Sunday Sermon Reactions: Commitment

I'm late putting this up. I'll backdate, so that it shows up on the right day.

Three things stuck out to me through this sermon.

Not all are very deep. Hopefully, they all read as honest.

1. Reading through the Bible last year was great. I recognize more and more of the context of the verses and where they are in the Bible. I'm not very good at remembering exact words and numbers. I tend to remember ideas, themes, and generalities.

2. The series we're in is called "Awesomely Ever After." It's about building better marriages that last. As you can imagine, this is something important to me. One of the lead questions to the sermon was "How can people be married for 25 years and then break apart?" I signed up for "unto death do us part" and "what God has joined together, let no man tear asunder."*

When Brett started talking about the researcher who could predict with 90% accuracy which married couples would be together after 7 years, he had my full attention (it sometimes wanders). When Brett mentioned the four things that the researcher looked for as signs of an unhealthy marriage, I was on the edge of my seat. "Do I do any of those?"

          Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse for Communication
          Criticism
          Contempt
          Defensiveness
          Stonewalling

The gist is that cracks in the foundation of how a couple communicates can cause problems at any time a marriage.

I've always viewed my marriage as a living things. Living things need to grow to be alive. Living things can't grow unless they're taken care of. There's no such thing as "you don't have to try any more once you're married." Living things also change. Change can be intimidating when matched to an unchanging promise.

I'm not saying I always get it right. I am saying I know it's something I have to work at.

The end goal is that Carrie goes to bed every night secure that I love her and that I hold fast to my vows. She does the same thing for me. It's a 'we' effort.

3. David was a "man after's God's heart" and he still screwed the pooch royally. We all fall. Even the best of us.

And that made me think of Tolkieen.

Yes, seriously. Doom and failure visited frequently. The Silmarilion was full of tragic endings and characters who failed. Even Frodo succumbed on the very doorstep of Mordor. I don't think I'm spoiling much for anyone at this point.

And then I thought, "I need to remember this when I write!"

Not that I have.

And so concludes a belated Sunday Sermon Reaction. The sermon is here. The website for my church is here and you can watch live on a Sunday if you're ever curious.