Rarely Seen Footage

“Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished” says the Lord (via Jeremiah’s clay and stylus).

Two summers past, Mike and I had the fortune of witnessing parents of a fine young man make a proposal of intent, on behalf of their son, to parents of a daughter back home. Our mouths were agape. It was possibly the most beautiful scene of real life we’ve ever been a third party to.

It was if we’d taken a step into the world of Austen or Dickens (except we were bikers that weekend and I’m not sure leather chaps, and helmets translates favorably into a Dickens type character that I would wish to be) where children entrusted their future spouse to the wisdom of their elders, their parents.

A deal was made, all parties in agreement. We parted ways an hour or so later, crying, praying, contemplating and the respective parents of the projected couple were off to talk with their kids about the proposal.

Side note: The parents in the above story really didn’t make the choice. It was God’s selection. The children had trust in their parent’s godly authority to speak into their lives as young adults through submission to Christ. Everyone in our story had free will.

Out dated and uncivilized? Archaic, you say?

We would have too, several years ago but really, what better liaison could one have for negotiating a spouse then godly parents who know the deepest character of their children, what God gifted them to be and whom would befit them as a partner.

According to God’s word, we are to "find wives for our sons", and "give our daughters to husbands". Parents are not monsters that take pleasure in their children’s torment but exactly the opposite, so we can conclude they would skillfully, advisedly choose a life partner. Doesn’t a parent want the best for their children? Isn’t God a Parent? Doesn't He desire His Best for us?And isn’t our walk with Christ about submission and the yielding of self will. Is it not said that our relationships with others reflect our relationship to God? How beautiful to have children that tribute with faith and humility, their parents.

See the heavenly connection? The Son submits to the Father, The Father loves the Son.

Those kids are married now; loving their new spouse, and thanking their parents for wisdom and faith.

Living Christ

Good bye cold, insensitive, hard, hard tile floor.

Flooring can be cold on the tootsies first thing in the morning regardless of the season or the degree in which the woodstove is cranking out the heat. The last owners of our house preferred ceramic tile to the hardwoods that my aunt and uncle previously installed (they built the house in 1966). The tile incongruously placed in the great room, as a replacement for the hardwoods, was to indicate a dining area, which divided the room with conspicuous absurdity.

(Sunshine outside and mid 50’s, so we’ve got our groove on Chicago IX. For those of you who have issues with ‘Greatest Hits’ albums, we’ll talk about this later.)

Meanwhile, back to the tile floor; we are returning it to its previously oaken status.

You see, hardwood floors are chilly enough to the pigs, but ceramic tile, well, that sucks the living daylights out o’ ya, robbing a creature of the warmth it needs to stay alive, icicles off the tip of your nose (or toes as it were), if you know what I mean.
Tile is also extremely unforgiving to plates and drinking glasses and antique baby food dishes in the shape of Donald Duck, that say, maybe your father ate from as a tot, or something like that, when they slip from the butterfingers attempting to hold them. Children and adults alike; no one is off the hook from the curse of the pitiless tile.

So onward to hardwood flooring! The great room will be great once more! Design unified throughout the room! Form and function, hand in hand!

Interesting post title, you say (some of you forgot already because it didn’t seem pertinent to tile floors). Anyone still hanging in there with me waiting to see the connection? Living Christ.

Those tiles coming up meant work…

but we never work alone.

We live in a remarkable family of believers. Here in the hedgerow we don’t go to church, we are the church.

“Going to church” for us and the Longs this week mandated pry bars, flat shovels, hammers, saws and cold beer and pizza. A burden needed bearing and it was bore on the backs of Papa Long and his boys. Mama Long and and I dusted the china hutch as we tenderly removed its contents and boxed it up for the duration of the project.

Removing a tile floor is unpleasant enough, but the men found a snag within the first few tiles. The tile was of course glued and grouted to backerboard. The backerboard, however, was not only nailed to the subflooring; it had been glued. What, the contractors were worried the tiles would float away? Yeesh! Out with the Skill saw and up with everything but the kitchen sink! Aye(waving nonchalant hand), so we replace chipboard with plywood, it’s only money, they print more everyday.

We “churched” two days in a row. Wait now, it will be three. We’s a-heading out to the family sheep farm tonight (as the lambs are dropping like cherry blossoms on a warm spring day) for more communion and partaking of the bread and the wine as Jesus said to do often and in remembrance of Him.

Being the Church is everyday life. There is no building for us. It means folding someone else’s underwear, sitting up all night in Holy Ghost provoked prayer, giving a scripture that is not easy to give, perhaps un-pleasant to receive, loaning someone your car while you’re repairing theirs, driving hundreds of miles in a day solely to fellowship.

It means ripping up someone’s tile floor.

(wiping brow)Fhew, this living Christ stuff takes work! Nobody has a day to himself because our days do not belong to us. To avoid sin in the church (people remember, not building) we are to encourage one another daily, while it is still called “today”, redeeming the time. Remember: Time plus opportunity equals trouble no matter who you are. If we don’t stay in contact daily, in one accord, from house to house, breaking the bread, how can we keep our brother from the fire. Daily contact and being held responsible for God’s children is a mighty high call. And if you don’t do your job, it’s a mighty high price.

Bearing one another’s burdens takes on a fully new meaning. The responsibility no longer is on the shoulders of a youth program, men’s breakfast leader, women’s retreat speaker, or “Pastor”.

It falls on ours.

Heb 3:13

Heb 10:24,25

Luke 17:1,2

Acts 2:42,46

Eph 5:16

Gal 6:2

1Cor 11:24-26