"We are called to manage our homes and families.  The problem comes when we assume so much management of others' lives that we block their ability to learn and grow and so diminish their dignity.  The manager who controls to a fault blocks God's ability to work in others' lives and circumvents the excellent lessons they need to learn."

“A servant-leader husband is interested in arriving at the truth, in knowing what is right, not in who is ‘winning.’  He’s a man of truth, not a scorekeeper.  And he knows that his wife brings a valuable perspective and sensitivity to many issues that he barely understands.  So he values her input, and together they determine what is right.”

“Marriage is a call to die, and a man who does not die for his wife does not come close to the love to which he is called.  Christian marriage vows are the inception of a lifelong practice of death, of giving over not only all you have, but all you are.”

“When a woman thinks of security, her primary thought is not about a house, a savings account, or tuition for the kids.  For her, emotional security matters most: feeling emotionally connected and close to you, and knowing that you are there for her no matter what.”

"The husband who 'serves' his wife by continually yielding to her desires or her wishes is in fact asking her to do his job for him.  He’s ignoring his responsibility to lead.”

“The husband who uses the title of headship as a cover for control, dominance, or even abuse is not only not a head in the way the Bible sets forth but is instead a moral and spiritual failure.  Let me make this clear: When it comes to a man’s leadership in his home, male domination is never a teaching of the Bible.  But headship is.”

“Why, in our culture, do so many discussions of male/female roles seem so painful, unfair, unreal, unfunny, and even preposterous?  Because of men who demand submission from their wives but in turn submit themselves to no one, including God … We cannot blame women for being frustrated because they fear the injustice of being under headship that itself is not accountable.”

“Your wife is your precious one, your only one ... She’s to be cherished, not because of what she does for you, but because of her essence, her value to God as a child born in His image.  You’ve been entrusted with the priceless essence of a human soul, so precious to God that at the foundation of the world He planned to pay His dearest price to buy her back again.”

“Husbands are never told to order their wives to submit, but to love and lead them in such a way that makes it easy for them to do so voluntarily.”

“Men often joke about this assignment (I Peter 3:7): ‘Who can understand a woman?’  God has answered the question loud and clear.  You can.  You can understand a woman.  Husbands can understand wives if they will take the time and energy to focus on them as feminine persons who need their husbands’ honor.”

“A commitment to love our wives involves not only proactive, self-sacrificing love, but also the responsibility of being an agent of sanctification in our wives’ lives.  The goal of our love is to see our wives become more like Christ.”

“Often our desire to please our wife or to keep the peace in our relationship will cause us to compromise.  While we are never to be inconsiderate of our wife’s feelings or her desires, we are to courageously follow God.  There will be times when she will not like our courage or our convictions.  She may choose to withhold affection or to lash out in anger.  There will be conflict.  In those moments you will think to yourself, ‘Surely God wants us to be at peace,’ and you may be tempted to weaken.  The courageous man will stand firm.”

“Initiation is the bottom line of masculinity. It means taking the lead … in providing, protecting, mentoring, and befriending. It means caring for and developing our mates, our children, and ourselves … Masculinity means initiation.”

“Many men, in particular, get too uptight about being the ‘spiritual leader in the home.’  Spiritual leadership is a lifelong process.  No one does it perfectly.  The easiest thing to do is nothing.  Don’t be passive; do something!”

“From the Bible’s perspective, a leader in the home is that man who accepts responsibility for his family—to love, provide for, and protect them and to direct them along biblical guidelines.  Given that, I believe every man can be a leader, regardless of his personality.  He can do it even if he lacks the inspiration, articulation, and vision of a natural leader.  Leadership of the family as a core responsibility is within the grasp of every man.”

“There is a lot of discussion today about what it means for a man to be ‘head of the home’ and ‘head of his wife.’ … It doesn’t mean that the man is to be lord and master of his manor, demanding his wife and children wait on him.  I believe Scripture teaches the husband to be the servant-leader of his home, giving direction, support, and love.”