square this with the command to be fruitful?
00:01:06.300 So I am so sorry that you have been desiring something, trying for something for this long.
00:01:14.340 And I understand that that feeling, that sinking feeling every month when you get that negative
00:01:21.000 pregnancy test, that waiting period between like when you're trying and the time that you know that
00:01:27.480 you could take a pregnancy test.
00:01:28.780 It's so difficult and every month, like your emotions rise, your hopes rise, your expectations
00:01:33.480 rise, only to be dashed.
00:01:35.040 It's a really difficult feeling.
00:01:36.780 And I haven't gone through something for that long, although I will say that for all of our
00:01:41.700 kids, it took us a few months.
00:01:42.880 And so I'm not pretending to be in the exact situation that you are in, but I can, I do
00:01:49.000 understand some of that feeling.
00:01:51.480 And I understand also how that feeling would be even deepened just the longer and longer it goes.
00:01:56.940 And so over a year is a long time.
00:01:59.900 There are people who also have been trying and not able to get pregnant for years and years and
00:02:04.260 years.
00:02:04.780 I've heard miraculous stories of people who have been trying for 10 years and then suddenly
00:02:10.180 something happened and they were actually able to conceive.
00:02:14.040 So I don't think that just because something is difficult means that it's not part of God's
00:02:18.740 plan.
00:02:19.100 In fact, there are a lot of things that are difficult.
00:02:21.280 There are a lot of things that take a lot of effort and a lot of time that are part of
00:02:24.740 God's plan.
00:02:25.280 I think that we can see this throughout scripture that of course, Sarah, Abraham's wife, that
00:02:30.260 she didn't conceive until she was very old.
00:02:32.660 We even see when Israel is wandering through the wilderness for 40 years, God could have brought
00:02:38.580 them into the promised land immediately.
00:02:41.380 He could have defeated all of their foes.
00:02:43.420 He could have just parted the Red Sea and transported them immediately to Canaan and said,
00:02:48.860 here's your land filled and flowing with milk and honey.
00:02:54.200 You've had a really hard time in slavery already.
00:02:56.640 No use in making you wander.
00:02:58.100 But he did it.
00:02:58.680 We see a lot that God demands that we wait, that God brings things through a process that
00:03:06.240 we don't always see the reasoning for that.
00:03:08.540 We don't always see the why behind it.
00:03:10.340 We don't understand why we don't get the results of the time that we want to.
00:03:13.260 And we wonder, does God even want this for me?
00:03:15.700 But look, God promised that he was going to bring Israel to the promised land before they
00:03:19.640 were wandering through the wilderness.
00:03:21.260 He did do it.
00:03:22.580 He did it on their timeline.
00:03:24.060 He did it so that he could show his provision and he could bring them closer to himself,
00:03:33.000 show his faithfulness, show his strength, show his power, demand their obedience.
00:03:38.120 And I'm not saying that's your exact situation today.
00:03:41.160 I can't say that I know what God is accomplishing through this situation.
00:03:45.440 Maybe he will never bless you with a biological child.
00:03:49.460 I don't know that.
00:03:50.240 Unfortunately, because we live in a fallen world, there is disappointment.
00:03:53.860 There's heartache.
00:03:54.740 There's barrenness.
00:03:55.740 There are things that we don't understand, don't have an explanation for.
00:03:58.960 But we don't know that.
00:04:00.460 We don't know that just because you have not gotten pregnant yet, that it is not God's
00:04:04.200 plan for you to ever be pregnant.
00:04:05.760 He is doing something, though.
00:04:07.300 I promise you this.
00:04:08.680 He is doing something through this waiting period.
00:04:11.360 He is sanctifying you.
00:04:13.020 He is working things out for your good and his glory in a way that we can't see, in a way
00:04:19.000 that you probably can't always feel.
00:04:20.780 But in faith, you can know because that's what he does, that we are to rejoice in trials
00:04:28.980 of many kinds because these trials produce a steadfastness.
