The Tucson tragedy of last Saturday fills the news. A loner who apparently lost touch with reality shot 20 people, 6 of whom died, including a sweet child. As happens with all of these tragedies, the blame game is being played out in the public square. Some point at the guy’s parents who failed. The Dems tried to make it about over-heated political rhetoric from the Repubs that drove the murderer to his desperation. Others have decried the lack of strict gun laws that let him buy a deadly weapon. What I know is that God weeps along with us. At the root of this tragedy is the same evil that causes a billion people to lie down in sorrow each night!
Evil is real, friend. We ignore it to our peril. When we fail to name sin and evil for what it is, when we think it can be defeated with more laws, more spending on government programs, more education or economic opportunity, we are only kidding ourselves. It is the Gospel of Christ that changes individual people from sinners to saints, and it is those saints who bring the rule of Christ to this world, pushing back the borders of evil with the power of the Spirit who fills us with love. If we turn the Church of Jesus Christ into a “bless-me” holy huddle, a kind of religious country club where we can be isolated from the ugly realities of the world, we are failing and are saying to our world, though perhaps unknowingly and unconsciously, “Go to Hell!”
In recent years, many have rejected the old militant songs like “Onward, Christian Soldiers.” Too war-like, they say. Perhaps we need a refresher course in Jesus’ words that are quite clear about the true nature of our mission – the defeat of evil by the establishment of His reign. His kingdom is one of love; but it is not a ‘soft lights, violin music’ kind of love! It’s a bold love that advances against evil. We don’t attack people. That’s wrong. We bring Light to dark places, we love the unlovely, we sacrifice Self to serve the least, the lost, and the lonely that they might come to know the One who cares for their soul. We teach a Biblical world view that runs directly counter to the materialism that shapes the thoughts of most. By telling The Story that we learn in the Scripture, we defeat the sensuality that is the spirit of the age. Where Christians do the work of Christ, evil is curbed.
Take time to re-read these familiar words. I pray that they will create a sense of mission in us, that the Church of Jesus Christ will renew her commitment to the true work of building His Kingdom, defeating the powers of evil.
“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." (Matthew 7:15-20, NLT)
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27, NLT)
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NLT)
______________
Onward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before!
Christ, the royal Master,
Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
See His banners go!
At the sign of triumph,
Satan's host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers,
On to victory!
Hell's foundations quiver
At the shouts of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices,
Loud your anthems raise!
Like a mighty army
Moves the Church of God:
Brothers, we are treading
Where the Saints have trod.
We are not divided,
All one body we:
One in hope and doctrine,
One in charity.
Crowns and thrones may perish,
Kingdoms rise and wane,
But the church of Jesus
Constant will remain.
Gates of Hell can never
'Gainst the church prevail;
We have Christ's own promise,
And that cannot fail.
Onward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before!
Onward Christian Soldiers
Baring-Gould, Sabine / Sullivan, Arthur Seymour
© Public Domain
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
And Joseph wept . . .
Forgiveness is a precious gift and one that brings joy to both the forgiver and the forgiven. There are not many choices we can make that will return as rich a reward to us as the choice to release others with forgiveness. Holding a grudge requires constant investment of emotional energy and locks us into a fixed state that prevents growth. No wonder Jesus urges us to forgive those who trespass against us.
A Christian who has been forgiven by his Heavenly Father must likewise forgive if he would live in the fullness of grace that is offered by the Lord to him. That is why the Word urges us to "never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink." (Romans 12:19-20, NLT)
In the story of Joseph, there is a sad footnote about forgiveness. He brought his whole family, including the brothers who had treated him so terribly in his youth, to Egypt. After 17 years, Jacob died. Even though Joseph had been kind to them, showing no inclination towards revenge, those men lived in fear that he had not truly forgiven them. The Bible says they cooked up a lie and went to their now powerful brother. “Before your father died, he instructed us to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept. Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said. But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you?" (Genesis 50:16-19, NLT)
Lacking the godly heart of their brother, these men acted to protect themselves. Their failure to understand or accept Joseph’s forgiveness does not provoke him. Instead we read that ‘he broke down and wept.’ He felt sorry for the brothers who were still locked into a prison of fear and guilt by their failure to receive forgiveness and to forgive themselves! He shows us the true heart of a forgiver when he says that final justice belongs to God!
Disciple, are you hanging onto a grudge?
Are you trapped by some old debt, unwilling to either extend forgiveness or to receive it?
It’s time to change that. In Christ, we find complete forgiveness of our sins. The Word says, "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:10-12, NIV) Knowing that kind of mercy and grace, we are then enabled to release those who have sinned against us into His hands, fully forgiving them. Will you? It’s a great gift to others and to ourselves!
