Pool Party!

Summer Pool Party at Mark and Raquel's!

Too much fun!

Jeff and Tony

Kevin and Gana and a whole bunch of kids!

Mark and Jordan

Jordan, Kevin and Gana

The Daddies watched the kids in the pool and the Mommies relaxed in the shade!
Raquel, Teresa, Arlin, Minoska, Kristina, and Micha

Herman "supervising"

Daja

Intense conversation?



 After the sun set, Mark cranked up the Latin music and everyone just started dancing and/or kissing.

That's how we do it at Eden Rock!

Summer fun! 

Please join us at our next family adventure or date night!

God's Purposes for Marriage

Understanding God’s design gives your marriage a sense of direction and stability.
Dennis Rainey

While in Southern California on a business trip, I stopped for a red light early one morning. Waiting at the intersection, I noticed a construction crew already busy renovating an old restaurant. Like ants, the carpenters and other workers were scrambling through the building, and almost every one of them possessed the same thing: blueprints. I saw blueprints carried under arms, rolled out on window ledges, and pointed at excitedly.

The light turned green and I sped away, but the scene lingered in my memory, reminding me of a simple truth: You don’t build or renovate a structure without blueprints. Or if you do, how will that building turn out?

Unfortunately, too many couples have not compared notes on their blueprints for marriage. Like those construction workers, every husband and every wife has a set of prints, but I’ve seen too many relationships where his and hers don’t match—their expectations and purposes differ. If you think this might be true in your marriage, how do you get on the same page in your relationship and build your “house” from identical plans?

The only answer I know is to put you in touch with the Architect, the original Designer, the One who has recorded His blueprints for marriage in Scripture. As you journey through marriage together, you want to grow in your love for each other, to experience life fully, and to be truly one. But what seemed so effortless as an engaged couple may now be an elusive dream. That’s why you need to understand God’s blueprints—His purposes for marriage.

These three purposes will give your marriage a sense of direction, internal stability, and the stamp of God’s design. They will lift your marriage above the everyday, run-of-the-mill relationship and place it on a high and lofty spiritual plane.

Purpose One: Mirror God’s image. After God created the earth and the animals, He said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” The account continues, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).

God’s first purpose for creating man and woman and joining them in marriage was to mirror His image on planet earth. Center your attention on those words, mirror His image. The Hebrew word for “mirror” means to reflect God, to magnify, exalt, and glorify Him. Your marriage should reflect God’s image to a world that desperately needs to see who He is. Because we’re created in the image of God, people who wouldn’t otherwise know what God is like should be able to look at us and get a glimpse.

Purpose Two: Complete each other and experience companionship. Scripture clearly outlines a second purpose for marriage: to mutually complete each other. That’s why God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18).

Adam felt isolated in the Garden, and so God created woman to eliminate his aloneness. Writing to the first-century church in Corinth, Paul echoed the teachings in Genesis 2 when he asserted, “However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman” (1 Corinthians 11:11).

I was convinced that Barbara was “the one,” because I sensed that she could complete me as well as be a wonderful companion. Now, many years later, I really understand how much I need her. The two of us are like a computer and software. Standing alone, the computer and software are impressive, but combined as a team, they can accomplish so much more! And that’s exactly what God had in mind when He performed the first marriage with an original groom and bride named Adam and Eve.

You need each other. You recognize that now. But if you build your marriage according to God’s blueprints, as the years go by, you will really appreciate the genius of how God has custom-made your mate for you.

Purpose Three: Multiply a godly legacy. A line of godly descendants—your children—will carry a reflection of God’s character to the next generation. Your plans for children may still be in the future, but if He gives you a child, you will be in for an amazing adventure.

God’s original plan called for the home to be a sort of greenhouse—a nurturing place where children grow up to learn character, values, and integrity. Too many couples today seem to be raising their children without a sense of mission and direction. They aren’t imparting to them the importance of leaving a spiritual legacy of changed lives. They aren’t evaluating their lives in light of the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20, where Christ commands us to preach the gospel to all nations.