00:04:34.380 They produce a perseverance.
00:04:35.940 They produce a patience and a faithfulness in us that has eternal and spiritual ramifications.
00:04:44.620 And so God is being glorified through accomplishing his will through you.
00:04:50.480 We don't know how.
00:04:51.660 We don't know why.
00:04:52.880 We don't know when or if you will have a child.
00:04:55.360 But that we know for sure, that God is totally faithful and totally good and that he knew the
00:05:03.280 second that you would be born, before he laid the foundations of the world, that if you have
00:05:08.440 a child, he knows exactly when that child will be conceived.
00:05:13.460 He's already planned every single day of their lives before any of them have come to be.
00:05:18.100 That's what we read in Psalm 139.
00:05:21.480 So how do you reconcile this with God's command to be fruitful?
00:05:25.340 Look, right now, you don't have physical children.
00:05:28.360 And so God commands us to be fruitful, yes, of course, by multiplying through children.
00:05:33.020 But not everyone.
00:05:34.140 If you're not married, for example, you can't obey that command.
00:05:36.580 So what are we supposed to do?
00:05:37.660 What are the people who are not having children for whatever reason because they're not married
00:05:42.380 yet or God hasn't blessed them with children within marriage?
00:05:44.600 What are they supposed to do?
00:05:45.660 Are they just supposed to sit around and twiddle their thumbs and just say, okay, I guess I
00:05:49.800 can't be a real Christian or really obey God until that happens?
00:05:52.920 No, we're called to be spiritually fruitful now.
00:05:55.880 Are there young women in your life that you can disciple?
00:05:58.260 Are there children in your life that you can invest in?
00:06:01.260 I think all women are called to mother in one way or another, whether you are single or whether
00:06:05.340 you're married, whether you have biological or adopted children or not.
00:06:08.380 We are all given this innate ability to mother, to nurture, to nourish, to beautify the spaces
00:06:15.340 that we occupy, to help mentor and raise up the next generation.
00:06:20.080 That's through teaching.
00:06:21.060 That's through instruction.
00:06:21.900 That's through care.
00:06:22.600 That's through mentorship.
00:06:23.540 That's through volunteer opportunities.
00:06:24.840 That's through service in your church.
00:06:26.020 There are so many different ways that you can have an eternal gospel impact on the people
00:06:32.360 around you, on the young people around you, even if God has not yet or does not ever bless
00:06:37.240 you with a child.
00:06:38.120 That is something that we know that you are called to.
00:06:41.760 I can't say whether or not you should keep quote unquote trying, whatever that entails for
00:06:49.720 you.
00:06:50.060 Obviously, I've talked about the ethics, the very questionable ethics of hormonal birth control
00:06:55.580 and things like that.
00:06:56.540 So that's not what I'm suggesting.
00:06:59.300 But sometimes also when you stop tracking your ovulation and you stop obsessing over the
00:07:04.240 timing of things and you stop being so stressed out and overthinking about things, that can
00:07:07.940 really help.
00:07:08.720 That can help your marriage.
00:07:09.720 That can help your state of mind.
00:07:11.520 Sometimes I think it can even help conception.
00:07:14.040 That's not my medical diagnosis.
00:07:15.960 It just seems that way in my own experience.
00:07:19.100 And so maybe God is bringing you into a time of just relaxation, of not fixating on this
00:07:25.220 and not thinking that your salvation or that your sanctification depends on you conceiving,
00:07:30.920 but you just doing the next right thing.
00:07:33.120 Just doing the next right thing in faith with excellence and for the glory of God.
00:07:36.740 That's what he's calling you to.
00:07:39.200 And then some couples who go through this, they also realize, okay, we need to adopt.
00:07:44.020 That's what we want to do.
00:07:45.600 And it's funny how often this happens.
00:07:48.680 And I'm not saying that there's any spiritual correlation here.
