When Will I Stop Hurting?
focuses
on grieving as a normal and necessary process for those dealing with a
recent death. Kolf explains the stages of grief and offers practical
advice to those in need.
Buy Now!
Amazon,
 Barnes&Noble,
Christianbook.
Fit To Be Tied
Do
you want to start your marriage with your feet on the ground? You will find the right advice here!
Buy Now!
Amazon,
 Barnes&Noble,
Christianbook.
The Best Christian Writing 2000
celebrates the diversity of the human race that God has created. This is a collection of 28 thoughtful and challenging essays written by 28
different Christian voices plus an introduction by Philip Yancey.
Buy Now!
Amazon,
 Barnes&Noble,
Christianbook.
|
A Lesson On Breaking Chairs
Ken Davis, Lighten Up!, Great Stories From One of America's Favorite Storytellers,
2000, Zondervan Publishing House, pp. 123, 124.
SoAmazing.com
Category: Inspirational
ISBN: 0310227577
Keywords: marriage, husband, wife, housework, women's work, oaf, brutish, Neanderthal, cave
dweller, clueless, vacuum, vacuuming, vacuum cleaner, sexual advances, crossword puzzle,
kisses, hugs, passionate, I love you, Zondervan Publishing House, Davis,
Ken Davis
"For the first fifteen years of my marriage, I was a terrible husband. Lazy and selfish,
I'd determined that housework was women's work. Diane held down a full-time job to augment
my income as a traveling speaker. She was my personal secretary, an attentive mother to
our daughters, and she waited on me hand and foot without ever demanding that I lift a
finger to help her.
I loved my wife very much, but I hadn't yet learned how to show my love. Our personal
relationship was suffering from my insensitivity. With all the subtlety of a Neanderthal
cave dweller I made brutish sexual advances, believing that was how a real man expressed
love. It's no wonder that the physical passion and spiritual intimacy of our marriage had
cooled considerably.
Oaf that I was, I couldn't figure out why she didn't respond to me. I believed my actions
were sexy and attractive--why wasn't she falling all over me? Wasn't she grateful? Of
all the women I could have married, I'd chosen her. I still spoke the words, 'I love you,'
but she no longer responded with loving looks and tender embraces.
I was clueless. I had a lesson to learn about love, and God was going to use a vacuum
cleaner to teach it . . . .
I learned many things about vacuuming that day. First, I learned that our cat was terrified
of vacuum cleaners. That kept me entertained for about an hour . . . . As I vacuumed in
one direction, a stripe would appear. Going the opposite direction would create a stripe
of a different shade. Entranced, I striped the whole room. Then I went crossways, creating
a checkerboard pattern.
I got so carried away that I dusted the furniture and straightened the entire house.
I was once again embedded in the easy chair, working on my crossword puzzle, when Diane
came home. She struggled through the door with a bag of groceries under each arm, kicked
the door shut with one foot, then took in the house with an expert glance.
Her mouth dropped open. Slowly the bags slipped from her grasp and dropped to the floor.
'Who did this?' she asked.
'I did,' I said, matter-of-factly.
Without warning, she attacked. Diving on me before I could get out of the chair, she
smothered me with kisses and hugs, showering gratitude on me for helping her. The kisses
grew more passionate. We broke the chair.
It was wonderful!
The vacuum cleaner taught me some important lessons that day. Love is expressed with more
than just words. A husband's willingness to share the burdens of homemaking shouts, 'I
love you,' to his wife."
|
.gif)
LN100.gif)
LN70.gif)
LN70.gif)
LN70.gif)
LN70.gif)
.gif)
