 Right, let's pray and we'll get started. Okay, let's pray. Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for this new day. We thank you for this new academic year. And just Lord, even as we come before you, we come at ourselves to you Lord. We thank you for who you are. We thank you for your word. We thank you for the work of your spirit. Lord, we thank you for the wisdom that's in your word, the riches that are in your word or God. And even as we come before you, we humble ourselves Lord. And we ask O God that you would speak to us, that you would teach us. Father God, we pray that you would Lord, that we would come in alignment with your word, with the revelation that's of truth that's in your word O God. And I pray Father God that each one of us that we would apply your word and live it out. So that our choices God, our imaginations, our speech, our behavior, everything, Father God is in line with your word and help us to live a word centered, a Christ centered life and a spirit led life. We thank you master. And I just pray for each and every person here attending this session today. After a long time God, I just pray that you would take care of all their needs according to your riches and glory. And even as we've seen the request here, okay, pray for Sid Keno, pray for his exam, we pray that you will do well. Pray for your shalom, your peace, to engulf his heart and mind. And also God, I pray that you would greatly enhance his ability to focus and not be anxious and write the exam well. We commit him into your mighty hands. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Okay. Okay, so this semester we are going to be looking at this whole topic of Christian marriage and family. Okay, so very interesting, very practical and I would say a subject that's very of great importance today, okay, because it's completely, it's under a lot of attack. The whole area of marriage and family seems to be under a lot of attack with varying opinions, varying thoughts, varying ideas about how it should be dictated by popular culture, right? But we go back to the word of God, we back to the original design, we back to the original intent that God has for us. We look into the word and we begin to look at all the aspects of what a marriage is about, what family is about and we're going to look into that. Okay, so that is something very interesting. So we're going to spend the next two hours doing that. Okay, so I just want to ask you guys, like how many of you are married? I know John Paul is. Can you just put your hands up? Okay, Subashish is married. Okay, Lubega, Isaac. Okay, so we have three, four, four, right? Four people who are married, including me, it's five. Okay, so this goes, when we look at this course, we see that it's a preparation, right? For those of you who are single, it's a good preparation for those of you who are single to get grounded in what marriage is about, right? To get grounded in, okay, what is the role of the husband? What is the role of the wife? What is compatibility all about? What is God's intent for marriage? And there's a great time of learning and also it's a great time of unlearning because a lot of things we have been fed by either it's popular opinion, either by tradition or culture, or when you say popular culture, what comes in through the social media feeds and what comes in through avenues of entertainment, programs and so on. So it's a great, I would say that it's something that really, as much as we learn, also it's a time for unlearning, okay? So it's going to affect our attitudes, our motives, our perspectives, right? So it's definitely going to be that for those who are preparing, it's a great time of equipping, okay? Maybe you're saying three years down the line, four years down the line is what I'm thinking of when it comes to marriage, no problem, but this can be a good foundation and a great time of learning and equipping as well. For those of us who are already married, it is again going to be a time of learning and unlearning and the time of enriching. Maybe some of these things maybe we went through as when we were preparing for marriage. So it'll be a reiteration of the truth of what we already know, but also it will be some of these things, maybe we didn't really apply it, maybe it's completely new for us, right? Maybe what happens is traditionally and culturally, this is how we do things, right? This is how we treat our spouse, but when we look into the word and when we look into what the word of God has to say, that can be, the truth of that can really be life-changing, life-transforming. So for those of us who are married, it's going to be that time of enriching our marriages and maybe marriages are struggling. There could be challenges in marriage, there could be conflicts in marriage, right? And there will always be conflicts in marriage, but how to handle that, how to resolve those conflicts, how to walk through or work out some of these challenges. So it's going to be a time of looking at that. Okay, so what I'd like to just tell us before we get into it is about the course, we'd like you to read those guidelines which are there. If you go to the Classwork section, there's one PDF which is uploaded in the Student Guidelines section. So we'd like all of you to go through it please, right? So you read through it, go through it. And then there's another PDF which is uploaded, which is the manual, the course notes that we are going to be following. So you could download that on your phone or your laptop so you can access it and you can follow through what we are doing. I mean, when we go through our classes, go through our lessons, okay? So when you could open it up, you can follow through. Let me try and put a PowerPoint, share a PowerPoint with you, just one second. Okay, I think