What My Wedding Band Means

Divorce. It's ugly, it's prevalent, and there's a growing sense that it's permissible in the church.

Let me interject that I am not writing this as a response to any particular person going through a divorce, though I have several friends and acquaintances that have recently or will be soon.

The Biblical arguments for the permissibility of divorce are not my battleground here. I have a different approach.

Why get a divorce?

Offense intended, unless you are in physical danger, there is no good reason.

I say offense intended, because I have experienced the bitterness questioning a divorce can stir up. I know the pain is real. I believe the emotions are strong. But I also believe there is an undercurrent of our faith which must be stronger.

Why get a divorce? Because forgiveness is not possible.

Really? Forgiveness is not possible? I have it easy. My wife is fantastic. She's beautiful, she's smart, she's a wonderful mother and she loves me despite of myself. Its easy to forgive her when she slips up. She hasn't done anything significant enough to warrant even the little bits of anger I've shown towards her. Divorce? Certainly out of the question!

But what if she cheated? What if I found her weaving a web of deceit and lust defiling my home and my bed? What if she intentionally hurt my child? What if she gambled away my hard earned money or stupidly lost our savings to a con? Could I forgive her?

If not, then divorce is the only way to move on. I've heard it said, "I just can't forgive that person for doing that to me." The hurt, anger, bitterness, and despair billowing out of the divorcee's heart like smoke. The pain blinding them to the only thing that really matters.

God forgave.

My wife cheated on me? I killed Jesus, I think I can forgive her. My wife lost my life savings on a stupid credit scam? I nailed the perfect Son of God to a cross, I think I can forgive her. My wife put the life of my precious son in danger? I took God's only Son from Him and slew Him, I think I can forgive her.

Hosea the prophet was called to take a harlot for a wife. Why? Because God was using their marriage as a symbol for His relationship with Israel. If God had the same response to unfaithfulness some Christians do, the book of Hosea would read very differently. Hosea would probably stone Gomer and then prophesy about all the horrible things about to happen to Israel. Instead, judgment for sin is followed by FORGIVENESS! Salvation! Restoration!

Paul describes the marriage relationship as a picture of Christ relationship with the church. He says the husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. If Christ loved the church the way some Christians do, we'd be out on the street and Christ would be looking for a new lover. But Christ gave His life for the church. He died that we might live. How utterly selfish is someone who can't forgive?

How about no-fault divorce? Just a mutual parting ways. "We just weren't happy" "I married the wrong person" "I didn't know this person I married"

God is not in the business of making mistakes. The mindset of what marriage is meant to be has eroded into fluff. You just weren't happy? How do you think Hosea felt? God told him to marry Gomer. The laziness and selfishness of the no-fault divorce almost didn't even make this article. The ring on my finger is both a reminder to be faithful, of my wife's faithfulness and, most importantly, of God's faithfulness to us. For Christians to abandon each other for such a pathetic reason as "compatibility" casts a shadow on the church's presentation of God. Trust Him that the person you've found yourself promised to is exactly who He intended. Then you might find that happiness you so overvalue. 

I would go so far as to say, their are 0 scenarios in which divorce is the right course of action. But, I must listen to the same arguments I'm giving. If a divorcee wants forgiveness, they are just as entitled to it as I am, despite their inability to give it. How awesome is that?

Life isn't about being comfortable. It isn't about being happy. Its not even about being good. Its about the glory of the indescribable God. Which response brings God more glory? Forgiveness or Divorce?

Purpose, Propulsion, Power - A marital analogy

I was listening to a friend of mine preach through the first paragraph or two of Jude and what he was saying, though not particularly profound, clicked. When an idea clicks for me, it usually means I've found an analogy with which to describe it. Here is my analogy.

