I have been noticing many of my friends celebrating anniversaries via Facebook. A very refreshing escape from all the debate that has been going on lately. Tomorrow I get to celebrate 31 years with the woman that I introduced as the, “Most beautiful woman in the world,” when we were dating.
It is hard to believe that 31 years has passed since we got married on that hot Friday evening in a little country church in Dot, Kentucky. God has led us through many blessings and challenges over the last 31 years. She has been a help meet for me in the good times and the bad. Angela is my best friend. She knows me better than any human, and remarkably, loves me more in spite of this. Angela is “My Precious Bride.”
Marriage is many things, but one of the reasons that God gave us marriage is so that we could have a proper relationship for celebrating sex. Many believe that sex is of the devil or improper to talk about, but interestingly, as God inspires Solomon in his writing of the Proverbs, one of the prevalent themes is the proper way to express our sexual love.
As I read my scripture reading from Proverbs today, about half of the reading through Proverbs 3-7 deals with the right and wrong way to express our sexual love. The proper means for the expression of these passions is in the Marriage relationship. Solomon writes, Proverbs 5:15–18 (CSB) “Drink water from your own cistern, water flowing from your own well. 16 Should your springs flow in the streets, streams in the public squares? 17 They should be for you alone and not for you to share with strangers. 18 Let your fountain be blessed, and take pleasure in the wife of your youth.”
In a world that has been corrupted by sin, we are constantly bombarded with the message that sex is to be expressed any way and with anyone an individual sees fit. This message is promoted in the songs that we hear, the television shows and movies that we watch–even the laws that we write. All drive home this message that sex is a pleasure to be pursued rather than a blessing to be shared.
Angela is not as young as she used to be (Neither am I.). The years have been much kinder to her than they have been to me. Even though I no longer introduce her as the most beautiful woman in the world, she is more beautiful today than she was the day we got married. For she is my Proverbs 5:19 (CSB) “Loving deer, a graceful doe… (and I am thrilled to) be lost in her love forever.”
Marriage truly is a gift from God.
Dear God, Help us as Christian couples to demonstrate the joy that flows from a marriage based on the wisdom of God. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Attention All PBC Kids:
Every Tuesday night at 7 pm, we will be having Sunday School
for kids in Kindergarten through 5th grade. Join Carol Jo Taylor on Zoom
for Sunday School. Contact Carol Jo if you need the link.
Also, all kids are invited to a Biblical Storytime with Carol Jo on Sunday nights at 6 pm on Piner Baptist Church Facebook Live.
Food Cards Needed for NKU International Students
We have 50 international students stranded at NKU (primarily from African nations). There is a need to collect gift cards FOR THESE RESTAURANTS SPECIFICALLY (walking distance to where they are housed with no transportation) to help feed these students: Chipotle, Canes, Chick Fil-A, Ichiban, Subway, Wendy’s, and Meijer. They were supplementing their income to cover food costs at NKU and are now unemployed.
Currently, we no longer need food for the Piner Families. If we receive any more requests, we will restart this program.
VBS on the Road
We are looking for volunteers to lead and/or host 2-hour day camps in subdivisions around our area during the month of July. If you are interested in teaching or hosting, please contact Bro. Mark. mark@pinerbaptist.org