it's been a while since I did that. So excuse me guys, right? Okay, can you see that coming up on your screen? Okay, as you can see, it's a very old picture. That's me standing there. It's one of the fittings that we officiated, okay? Okay, so these are some things that we're going to be looking at, okay? If you want to go through an overview, we're going to be looking at understanding what marriage is, okay? So a biblical understanding of it. We're going to be looking at how to prepare for one's marriage. For those who are already married, well, it's going to be some course corrections, maybe. Then we're going to be looking at making the choice, right? We're going to be looking at things like compatibility and so on. For those of us who are already married, well, we can't do much here, but maybe it's something like a reiteration of what we could maybe teach others, right? Okay, then understanding roles, husband and wife. Okay, understanding the role of the husband, the role of the wife. And then we're going to be looking at attitudes and temperament. And this is a big one, big topic, communication in marriage, okay? So what is communication all about in marriage? How important is communication? What happens when communication breaks down in marriage? And so on, okay? Then managing your home, then there is sex and sexuality, becoming a team, resolving conflicts, overcoming life's challenges, pressing forward by releasing the past. Then we're going to be looking at boundaries in marriage. Then there is a introductory, a basic session on parenting, and one more session on nurturing children. Then we're going to look at the family alter, intercession, how the family is part of the church and the kingdom. And then we're going to look at, when children become your friends, the sense over the, when you reach a season in life, when children are grown up and they are no more kids, but they've grown up, they're adults and how they become your friends and enjoying the rest of the journey, right? So you see it's a very comprehensive course, right? We're starting from understanding marriage and going all the way parenting, et cetera. So it's going to be interesting as well, okay? Okay, so let's look at this whole thing of marriage when we see, we see that God is really, I see her comment, Isaac, okay? So God is really the designer of marriage, right? You can follow through on your notes as well. So God is really the one who's designed the marriage. So it's not a social construct or a social institution or something like that, but we see that God is the one who has designed it. So the designer of marriage is God himself. Now that puts a lot of thing into perspective. Meaning, if God is the designer of marriage, then he has a very good reason for designing. He has very good reason for, if you want to use the word, creating this whole concept of marriage and family, okay? So without God in the picture or without drawing from him, a marriage is going to be very, very challenging, right? So that's something that we need to understand. So without God in the picture, without God in the mix, right? Marriage is, I mean, just going through marriage is going to be very, very difficult. So now, as a believer also, we might say, okay, we've seen this, right? We've seen this in people, okay? I'm a good believer and I pray, I worship, I read the word, et cetera. But when it comes to marriage, when it comes to, we, much like business, we want to go the way of the world. We want to go by popular opinion. We want to see, okay, this is what they do. This is how they live. And this is what they think about their husbands and this is what they think about their wives. So this is how they treat their husbands. This is how they treat their wives. So I'm going to do the same thing, right? Because this is how it's done. This is how my father treated my mother or this is how my mother treated my father. You know, this is how, you know, I'm going to do them. It doesn't work that way because we see that God himself is a designer of marriage. So if he is not there in the picture, if we are not receiving from him, right, the blueprint for marriage, if you're not receiving from the designer, the blueprint for marriage, the design for marriage, then it's going to be very challenging. Let's look at, let's look at this scripture. Let me just put that up. Okay, this is from the message version, the message Bible. Okay, Genesis chapter 2, 18 to 25, right? So what does it say? It says, let me just read through. Okay, God said, it's not good for man to be alone. I'll make him a helper, a companion. So God formed from the dirt of the ground, all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to man to see what he would name them. Whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. The man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals, but he didn't find a suitable companion. God put the man, this is verse 21, God put the man into a deep sleep. Just a minute. So God put the man into a deep sleep. And as he slept, he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with the flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from man to make the woman, okay? And presented her to the man. The man said, finally, bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, name her woman for she was made from man. Therefore, a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife, they become one flesh. The two of them, the man and his wife were naked, but they felt no shame, okay? So we see that, well, God looked all around and he, and then he says this, it is not good for man to be alone. So I'll make him a helper, a companion suitable for him. And he creates the woman, okay? So we see that, you know, if you look at all creation, right, as God says, it's all good, it's