In the Christian Life we have a purpose. That is, we are created for a particular thing to be accomplished. While ultimately all creation has one goal, the glory of it's Creator, each little piece of the puzzle has a personal mission to pursue. A correct understanding of the New Testament instructs us that our purpose is Christ; Christ-likeness, Christ-"centerdness," Christ-preeminence. We also see that we have a propulsion. A better, but less alliterated, word would be motivation. Again, with a proper understanding of Scripture, we see Christ, His life, words, and will, is our motivation. We are driven to do what we just said was our purpose because of Christ. And finally, we have a power. We are incapable of achieving the aforementioned purpose without assistance. Not surprisingly, our power is the same as our purpose and propulsion, it is Christ.

Let me split a hair before launching into the metaphor. While all Christians have the same purpose, and can find New Testament unity in that, each of us has a different particular facet or aspect of that purpose to fulfill. So Christ is our purpose, but for each of us that will look slightly different. Example, I am Christ to my choir when I serve them, lead by example, am punctual, kind, enabling, etc. My brother is Christ to the choir when he sings. We're both being Christ (Christ-like) but it manifests differently.

Consider it split.

Now, the metaphor.

I go to work everyday. I was "created" for this job. It is my reason to get up in the morning, to get dressed, to take a shower. It is my reason to drive through snow, walk through -13 degree weather, talk to silly people, etc... If it was my only reason, I'd be on suicide watch. It would truly be depressing. The "soul-crushing" nature of hourly work cannot be understated. However, I do not work for myself. The purpose of my working is the provision for my family. I put in 60 hr weeks so that they have heat, clothing, food. I deliver pizzas in freezing rain because I want them to not only have needs, but also as many wants as I can give them. If the work itself were my only purpose, I'd lose my mind. But I can find purpose in my family.

This bleeds directly into my propulsion.

They are the motivation for not only working, but working hard. I must be on time for work, because I must be able to pay for diapers. I must not make my boss angry, or get a speeding ticket because my wife needs to eat. Not only do I work because of them, I work for them. Seemingly similar statements, but there is a difference. Only working because of them leads to bitterness, resentment and the suicide watch I mentioned earlier. Working for them gives me a joy, a sense of accomplishment when they have a large meal, can watch movies on Netflix, and can enjoy the many other little delicacies a ridiculously poor family enjoys. If I make money my propulsion I will be trapped in an endless cycle of getting some only to want more. Satisfaction does not rests in things, because there are always more. In people, in relationships, we find true satisfaction.

Finally, they and particularly my wife, are the power which gets me through the day. Whether it be practical things like packing me a lunch (which during this week of bachelor-ing it my mom has stepped in unsolicited, bless her), or emotional support like phone calls during my lunch break. My wife and I have had a continuous Words with Friends battle going for weeks, and frustratingly she's been beating me. But that's awesome! It is charge for my batteries. It is strength for my arms. I am planning on working and attending Grad School next year. I've already told her, "I'm gonna need more power, Scottie." And some days, I'm sure she feels like she's "giving her all she's got" but I can attest that she's been and will always be all I'll ever need.

So - Christ is our purpose, propulsion and power, just like my wife.



    

Marriage: Day 730

First of all, I must amend my last post. The Princess Bride and Batman: The Dark Knight must be included at the expense of Men In Black I and The Hunt For Red October.

Now, today is the 2nd anniversary of the inception of our family. My wife and I tied the knot 8/13/11. I will therefore dedicate this post to her. The following is a selection of songs which I think represent my love and adoration for my only one.



"When a Man Loves a Woman"
Percy Sledge

"Never My Love"
The Association

"Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel)"
Preformed by The King's Singers

"Never Gonna Leave This Bed"
Maroon 5

"The Reason"
Hoobastank

"Your Guardian Angel"
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

"Redundant"
Green Day

"Fragile"
Poets of the Fall

"When I'm 64"
The Beatles

Yep, I think those nearly say it all, except of course:

I LOVE YOU SWEETIE!

