Lord, so often times, as any other day

When we sit down to our meal and pray

We hurry along and make fast the blessing

Thanks, amen. Now please pass the dressing

We're slaves to the olfactory overload

We must rush our prayer before the food gets cold

But Lord, I'd like to take a few minute more

To really give thanks to what I'm thankful for

For my family, my health, a nice soft bed

My friends, my freedom, a roof over my head

I'm thankful right now to be surrounded by those

Whose lives touch me more than they'll ever possibly know

Thankful Lord, that You've blessed me beyond measure

Thankful that in my heart lives life's greatest treasure

That You, dear Jesus, reside in that place

And I'm ever so grateful for Your unending grace

So please, heavenly Father, bless this food You've provided

And bless each and every person invited

Amen!

Ephesians 6:4: “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”  

Studying people and their reasons for marriage can be quite intriguing. Have you ever wondered how some couples ever got started? Marriage pairs come in different shapes and combinations: tall and short, outgoing and introverted, smart and absent-minded, plump and thin, attractive and sloppy. The combinations can be equally impressive, oppressive, depressive, encouraging, mind-boggling and simply neat. One important fact is that each pair fashions out a way of life for itself. An outside observer may not be able to understand what they see in each other, but these two folks are drawn together by a magnetic force that defies understanding. They like what they see, how they feel and what they hear from one another. This union of two individuals establishes what I call “the marriage machine”.