Defining a woman’s role is not as easy today as it was 30 years ago. Dennis Rainey and his wife, Barbara, talk with noted author and pastor Dr. Robert Lewis about what it means to be a woman in a changing and often confusing culture.
After graduating from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, Barbara joined the staff of Cru® in 1971. With her husband Dennis, whom she married in 1972, the Rainey’s cofounded FamilyLife®, a ministry committed to helping marriages and families survive and thrive in our generation. Barbara is a frequent speaker and guest on FamilyLife Today®, FamilyLife’s award-winning nationally-syndicated daily radio broadcast. She is the author or coauthor of more than 35 books, including Moments Together for Couples and Moments With You marriage devotionals; Growing Together, a series of books for families; A Symphony in the Dark; and her most recent, Letters to My Daughters: The Art of Being a Wife. After faithfully served alongside Dennis, both in ministry and at home, Barbara launched a new endeavor called Ever Thine Home®. This line of home décor with interactive content helps families express faith at home in a way that is both biblical and beautiful. Her heart for Ever Thine Home is based on the familiar Old Testament instruction: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9, ESV) Dennis and Barbara live near Little Rock, Arkansas and continue to serve with Cru, FamilyLife’s parent organization. They have six children and an impressive number of grandchildren.
Robert Lewis has been a pastor, writer, speaker, and visionary for over forty years. Robert founded the original Men’s Fraternity and developed the Men’s Fraternity curriculum in 1990 while serving as Teaching Pastor and Directional Leader at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Robert was named Pastor of the Year by the National Coalition of Men’s Ministry in recognition for his efforts to help men discover Authentic Manhood.
Graduating from the University of Arkansas in 1971 with a degree in Management, Robert went on to obtain both a M.A. in New Testament Greek and a M.Div. degree from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon in 1977. He received the Doctor of Ministry degree from Talbot Theological Seminary in LaMirada, California in 1985.
The original Men’s Fraternity curriculum has impacted more than one million men worldwide in churches, college campuses, corporate boardrooms, and correctional facilities. The Men’s Fraternity video curriculum published by LifeWay is comprised of three studies: The Quest for Authentic Manhood, Winning at Work and Home, and The Great Adventure. Men’s Fraternity has also inspired the development of 33 The Series, which is a study of authentic manhood modeled by Jesus Christ in his 33 years on earth.
In addition to developing the Men’s Fraternity curriculum, he has authored a number of publications including: Raising a Modern-Day Knight (Focus on the Family), the Raising a Modern-Day Knight Video Training Series with Dennis Rainey (Sonlight Productions), Rocking the Roles: Building a Win-Win Marriage (NavPress), Real Family Values (Multnomah Press), The Church of Irresistible Influence (Zondervan), and Culture Shift: Transforming Your Church From the Inside Out published by (Jossey-Bass). He is also a contributing author to Building Strong Families edited by Dennis Rainey and Faith Factor in Fatherhood edited by Don Eberly.
Robert has been featured on radio programs such as FamilyLife Today® and Focus on the Family®, and in a number of magazines including Leadership, Real Man, and Stand Firm. Today, Robert is still very involved in local church ministry and serves on a number of boards including The Bob Buford Institute. He is also a senior advisor to Leadership Network.
Married since 1971, Robert and Sherard Lewis reside in Little Rock and have four grown children and three grandchildren.