HOME AFFAIRS

As the head of the home, how do you effectively set up and manage a family altar? What is the suggested frequency and time?

Answer:     
The first step to having an effective family altar is to have a set time. This is because there is a tendency to go beyond time whenever you do a teaching of the scriptures. When this becomes a common occurrence, the children especially would begin to avoid the family altar because it goes on for too long. They look for ways of escape not because they don't enjoy what you shared, but because you don't have specific time duration.

So the first thing to do is to attach a specific duration to your fellowship time. The time could vary between 30 minutes to one hour depending on the daily itinerary of the family and how much time they can afford to give to the family fellowship. Ideally, family devotions should be a daily affair but again, the timing should be flexible enough to accommodate everybody in the family, hence it could be done in the mornings or delayed till evenings, just before bedtime. At this time, it is likely that everybody would be home.
Secondly, it is advisable to have a daily devotional to assist in making the Bible Study easier and faster. This way you can manage your time better.

You can also make the period more interesting by introducing testimonies and involving your wife and children in the entire process. You could put every member of the family on a roster so they also get the chance to lead the fellowship. Not only will it encourage them to pray and study, it will also increase their knowledge of the Word as well as their involvement in the spiritual growth of the family.

My wife's early pregnancy symptom is to become quarrelsome, sometimes to the point of physical fight. Is there anything I can do to resolve this?

Answer:     
Since you know the reason for her behaviour, the issue should be easier to resolve. Pregnancy blues vary from one woman to another. Some are fortunate to have a stress-free pregnancy throughout the term, while some have it tough at the beginning. Others go through problems throughout the entire term of the pregnancy.

What a woman needs from her husband at this time is understanding and tolerance. A man should bear in mind that his wife is first and foremost fighting a battle within herself because she is not comfortable.
Naturally, her husband is the most likely person at the receiving end of her discomfort. Sometimes, it could also be a woman's way of getting at her husband as she feels he's responsible for her situation and sees no reason why she should bear the brunt of what they are both responsible for.
A man should understand that whatever reactions displayed by his wife in pregnancy are a function of the hormonal changes in her body system, he should therefore go the extra mile to give her love and attention knowing it is a tough period for her.