Prayer - What, When, Where, Why and How

That's enough NBA talk for a little while, back to something a little more important. I wouldn't begin to know who to source regarding my ideas on Prayer, I know CS Lewis, John Piper and my Dad have all played vital rolls in the formation of the following. However, there are many other things I've read and people I've heard that lead me to these conclusions. I'll try the W ?'s as a framework and see if that organizes this better. 

What - Prayer is defined as "a devout petition to God, or an object of worship" on dictionary.com, "an invocation or act that seeks to to activate rapport with a deity, an object of worship, or a spiritual entity through deliberate communication" by wikipedia, which breaks my third rule of definition: don't use words that would need to be looked up when defining a word, but is a much fuller definition. In Scripture the word Prayer, Pray and Praying are used a combined 439 times in the Bible. Which is a statistic I've never understood the value of. Sure, when comparing particular author's word usages I get it, but not just intro-ing a sermon on a topic and rattling off its usage stats and various Greek & Hebrew modes. Nonetheless, despite only appearing 439 times, prayer is a very important topic in the Bible. There's no recorded instance of God pulling aside Adam, Noah, Abraham or any other Patriarchal figure and explaining to them how to talk to Him. The word prayer first appears in 2 Sam but I think its safe to assume the practice had been going on since the beginning of time itself. Of course, the "Lord's Prayer" story is the most commonly used template to teach how to pray and is also relates Christ teaching His disciples. However, do you think the disciples really didn't know how to pray? When they asked Christ to teach them, was it out of total ignorance in the process? These are Jews, they've been watching and participating in prayers their whole lives. They were asking for special guidance, not start-up instruction. Christ prayed differently because Christ was speaking to His Father within perfect harmony of His will. 

My definition of prayer:

The intentional and sometimes audible presentation of praise, information and requests with expected results from the created to the Creator. 

When - Paul tells us to "pray without ceasing" or "pray constantly." I've heard it preached that in a perfect world we could sit on our knees and talk to God all day. That's dumb. God is eternally long suffering so we can't annoy Him per se, but He created and saved us for a reason and as far as I can tell, it wasn't to sit on our knees all day. Maybe the Muslims are on to something here. Just like Daniel, they have set times to gather and pray. This is good and a lot of Christians I know are similar, just less public (which is recommended in the Sermon on the Mount) but it doesn't quite fit into "without ceasing." I don't think I'm going to blow anybody's mind by saying Paul is talking about maintaining a close, sharing, open communication channel between God and ourselves at all times. Does this mean we don't have to bless our meals? Yes. Is it a good practice to do it anyway? Of course it is. But my mom saying "You're going to choke on that because you ate it before we prayed" is frankly ridiculous. In fact, suggesting we can't start anything without "praying first" suggests we weren't praying to begin with, which misses the point entirely. Praying for ritual's sake cheapens the act. Prayer should be spontaneous, legitimate and passionate. However, I think we should also have public prayer before ballgames, meetings, meals and the Sunday morning offering. But public prayer is a different beast altogether than personal prayer, I'll explain more as we go.

Where - If we are praying "without ceasing" then everywhere. There are some recommendations though. The parable of the Publican and the Sinner shows that a prayer's legitimacy is dependent on the heart not the performance. This concept is attached to the corollary that requests made known to God in secret are fulfilled in the open. Meaning relying on God alone in our prayer lives will strengthen our faith more, make us more like Christ (who prayed alone on numerous occasions) and promises results. 

Side note - teaching "how to get prayers answered" is borderline blasphemous. God is not a tool to be used or a daddy figure to be manipulated. Take care

Why - Everything we do should be to the Glory of God, correct? So prayer fits into that same category. In the case of public prayer, a benediction or invocation at the beginning or end of an event symbolizes God's presence there, His power over the proceedings and the utter dependence on Him of the participants. This is beneficial for all in attendance and I believe "beneficial" to God in that it gives Him glory or as we've mentioned before, demonstrates His glory fuller. 