all perfect. And well, he created Adam, it's all good. But it's, what is not good is for man to be alone. So he creates this, or designs this whole concept of marriage, right? We see that he creates the woman and it brings and he says, okay, I'll find him a helper and a companion. So what would, you know, happen if man was all alone? Like if he was in that stage, right? So we see that, we see that, you know, he could be lonely, right? Because the Lord says that it is not good for him to be alone, so he could be lonely. He could be isolated, right? From others, he could be, he could end up being very selfish or self-centered. Okay, so all these possibilities are there. And so the Lord wants, wanted to eliminate this, eliminate all this. And he says, okay, whatever is causing this not good, I want to make it good, right? And he brings along Eve. Okay, so we see that God is, in fact, solemnizing this marriage, right? So we see this verse that for this reason, verse 24, a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. So when we look at, so that's what the message Bible says. And if you look at the New King James Version, so this is how it reads, verse 24, right? Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Okay, so it uses a strong word there, you know, leave and be joined to his wife. And in fact, the old King James says leave and cleave. Okay, leave and cleave. So, and the word used there is a strong word which really means, you know, abandonment. Okay, so it's a kind of a strong word is used there. And the thing is that marriage has within it, this idea of there is a sense of leaving. There is a sense of all other relationships taking a second place, right? So like we need to understand that, right? So all other relationships take a second place and this takes a higher priority. So a lot of saying for this reason, a man shall, literally forsake or leave and he shall be joined to his wife, which means that he's going to set aside these relationships. It's not that they are cut away, but in a sense it is leaving, it is abandoning because it comes to a second place. This one takes priority over all other relationships, second only to a relationship with God. Okay, so that's something that we need to understand. Okay, so, which means that, well, we're going to look at, you know, how that happens and the practical aspect of it and what happens if that priority is not set in place. Okay, just wanted to, you know, share this, that the Lord, of course, he wants, he's the one who created family, he's the one who created marriage. So definitely he wants us to honor our father and mother, honor our parents, right? That is something just, you know, that's there. The first commandment with a promise so that it will be well with you. So, you know, so we're not doing away with that at all. You know, God is not saying, okay, just because you're married, you don't have to honor your parents, no. You know, that is very much there. But in terms of priority of relationships, this is going to take precedence, okay? So we're going to see how it happens, okay? And how, when it does not happen, what really? What is the out-working of that? You know, what happens, right? If it's not conforms to God's design, okay? So God created, God designed marriage and he created someone who is going to be, you know, physically, intellectually, morally, you know, someone who's going to be suitable for, for the man to be a companion, right? You see that word companion, not a servant, right? To be a companion and a helper, you know, a help meet, right? It's mutual and we read the episodes, Ephesians especially, right? So this is God's design. So someone who's going to be all this, but also very different, okay? And I think it's very important that we understand, what are these differences? Not just physical difference, but also emotional, because God emotionally and so on, because God designed us in such a way so that we compliment each other, so that we'll be best suited for the role as husband and wife, right? So that's how he created us. So it's all wonderful, right? God's design is perfect, God's design is wonderful. Okay, so we're going to look at another scripture. Let me just share that. Okay, let's, let's look at this definition. Probably if you see it on the screens, it says, marriage is a man and a woman leaving all other earthly relationships, embracing, meaning leaving, pursuing each other and becoming one, becoming one person before. God, okay. Let me just read that again. Manages a man and a woman, a male, a female, right? Leaving all other earthly relationships, because he says, you know, there is a leaving that happens and pursuing, coming together and embracing, leaving, right? So leaving all other earthly relationships, embracing each other and becoming one person before. God, okay. So God designed this to be intimate. God designed it to be, you know, in this way, right? Okay, so we see that from Matthew 19, there was this three and six, now some Pharisees came and they asked this question to the Lord. They wanted to trap him. So what do they ask? You know, they said, they asked, does our law allow a man to divorce his wife for whatever reason he wishes? And listen to how the Lord answers it. He says, haven't you read the scriptures that says that in the beginning, the creator made people, male and female, okay? And God said, for this reason, so the Lord is quoting from Genesis two, like, for this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and unite with his wife and the two will become one. So he's like, he's reaffirming, you know, approving. And he's in, you know, he's in line with what the father, the initial design of marriage, and he's just reaffirming that, right? And then verse six, he says, so they are no longer two, but one. No