Here’s a word from the Word. Receive it with faith and live in the joy promised. "But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” (Mark 11:25, NLT)
_______________
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt!
Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss.
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty Cross.
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide;
Whiter than snow you may be today.
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?
Grace Greater Than Our Sin
Johnston, Julia H. / Towner, Daniel Brink
© Public Domain
A Christian who has been forgiven by his Heavenly Father must likewise forgive if he would live in the fullness of grace that is offered by the Lord to him. That is why the Word urges us to "never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink." (Romans 12:19-20, NLT)
In the story of Joseph, there is a sad footnote about forgiveness. He brought his whole family, including the brothers who had treated him so terribly in his youth, to Egypt. After 17 years, Jacob died. Even though Joseph had been kind to them, showing no inclination towards revenge, those men lived in fear that he had not truly forgiven them. The Bible says they cooked up a lie and went to their now powerful brother. “Before your father died, he instructed us to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept. Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said. But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you?" (Genesis 50:16-19, NLT)
Lacking the godly heart of their brother, these men acted to protect themselves. Their failure to understand or accept Joseph’s forgiveness does not provoke him. Instead we read that ‘he broke down and wept.’ He felt sorry for the brothers who were still locked into a prison of fear and guilt by their failure to receive forgiveness and to forgive themselves! He shows us the true heart of a forgiver when he says that final justice belongs to God!
Disciple, are you hanging onto a grudge?
Are you trapped by some old debt, unwilling to either extend forgiveness or to receive it?
It’s time to change that. In Christ, we find complete forgiveness of our sins. The Word says, "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:10-12, NIV) Knowing that kind of mercy and grace, we are then enabled to release those who have sinned against us into His hands, fully forgiving them. Will you? It’s a great gift to others and to ourselves!
Here’s a word from the Word. Receive it with faith and live in the joy promised. "But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” (Mark 11:25, NLT)
_______________
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt!
Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss.
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty Cross.
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide;
Whiter than snow you may be today.
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?
Grace Greater Than Our Sin
Johnston, Julia H. / Towner, Daniel Brink
© Public Domain
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Human nature is persistent.
“Pastor, pray that …” and what follows is often a request for some change in life. I should not say this, but often my prayer is tinged with a suspicion that nothing will come of our entreaty. Why? Do I doubt God’s power? Not at all. The Spirit of God does transform the human heart, but not without some cooperation on our part. What produces my doubt is the knowledge that many people want God to do a magic trick for them. They seek to own the treasure of faith and/or character without any effort on their part. In those moments I feel like the alchemists of old of whom kings demanded lead turned into gold!
In the story of Joseph there is a little line that made me smile as I read it today. After his glorious reunion with his brothers, after the Pharaoh loaded them up with money and an invitation to come back and live on the ‘best of all Egypt,’ Joseph sent them away with this caution: as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!” (Genesis 45:24, NIV) Their actions over the previous several months as he had tested them revealed they were still selfish, sinful men!
They had grown older but they had not matured into wise men spiritually! How sad, but too often true of so many of us. Joseph, by contrast, had lived through terrible testing, the kind of experiences that destroy most people, and emerged with a stellar character, amazing wisdom, and deep faith.
Disciple are you just growing older in the faith or are you growing deeper and stronger, too? A long record of church attendance is no indicator of spiritual maturity. Are you still dealing with the same sins and habits that you wrestled with 20 years ago? Are you still crying out to God for a magic trick of deliverance, instead of working with Him for deep transformation of character into a person of steady faith, integrity, and humility?
The twin rails of spiritual change are prayer and practical choices! Without the intervention of Christ and the power of the Spirit, we remain in our sin, slaves- the Bible says – of a sinful nature that cannot change! So pray and accept the freedom provided by Jesus. And then, make the choices necessary. “Choose today whom you will serve,” was the challenge put before God’s people by an old man named Joshua whose life was a model of faithfulness for them.
Meditate for a few moments on this passage. Then, let God defeat the persistence of sin in your nature revealing the nature of Christ in you.
"Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." (Romans 5:1-5, NLT)
___________
Change my heart, oh God,
Make it ever true.
Change my heart, oh God,
May I be like You.
You are the potter,
I am the clay.
Mold me and make me,
This is what I pray.
Change My Heart Oh God
Espinosa, Eddie
© 1982 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)
CCLI License No. 810055
In the story of Joseph there is a little line that made me smile as I read it today. After his glorious reunion with his brothers, after the Pharaoh loaded them up with money and an invitation to come back and live on the ‘best of all Egypt,’ Joseph sent them away with this caution: as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!” (Genesis 45:24, NIV) Their actions over the previous several months as he had tested them revealed they were still selfish, sinful men!