Side note - If you think Ben Franklin's request to open the Constitutional Congress session with prayer is evidence of his faith, consider these facts. 1 - Franklin was a well-documented Deist who believed God had no or little interest in the affairs of men and 2 - the task facing the members of that Congress was enormous to say the least. I believe Franklin was showing his hand regarding prayer and throwing up what was in his mind the most desperate "Hail Mary" (pun intended) he could think of. I suggested as much my sophomore year in "Early American Political Thought" and the prof, who has since retired, about burned me at the stake. oh well.

In regards to personal prayer. The benefits for an individual frequently praying are clear - a closer relationship to God, there are more chances to repent so sins have less of chance to fester, constant prayer means Christ-like thinking more often which wards off sins to begin with, a more direct connection can be made between requests and results which increases faith, the transforming power of the Holy Ghost which works through direct contact with the Divine (this occurs only 2 ways: prayer and the reading/meditation of Scripture), etc. 

How - as I said before, "how to pray in order to get results" is a false teaching. Christ lays out a template in the Lord's Prayer, the Saxon Paraphrase goes like this:

Heavenly Father, the Almighty God, 

may your perfect will be accomplished, 

You've promised to provide and as You know I need ________, thank You for Your provision. 

Forgive me for ______ and help me to forgive ________ for __________, thank You for You forgiveness. Protect me from myself and the darkness of this World, thank You for Your protection. In the name of the Christ, the Supreme King Jesus, Amen. 

Braves have won only 13 of their last 36 on the road. They dropped yesterday's in extras to the Royals. This 3 games series is their first ever at Kauffman stadium, one of 2 active stadiums Chipper Jones never played in. They did win game 1 however, Jason Heyward blasting off in a big way with 3 rbis and a big fly. As the All-Star game approaches here are my picks for the starters, always a bunch of tough picks:

NL

C - YMolina 1B - FFreeman 2B - MCarpenter SS - TTulowitzki (hurt but deserving) 3B - DWright

LF - JUpton CF - SChoo RF - CBeltran

Bench - JVotto, PGoldschmidt, YPuig, BHarper, ACraig, CGonzalez, JSegura (start), CGomez, BPosey

SP - AWainwright

AL

C - CSantana 1B - CDavis 2B - RCano SS - JJHardy 3B - MCabrera DH - PFielder

LF - AGordon CF - AJones RF - NCruz

Bench - NMarkakis, JLowrie, YCespedes, JMauer, MNapoli, JEllsbury, VMartinez, JBautista

SP - MScherzer

Father's Day Thoughts

Had my first father's day. It was nice, went out to eat at Red Robin. Going to grill out with my dad on Thursday. Several people asked me what it was like to be having my first father's day. Didn't really feel different or weird, but their questions got me thinking, what do I want father's day to mean to me? The answer centers around my dad. I decided that if nothing else, I want to have the same friendship with my son as I have with my dad.

How do I get that? I don't know. If I did I'd be a billionaire public speaker and author. But I'm going to suggest some things here. Just a few, another short one.

First of all, I'm going to play with my son. My dad has always played with me. He still beats me in basketball, boggle, ping pong and chess on occasion. He and I have spent untold hours doing nerdy things with spreadsheets and baseball stats. Before just recently he was always good for a game of catch, recently he can only sustain one cycle of 2-on-2 a week without shattering into a million pieces...just kidding. kind of.

Secondly, I want to teach him stuff. I like to think I'm pretty smart, I've learned every ounce of what I know (and how to know it) from my parents. With no disrespect to my college-graduate high school teacher mother, mostly from my dad. I love history, philosophy and sports. So does he. I want to get a Master's Degree and maybe a Doctorate, he has both. Am I a daddy's boy? I don't know, you'd have to ask him. We've had our disagreements. Which leads to my third and final point.

