So, what is so special about a Tuesday? Nothing really, right? It's just kind of "stuck" there in the middle of the week. If you follow me on Facebook, you know a month or so ago, I decided to start doing some special, unexpected things for my wife on random Tuesdays. Your spouse may expect that you might do something special for them on a Friday or a Saturday, right? So the whole idea was just to be thoughtful, be romantic at a completely unexpected time. I've been a romantic guy since early on in our dating years and continued on that way for many years of the first part of our marriage. As time went on, kids came, life grew increasingly stressful, my romantic side, my creativity became less and less. Fewer poems written, fewer date nights, fewer spontaneous acts of love and fun. I am thankful, that through God's changes in me, that romantic and fun side is back in full force. A few weeks ago on a Tuesday morning, I strode into Bailey Jr. High (my wife's school) with a dozen roses for Susan. You should have seen the other teachers, office personnel in the school. You'd think they would have never seen a guy carrying roses before! So, they started telling Susan "Happy Birthday"! We had to tell them, "it's not her birthday". They said, "oh, well Happy Anniversary". We told them it was not that either. They asked, "well, what is it?". As I left the school, I told them, "it's Tuesday". I'm assuming they got it.
Message being: ANY AND EVERY DAY IS A GREAT DAY TO LOVE YOUR SPOUSE!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Friday, September 13, 2013
How much is too much?
Okay, I will admit going in, I may lose a few male followers for writing this post. If you would have written this and suggested I read it, until recently, I might have "unfollowed" you too!
My issue is sports. I've loved it with a PASSION all my life! The love of it was instilled in me very early by my grandfather and my father. If there was ever a good game on (most any sport!), we were watching it. I have carried this habit through most of my adult life. Through some major re-arrangement of priorities and a healthy submission to God and his ways for me and my family, for the FIRST TIME in my life, I am experiencing the "freedom" to watch a game or not watch a game.
I just lost most men reading this.
Let me make my point. My wife, for most of our marriage, has had the theory that every day of the world, there is some game on that I just can't miss! While that theory has not proved 100% true, I am ashamed to admit that it has a lot of truth (or has). We are passionate about the teams we love. We are "afraid" to miss anything good that might happen when they play, so we make sure to push everything else away so as not to miss a moment. Think about it. What did you "push away" the last time you really wanted to watch a game? Was there something you really should have been addressing with your family? A kid that needed help with homework? A wife that was feeling a little neglected? A friend that could have used a kind word from you?
Guys, if you're still with me, I have been the guiltiest of any of you of doing this. Is it bad to watch a game? Absolutely not! Do we need to watch EVERY game to the detriment of other important things in our lives? Absolutely not! This is all a very new emotion in me, so if I sound a crazy man, well, maybe I am. I am not telling anyone, you should change too...you may not have this "issue" in your life. But it is HUGE to me right now and to my wife, that I have made time for her and for my boys where before I refused to miss an inning of baseball or a snap of a football game.
Am I still going to enjoy watching sometimes? By all means, yes. But only when it is not taking away from what is more important.
A passage in Matthew spells out well where my heart is on this matter. Matthew 6:21 says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".
My issue is sports. I've loved it with a PASSION all my life! The love of it was instilled in me very early by my grandfather and my father. If there was ever a good game on (most any sport!), we were watching it. I have carried this habit through most of my adult life. Through some major re-arrangement of priorities and a healthy submission to God and his ways for me and my family, for the FIRST TIME in my life, I am experiencing the "freedom" to watch a game or not watch a game.
I just lost most men reading this.
Let me make my point. My wife, for most of our marriage, has had the theory that every day of the world, there is some game on that I just can't miss! While that theory has not proved 100% true, I am ashamed to admit that it has a lot of truth (or has). We are passionate about the teams we love. We are "afraid" to miss anything good that might happen when they play, so we make sure to push everything else away so as not to miss a moment. Think about it. What did you "push away" the last time you really wanted to watch a game? Was there something you really should have been addressing with your family? A kid that needed help with homework? A wife that was feeling a little neglected? A friend that could have used a kind word from you?
Guys, if you're still with me, I have been the guiltiest of any of you of doing this. Is it bad to watch a game? Absolutely not! Do we need to watch EVERY game to the detriment of other important things in our lives? Absolutely not! This is all a very new emotion in me, so if I sound a crazy man, well, maybe I am. I am not telling anyone, you should change too...you may not have this "issue" in your life. But it is HUGE to me right now and to my wife, that I have made time for her and for my boys where before I refused to miss an inning of baseball or a snap of a football game.
Am I still going to enjoy watching sometimes? By all means, yes. But only when it is not taking away from what is more important.
A passage in Matthew spells out well where my heart is on this matter. Matthew 6:21 says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Open for Business...
Wow, almost two years to the day since I last posted to this blog. I can sadly but also happily say that that is rather symbolic. I suppose I haven't had a whole lot good to share, or at least at the time, I did not feel it worthy of sharing. Glad to say that I will try to post to this blog regularly going forward. I have been writing like mad for weeks now. It is ALL just kind of coming pouring out of me now after keeping so much bottled up for so long. God is good! He brings us through these seasons of life in order to make us stronger. I/we (Susan and I) had a "breaking point" a few weeks ago where it became VERY apparent that some changes were in order. I won't go into any gory detail, but God really starting working on me and convicting me on some things I was doing (and not doing) with my life and my marriage. He has EXTRAVAGANTLY answered prayers since then.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, beyond ALL that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. Ephesians 3:20
Obviously, I am not going to share a lot of what I have written. Most of it has been written for Susan and "to God". I have much to share... I will start with simply, I AM RICHLY BLESSED!
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, beyond ALL that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. Ephesians 3:20
Obviously, I am not going to share a lot of what I have written. Most of it has been written for Susan and "to God". I have much to share... I will start with simply, I AM RICHLY BLESSED!
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