human being must separate then what God has joined together. Okay, so I'm sure you might have questions, you know, what about, you know, in what area or in what circumstances, under what circumstances is, you know, divorce permissible, is divorce permissible, et cetera? You know, we're going to, I just want you to hold on to those questions. Okay, we're going to be addressing those issues. We're going to be looking at that also because the Lord also talks about, you know, divorce in another place. So we're going to be looking at that. Okay, so just hold on to those questions, make a note of it and we'll come back to it. Okay, so the thing is this, you know, many, maybe if we just asked each person, right? You know, each of you would have certain thoughts about marriage, right? Based on maybe what you've seen and observed, if you're a married person based on your own experience, right, you might have certain thoughts about marriage in the sense, okay, whether it's good, whether it's bad, whether it's ugly, you know, single people, sometimes they might be very starry. I'd, wow, it'd be wonderful. Like a fairy tale, you know, the prince will come and take the princes on the horse and then they'll ride into the sunset, you know, kind of a thing, picture and yeah. So we might have all these kinds of images and perspectives about marriage. Okay, so and, you know, if somebody's gone through a bad marriage or somebody's seen, you know, marriage struggles at close quarters, well, they might come to a place of saying, being very cynical, you know, marriage is not for me or it's a place of great pain and struggle and so I don't want anything to do with marriage, right? You could come to such conclusions also, but let's look at what God says, right? And then we'll come to, you know, our own conclusions based on that, right? I think that's only fair, right? We look at scripture, we see, okay, this is what God's idea is and these are what God's thoughts are when it comes to marriage. So, you know, whatever has, let's not go by, you know, whatever our assumptions are or experience is, let's look at what God thinks about it. Okay, so let's look at it. Well, the first thing that we see is the cause it was designed by God, who is good and he has the best in store for us, right? We can say very boldly, state very boldly that marriage is a good thing. Let me just put it on the chat, okay, that marriage is, okay, so marriage is a good thing. Right? The reason is this, that it was designed by God. Whatever God designs is good. Why did he design it? He designed it so that it'll be for our good. So it can be a blessing for us and it can be a blessing to people, it can be a blessing to society, right? So we can say that, yes, it is a good thing, okay. Now, how can we make it a good thing? How can we continue and journey in it as a good thing? Well, those are things that we need to work out, right? But primarily, okay, the foundation, the premise is that marriage is a good thing, okay? So just think about that, just allow that to sink in. Okay, marriage is a good thing. Let's look at a couple of verses, okay. Let's say Proverbs 18 and verse 22, okay, Proverbs 18. And I mean, these are there in the notes, but I'm just sharing this, Proverbs 18 and verse 22. Okay, what does it say? It says that he who finds a wife finds a good thing, okay? And obtains favor from the Lord. Okay, I don't know if you've seen that verse before, but we actually look at it during our marriage preparation course and that really clarifies a lot of things, right? For us, that scripture is very clear. It says he who finds a wife, it's not a bad thing. It's not something that's going to cause a lot of trouble or pain or whatever. It's a good thing. And look at the second part of it. It says that, and obtains favor from the Lord, okay? So God's favor, God's approval is there, okay? So it's a good thing, right? So this is something that we see. The first thing that we see is that marriage is a good thing because it is designed by a God, by God who himself is good. Okay, so what is the second thing when it comes to understanding marriage? So, sorry, just before we go into that. It's important that, I'm just talking to married people here that since marriage is a good thing and since it is designed by God, if there is any other thought in our minds about marriage, you might say, hey, you don't know my husband or you don't know my wife, how can marriage be a good thing, right? But the thing is it's designed by God, okay? So forget all that other things. Forget all the negativity or the jokes surrounding marriage. There are so many jokes about marriage and about in-laws and maybe at another time, we could look at all those jokes, but the thing is this, in our mind, we can come to that conclusion that marriage is a good thing. And the only reason being that God created and who is a good God who has the best intentions for us, okay? Right, so we see this verse, Hebrews 13 and verse four, which is the next thing that we are going to look at. So it's something that is good. So it is something that needs to be honored, esteemed highly, okay? So first of all, I make that change or I come aligned to that truth that it's a good thing. And secondly, if it is good, then it's something that needs to be honored that needs to be esteemed highly because God sees it as a good thing. God desires that to be among his people. So it's something to be esteemed highly. It's something to be honored, okay? Hebrews 13 and verse four, the message version again, says that honor, marriage and God, the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband. God draws a firm line against casual and illicit sex, okay? So we see that it is something that needs to be honored, okay? What is it? It's in your notes, you would see an