Sunday Night Thoughts

Wow!  It has been a busy week.  

Aaron is home for the summer and so the homestead reverts to the usual disarray that is caused when a college aged son returns for the summer.   The TV is on ESPN or FSN and nobody else gets control of the remote (not necessarily a bad thing).  You may find yourself stumbling over something like size 27 shoes anywhere in the house (anywhere except his room which you can't get into anyway).  The quiet one child home is replaced by the "MOM, would you tell Aaron to leave me alone!" And we all adjust for the next 10 weeks or so until he returns to school in August.

On the bright side, I was able to see Mike at Ted Drewe's on Thursday when we drove to St. Louis to pick him up.  I think that Mike got there ahead of me to buy his own cone so that he wouldn't have to respond to my survey.  (anybody is still able to respond if you haven't yet...Fiona)

Friday afternoon and Saturday evening were busy as well.  I had the pleasure of officiating at a wedding for a young couple.  They were very brave to have me perform their ceremony as this was only my second wedding--and the first was quite sometime ago!  It was a beautiful outdoor wedding held at the Hvmbolt Mansion and Carraige House.  Everybody looked great!  I wish the best for Brian and Katie.

I enjoyed getting to meet their families and friends and received a number of compliments about the service.  I don't think that very many knew that this wasn't my normal sort of gig!

I'd like to share some of the words that I shared with Brian during the service.  In the Bible, Peter writes, “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife as to the weaker vessel and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”  NKJV

This is quite a challenge to husbands.  I explained to Brian that this means that he is to become a student of his wife.  He needs to learn what makes her happy.  He needs to learn to read her emotions.  He needs to "Dwell with her with understanding."  

I also explained about the honor given to the weaker vessel.  This isn't about physical strength.  The analogy that I used was that of a coffee mug.  A mug is designed to hold your hot beverage.  It has a handle so that you don't burn your hand holding the hot cup.  It is a durable vessel and is probably stored in a cuboard with other coffee mugs.  They may be stacked on top of each other or crowded together.  We don't worry about how we handle tham because they are durable.  

A china teacup is also a vessel designed to hold  your hot beverage.  It has a handle so that you don't burn you hand on the hot cup.  But you wouldn't store it with the coffee mugs...and you wouldn't stack your teacups one on top of another.  You would probably have a special place for all of your fine china, perhaps a glass cabinet so that everybody could see how beautiful it is.  You may have the teacups displayed on their saucers or hung from hooks to keep the delicate china from chipping.  Among all of the cups, mugs and glasses in your home, the teacups would have the place of honor.  That is  how we are to honor our wives--by treating them as someone special.

One of the most troubling things in the Bible is what comes next.  If I understand what Peter is saying here (and I think I do), he is saying that when I fail as a husband to dwell with understanding; when I fail as a husband to honor my wife; when I fail as a husband to understand that it is together that we are heirs to God's grace; then God doesn't hear my prayers.  

Yeah, this marraige thing is work.  And it is important work!  There is a lot at stake when you figure that messing up hinders your prayers.  

So guys, treat your ladies well.

John <><

BTW, tomorrow starts eight consecutive days of kid's camps for me.  Monday-Friday(am) for our Association and Friday (pm)-Monday (am) for our Hopedale kids.  Your prayers are requested...for me and the kids!