Third, I want him to argue with me. I respect my dad a million times more than another father I'm associated with because of one key point, I can disagree with my dad and discuss it without repercussion. We have tussled on topics ranging from NBA history to epistemology and back. No one, and I mean no one, can go head to head with me in a game of debate except my dad. That may be arrogant, but I dare you, bring it. However, my dad owns my respect, not only because he's smart, but he is Always willing to participate in a discourse and often takes me to the cleaners.

So, that's my goal as a father. Be who my dad was to me. As I close, I cannot express how extraordinarily lucky (which means blessed) I am to have a dad like mine. I'll be lucky (again, blessed) if my son feels even remotely similarly.



Braves getting a major surge from "Fredo" Freeman. Last night he launched a 1 out, 2 run walk off homer breaking up a shut out in the process. Pretty awesome. Evan Gattis has hit the DL, strained oblique, so that may allow for Beachy to slide into the 25 man easier, but still leaves questions as to who the 5 starters will be. Friday will Teheran vs Peralta, will be awesome.

A Theology of Regret

     My wife would not hesitate to tell you that she and I come from very different backgrounds. One of the areas that has moved to the forefront of our relationship is our mindset towards decisions. On one hand, I make decisions with irrational confidence. I launch myself towards a door, even if its only open a crack, merely based on a "gut feeling" or "seems like God is orchestrating this." I have no fear of failing, failure is inevitable and the mortar with which we build our lives. Jenni has lived with a different mindset for most of her life. A caution to the extreme which is more concerned with one thing above all else: regret.

     Every decision is painstakingly slow if the primary thought is, "I really don't want to pick the wrong thing, what if I regret it?" There are several logical and theological problems with this mindset, and I've been slowing showing my very teachable wife the wonder a life free from worry can be. So, I'll share some of my thoughts here.

     I don't want to call it regret-free because that sounds too much like the YOLO, live life to the fullest crowd. But because I don't have a good name for it yet, I'd love your help by the way, I'll call it just that. To be regret-free you have to have certain presuppositions.

First - God is in control. It all comes down to this, the rest of the thought process revolves around God's sovereign authority over everything. From Creation to Christ to the 2nd Coming and Cosmic Ending (oh yeah) we are taught one thing above all else, God > _____. Regret-Free living is "God > _____" thinking. (Copyright 2013 PrinceofSaxony)

Second - God loves you. His sovereignty would be the most frightening truth possible were it not for His love. However, knowing His love compels us to Trust Him. As Paul says in Romans 8:28-29, Saxon Paraphrase Version (SPV) "God has planned out everything for His children's gain, the ones He handpicked and saved and is perfecting to be like Christ."

--- Side note, I prefer to paraphrase scripture for two reasons, #1 - I try not to fill my writing with quotes, this is supposed to be what I think #2 - You don't truly understand something until you can paraphrase it ---

Third - Sometimes there is no right choice. This may be the toughest one for some people to swallow. But lets face it, Big Mac or Double Quarter Pounder? They're both so good and yet they're both so so bad. Poor example, I know, but the concept should be clear, millions of times each day we make innocuous decisions, why fret over them? This shirt or that shirt? Apple or Banana? Apple or Microsoft? (We both know there's a right answer to that one...Microsoft) The list goes on and on. I have seen people, my beautiful wife in particular, slave over such simple decisions because they're afraid of making the "wrong" one. As Kevin DeYoung so elegantly put it, "Just Do Something" (I have the book, haven't sat down and read all the way through it, too busy just doing something I suppose).

     So, there's the foundation to regret-free living. Recognizing when a decision is not right/wrong, acknowledging God's love for me, and keeping "God >" at the front of my mind. This leads to the ultimate question, what if two good people disagree on what's right/wrong? How do I know who to listen to? "If I speak I am condemned, but if I stay silent...I am damned." Catch 22s, "rock and a hard place" situations, strain even the calmest regret-free lifer. However, if God is truly in control then no situation find myself in is the "wrong" one. Also, if God truly loves me, then I will be able to handle any difficulty with His help. I don't have to worry that I lost some chance to serve, or lost some reward somewhere, we can't go back in time. Regret leads to despair and in despair lurks death. I would venture that a sizable majority of suicides stem from regret. Granted, some are spurred by impending consequences but the thought pattern that results in the false-escape of suicide most often is a cesspool of regret and despair.