institution, something that is established, an established custom or an established, sorry, established practice is called an institution, right? An established custom and an established practice. So marriage is something that needs to be honored as an established practice and an established custom, okay? And there is the sacredness of marriage and there is this boundary in marriage and God, in fact, he draws a firm line, right? So we need to do that as well, okay? So third thing we see when it comes to marriage from a biblical perspective is that a marriage is a covenant, okay? So I'm sure, you know, all of us, we would have attended some wedding and maybe you've seen, maybe if you're a pastor, you've solemnized a wedding and you see, you exchange certain things, right? You're saying some things, you're exchanging a ring, you're exchanging maybe some other token of affirmation, you're saying, okay, I'm serious about this and over and above all, we are also exchanging some vows, exchanging some promises, right? We're saying, you know, I promise to do this, right? I promise to do this and I promise to take you as my husband or as my wife and then, you know, the typical vows, marriage vows it says, you know, in sickness and in health, you know, in all these various seasons, I promise, I make it a covenant, I vow to do this, okay? So what is a vow? What is a covenant? It is an agreement, like it's a promise, it's a vow and it's something that, you know, that God takes seriously because we are doing it in His presence and we're saying, with God being my witness, I make this solemn, wow, right? Okay, so let's look at this verse. Okay, and in Malachi, you know, God is, He has this, He's angry and you know, this is what He says, why? You know, He's angry with His people. Malachi chapter two verse 13, it says, and here's the second offends, you fill the place of worship with your whining and sniveling because you don't get what you want from God and do you know why? Simple, because God was there as a witness when you spoke your marriage vows to your young bride and now you've broken those vows, broken the faith bond with your vowed companion, your covenant wife. Okay, so we see that it is a solemn, which means it's something that is reverential, it's a solemn covenant and it is something that is holy and something that is made in the presence of God. Okay, so you might say, okay, these are just words. Well, these are words, but these are words that are solemn, these are words of promise and it is a covenant in the presence of a holy God. Okay, so it needs to be honored, it needs to be taken seriously. Now, you know, what normally happens is like, at the wedding it's, it is the custom, right? At some point you'll have these vows and of course people write their own vows nowadays and say, you know, I promise to be this, I promise to be that and so on. And everybody's happy, you know, everybody's, oh, people are wiping away tears of joy and everybody's smiling, the photographs are being taken, the videos taken and all that and everybody's happy, you know, it's just the environment of great joy and celebration, but we need to understand that these vows are made so that whatever season we go through, right, whether it's high, whether it's low, whether it is, you know, challenging season, these vows hold good, this covenant holds good, right? Because God being who he is, when he makes a covenant with his people, you know, he's faithful, he's faithful to his word, he's to watch over his word, to perform it. And so we must be, you know, as people who imitate God as people who walk like Jesus, right? So it's something for all seasons, right? So the thing is, you know, is it difficult? Is it challenging? Yeah, of course, it is. Nobody said it's going to be easy, right? You know, when you make a vow and you're saying, you know, in sickness and in health, you know, at different seasons, you know, in good times and in bad and you're saying, you know, I honor you with my body and a typical marriage, you know, wedding vow would have that, right? I honor you with my body and all my material possessions, you know, they are yours and mine and it's, and all that. But then we see that, you know, very quickly sometimes, you know, these walls are broken, you know, we forget, it's as if it was conditional, right? You know, I choose to honor you, I choose, I take you as my, as long as you do this, this, this. Well, you never said that, right? So it's a, you know, it's a, it's a solemn covenant. It's something that needs to be honored. It's a vow. God takes it seriously. Okay. Next one, very interesting. Okay. Is everyone finding it interesting? Yeah. Okay. How many of you think it's challenging? Okay. This is yes for interesting or challenging or for both? Okay. For both. Okay. It definitely says both. Okay. So let's look at, let's look at the next one. Okay. So the next one is, you know, when you look at the word, you see that a marriage is between one woman and one man. Okay. It's between one woman and one man, right? So again, going back to Genesis chapter two and verse 24, we're going to be going, referring to that over and over again. Verse 24 says, therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife and they were not ashamed. So, you know, nakedness, physically nakedness and, you know, they're being vulnerable to each other. Basically, you know, there's nothing hidden from each other, you know, figuratively speaking, you know, it could refer to that as well. But, but anyway, the thing is that, you know, they were open, they were vulnerable with each other. And this kind of a relationship is for one man and one woman only, right? So that's something that we need to understand is not this kind of a vulnerable, precious, open, transparent relationship is not