Good Friday Musings & a little randomness on the side

A while back, some dear friends from church recommended the book Love & War by John and Stasi Eldredge, and we took them up on their suggestion.

Well, actually, I bought the book - it's like an OCD thing, buying books - and read the prologue to my husband - though I'm not sure getting choked up or bursting into sobs every other paragraph counts as "reading".  It didn't for him, and from that point on my husband assumed READING OF THE BOOK duties.  Now truth be told, I do have a few stubborn obsessive-compulsive streaks . . . which reared their ugly heads several times while the love of my life was graciously reading to me - lack of inflection, leaving out words, mispronunciation, etc., all irritated me.  At several points, I do believe that in His kindness, God smacked me over the head hard enough for me to realize that my husband and I were reading together, growing together, spending quality time together, and he was doing this for me.  This timeless reiteration of the fact that IT'S NOT ABOUT ME helped tremendously with, well, getting over myself.

The experience of reading Love & War together was priceless **random thought #1: I find it ironical that Visa commercials have managed to decrease the value of that word** and the book itself was pretty amazing.  We both want to read it again, but we gave it to my sister and her husband for their first anniversary.  Since my brother-in-law told me it was in their "stack of books to read," does that put the code of Indian Giving Rules & Regulations into immediate effect, entitling me to surreptiously retrieve the book on our next visit to Kentucky?  I only jest. Truly, hope they enjoy it as much as we did.  Plus, it will be my husband who steals it back.  Just kidding, guys, really! ... or am I??

Random thought #2:  recently I cut out a coupon (quite proud of myself for that), saw that liquid fabric softener was on sale, actually remembered that I had a coupon for fabric softener ... and we all know that coupon plus sale means it's like you're really getting money back instead of paying for it (working hard on eliminating THAT logic from my brain).  Long story longer, I bought the fabric softener.  Upon reflection, I realized it was the first time I had ever used liquid fabric softener.  Upon further reflection - every time I smell my clothes, to be exact (it sounds weird, but I assure you it's not) - I have decided that henceforth, I shall always use liquid fabric softener if possible.  It really IS like a breath of fresh, spring air.

So, having enjoyed our first "reading together" experience, we have recently embarked on Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas.  This time my darling is even letting me read some of the chapters (or one of the chapters, that is; we're only on Chapter 3).  Very excited by this.  Even more excited when he doesn't fall asleep as I am reading.  In Chapter 2, the author recounts an old rabbinical story about how the spot for God's holy temple was chosen.  Random thought #3:  Chapter 2 was read with superb inflection, impeccable grammar and pronunciation to an enthusiastic audience and wild applause.  Okay, that didn't happen.  But for my part, at least, I really liked the story:

"Two brothers worked a common field and a common mill.  Each night they divided whatever grain they had produced and each took his portion home.  One brother was single and one was married with a large family.  The single brother decided that his married brother, with all those kids, certainly needed more gain than he did, so at night he secretly crept over to his brother's granary and gave him an extra portion.  The married brother realized that his single brother didn't have any children to care for him in his old age.  Concerned about his brother's future, he got up each night and secretly deposited some grain in his single brother's granary.  One night they met halfway between the two granaries, and each brother realized what the other was doing.  They embraced, and as the story goes, God witnessed what happened and said, 'This is a holy place - a place of love - and it is here that my temple shall be built.'"

The author goes on to say "The holy place is that spot where God is made known to his people, 'the place where human beings discover each other in love.'"  The second chapter starts out with a quote from Katherine Ann Porter: "[Marriage] is the merciless revealer, the great white searchlight turned on the darkest places of human nature."  Pretty sure my husband gave a verbal "Amen!" when I read that. 

Random thought #4:  Don't you just love driving a different route than the everyday, normal one, especially if it takes you on a road you've never been on before?  Going to a home visit last week from the office rather than my home, I ended up on an expanse of highway I had never previously traveled.  The 20-something miles on that road were some of the most beautiful I've seen since moving to the sovereign state of South Carolina (Random thought #5:  SERIOUSLY!! It never rejoined the Union after the Civil War).

So what if our marriage - or future marriage, for those who are single - reflected our "ministry of reconciliation" that Paul sets forth in II Corinthians 5:18?  How about the reverse - what if our marriage contradicts this message and ministry?  Gary Thomas writes that when the latter occurs, "I have sabotaged the goal of my life:  to be pleasing to Christ and to faithfully fulfill the ministry of reconciliation . . . If my 'driving force' is as Paul says it should be, I will work to construct a marriage that enhances this ministry of reconciliation -- a marriage that, in fact, incarnates this truth by putting flesh on it, building a relationship that models forgiveness, selfless love, and sacrifice."

Sacred Romance is markedly different in tone than Love & War.  But I am excited to see where this road that I've never traveled before leads.  And the road after that, and the road after that ... Disclaimer of sappiness:  It is so much better traveling the road together with the man I committed to love and respect for a lifetime.  Not always easy, but better.

Random thought #[whatever]:  My pastor just tweeted that he ordered a grande (aka medium) coffee at the Starbucks in Clemson and they gave him a Venti (aka incredibly freakin' large cup).  And I quote, "FINISHED IT!! Now I'm JACKED UP on caffeine!"  Oh dear.  Note to self:  pray for tonight's Easter service, and pray that Perry doesn't bounce off the stage.