One of your assignments is to impart a sense of destiny, a spiritual mission, to your children. Your responsibility as a couple is to make your home a place where your children learn what it means to love and obey God. Your home should be a training center to equip your children to look at the needs of people and the world through the eyes of Jesus Christ. If children do not embrace this spiritual mission as they grow up, they may live their entire lives without experiencing the privilege of God using them in a significant way.

Your marriage is far more important than you may have ever imagined because it affects God’s reputation on this planet. That’s why it’s essential for you to set Jesus Christ apart as the Builder of your home.

Adapted by permission from Starting Your Marriage Right, by Dennis and Barbara Rainey, Thomas Nelson Publisher, 2000.

Dennis Rainey is president of FamilyLife.

Mediocracy Is Not OK!

Why do we settle for an o.k. marriage? It has been on my heart to see us fulfill what God had originally intended for marriage. I am currently reading Tim and Anne Evans book called, “Marriage It’s Not About Me.” I love the way they break down God’s original design for marriage. God intended our marriage to reflect and reveal his true nature of love, relationship, oneness, servant hood. We are to mirror Him. The Hebrew word for mirror means to reflect God, to magnify, exalt, and glorify Him. Can you honestly say that your marriage mirrors God’s image? I’m not trying to condemn or shame anyone. Believe me when I say that I’m also speaking to myself. But my wife and I have made a commitment to try to mirror His image in our marriage. It is not easy at times; I must die to myself daily. (Genesis 1:27-28)- “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” God had purposed oneness in marriage. Complete transparency with each other and with Him. Adam and Eve was the perfect love relationship. Not only were they physically naked but they were also spiritually naked with each other and their heavenly Father. (Genesis 2:24)- “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” But we all know the story of the fall where Eve eats the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and gives it to Adam. This act gave the enemy authority to come and rob, steal, and destroy marriage. Ever since the fall, the enemy has used shame, guilt, fear, control, and has stolen our identity of whose image we are made of to destroy marriage and family. Marriage and family are under attack. I remember my mom telling me when she was a young girl growing up in Scotland during WWII, the air raid sirens would sound. She said if they were outside they would run home, put on a helmet and a gas mask and go to the basement if they had one. The siren has been sounded and it is time to gather the troops in unity and take back Gods original design for marriage. Thankfully Jesus was born, died on the cross, and ascended into heaven. This sacrificial act gave us back the authority to rule and have dominion over all things on earth, including the enemy. We can live out Gods original plan for marriage. No more with settling with so-so marriages. Are you not sick and tired of being sick and tired? I want revival in our marriages, in our families. The secular world should be looking at our marriages in the church and wondering how they can have the same thing in their marriage. To often our marriages look the same as the secular world. The divorce rate in the church is the same as outside the church. That is sad. How can we change the world when we look like the world? Let our marriages and families be a light in this time of attack. Let us show the world that Gods design for marriage is the only design that works. A marriage of oneness in relationship with our heavenly Father. A marriage of love, understanding, forgiveness, patience, kindness, sacrifice, service, and a willingness to lay down our life for our spouse. So let’s not settle for less. We can change the view of marriage in our society by just mirroring the image of God in our own marriage. Do not under estimate what our all powerful, glorious Father can do. Like I said before, lets not put God in a box. I’m not condemning you if you are having issues in your marriage. We all go through struggles in our marriage and can I tell you about struggle. But let’s not choose to stay there or buy into the lie of the enemy that it can never get better or bye into shame, fear, guilt, control, or just giving up. I tell you from experience, our God is a God of miracles. He will change your circumstance if you completely rely on Him. God rejoices when our marriages reflect and reveal who He truly is. LOVE!
So it is time to start living. Living in a marriage that reflects and reveals our Father. No more excuses! (Philippians 4:13)- “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Also along with allowing God to work in us, we need to stay connected with other couples. We need to learn and reach out to others. Do not let shame and fear isolate you. On the other hand, we need to make ourselves available to others who are struggling. Yes, we have to sometimes go out of our way for others. Disrupt our comfortable lives. We reflect and reveal the love of God when we do. We cannot fight this battle on our own. So let’s learn to pray for other marriages, to go out of our way for others, to build friendships, and stay connected. We will take back what the enemy has stolen. Our marriages will mirror the image of God.

Mark and Raquel Soto