Fifty Six Years and Counting

1 Corinthians 13:4-8b

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

LOVE NEVER FAILS."

July 26th, my parents will be celebrating 56 years of marriage! My brothers and I have been blessed with godly parents. They have shown us the true meaning of commitment to one another and to our Lord Jesus Christ. Mom and Dad have lived 1 Corinthians 13 throughout their marriage, even when they did not have Jesus as Lord of their lives and marriage!

The joke in our family is that Daddy raised 4 kids...my mom, my two brothers, and me. They were married when she was 16, YIKES! The phrase "they didn't have a pot to pee in or a window to throw it out of", summarizes the beginning of marriage for the two of them. There were not enough chairs at the dinner table, so Mom sat on Dad's knee to eat. Although she cooks better than Paula Deen now, it was not always that way! A lot of hot dogs, gritty greens and burnt meals, but Dad did not care. Mom was still in high school and Dad made sure she finished and then encouraged her to go on to college. They literally lived from week to week and sometimes the week lasted longer than 7 days. Throughout their marriage they have endured many obstacles, from finances to health. Dad has had stents placed in his heart and underwent open heart surgery. Mom had a partial thyroid removal only to find out it was cancerous, but through each incident it was even more evident of their love and commitment to one another and to God. I am so thankful for the example God placed before my sweetie and I!

In spite of the rough start, they always persevered, trusted, hoped and loved. Couples like this need to do seminars on what marriage truly is.......COMMITMENT!  Love, although the dictionary may refer to it as a noun, it is most definitely an action verb. Love is something an individual must do. A person must choose to love and it is shown in their commitment and actions they do for another person! 

If we were to look at the statistics of divorce in America, we would see that 50% of marriages will end in divorce. There is a divorce every 13 seconds, over 6,000 in one day and throughout the course of the week over 46,500 couples will call it quits! You cannot tell me that we do not have an epidemic! People are not committed. We need to see more examples like Mom and Dad!

Marriage is a commitment! It is a covenant between two people and God that should not be taken lightly. Marriage is not easy, it is a lot of giving. It is so sweet to listen to them, Dad tells Mom how pretty she is and that she is his "sweetie pie"! If you have been lucky enough to know them, you have been able to experience the love and respect that they have for one another.  They always want to make sure the other is happy and content, they go above and beyond what the norm is in today's society....we could all learn something from them!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM & DAD!

THANK YOU FOR THE PRECIOUS EXAMPLE 

OF LOVING ONE ANOTHER, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY

LOVING GOD!

It's Independence Day!

"WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"

The Declaration of Independence signifies our country's freedom. Did you know that on July 4th, 1776 the final draft was approved by the Continental Congress. Fifty six Congressional Delegates signed this document with Benjamin Franklin being the oldest person to sign. A committee of five were chosen to compose the declaration, they were as follows: Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman. Although independence was declared on July 2nd, the final draft of the declaration was not approved by Congress until July 4th and it was not signed until August 2nd! 

As we prepare to celebrate the 4th of July, I do not find it coincidental that my quiet time consisted of 2 Kings 19:30, "Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above." Revival can happen! Our nation has fallen so far from God and it it my duty, our duty to lift this great country up in prayer. Not only do we need to pray for our leaders, our soldiers, but we need to pray for the people of this nation.  It is our responsibility to share Jesus! I have not doubt that revival can happen in the United States of America. We are in desperate need of another GREAT AWAKENING!

Although tomorrow is not the National Day of Prayer, please join me in praying for our country! On January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy said in his Inaugural Speech, " Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country!" What can we do for our country? Pray for God to tender the hearts of the people, for us to have boldness and intentionality to share Jesus with our neighbors and with people we encounter, lastly pray for us to represent Jesus in every facet of our lives. Sometimes we are the only Jesus that people see!