They had grown older but they had not matured into wise men spiritually! How sad, but too often true of so many of us. Joseph, by contrast, had lived through terrible testing, the kind of experiences that destroy most people, and emerged with a stellar character, amazing wisdom, and deep faith.
Disciple are you just growing older in the faith or are you growing deeper and stronger, too? A long record of church attendance is no indicator of spiritual maturity. Are you still dealing with the same sins and habits that you wrestled with 20 years ago? Are you still crying out to God for a magic trick of deliverance, instead of working with Him for deep transformation of character into a person of steady faith, integrity, and humility?
The twin rails of spiritual change are prayer and practical choices! Without the intervention of Christ and the power of the Spirit, we remain in our sin, slaves- the Bible says – of a sinful nature that cannot change! So pray and accept the freedom provided by Jesus. And then, make the choices necessary. “Choose today whom you will serve,” was the challenge put before God’s people by an old man named Joshua whose life was a model of faithfulness for them.
Meditate for a few moments on this passage. Then, let God defeat the persistence of sin in your nature revealing the nature of Christ in you.
"Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." (Romans 5:1-5, NLT)
___________
Change my heart, oh God,
Make it ever true.
Change my heart, oh God,
May I be like You.
You are the potter,
I am the clay.
Mold me and make me,
This is what I pray.
Change My Heart Oh God
Espinosa, Eddie
© 1982 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)
CCLI License No. 810055
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
He sent me here!
The Lord can use even the unjust actions of evil people to accomplish His purposes in our lives. I believe that whole-heartedly, but living it out can be such a challenge. My natural response when someone takes advantage of me, or when they accuse me unfairly, or when they fail to keep the promise to me is to rise up in self-defense. If the situation is critical enough I might even start to grumble about what seems like the Lord’s failure to ‘take care of me.’
Many years ago, an egotistical, power hungry man I’ll just call Will entered the congregation I was pastoring. He challenged my teaching, worked hard to gather a following, and created all kinds of problems in the church. I prayed earnestly about how to preserve the flock from his harm. Finally the Lord spoke into my heart about some repentance that needed to happen in my own life with the promise that when I obeyed, He would take care of Will! I did, and He did!
Was God the author of Will’s sinfulness? Not at all, but He was using him to reveal a flaw in me. Once I was aligned to His plan, I could see clearly how to proceed and saw His provision for my situation at the time.
Joseph, the patriarch whose story is told in the latter part of Genesis, was cruelly treated by his brothers, rejected because he was prideful and favored by their father, Jacob. When they found an opportunity to be rid of their little brother, they sold him into slavery and he was carried off to Egypt. Years later, Joseph had become the Prime Minister of the empire and his brothers found themselves in his court. When they finally realized that the powerful man standing before them was the brother they sent to a living death, they trembled, waiting for retaliation. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping." (Genesis 45:4-6, NIV) God was working, all the time, in every situation.
Have others broken your heart, blocked your way, sinned against God and harmed you?
Are you ready to respond with hatred?
Are you tempted to abandon the Lord’s will and do your own thing to even the score?
Don’t do it!
Take a lesson from Joseph and do the right thing even in the most trying of circumstances. "Open up before God, keep nothing back; he’ll do whatever needs to be done: He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon." (Psalm 37:5-6, The Message) That’s not fatalism. That is true faith that waits on the Lord.
In time, you will see, like Joseph (though he waited two decades!) that God is greater, that His purposes prevail, that He is Lord of all.
Here’s a word from the Word. Pray it today! Learn it, own it, live it.
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust,
who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare." (Psalm 40:1-5, NIV)
Many years ago, an egotistical, power hungry man I’ll just call Will entered the congregation I was pastoring. He challenged my teaching, worked hard to gather a following, and created all kinds of problems in the church. I prayed earnestly about how to preserve the flock from his harm. Finally the Lord spoke into my heart about some repentance that needed to happen in my own life with the promise that when I obeyed, He would take care of Will! I did, and He did!
Was God the author of Will’s sinfulness? Not at all, but He was using him to reveal a flaw in me. Once I was aligned to His plan, I could see clearly how to proceed and saw His provision for my situation at the time.
Joseph, the patriarch whose story is told in the latter part of Genesis, was cruelly treated by his brothers, rejected because he was prideful and favored by their father, Jacob. When they found an opportunity to be rid of their little brother, they sold him into slavery and he was carried off to Egypt. Years later, Joseph had become the Prime Minister of the empire and his brothers found themselves in his court. When they finally realized that the powerful man standing before them was the brother they sent to a living death, they trembled, waiting for retaliation. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping." (Genesis 45:4-6, NIV) God was working, all the time, in every situation.