for all, right? It's not for all. I can have this only with my spouse, okay? So that's another thing that we need to understand about marriage. So, you know, sometimes people make the mistake of saying, okay, physically I'm, you know, close, physically I'm, you know, made myself vulnerable or, you know, I have this relationship with my wife or my husband. But emotionally, I'm close to someone else. It doesn't work that way, right? Well, you might say, you know, this person doesn't understand, you know, but this person, the other person does, no. This kind of a relationship of physical vulnerability, emotional openness, being transparent is for the husband and wife, is for one woman, specifically, you know, one woman and one man only. So the problem happens when it is not so, right? Other things, other challenges, issues, you know, creep in when it is not so, okay? So this is what we see. So, yeah, so let's talk about that, you know? So it's one woman and one man. So it is what we call as an inner circle, you know, if you can picture that, the husband, wife, and then, you know, there's a circle around them. So in that circle, well, of course, God is there, they cannot be any other human being, right? If there's a third human being, third person in that circle, then it is guaranteed that the marriage will experience stress. It is guaranteed. First of all, there is no room. But when you make room and when you make yourself flexible to accommodate another person in that circle, this kind of relationship, I'm talking about, right? What the word of God is describing, this kind of a relationship, okay? So I think we need to understand it, right? It's not like, okay, you know, some people might take it to an extreme saying, okay, you know, I'm not going to fellowship with any other person, you know? We are going to be very close, you know, husband, wife, family, you know, no other friends, you know, just acquaintances and keeping everybody at arm's length, you know, that's not it. This kind of a relationship between one man and one woman, you know, it's between one man and one woman only, and that circle is for the husband and wife only, and they cannot be a third person in that circle, okay? So when somebody moves into that kind of a circle, then there is stress, you know? If there is, let's say, in what way, you know, you might, I'm gonna ask, in what way can a third person be there? Yeah, you know, let's say if it's a case of adultery, right? If it's an extra marital affair or extra marital relationship, then there is a third person there, right? Physical intimacy is compromised. Emotional closeness is compromised, right? And I forget the reference where it says that, you know, you destroy your soul. I think in Second Peter, you destroy your soul, right? So in that way, it happens. Or maybe saying, okay, I'm married, you know, I'm close to my wife and all that, but I have this one other person who is really emotionally closer than my spouse, okay? Or it could be, you know, I'm still emotionally dependent, attached, you know, to, well, the elders in my family or, you know, father, mother, you know, more than my spouse, okay? They're also the marriage will experience stress, okay? So you can say, okay, I've lived with my parents, you know, maybe 20 years, 25 years, whatever, you know? So I had all these wonderful, you know, memories and all that. And, you know, how can you expect me to become close or intimate with another person whom I've known, well, a few months, a few years, you know? That is why this thing of coming together or becoming one is a journey. It's a journey, it's a process, it's a journey, right? But as long as we are committed, you know, as we made our wabs on our wedding day, as long as we are committed to make that journey, then, you know, there's this process of making one of being one will, you know, will be something that is, you know, that'll be strong, that'll end in, you know, a greater intimacy and greater closeness and so on. Okay, but this is something that we need to understand. Okay, so if you notice, we also looked at the gender, right? Marriage is between one woman and one man. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Okay, even the wows also, you know, in some of these, you know, wedding order of service, the pastor, you know, we asked that question, like I don't know if, you know, we're all from different church backgrounds, right? So the pastor asked the question, you know, who gives this woman to be married to this man? Sometimes I wonder, you know, it's so, you know, why can't we put a name there? You know, it's like who gives Arthi to be married to Jay Kumar, Arthi is my wife. Why can't we make it personal, right? It sounds so, you know, formal and so distant. Who gives this woman to be married to this man? And then I realized, you know, somebody pointed that out to me and said, hey, you know, this is the truth. This is how God designed it. The marriage is between the woman and the man, right? So bringing out the importance of the gender, this is how God created it. So in today's, you know, in today's culture, in today's, you know, society, you see that there's all kinds of marriages, right? Manages between a man and a woman, I'm sorry, a man and woman, which is of course normal, but you know, there's homosexuality, there's lesbianism, and recently I just saw, you know, there's a person who married herself. I don't know if you noticed, it was in social media, okay, who actually married herself. I don't know how's that's working out, but you know, all these kinds of things happening in society. So it's important for us to understand that it's between the man and the woman, okay? Okay, so we'll take a break right now. I think it's 9.50, we'll take a break, we'll come back at 10 a.m., okay, God bless.