Hey, Sweetie, could you run to Lowe's and pick me up a...?

Hello, my friends!


My dear husband, Peter, from the day I married him, always had a project going.  Weekends and even vacations have been spent building, remodeling, or repairing something.  I could not possibly count the number of times he has been in the middle of one of these projects and has asked me if I could run to Lowe's or Home Depot or Harbor Freight for some tool, bit, piece or part.  I used to HATE doing this because I NEVER got it right the first time. Until now.  Whoever invented the cell phone with a camera...I love you!  My iPhone is my best friend when I have been sent on Lowe's-Home Depot run. Now all I have to do is snap a picture, send it to Peter via text message:  "Is this the ONE?"  And then wait for the reply.  It is a beautiful thing.  However, it wasn't so easy in my younger years...not by a long shot.  In fact, sometimes it could be down right traumatic...


 I will never forget the very first time Peter sent me to Builder's Emporium for a part needed in a plumbing repair he was in the middle of and neither will the gentleman I ran into. I was probably all of eighteen or nineteen years old at the time and thrilled with prospect of helping my handsome, young husband. So off I went completely oblivious to the shocking discovery that was soon to be coming my way.  Peter told me the part I was to get for him (although I can't remember what it was now) gave me a name and a detailed description...though obviously, as you will see, not quite detailed enough.  I thought it would be a snap.  The problem was when I got to the store, there were about 100 of these plumbing "thingamabobs" in little clear plastic bags hanging on the aisle.  I had no idea which one to choose.  So I stood there pondering until an older gentlemen  finally had mercy on me and asked if he could help.  I told him what I was looking for and He said, "male or female?"  I was not expecting this at all.  Obviously this guy did not hear me correctly, so I repeated the name of the part I needed.  And he looked at me and said, "Right, male or female?"  There was a moment of awkward silence................  I hadn't the foggiest idea what he was talking about, so I asked, "What sex are they usually?"  As I look back on the scene, this guy was trying to keep his composure the best the could but finally all he could say was:  "Honey, you need to go back to your husband, ask him if he needs a male or a female and have him explain it to you."


And so I did.  When Peter explained to me that it was terminology to describe how something was threaded: on the inside "female" or the outside "male," believe me I was APPALLED at his explanation!  Obviously a guy came up with that great idea.  It took me years to be able to use the terms without being just a bit embarrassed.  Why couldn't the terms be something different but just as accurately descriptive as, oh, maybe "innie" and "outie"? In later years, as I went to different marriage seminars, retreats or even read books on marriage, I heard over and over how often men think of sex...and I all I could say to myself was "No kidding!"  It seems they reference it whenever they get a chance:)


For those of you who were looking for some spiritual value in this post...I am so sorry...there isn't a lick of it.  Just a silly story that I hope brought a smile to your face:)  Next week I'll do better, I promise!


Love to you all...


Cherri

It Takes a Wedding!

Hi there my sweet friends!

Well, I am fresh off the wedding of number five child, number three daughter.  And just like God,  He knows I need object lessons, so the last few days have been a rich time for me in more ways than one.  All these weeks we have talked of covenant and it has been wonderful to hear about it and study it, but this past Sunday...I experienced covenant with the wedding of my daughter, Aimee and her wonderful husband, Zach.  

My brother-in-law, Frank, who is a judge, performed the ceremony and wouldn't you know he talked of covenant...the importance of covenant, this solemn promise made one to anther.  In that moment, suddenly, I saw all these incredible evidences of God speaking His covenant to the people in the audience.  I wanted to turn around and say..."Oh, my gosh, you guys!  This is way more than simply about Aimee and Zach getting married!"  I realized  our God was even in this ceremony, imploring those witnesses  to see the significance of covenant.  My heart was humbled as I  watched Aimee and Zach take their first communion together and my mind reflected during that precious moment on Jesus and His last meal with the disciples.  I thought of Aimee...stunningly beautiful, dressed in white, absolutely radiant in her veil and gown,  candles lining the aisle, the look on Zach's face when he first saw her, and I thought of veils and tabernacles, bread and wine and the purity of priests and brides..The Bride.  This incredibly vivid picture of Christ and the love He has for His bride was reflected in every moment...in the adorning look of love Zach gave to my Aimee.  It was all over his face...He thought she was PERFECT!  In Aimee's excitement to belong to her Zach...her beaming expression of "I can't wait to be yours!"   And I thought...this is the way it is supposed to be.  Covenant was never ever meant to carry a negative connotation.  It was supposed to be like this moment...pure joy!  He loves us like that!!!

God gave us a new covenant so we could be pure, beaming, unashamed and beautiful.  All covenants point to this truth:  HE LOVES US (more than Zach loved Aimee on Sunday:)  He loves us with passion so overwhelming He did not hesitate to plan a covenant that would one day cause Him excruciating pain and physical death.  This covenant speaks to me that I am worth it.  He has always wanted covenant to be our joy and blessing, our place of peace and safety.  It is humanity that causes covenant to become a curse.  


Sometimes it takes an object lesson to bring it all into focus for me.  That is what happened this past Sunday.  And for a moment...I felt it...the passionate, overwhelming love of the the Lord's new covenant!




Sweet, sweet blessings of knowing how very much your Lord loves you, my friends!


Love to you...


Cherri

Marriage!!!!!!

Good morning, Girls!

And do I mean good MORNING!  I can't sleep so I thought I would spend some of this time NOT SLEEPING talking with you:)  I find it ironic and completely like God that the week we study marriage in our Bible Study I am over my head in wedding projects, planning, lists, events....and the list goes on and on and all those lists have to do with wedding!  Phew!  One thing I know for sure is that marriage is a BIG DEAL.  It always has been and always will be.  There is a lot of investment that goes on when planning a wedding...time, effort, emotion, and finances.  It does not surprise me in the least that God takes marriage seriously.  Not only are our marriages symbols once again of that covenant Jesus made to save us, they are the basic building block of our society. 

Yesterday I was out doing some wedding shopping with my sister in law , and we got to talking about the Bible study.  Della was telling me that she looks at her marriage completely different now that she has done this week's study.  One aspect that she had NEVER thought of was the physical symbolism in the marriage act (read that sex:)...Yep, me neither.  But I just wouldn't put it past God to do something like that and make everything...like EV-ER-Y-THING a picture somehow of the covenant He cut with us. 

Well, sweet friends, I had better get busy!

Love to you....

Cherri