part 4, Notes from the book Point Man: How a Man Can Lead His Family, by Steve Farrar

In chapter seven of the book, Farrar talks about husband and wife teamwork. His most memorable analogy is the “Montana/Rice” principle. He recalls how well the 49ers’ seasons went when Joe Montana and Jerry Rice were working together. The fact is both wanted to win games, but in order to do so, Montana had to “lead” and Rice had to “submit.” If they worked together in this way, they could shred a defense very quickly. Farrar offers the “NFL” version of Eph. 5:22-23: “Wide receivers, submit to your quarterback, as to the Lord. For the quarterback is the head of the wide receiver as Christ is the head of the church . . .” (163). Of course, this doesn’t mean a husband should be an “authoritarian.” In fact, I know some otherwise godly Christian men who act somewhat like Muslims in the way they treat their wives: they make their wives wait on them hand and foot like a servant or something. The symptoms for this are:
1. Lacks interest in his wife’s input . . .
2. Forbids the children to discuss his decisions with him . . .
3. Trusts few people.
4. Displays an intense need to control those closest to him.
Funny thing is, Jesus modeled for us a totally different perspective – wash their feet, serve them . . . Farrar goes on in this chapter to explain that a mature man loves his wife:
1.sacrificially,
2. with understanding, and
3. with verbal praise . . .
Another interesting comment from the book comes from the pen of the reformer Martin Luther: “Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave.” (173).
Finally, mutual submission = “you take the lead in your submission to Christ to such an extent that you become a model for your wife” (181).