There was a good number of people out for the pizza and movie night. Some of them were just glad to be out of the house, period. Some of the driveways had not been clear for two weeks. All some people had been able to do was carry in wood, clean out ashes, and look after their animals. The Teen Girls Bible Study and the Ladies Bible Study which were cancelled a couple of times has been rescheduled for this week.
Dan Stillings sang a special song in the Sunday morning service and the Jubilee Singers sang in the evening. Pastor Bob Sorensen brought a message, Sunday, with Valentine’s Day in mind, “How To Build a Storm Proof Marriage.”
Proverbs 14:1 tells about a wise woman who builds her house and a foolish woman who pulls down her house. The “house” that is secure is first established upon a solid foundation then built up with the understanding and knowledge to apply God’s truth. The wise man and woman builds their house on solid rock never on the sands.
Building a storm proof marriage depends upon building on the foundation rock of a covenant marriage rather than the sands of a contract marriage. The difference between a contract and a covenant is that God is a party in the covenant marriage. A contract is made between two parties based in mistrust. A covenant marriage is based in trust. Circumstances can change, but what God has joined together can stand.
A storm proof marriage is set upon a rock of humility versus the sands of pride. Pride goes before destruction in any area. You can’t always blame the other party for all the trouble in a marriage. The three best words that any marriage partner can use are, “I’m sorry, honey.”
A storm proof marriage is built on communication not the sands of silence. Healing begins with communication. A man may see communication as a means to an end, but for many woman communication itself is the goal. Communication is not just the words you say. It is said that 55% of communication is the facial expression and body language, 38% is the tone of voice, and only 7% are the words themselves. Be sure to look at the person talking to get the whole message.
Other aspects of a storm proof marriage are the offering of unconditional love versus conditional, the practice of offering praise instead of a put-down, the commitment by both partners to always be building instead of simply doing nothing, the willingness to change rather than stubbornly holding on to destructive habits, and finally the realization that we depend upon a close relationship with God and not proud self reliance to build a marriage that can stand the storms.
