• In their dresser drawer
• In their lunch box/bag
• In a shoe
• In a pocket
• In their car seat
• By their toothbrush

Be refreshed,

Today’s post is the second response about how to respect a man that does disrespectful things.  You can find the first post here.

My eyebrows lifted in amazement that someone would know me fairly well, and still say, “I can’t ever imagine you smarting off to (your husband), or getting mad at him, or having any sorta bad attitude…” 

Oh, my.  I have done those things more times in our marriage than I care to remember. 
I’ve asked the Lord’s forgiveness, and praise His name, those scenes will never be brought up before me again.  I mention them here, not to glory in my sinful actions, but only to say, we do not have a perfect marriage.  We have to work at it every single day. I also want to encourage you that there is hope, because if the Lord can change me, He can change you!

I wish I had learned the power of respecting my husband years ago!  Wives want to be loved, but when they don’t feel loved by their husband, then they withhold respect.  It’s what Emmerson Eggerich calls “the crazy cycle” in his book, Love and Respect.  Someone has to stop the cycle.  The wife can do that when she chooses to respect her husband regardless of what she is feeling from him.  The question from my friend (and perhaps you as you read this) is, “But HOW?” 

Aside from thinking on the things we can respect him for (no matter how few or how small), we must also remind ourselves how undeserving we are of his love.  If we are really honest with ourselves, we know what we’re really like.  We are sinners saved by grace.  We don’t deserve anything!  It’s by God’s grace that we are saved and have the hope of heaven. 

Because I’m still a sinner, I…well, I sin!  I’m often selfish, unkind, thoughtless, sarcastic… and many other unloving things! Yet, I want my husband to love me (my greatest need).  Why should I look at his life and disrespect him (his greatest need)?  We’re on the same ground!  I need to obey Proverbs and choose to hide my husband’s faults rather than parade them in my own mind or in front of others.  I often ask myself, “Would I want my husband to pick apart my sinful actions, my habits, my mannerisms, or my personality?  Of course not!  But that’s what we as wives often do.  That’s not really playing fair, is it? 

So, when you are tempted to disrespect your husband because of this, and this and this, take a quick inventory of your life and see if you’re perfectly loving.  I think the answer will be a negative one.  If that’s true, then let up on your expectations of him. 

I’ll go a step further with this next Thursday.

With love,

 

Last weekend was full of fun activities.  On Saturday we went with the 30’s Sunday school class to a corn maze on Cleek Farm.  The activity was geared towards children, and the little ones with us loved it!  So, what does a 50’s-something couple do?  After we’d walked through the maze for a while, we found a corn hole to play.  We had tons of fun laughing at our my horrible throwing attempts and cheered for one another when we I finally scored. 

We rode the hay wagon and reminisced over the first time we rode a hay wagon.  It was pre-dating days, but “getting a little interested” days!  Even with a hay wagon filled with people, we were alone in our thoughts on God’s plan for our lives. 

As I mentioned on Monday, our church celebrated its 56th anniversary.  Sunday was filled with wonderful preaching and remembering all that God has done in the years since Boones Creek Bible Church was started.

Sunday evening we had no church service, because we’d had the afternoon service.  So, with the evening free, we decided to head towards the mountains to see the leaves and enjoy a drive.  We turned on the dulcimer music and enjoyed a wonderful late afternoon/evening of leaf watching.

No one else was up on this lookout.  It was SO quiet and SO beautiful.  The next morning I read in my devotions – Psalm 65:13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.  Yes, the pastures that we looked down on, and the valleys were shouting for joy and were singing the praises of our great God.  Our hearts were joining in on the chorus!  Our God is a great God!

That was the delightful activity of the parsonage this weekend.  How thankful we are for the ministry activities we are involved in, and also for the chances to get alone with the Lord and one another.  It helps us to be better prepared for what lies ahead.  The Lord always knows what we need, doesn’t He?  We praise His name.

From the parsonage windows,

The alarm clock buzzes, beginning our morning revelry.  Outside the trash truck backs up to the house, sounding off with robotic bleeps that he is moving in reverse.  The coffee maker begins its gurgling as hot liquid drips into the pot.  The cell phone vibrates and jingles with a new text message.  A fire truck shouts the urgency of yet another call as it passes our street.  The refrigerator hums.  A Dog barks.  The clock hands whisper their ticking away of each moment.  All around us, every moment of the day, there is noise.

God says,

In Psalm 13,  the psalmists asks, “How long will you forget me, Lord?” Have you ever had the thought that the Lord had forgotten you, or that He had left you?  I think, it’s in moments like that that we must stop.  Be still. We need to get in the Quiet Place alone with the Lord, that we might still not only the noise around us, but also the noise within us. 

The world is constantly shouting at us, but the Lord doesn’t shout.  He speaks in the stillness.  After He tells the psalmist to be still and know that He is God, the next verse says, “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” I like to read it this way, “The Lord of hosts IS with us!”  Quiet your heart before Him.  Sit in the stillness.  Don’t be in a hurry.  Have His Word open before you.  Read, then stop and listen.  Listen for His voice speaking quietly to your heart.  He will. 

If your world is chaotic and confusing, that noise will drown out God’s voice.  What do you need to do so that you might hear from your God today?  Do it. Just Be still.

With love,

Yesterday’s Sunday dinner was not a meal at home, it was a church-wide fellowship dinner following our church’s 56th anniversary service.  You can’t beat 175 people coming together, each family bearing their best recipes!  It’s always an amazing buffet of wonderful food.  I wish I had gotten a shot of the whole gym – it was decorated beautifully and the tables were filled to overflowing, but who has time to take pictures when dinner is calling?!

Want to start with dessert?  I took a Kentucky Derby Pie.  The recipe is posted here. The pie plate was EMPTY. It seems to be a favorite at church; it’s a favorite at our house too!

The best thing about yesterday, however, was recounting the goodness of our God over the past 56 years.  We were reminded of the church’s beginning and also of those that have faithfully served in both visible places and roles that are behind the scenes.  I thought about heaven as I sat there.  Won’t it be wonderful when the Lord rewards us for our labor for Him?  It truly will be worth it all! 

How was your day at church?  Was there anything special cooking in your kitchen this weekend?

From the parsonage kitchen,