In addition, Deibler believes divorce to be a premise of the generational sins as referenced in the Old Testament (Exodus 20:5, 34:7b; Leviticus 26:39; Numbers 14:18; Proverbs 3:33).

According to a biblical teacher's manual on generational iniquity and curses found at VisionHarvest.net, "Sin is like a seed that is planted in receptive soil, it will in time reproduce its own kind, unless it is uprooted and dealt with .... Often the sins of our natural parents, grandparents, and forefathers are the root causes of many of our problems."

While viewing divorce as a generational sin makes sense to many, it is not a means of attributing blame.

"I'm not trying to come down on them," Deibler said of his divorced grandparents and parents. "I have to make even a stronger issue and say this is where generational sin stops.

"[We're] making it a heritage of commitment," he explained on behalf of his immediate family. "It's important to our lineage and our heritage."

However, Deibler is not the first to recognize the significance of accepting and dealing with generational sin. According to Bible study material produced by Northern Beaches Christian Centre, "In Psalm 51, King David expressed the principle of taking responsibility for issues in his life that were not his fault but which contributed to his wrongdoing."

In other words, he came to grips with generational sin, and God instructs His children to do the same.

"This requires that we openly and honestly evaluate the events of our lives, our lifestyles, our values, our responses to pressure, our spiritual priorities and our relationships in terms of our faithfulness to God. He also requires that we similarly evaluate the same in the generations that come before us."

Both Deibler and his wife are seeking to do just that as they daily strive to stay committed to each other. But they will admit that a daily cultivation of this commitment is hard.

"To be gut-level honest, we fail a lot," he said while recognizing that trust, perseverance, and prayer are essential to making their marriage last. The couple also encourages other Christians to make it a point to be involved in the lives of others as a means of strengthening their marriages.

"Fight! Not just for your own marriage. Fight for marriage," Deibler challenged. "It's so frustrating to watch marriages break up."

Therefore, Deibler and his wife are taking an active role in ministering to singles who will likely experience marriage in their near future.

Last September, the Deiblers became the worship leaders for a "jeans and Birkenstock" type service geared towards singles. It is a project of Brentwood Baptist Church near Nashville, Tennessee. This is a first for the couple since they are often on the road with FFH.

"We feel like we've got a story to tell, and we want to tell it," Deibler said.

But he makes it clear that FFH is not a "divorce" band or an "issues" band even though he addresses divorce in one song on the band's new album titled "Still the Cross," released September 2004. Instead, he and his wife are simply making a proactive statement apart from the band and will continue to do so as God provides opportunities.

"I'm not going to get my childhood back," Deiber reasoned. "You can't unscramble scrambled eggs."

"But to people who are contemplating it [divorce], this is where I say, marriage is it. It's the be all, end all, say all."

Rebecca Grace, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a staff writer for AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association. This article appeared in the January 2005 issue.

© 2005 Agape Press. Used with permission. All rights reserved.