     The Theology of Regret also introduces an enormous amount of stress into your life. I sounds goofy, but living regret-free is healthier. Not YOLO, gonna party like the Epicureans, regret-free. But no-regret, make a choice and live in the confidence that 1 Peter 4:19 is true: (SVP) "We endure this life knowing that our King, the Creator God, who we can trust explicitly, is holding us in His hands." regret-free.

     Should we regret sin? No. and yes. But mostly no. Did Christ die on the cross for my sin? Yes. Did He die for my sins already committed, that is past sins? Yes. But didn't He also die for the sins yet to be committed? Of course. Does this mean I should go out and sin? Of course not! But, Romans 8:1 reminds us of the most liberating truth, "For Christ's children, the verdict is not guilty." (SVP) Hey, David wept over his sin. True, and he begged for forgiveness. He didn't write a Psalm that said, "People of Israel, I have massively erred and therefore must remove myself from the ministry God has appointed me to and forever be marked a failure in the Christian Life" although if you look around in today's Evangelical circles, you'd think he did. True repentance releases regret. Let that sink in, cuz its HUGE. Place your sins at the cross and let Christ give you the gift of new life. Let me rephrase, live in the freedom and blessing Christ died to secure for you, not in the bondage of guilt Satan works tirelessly to maintain.

     Are you living in regret? Stop it, and don't worry about it if you think you are, cuz that's just more regret about being in regret, and it can cycle for awhile, just ask my wife. Instead, change your thinking altogether, through the renewing of your mind by the power of the Holy Spirit, and focus on "God >" and His undying (and dying but resurrected) love for you.

  Braves just dropped 3 straight to San Diego, ugh, but we pitched pretty well, just can't get any consistency from the lineup. Nasty, no good, horrible parallels between this team and late 90s Braves teams are cropping up, but I'll ignore them and maybe they'll go away. Home for 3 with the Mets and 4 with the Giants before coming up here to MILWAUKEE!!!! WHIPEEEEEEE!!!! Already gots my tix for all 3 games, come out and support America's Team - if you don't you're a traitor and should watch out for the NSA cuz they're watching you.

Till Death Do Us Part

Well I had a change of heart and I decided that instead of music I wanted to share some "marital" ideas. Now, my wife and I are coming up on our 2nd anniversary, so by no means are we experts. However, we're happy and I think everybody should be happy so I'll try to share some things that I think are producing that happiness in our relationship. I'll relate to other couples but I won't use their names, whether good or bad, its just simpler that way (and I didn't ask anybody's permission to use them). So, here are 5 ways my wife and I love each other better than you.

1. We clean up together (or don't).

            Smile at the cute young couple. Go ahead, do it. I know, "awww, that's cute." But listen, when I help Jenni clean up, we love each other more. When I don't, we don't. Its very simple. When Jenni does housework, we love each other more. When she doesn't, we don't. When we let the house go because we're having fun, going places, doing things, we love each other more. When one of us is trying to keep everything perfect while the other is trying to do a bunch of stuff (has been both at different times) we don't. I'm sure nobody needs to be told that doing things together builds a stronger relationship, but it bears repeating. Like I said, these aren't groundbreaking, they're just what I've noticed in our life. Now, if you asked Jenni, I don't get this right 100% of the time. In fact, the percentage is probably closer to 15, but even that is worth a ton, and I'm getting better. (She isn't perfect either :) ).

