Recap & Looking Ahead to 10.15.26
Last Thursday was a great evening together, with a common thread running through it all:
Sometimes God shows up in the person we married.
Pray Together
We talked about prayer.
Praying as a family. Praying with our children. Praying together as husband and wife. And maintaining our own individual prayer lives.
There was plenty of room for growth around the table.
Which, fortunately, is the point.
Nobody showed up Thursday because we had marriage, faith, or life figured out.
We’re showing up because we don’t.
Three Strands. One Triangle.
Kim gave us a simple illustration.
She drew an imaginary triangle in the air. Husband on one side. Wife on the other. Christ at the top.
As husband and wife individually grow closer to Christ, they also grow closer to each other.
A few minutes later, we read Ecclesiastes 4:12:
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Marriage. Faith. Geometry.
Jenna immediately realized she was no longer qualified to help our children with math.
The Men Are Cooking
At some point, we were once again reminded that the women in our lives are generally kinder, more nurturing, more relationally aware human beings than the men.
They nurture our children. Build relationships. Keep faith central to our homes. Care for everyone around them.
And, naturally, prepare a warm meal for the family every night.
Not this group.
Nearly every husband around our table is the family chef.
These men are in the kitchen. Wearing the aprons. Working over the stove. Feeding their families.
Every man, apparently, except Will.
This is a man who has previously established that he cannot change a light bulb.
He currently provides no income.
He does not cook.
His principal contributions to the household appear to be shelves of rocks and rusty objects.
What, exactly, is this man good for?
Answering that question has become his life’s work.
Unfortunately, the research leaves little time for preparing dinner.
Larry Offers Assistance
Larry, seemingly concerned by all of this, offered to come over and show Will how to smoke some meat.
Will is not entirely sure what Larry was getting at.
He will not be asking follow-up questions.
Horses Fly
A sidebar conversation with Kim revealed something Will had somehow gone his entire life without considering:
Horses fly on airplanes.
Kim knows something about horses. She’s a world-class competitor and trainer in dressage and has spent much of her life around them. She even had horses in her wedding.
To be clear, she married Jason.
The horses were guests.
As the story goes, competition horses are routinely loaded onto airplanes and flown around the world to compete, train, and be bought and sold.
This makes complete sense.
And yet:
Horses.
On planes.
For full transparency, Will was also confused by the word dressage, wondering what French salad dressing had to do with horses.
So he looked it up.
Dressage comes from the French word dresser, meaning “to train.” It’s an equestrian sport in which horse and rider perform precise, controlled movements using nearly invisible cues.
The French are so difficult.
Just call it training.
Or, if we’re going to make a fuss about it, fancy training.
Further research revealed that the fundamentals of dressage fancy training trace back to Ancient Greece, where systematic training prepared cavalry horses for the battlefield. Horses needed to be balanced, responsive, and capable of maneuvering quickly on subtle cues.
Ancient battlefield cavalry.
Named by the French.
Dressage.
History can be so cruel.
Mission Work
We previously learned of Jason’s deep and abiding enthusiasm for marriage retreats, conferences, and, of course, small group.
Right, Jason?
Thursday, we discovered his heart for mission work.
Jason has joined Kim in serving in Africa, which may or may not have been a prerequisite for marriage.
He believes so strongly in the value of mission work that he has now volunteered his one and only son to go serve.
Alone.
With Will as his chaperone.
Inspired by this extraordinary act of selfless parental sacrifice, Larry announced that he, too, was prepared to volunteer someone from his household for service under Will’s supervision.
These men can cook.
They smoke meat.
And when called upon, they will bravely send their families into danger.
Extraordinary men.
An Important Medical Announcement
Jenna invited the entire group to Will’s upcoming colonoscopy.
For those unable to attend, please do not worry.
Photos and video will be available for download.
Larry is not invited.
Serving Together
Larry volunteered to take the lead on exploring our service outing.
He’s starting with Meals by Grace, an organization he and Jean, as well as David and Michelle, have served with before and had terrific experiences.
Larry will report back once he learns more.
Thank you, Larry.
For this part.
This Thursday:
The Book of Jonah | Part 1
We move into a three-part study of The Book of Jonah.
God often calls us toward things we’d rather avoid. In Part 1, Reed looks at Jonah’s decision to run from God’s calling and challenges us to recognize where fear, bitterness, comfort, or resistance may be pulling us away from the life God desires for us.
Before Thursday, watch the video below and think about these questions:
What’s a situation where you avoided something you knew needed to be addressed?
What story did you tell yourself to make avoiding it feel easier?
Schedule
* Service outing can be any day of the week or weekend.
** Date tentatively set for a Tuesday. Discuss best date for group.
See you Thursday.