00:07:52.520 I just think it's funny that this happens, that a lot of times when couples go through
00:07:56.580 infertility and they decide to adopt and then they end up in the adoption process conceiving
00:08:00.520 naturally and then they have these two babies that they're taking care of, which is awesome.
00:08:04.300 So maybe God is calling you to adopt.
00:08:06.720 Maybe he's calling you to foster.
00:08:08.520 Maybe that is what God's calling you to.
00:08:10.360 I would definitely pray about that.
00:08:11.800 Seek wisdom about that.
00:08:13.300 Maybe having a biological child, while that pull is so real and so understandable, maybe it
00:08:19.660 is through adoption that he wants you to have kids.
00:08:21.580 I'm not sure.
00:08:23.220 But right now, God is making that choice for you.
00:08:25.680 I would also just make sure that you're assessing your health.
00:08:28.760 There are a lot of things that have nothing to do with reproductive technology, like IVF and
00:08:34.980 things like that, that have nothing to do with those things that you can do to take control of
00:08:38.920 your health.
00:08:39.700 I mean, again, I'm not saying this as a doctor.
00:08:42.080 I'm not saying that this is going to be some like perfect plan, but there are fertility
00:08:47.240 specialists out there who specialize in nutrition and exercise, ensuring that the things that
00:08:54.020 you're eating and the environment that you're in, even the products that you're using are
00:08:59.640 conducive to fertility.
00:09:01.860 There are also supplements.
00:09:02.980 I'm not talking about like witch doctor type stuff, but like just normal supplements that
00:09:07.460 you can get to help you induce ovulation.
00:09:11.840 I think it's totally normal and good and fine to look into those things.
00:09:17.380 And then there, you know, there are steps that you can take to just make sure that you are
00:09:22.620 doing everything that you can, that is within your control, within reason, just to ensure
00:09:27.720 that you're stewarding your body well and that you are setting yourself and your husband
00:09:31.160 too, because it matters for him, for sperm production and all of that, that y'all are both as
00:09:36.200 healthy as you can be.
00:09:37.860 Again, not saying that that guarantees anything.
00:09:40.520 I'm not trying to stress you out or put more on your plate.
00:09:43.700 But certainly before there's any like consideration or like I would say there shouldn't be consideration
00:09:49.240 of those unethical like reproductive technologies.
00:09:52.760 Like I would just, yeah, I would just ensure that the things in your life that you can control,
00:09:58.500 that you are stewarding well.
00:10:06.200 This kind of leads to the next question.
00:10:13.940 Are you opposed to IVF if a couple uses their own eggs, sperm, and eventually uses them all?
00:10:18.720 So I'll link a couple episodes that I've done in the past about IVF and why I'm against
00:10:23.620 in vitro fertilization.
00:10:25.700 And it is not because I don't think that kids who are conceived through IVF are not made in
00:10:30.820 the image of God.
00:10:31.500 I'm not saying that you are a bad parent.
00:10:33.180 I'm not saying that your kids aren't precious and valuable.
00:10:35.220 They're just as precious and valuable as kids conceived naturally.
00:10:38.380 It's not about that.
00:10:39.320 And I say that because those are the kind of messages that I get when I talk about the ethical
00:10:42.900 questions surrounding IVF.
00:10:44.460 It's not about if you're a good mom.
00:10:46.740 It's not about if your children are beautiful and precious and made in the image of God.
00:10:50.060 I'm sure you're a wonderful mom.
00:10:51.700 I'm sure you're wonderful parents.
00:10:53.120 And I'm sure, and your kids are precious and made in the image of God.
00:10:55.580 Um, it's just the question surrounding, um, what happens when you separate reproduction
00:11:04.920 from sex.
00:11:07.400 And there are questions that surround that.
00:11:09.920 There is, um, difficulty very often for the health of the mother when it comes to IVF.
00:11:14.480 There is a high attrition rate.
00:11:16.320 And so even after these eggs are fertilized, which as the believer, like we believe that
00:11:21.600 life starts at conception.
00:11:22.680 That is when a unique human life is formed.
