My Knight in Shining Armor Part 3

At first it may be really hard to let go of the reins and hand them back to him. You may actually be better at some of the judgments and decisions. But if you’ll just give God a chance, He can teach your Knight how to do stuff right.

I don’t think God means for wives to grovel. I think wives should express their ideas and opinions. However, the final decision belongs to the Knight. If he makes a huge mistake, God won’t hold you responsible for it. Quite the contrary, He will honor you for honoring your husband. If the mistake hurts both of you, your husband will suffer twice the hurt because he sees he made you suffer. But he will learn.

In your obedience to the Word, one day you will find yourself greatly relieved of a heavy burden you were never meant to carry.

In our marriages the shine must come from the Holy Spirit who is our teacher, our guide, our comforter. That shine comes when we both learn to listen to His voice.

I am convinced that as wives obey the Word, and show honor for and respect to their husbands, the Holy Spirit is freed to do a wonderful work in the marriage.

My husband is not perfect (he just read this over and expressed his dismay at this statement). But he’s truly my Knight in Shining Armor.

He doesn’t do the dishes. But he does take his dirty plate to the sink. He doesn’t do laundry. But he does put his dirty clothes in the right place. He doesn’t cook (except in the microwave). But he never complains about anything I’ve placed before him, and he’s always ready to hand out compliments for the meal. He may not be much of a handyman around the house, but he makes sure repairs are done (usually hired out) right. He may not talk much, but he sure can express himself on paper.

He pays the bills. He keeps food on the table. He keeps clothes on our backs. He makes wise decisions. He helps me through rough spots. He writes me the sweetest notes. He has the strongest loving arms…

Sure, there are things we’d like to change about each other—but after 48 years I think we have both learned to accept the strange differences and get on with life. And sometimes the things we’d like to change are really not “wrong” things—just different than we’d envisioned.

Learn to live with the differences and actually embrace them. Maybe even laugh together about them. Those are simply the colors in the crest on the breastplate of his armor.

Stand back and take another look.

You really do have a Knight in Shining Armor. God just isn’t finished with him yet.

Will You Marry Me?

An elderly widow and widower were dating for about five years.

The man finally decided to ask her to marry him.

She immediately said, "Yes!"

The next morning he awoke and couldn't remember what her answer was. "Was she happy? I think so. No, wait, she did look at me funny..."

After about an hour of trying to remember her answer but to no avail, he called her.

Embarrassed, he admitted that he didn't remember her answer to the marriage proposal.

"Oh!" she said, "I'm so glad you called. I remembered saying 'yes' to someone, but I couldn't remember who it was."

My Knight in Shining Armor Part 2

In order to make him fit her picture of the perfect husband, (hence make hers the perfect marriage), she proceeds to try to change him. She climbs up on the steed with her jar of silver polish and sits behind her Knight and polishes the shining armor. To her husband it feels like nags and pushes and faultfindings.

Pretty soon she wants to work on the other side of the armor and tries to turn him around. Of course somewhere in the process, he falls off the steed and she’s left in the saddle alone.

Some Knights simply walk away, figuring his armor and all that goes with it isn’t good enough for her. He’s disappointed her. He’s discouraged. So he appeals and begs and turns into a mouse. Or he gives up and spends his time going out with the boys watching football games or playing golf. Or really digs in at the office where his armor actually does shine a bit and no one has a jar of silver polish.

What happened to her Knight? She finds herself in the lead of the marriage—but without the Godly leadership anointing.

She thinks she can lead the marriage better than he can, because, in her eyes, he has tarnished armor, and now he’s being a mouse or running around with the boys. She may win the stallion, but she’s lost her Knight In Shining Armor.

The first thing a damsel must do is realize that there are no PERFECT Knights in Shining Armor. There are knights, there is armor, and there are even beautiful steeds. None of which is perfect.

Neither are there any perfect damsels.

If you want to re discover your personal Knight in Shining Armor, you need to think about doing some of the following:

1. Get down off the steed. It is God’s plan that the husband be the head of the household. In time, he’ll be happy to get back up there.
2. Put away the silver polish. The Lord does a fine job of polishing. It’s the wife’s job to pray for her knight. She must encourage and uplift him. But never try to change him herself.
3. