{"id":252,"date":"2015-04-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-20T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/send-network\/resource\/a-terrifying-sentence-your-husband-might-hear\/"},"modified":"2020-06-21T22:17:39","modified_gmt":"2020-06-22T02:17:39","slug":"a-terrifying-sentence-your-husband-might-hear","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/send-network\/resource\/a-terrifying-sentence-your-husband-might-hear\/","title":{"rendered":"A Terrifying Sentence Your Husband Might Hear"},"content":{"rendered":"

We think Craig Thompson surfaces a critical issue that ministry marriages need to be aware of. The conversation mentioned below is often well-meaning as Craig wisely points out. Yet this conversation may also send signals of pending vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities we need to be aware of. \u00a0Craig provides wise counsel we should heed.\u00a0This post\u00a0first appeared on Pastor’s Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish my husband was more like you.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a sentence I have heard in one form or another multiple times throughout my ministry. Sometimes it is worded differently because it comes from a single woman who \u201cwould love to meet someone like you.\u201d<\/em> Sometimes the scary sentence is actually made up of a series of compliments over weeks or months, \u201cyour sermons mean so much\u201d<\/em> with a gentle touch on the shoulder. Rarely, the statements come in the form of a full out assault from a young woman who looks for opportunities to compliment you and hug you in front of your wife (yes, we actually experienced that one time).<\/p>\n

Now, I know that as I write this some hear me saying that women are evil manipulators, but that is not my intention at all. In fact, I would say that most of the women who have ever put me into awkward situations with their compliments or actions have done so without ill intention. Often they are hurting women in troubled marriages that perceive the preacher on a stage as the embodiment of much that they are missing. Regardless of the intention on the part of those expressing gushing compliments, a man can find himself in the middle of a conundrum.<\/p>\n

As men, we enjoy having our egos stroked. As leaders we are encouraged when people respond well to our leadership. As a result we must be aware that the weaknesses that our biology and our positions leave us with make us vulnerable to temptation from those who look up to us. Our flesh is often weak even when our spirit is willing.<\/p>\n

\"ProtectionThere are steps that every minister should take to protect himself and those around him from moral failure. They include accountability in counseling, never being alone with people of the opposite sex in a room without a window, etc. However, I\u2019ve found a few steps that are important in situations where boundary lines have potentially been crossed (intentionally or unintentionally).<\/p>\n