00:11:25.080 There's a high attrition rate, a high death rate for those fertilized eggs when it comes
00:11:30.240 to IVF.
00:11:32.220 So even if you're implanting all of the fertilized eggs eventually when it comes to IVF, like you
00:11:37.220 are still taking a very high risk with the life of those little image bearers of God that
00:11:44.200 have now, um, been fertilized.
00:11:46.700 And so anytime you take, you separate reproduction and sex, like there are going to be ethical
00:11:53.460 questions.
00:11:54.100 There are going to be dilemmas that I simply think that we really need to consider.
00:11:57.720 As we've said many times in this podcast, whenever technology in any realm takes us from
00:12:02.600 what is natural to what is possible, they're at the very least questions that we should
00:12:06.360 ask.
00:12:07.160 Doesn't mean all technology is bad.
00:12:08.580 Sometimes going from what's natural to what's possible is awesome.
00:12:11.040 If you're a paraplegic and technology allows it for you to walk, if you're someone who
00:12:14.900 is unable to speak or, uh, and you have technology that is able to help you communicate, if you
00:12:20.800 can't hear technology allows you to hear, like we went from what's natural to what's possible
00:12:25.160 through technology.
00:12:25.860 These can all be wonderful things, but things get a lot more complicated when you're dealing
00:12:30.540 with other human lives.
00:12:32.460 When you're dealing particularly with unconsenting and vulnerable babies, these fertilized eggs.
00:12:37.820 And so a lot of questions surrounding IVF, and even if someone fertilizes the eggs and
00:12:45.840 then they implant them all eventually, um, I still think that there is a lot of risk there.
00:12:53.240 There's a lot of risk to the mom.
00:12:54.820 There's a lot of risk to the baby.
00:12:56.700 And the fact is, this is the thing, is that most couples don't do that.
00:13:01.500 That's not, that's not the case for most couples.
00:13:03.320 I would say that that is the better option for sure to, for implant all the eggs that
00:13:10.060 were fertilized.
00:13:11.300 Absolutely.
00:13:12.500 But that's not typically what happens.
00:13:14.700 Typically what happens is that you fertilize as many eggs as you possibly can.
00:13:19.960 And, um, you, a lot of times there's a process of picking.
00:13:26.040 Sometimes the sex, sometimes based on whether the embryo looks strong or the fertilized egg
00:13:31.880 looks strong, there's some genetic testing that can be done, especially when you're talking
00:13:36.820 about surrogacy.
00:13:38.520 And when it comes to like two men or, uh, two women, there's very often sex selection that
00:13:45.060 goes on in that process.
00:13:46.520 So the entire like reproductive industry, there are a lot, there's a lot of shadiness that goes
00:13:51.200 on.
00:13:51.440 There are a lot of ethical questions that are just never even addressed because adults'
00:13:56.080 desires always seem to trump a child's rights in a lot of different cases, but certainly
00:14:01.840 when it comes to reproduction.
00:14:03.740 So, um, again, just some questions to ask.
00:14:07.000 Someone also asked me like, do I think it's okay to, um, adopt snowflake babies?
00:14:12.860 These are the babies who, they're embryos, they were never implanted or they are, um, fertilized
00:14:19.640 eggs that were never implanted and they're just on ice.
00:14:22.520 You know, there are like millions of these in America because their parents didn't want
00:14:27.900 to implant them.
00:14:28.960 That's what happens.
00:14:29.660 You fertilize all these eggs, you get the two kids maybe that you want, and then you
00:14:33.040 have all these fertilized eggs that are on ice.
00:14:35.440 Those are people.
00:14:36.620 Those are humans in their earliest stage of development.
00:14:38.780 We as believers mean that, believe that they're made in the image of God and they're just in
00:14:41.920 a freezer.
00:14:43.500 And so there are some questions about that, about the morality of doing that.
00:14:47.460 And so should you adopt these fertilized eggs?
00:14:51.940 Look, I, I, I think that that's fine.
