I've noticed that church time is a very important time for me. Not only do I get to give my demons, I mean children, to other (probably more capable) people, I get time to:


hang out with my husband,
 
learn the Word of God,

drink some yummy Starbucks and 

refresh my soul.



I usually have some sort of life-changing experience during church. This isn't a once in a while thing, it's an every Sunday kind of thing. I don't think there has been a Sunday that I've been at church that I've not come away with some lesson that forever changes my way of thinking, living and generally handling things.


I've only been a Christian for a couple years, but because of my experiences so far, I've decided to devote a page to my Sunday lessons.
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May 16, 2010
Today Buddy talked about being "boldly beautiful in an ugly world:" marriage, sexuality and society. He struck a chord with me because I feel like society has placed too many impositions on marriage. But the Bible teaches us what a pure, joyful, fulfilling marriage can be. In Genesis, God creates the holy union we call marriage. Marriage is not a man-made concept, it is a divine commandment.


Now, in my struggle to balance being wife, mother, friend, full-time working woman, etc. I came to realize something today. Brace yourselves, this may be harsh:

After church, the family and I went to eat then came home for nap time. Tony laid with the twins and I laid with Diego. We didn't get to spend much time at all together because after naps were done the kids were running around like maniacs and Tony had to go back to work.


A little background might reveal why I'm feeling like this. Tony and I met in Iraq (book to come) and then started dating a few months after we returned home. It was only about 6 months into our relationship that we found out we were pregnant with Diego (and three months pregnant at that!) So our courtship was very brief before adding a major time-stealing responsibility into the mix.


To say the least, it startled me to have this light bulb moment flash through my brain. And with me working full-time now, Tony and I only have Saturday's to connect with each other, and Sunday mornings at church.


Anyway, the sermon is great! You can listen to it here. If you are married, or thinking of getting married, I recommend listening to it. 


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June 6, 2010


I don't like that I can't write separate posts on these "pages" of mine. But, until I write to Blogger to help me out with that, I'll just have to deal, right?


Kind of like marriage, until we open our mouth and express our feelings, we just have to deal with "it."


Buddy, the Pastor at my church, spoke again about marriage. But he put a crazy spin on it that I hadn't yet come to know about. 


Being freshly married, I could totally relate to the sermon today and it touched my heart deeply. Actually, the correlation between our marriage to our spouse and our relationship with Jesus was shocking. I just never knew...


Women, generally, spend thousands of dollars on looking perfect for one day - their wedding day. Here's a list of things that I went overboard on (cost-wise) for my wedding:


*dress
*shoes
*nylons (two pair, since I lost one and had to have my mom buy some the day of the wedding)
*necklace (custom made)
*earrings (also custom made)
*make-up (bought it myself & did it myself)
*hair (did NOT do it myself)
*hair piece
*"girdle"
*bra


My "look" for the day ended up costing me well into four-digit figures.


So, why do we do this? Vanity? I don't think so. Peer-pressure? Not at my age. Cultural stigmas? Probably.


But for me, it was so that I looked beautiful for my soon-to-be husband. I wanted to take his breath away and etch that moment of me, being stunningly beautiful, into his head for the rest of his life. I wanted him to be proud of me and I wanted his heart to swell with happiness that he had picked me.


Now lets Take it from the guys side...a wedding is not such a big deal for them. They rent a tux which, by the way, comes with everything except underwear & a tee-shirt. They sit and drink soda and watch t.v. before the ceremony and all they have to do is stand there and wait. But Buddy informed me today, that even the most macho of men get choked up when they see their bride for the first time. (Yes! Just what I was hoping to hear!)


When the doors part and the bride comes into sight, grown men weep. They really do feel pride. Their hearts really do swell and the love they feel seems to grow exponentially with each step their bride takes.


now: Imagine Jesus as the groom. He's standing, waiting for us to walk down the aisle and when He finally sees us, He sobs and with each step we take closer to Him, He loves us more and more. He's proud of us and He wants nothing more than to have a happy, close, fulfilling relationship with us - but here's the catch: 




Nope. 




It just amazes me, breaks my heart, overwhelms me with joy and baffles my mind that God is so graceful and generous and loving. 


A special thanks to God and Buddy for opening my heart and my mind today that not only did I marry my one true Earthly love, but I have also married my Lord and Saviour and must nurture that relationship just as I would nurture my marriage here on Earth.


Glory to God! All praise and worship, all honor and love to You, Jesus. 


AMEN!