Love Me, Love My Wife

Today, I’m beginning to post some excerpts from my book: Love Me, Love My Wife: Ten Reasons Christians Must Join a Local Church.

I wrote the book before COVID, but it’s now more relevant than ever.

This first excerpt is from Chapter 1: The Church is the Bride of Jesus Christ

I happen, by the grace of God, to be married to a wonderful wife.

God has graced our lives with an amazing union that is a gift from Him. We have unity in our religious beliefs, child-training philosophies, love of beautiful creations, frugality, and many other things. Our lives are united and entwined in countless ways. And we practice loving each other, not just with romance but by doing good things for each other. Love is the Super Glue that holds us together.

So, you might understand how I would react if someone said to me, “Fr. Charles, I love you. I think you’re great. But you’ve got a real witch for a wife. She’s nothing but trouble, and I can’t stand to be around her. She’s the stupidest, ugliest, most unpleasant person I know, as well as being a hypocrite. I’m happy to talk with you on the phone or text you, but I’ll never enter into your house as long as she’s there.”

Love me, love my wife.

Now in this human analogy, there may actually be times where one spouse is pleasant and nice to hang out with and the other one is an absolute train wreck.

But this is not the case with God and His Bride, the Church.

For while God is perfect and we all know the Church is not, Jesus Christ has a special relationship with His Bride. This special relationship is what this book is all about and why you need to be an active member of a local church.

How do you think Jesus feels when we say that we love Him but also say we think very poorly of His Bride, the Church?