00:14:53.900 I think you totally can.
00:14:55.180 I think that I'm not sure that it's necessarily an objective right or wrong when you decide
00:15:00.720 between these, what's called snowflake babies and then these, um, uh, you know, uh, like
00:15:08.220 children, uh, five-year-olds or whatever, or children who are outside of the womb who have
00:15:14.100 already been gestated, who also need a job adoption.
00:15:17.840 Now, Jennifer Law, who has been on my podcast, who has studied and talked about the bioethics
00:15:22.680 of all of this for a very long time.
00:15:24.960 Uh, she says that it is better to adopt a child who has already been born than these
00:15:32.840 snowflake babies who are on ice.
00:15:35.060 And actually like she would argue that the ethical thing is to, if you have no intention
00:15:42.020 of ever implanting these babies to allow them to be destroyed.
00:15:47.140 And I, I, I don't know that I, I, I'm not sure that I align with that, but if you're deciding
00:15:53.420 between like destroying them or paying forever for them to just be frozen indefinitely, that's
00:16:01.620 a really big moral dilemma, right?
00:16:04.560 Those are children that you've created.
00:16:05.840 So this is all a part of the like difficulty, I think of IVF and the reproductive industry.
00:16:11.780 It's just things I think, again, that we need to consider.
00:16:15.240 All right.
00:16:15.760 Next question.
00:16:16.980 Very different question.
00:16:17.640 What's my favorite movie?
00:16:20.720 Hmm.
00:16:22.040 Really good question.
00:16:23.820 I love, there's so many.
00:16:25.480 I love the Count of Monte Cristo.
00:16:27.040 I love sad movies.
00:16:28.380 I legit love the notebook.
00:16:29.880 Okay.
00:16:30.180 I love the notebook.
00:16:31.260 It's not overrated.
00:16:32.680 It's perfectly rated.
00:16:34.260 Terrible morals.
00:16:35.480 Okay.
00:16:35.780 I'm not advocating for that.
00:16:37.020 But Rachel McAdams is like my favorite actress.
00:16:41.640 Great movie.
00:16:44.260 Braveheart.
00:16:45.200 Great movie.
00:16:47.880 Also, Boondock Saints.
00:16:49.540 Great movie.
00:16:50.400 Bet that surprised you.
00:16:52.140 I like these kind of, I like like dramas, if you will.
00:16:58.260 So I don't know.
00:16:59.560 Probably one of those.
00:17:00.720 Although I haven't sat down to watch a movie like that in a long time.
00:17:03.640 Takes up a lot of your time and a lot of your energy.
00:17:06.760 Is circumcision biblical or barbaric?
00:17:11.180 Very, very controversial.
00:17:14.160 So the practice of circumcision was different in the Bible than it is today.
00:17:22.380 Circumcising all baby boys is a very like American thing.
00:17:25.400 They don't do that everywhere.
00:17:26.780 And the circumcision that is performed today in hospitals is, from my understanding, more invasive than the circumcision that was in the Bible.
00:17:43.680 Obviously, there were different regulations, a different time waiting period in the Bible also than there is today.
00:17:50.660 And so, but I don't think that it is biblically necessary for all boys to be circumcised.
00:17:56.380 Just because that was a symbol that, you know, God used in the Old Testament.
00:18:01.220 I mean, maybe there are some like principles of cleanliness to be derived from why he commanded circumcision.
00:18:07.540 There seems to be always like a good reasoning behind why God commanded what he commanded in the Old Testament, even if we're not under those laws.
00:18:17.300 But still, I don't think it's biblically necessary for every boy to be circumcised.
00:18:23.460 It's become like a very contentious issue, actually, that I've only seen it discussed and debated in recent years.
00:18:31.240 So I could definitely see, depending on your perspective, how people see it as barbaric.
00:18:36.220 Again, I think there's a difference between the kind of circumcision where you're taking your baby boy to the synagogue eight days later to get circumcised and the circumcision that happens today.