2. We decide together.

            You may pick up a pattern. Jenni has struggled with making quick, efficient decisions her whole life. I tend to waffle back and forth from rapid fire decisions to heavily researched life choices. At first, combining her reluctance with my either speed or determination was a challenge. But instead of just taking over, or more like after taking over wasn't working, I decided (pun intended) to try and include her, no matter how trivial the choice. This has occasionally resulted in me getting frustrated as an opportunity floats by while she can't make up her mind. But it has also resulted in her preventing me from making a dumb knee-jerk decision numerous times. The primary benefit has been our direction as a family is unified. Great concept, better practice. Good friends of ours are funny to talk to because they have very different ways of expressing their family's goals. One of them thinks a particular career is the only way to go, the other thinks it will never happen but its cute. Without judging their relationship, because it looks great, I can't help but wonder what happens if the career pans out? Will person two be extremely opposed to it? Will person one realize they've been opposed the whole time? If it doesn't pan out, will person one ever be happy? Will person two understand why person one is unhappy? I don't think Jenni and I will struggle with this. I know, its early, we plan on being married forever so things could change.

3. We "friend" together.

           I am particularly bad at this one, Jenni is AWESOME at it. She often laments the fact she didn't have a lot of friends growing up. She had some, but in her own words, none of them were super close. I've had buckets of close friends evidenced by the 7 guys who stood in my wedding plus the two who sang and one who ushered. When we got married we wanted to do stuff with people, this is pretty normal. However, my friends were not Jenni's friends and vice-versa. With a little work, a lot for Jenni, we now have virtually completely mutual friends. In fact, just last night a mutual friend was over. While we were dating, he would've been "my friend" but now he's definitely "our friend." But I must stress, most of the work has been done by Jenni, partially because I have a load of friends and partially because most of her friends live in Colorado. I would expect this to be a given, however I've observed many a couple with the "guy's night out" and "girl's night out" mentality. Not just because the girls are stamping or watching chic-flicks but because the guy wants nothing to do with the girl's friends. This is a bummer for everybody so stop it.

4. We had a baby together

         Don't worry, this will be safe for work. Our little man has brought us together in a lot of ways. Most of them are obvious, we love him so loving him we love each other more. Despite my initial misgivings, I call her "mommy" constantly. She likes that, and calls me "daddy" (in unison now, "awwwww" you guys sicken me) so we love each other more. We help each other take care of him, her more than me, and so we love each other more when we help each other. He draws out different aspects of our personalities which lead us to love each other more. Time spent together, in peace, is a premium so we enjoy it more and therefore love each other more. But, there are a few ways he has drawn us together that I didn't expect, or at least had never occurred to me. I recognize and appreciate the ways Jenni will provide for Chipper that I could never provide. Things she doesn't provide for me, she's not my mother, but are still love-worthy. I don't get to experience that without Chipper. She has also mentioned things I'll be able to do with Chipper that she and I can't do. She gets to love that. Kids rock, go have some.

5. We make fun of each other

         Other than Christ this may be the single most important aspect of our relationship. I'm kidding. But really, we are real to each other. We do what we think we should and say what we want to say and then chance the consequences with our other half. Jenni makes fun of me constantly. This is very very good. It is first, humbling, second, a useful critique and  finally, fun. We aren't the only couple that jokes, some of our best friends are also constantly ribbing each other. That's great, and essential to keep both people grounded. I am well acquainted with a couple in which if she were to say some of the things Jenni says to me, fire would rain down. That's troubling. Lighten up, enjoy each others' senses of humor and remember what's fair is fair.

Hope that warmed your heart.

Braves snagged game one in Cincy last night. Simba with his first career 2 homer game, that dude is gonna be the top SS in the league for a while. He's already the best defender in the NL (SEA Brendan Ryan, CLE Asdrubal Cabrera, BAL J.J. Hardy prolly better in AL) but his bat is still growing.

Going to see Brewers-Rangers tonight. Thursday I'll give a game recap and talk about why we attend New Testament Baptist Church.