a glimpse towards Sunday 3.7.14
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My daughter, Lauren, and I found a junky piece of furniture at an antique flea market in Powder Springs. This thing was uuuuugly to the grain. It was marked down from $36 to $28, and looked extremely lonely as if destined for a southern bomb fire.
I asked one of our resident artists if he could dig deep and find the beauty again in this abused piece of furniture. James Garrett, a fellow CCCer, saw something and took on the project. I can’t wait to see what he uncovers and creates with his eye for restored beauty.
I do a lot of weddings. On each occasion, there is a “please stand” moment when the gloriously outfitted bride comes walking down the aisle. Everyone is staring… especially the groom. Like a tennis match, I absorb the gawking between the highlighted two. The bride and groom are eyeing each other with great excitement and anticipation. It really is a fun thing to soak in.
In that “please stand” moment, what exactly is the spotlighted couple thinking? Are they beaming because their search for the perfect mate has been completed? Have two soul mates fatefully collided, and now their bright eyes and secretive smirk gives evidence of such random, precarious luck? Is the giddy walk down the aisle communicating a profound gratitude for finding someone with common passions?
What DOES that “please stand” moment communicate? What if common passions are things of sand-like quality? Remember what the Bible says about a house built on sand? Often, married couple’s common passion rests on things like money, good looks, success, sex, and shared interests like music/movies/sports. Are those sand passions? Experts say it takes couples, on average, about two years to go through the cycle of infatuation, disillusionment, rejection, and flight to someone else. Is that because of weak, sandy, common passions?
What if the common passion was gospel restoration? Restored beauty? Is THAT our mission for marriage?
On Sunday, we’ll be looking at Ephesians 5:21-33 again — with a specific focus on verses 25 & 26. How do you make a marriage last? What are solid foundational tenets to build a marriage on? What if the sand is already giving way around you in your marriage?
Let’s talk. God has been moving greatly through this “Ephesians 5 Marriages” series. This week will be our third week out of five. You should invite a few friends (married, single, divorced, or otherwise). In the end, it will all point to the incredibly good news of Jesus — in very practical, necessary ways. I’m excited to be teaching.
Hope to see you at either the 9 or 11 a.m. services.
Blessings!
Weekly Giving | 03/02/2014
$44,022.05
Weekly Need $29,000.00