00:18:47.140 There's also just a lot of propensity for infection and things like that when it comes to circumcision in the hospital day.
00:18:52.900 So, I don't know, things to consider.
00:18:54.220 I wouldn't say that I like have necessarily the most informed opinion or passionate opinion about this.
00:19:00.200 But, yeah, that's a question actually that I've gotten a lot.
00:19:15.360 Do we ever plan to homeschool?
00:19:17.140 Maybe.
00:19:18.740 We'll see.
00:19:19.420 We're not quite there yet.
00:19:21.140 If you could change—well, let me say, we know that we will be doing Christian education of some sort.
00:19:27.620 We just don't know exactly what that will look like.
00:19:29.960 If you could change one thing Western evangelical Christianity does wrong, what would it be?
00:19:36.800 I think, well, I mean, there's a lot of things, obviously, that we could, like, pick and choose.
00:19:43.620 I think one thing is, like, the hyper-individualism that we see so much in our church today and the emphasis on feelings, the emphasis on what you get from church and what you get from the Christian experience.
00:20:01.680 I think there's a lack of community independence.
00:20:03.960 Like, even in our small group situation, like, we might have friends that we meet with once a week.
00:20:08.980 But the really, like, interwovenness of people's lives that I think that we see more in non-Western, non-European, non-American countries.
00:20:18.980 I think that's really missing today.
00:20:23.240 And it's not necessarily the church's fault.
00:20:25.500 It's just how we live.
00:20:26.880 It's how our houses are set up, how our schedules are set up, how our lives are set up to be, like, very individualistic, a focus almost exclusively on the nuclear family, which, obviously, the nuclear natural family is great.
00:20:40.200 But a lack of dependence on communities, on our neighbors, on our church family, just in our everyday lives, I think that that is, like, we're missing a part of Christian joy for that.
00:20:54.340 Like, feeling like, okay, my Christian friends who live close to me, they not only have my back, but they're looking out for my kids.
00:21:02.860 I think that really the world or the country in general is missing that neighborliness.
00:21:07.020 But even within the church, I think everything that the church can do to foster that kind of community is good.
00:21:13.160 I would also say just, like, community opportunities for single people.
00:21:16.900 I think there's probably more of that in, like, the urban churches than there is in the suburban churches.
00:21:21.780 And not just for the purpose of them finding their mate and getting married, but actually making them feel like you're just as much a part of the church, you're just as important to this church and this community as the married mother or father is.
00:21:38.920 Making sure that everyone in our church has people, the seemingly weird person, the person who is otherwise ostracized, the person who is bullied at church, or hopefully not bullied at church, bullied at school, or who is, like, down on their luck.
00:21:57.780 Like, the person who is a little eccentric, like, all those people that the world kind of tosses to the side because they're inconvenient.
00:22:04.380 Like, may the church give every one of those people an opportunity to be loved and really, like, really communed with.
00:22:12.520 Can I do a book tour when my next book comes out?
00:22:17.180 Hopefully.
00:22:17.720 I hope so.
00:22:18.480 I hope to be able to do that.
00:22:21.360 Why are some books left out of the Bible that we use today?
00:22:25.600 So, I don't know if you're referring to perhaps the Apocrypha.
00:22:31.500 So, the Catholic Bible has more books than the Protestant Bible does.
00:22:37.460 Apocrypha means hidden.
00:22:39.220 And so, for example, Tobit, Judith, Prayer of Manasseh, First and Second Maccabees, like, these are books of the Catholic Bible that Protestants don't include.
00:22:52.620 Of course, Catholics say that we took out these books of the Bible, but we actually say that they added these books to the biblical canon and that they do not actually belong in the Bible.
00:23:05.740 And the reason is because, I mean, the history of the church are these very earnest and serious and godly councils of Christians meeting together and deciding which books should be included.
00:23:18.800 Not based on whims, not based on feelings, not based on politics or, like, cultural norms, but based on what is historically accurate, using a variety of texts, both in and outside of the Bible.
