With nearly half of all new marriages in the West ending in divorce, more couples are careful before entering into it. They want to make sure it is the right decision, and they want to do everything they can within their capacity hoping to increase their chances of marital success. Before the Wedding Bells is a resource intended for singles who are pursuing a relationship or for engaged couples counting down to the big day in their life. This is designed to assist individuals and couples to develop a deeper understanding of marriage and in developing skills to navigate their way through marriage successfully.

A friend recently asked me, “Is monogamy realistic in 21st century?” That made me thinking. In an age of divorce, hookup culture and widespread infidelity, “till death do us part’ seems nearly impossible. Celebrities are openly flaunting their extra-marital exploits! With people constantly moving from place to place and changing jobs like they do with clothes, the ‘use and throw’ attitude is creeping into our thinking of how we view relationships like that of marriage.

With the Internet, pornography is only a click-away and more kids are falling prey to sexual addiction than ever before. Parents are finding it increasingly difficult to shield their children from pornography. The problems of teenage pornography and sexual addictions are real, devastating, and increasing. According to some studies, nine in ten teens have been exposed to pornography. Some of those casual exposures result in deviant sexual behaviors or sexual violence for some, while others are susceptible to sexual addiction or perverted behaviors in the future.

Over the last few weeks, popular media has been covering the story of the conversion of Sri Lankan second generation Muslim girl, Fathima Rifqa Bary. Youtube and Facebook has been at the heart of this controversy. Fathima Rifqa Bary even has an URL after her name – www.rifqabary.com

Listen to Fathima Rifqa Bary testimony on Youtube.



Fathima Rifqa Bary of Columbus, Ohio was raised in a Muslim home, studied the Quran, and practiced the ways of Mohamed. Several years ago, she converted from Islam to Christianity when she found that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Fathima Rifqa Bary continued living in Columbus with her family, sneaking out at night after her parents had gone to sleep to attend prayer meetings and to read her Bible. After her father threatened to kill her for apostasy, a crime under Islamic Sharia law, Rifqa hitchhiked to the bus station and fled to Florida.

Connext 2009 is the Convergence of Emerging South Asian Christian Leaders. Its purpose is to gather young Christian leaders of the South Asian community to connect, encourage, equip and serve together for Kingdom Impact. The theme for Connext 2009 is "Unleashing Your Leadership Potential." Connext 2009 is a three-day gathering of young South Asian Christians to transform participants personally, professionally and spiritually in their leadership calling, abilities, and development and to identify, invest, resource and further support key emerging leaders in the community on an ongoing basis. Click here to the Connext 2009 website.