Have others broken your heart, blocked your way, sinned against God and harmed you?
Are you ready to respond with hatred?
Are you tempted to abandon the Lord’s will and do your own thing to even the score?
Don’t do it!
Take a lesson from Joseph and do the right thing even in the most trying of circumstances. "Open up before God, keep nothing back; he’ll do whatever needs to be done: He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon." (Psalm 37:5-6, The Message) That’s not fatalism. That is true faith that waits on the Lord.
In time, you will see, like Joseph (though he waited two decades!) that God is greater, that His purposes prevail, that He is Lord of all.
Here’s a word from the Word. Pray it today! Learn it, own it, live it.
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust,
who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare." (Psalm 40:1-5, NIV)
Monday, January 10, 2011
I love you, Bev!
Today we mark our 36th wedding anniversary. Bev is the best thing that ever happened to me, my best friend, my partner. We share a ministry calling, four great kids, a ton ‘o memories, and love for Christ Jesus. We were just kids when we married - 19 and 20 years of age – but from the first we gave ourselves to Him first, and that has been the key to the endurance of our love. We know firsthand the truth that "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour." (Ecclesiastes 4:9, KJV) "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12, KJV)
We sailed some rough waters over these years. Bev endured living with a head-strong young husband who mistaken thought that being head of the home gave him the divine right of a king! A year and a half into our marriage, she followed me, without complaint, across the country in pursuit of my dreams of changing the world, and today our Wyoming chapter, as we call it, is one of our treasured shared experiences! I waded through a decade of emotional upheaval as Bev struggled with the stresses of being 'Mommy' to four energetic kids. Of course, like most young husbands, I overflowed with compassion and empathy. (OK, I just lied!)
As we entered the second decade of our marriage a major change in career plans and financial situation left me fighting with depression. Bev stood alongside of me through it all, and was my most faithful advocate before the Lord. All four of our children were teenagers at the same time. To those who are parents, need I say more? Our innate styles of parenting were so different, we spent as much feuding with each other as we did guiding our kids, or so it seemed at the time. But, today we are friends with them all and proud of the people they have become.
The truth is I would not be who I am today with her. Our lives are completely interdependent, both of us stronger together than we could possibly be apart. So, here we stand at #36- so very thankful for the faithful care of the One who has led us all this way! I confess that sometimes I wonder what lies ahead in this thing called – life! Through it all, we have loved and laughed as our love grew mature. Yet, still it sparkles with the same kind of passion and excitement we felt as two kids. I love Bev today in ways that were incomprehensible to me 36 years ago.
Happy Anniversary, Bev – I love you!
______________________________
"Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." (Proverbs 31:10-12, NLT)
"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.
When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.
She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.
Her children stand and bless her.
Her husband praises her:
“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
Reward her for all she has done.
Let her deeds publicly declare her praise." (Proverbs 31:25-31, NLT)
We sailed some rough waters over these years. Bev endured living with a head-strong young husband who mistaken thought that being head of the home gave him the divine right of a king! A year and a half into our marriage, she followed me, without complaint, across the country in pursuit of my dreams of changing the world, and today our Wyoming chapter, as we call it, is one of our treasured shared experiences! I waded through a decade of emotional upheaval as Bev struggled with the stresses of being 'Mommy' to four energetic kids. Of course, like most young husbands, I overflowed with compassion and empathy. (OK, I just lied!)
As we entered the second decade of our marriage a major change in career plans and financial situation left me fighting with depression. Bev stood alongside of me through it all, and was my most faithful advocate before the Lord. All four of our children were teenagers at the same time. To those who are parents, need I say more? Our innate styles of parenting were so different, we spent as much feuding with each other as we did guiding our kids, or so it seemed at the time. But, today we are friends with them all and proud of the people they have become.
The truth is I would not be who I am today with her. Our lives are completely interdependent, both of us stronger together than we could possibly be apart. So, here we stand at #36- so very thankful for the faithful care of the One who has led us all this way! I confess that sometimes I wonder what lies ahead in this thing called – life! Through it all, we have loved and laughed as our love grew mature. Yet, still it sparkles with the same kind of passion and excitement we felt as two kids. I love Bev today in ways that were incomprehensible to me 36 years ago.
Happy Anniversary, Bev – I love you!
______________________________
"Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." (Proverbs 31:10-12, NLT)
"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.
When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.
She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.
Her children stand and bless her.
Her husband praises her:
“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
Reward her for all she has done.
Let her deeds publicly declare her praise." (Proverbs 31:25-31, NLT)
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