00:23:31.020 What is confirmed by Scripture itself, what is confirmed by history, there are many, many, many resources on this that I would recommend.
00:23:43.180 The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce, that's one resource that I would recommend.
00:23:47.520 The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce.
00:23:49.300 Like, why do we have the 66 books that we have today as Protestants?
00:23:53.300 Why don't we include the Apocrypha?
00:23:55.160 Why don't we believe these are the inerrant Word of God?
00:23:57.640 Because we don't.
00:23:58.500 We don't believe that the books of the Apocrypha are inspired by the Holy Spirit.
00:24:02.300 We believe that in some cases they contradict Scripture, that they contradict history, that they contradict Jesus.
00:24:06.920 There's a reason why Jesus doesn't refer to them.
00:24:08.640 There's a reason why ancient Israel didn't believe that these texts were part of the Word of God.
00:24:14.400 And so, rather than getting into all of that right now, because it's a long conversation, I would recommend The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce.
00:24:23.000 And then, let's see if there are any more questions for me to answer.
00:24:31.900 Aside from the Lord, what makes your marriage stronger?
00:24:35.440 And so, let's see.
00:24:36.260 I've been married for eight years, so I can't pretend to be the foremost expert on this.
00:24:40.080 There are people who are a lot older than me, who have been married a lot longer, who have been through a lot more, that could give you more and better wisdom on this.
00:24:46.680 So, just speaking as someone who has only been married for eight years.
00:24:51.540 But, gosh, that seems like a good chunk of time, honestly.
00:24:54.220 Eight years.
00:24:54.740 Wow.
00:24:55.100 I can't believe I'm old enough to have been married eight years.
00:24:58.840 Spending time together.
00:25:00.000 Finding things that you both like to do.
00:25:02.540 Enjoying one another's company.
00:25:04.780 Having fun.
00:25:05.680 Just hanging out and doing nothing.
00:25:07.160 Not constantly being busy.
00:25:08.860 Going from responsibility to responsibility.
00:25:11.160 Having time without your kids.
00:25:14.480 That's something that we really care about.
00:25:17.200 We are very consistent with bedtime at night with our kids.
00:25:22.500 And we have time before we go to bed to hang out.
00:25:25.560 And I think that that helps just enjoying each other's company.
00:25:28.820 It doesn't have to be fancy.
00:25:30.680 You don't have to be playing games or even having spiritual conversations, although that's great.
00:25:35.760 But have fun together.
00:25:37.280 Enjoy time together.
00:25:39.600 And enjoy time with your phone down.
00:25:41.440 Like actually talking to one another.
00:25:42.960 I think that's really helpful.
00:25:44.880 All right.
00:25:45.700 That's all we've got time for today.
00:25:47.000 We will see you guys back here next time.
00:25:49.400 Hey guys, if you love this podcast, please leave us a five-star review wherever you listen on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify.
00:26:10.140 And if you haven't yet, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.
00:26:14.180 Thanks.
00:26:15.360 Bye.
00:26:15.700 Bye.
00:26:16.640 Bye.
00:26:16.660 Bye.
00:26:17.440 See you then.
00:26:17.900 Bye.
00:26:19.100 Bye.
00:26:19.420 Bye.
00:26:20.400 Bye.
00:26:20.600 Bye.
00:26:20.780 Bye.
00:26:21.560 Bye.
00:26:22.380 Bye.
00:26:22.440 Bye.
00:26:23.180 Bye.
00:26:24.220 Bye.
00:26:24.580 Bye.
00:26:25.000 Bye.
00:26:25.260 Bye.
00:26:26.880 Bye.
00:26:27.000 Bye.
00:26:27.100 Bye.
00:26:27.440 Bye.
00:26:27.480 Bye.
00:26:28.280 Bye.
00:26:28.940 Bye.
00:26:29.200 Bye.
00:26:29.700 Bye.
00:26:30.160 Bye.
00:26:42.600 Bye.