… but a “beverage bay”.

On christmas day morning we went up Shaftoe crags. While photos were taken mum was used as a hat stand. Modelling Am’s hat was worth whipping out the phone for.

I don’t remember the last time it was just the 6 of us for christmas day, but it happened this year as Grandad spent it in hospital with grandma. Late afternoon we went in to hospital and entertained with the guitar before driving down to Stockport to see the Greens.

Finally home for christmas, been looking forward to it for weeks. As per normal, mum tries to fit in all those appointments that should have been met donkeys ago.

At 10am I got drained of a pint of the red stuff and because it was christmas they were giving out presents. Asda shower gel… oh yeah baby. 11:30 was the dentist. The last 2 days of using the electric toothbrush paid off big time as my teeth were branded “beautiful” (in the manly sense obviously!), though certainly no reflection on the last 6 months worth of slack brushing. Anyways, next up was a game o tennis with Zand, Jonny and John. A year without practice meant I was a bit poo (minus a pint of blood probably didn’t help either), but Zand and me did win 7-5, 6-1. There were glimpses of potential, but the forehand was everytime an erratic, unpredictable disaster :P.

Early afternoon we went to see G’ma in the hospital a la post stroke rehab ward. I thought she was on pretty good form. She didn’t have much control of her left hand and her speech was quite slow. Being the first time i’ve seen her, i’ve really nothing compare progress to. People are hopful she’ll make a fairly good recovery, although the critical question is whether she’ll regain enough mobility to live at home again?

Take a regular box of rice kripsies.

Hunt down a freezer bag…

Bag them and crush

Pour into a bowl

Add a sprinkling of sugar…

Add some milk…but not too much(!)

Sheer poetry!

I’ve just finished it this week. Its pretty short, a very easy read written simply for those striving for a lasting, loving marriage, whether for the present or in preemptive preparation.

It reads quite like a long sermon as he ambles purposely through the betrothal and marriage of Issac and Rebekah. It doesn’t go into huge depth but offers a very much God-centered, biblical view of the subject.

Very much worth a read especially as it won’t take you long.

There were a few things which really stood out for me…

Will and emotion (p30)

He suggests that we’re prone to exaggerating the separation between the emotion and the will, when infact we should be looking to preserve the grand union between them. Theres a great line on page 30:

“Without the will, marriage is a mockery; without emotion, it is a drudgery. You need both.”

My heart goes along with that. They’ve been a source of confusion in the past, able only to see them as opposing viewpoints, with most people seeming to have bias towards one over the other.

Temptation (p80)

There was a part which shed some useful insight into temptation based around Matthew 4:1-11 which details how Jesus was tempted. The devil makes temptation appear as a natural desire, but when he tempted Him with “the kingdoms of this world” its important to notice that what he was offering was neither his nor his to give, instead he was offering an “enchantment of the eye”… “to go for the shell of existence while loosing the essence of one’s being”.

Ready for marriage? (p97-105)

This was a very much practical section where he makes 3 main points:

1. Do you truly have the maturity to sacrifice your selfishness for the responsibility that lies ahead?
2. Get the best pre-marital counseling possible.
3. Preparation and commitment to conflict resolution.

He also says on p97 that when he was married, he remembers pondering whether he really loved the girl he was marrying.

Don’t rush (p111)

Just the simple idea that if marriage is as grand as the bible intended it to be, then its worth it to wait until you are ready for that right moment… for the right one.

Importance of prayer (p120)

He suggests that the individuals prayer life is the key to discerning his or her character, going on to say that

“It is self-evident truth that a person who truly prays and seeks God’s wisdom in life recognizes the sovereignty of God and is committed to seeking God’s wisdom in life’s important choices. It is important to to understand that it is a prayer life that build character that honors God”

Memorizing scripture (p128)

He talks about the importance of studying God’s word, its greatest single purpose being to make us “wise unto salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15 KJV). He suggests that learning studying and memorizing scripture “make an inscription in the very soul”, and when God needs to speak to us it gives him a context within which to reach us.

Family life and being a man (p145)

He observes that there are fewer and fewer examples of godly men for young men to follow going on to say that and there is little doubt that men have led the way in the dereliction of duty to the family.

“mothers raise boys; fathers raise men” (Dr James Dobson)

Us men need to stand up and be counted…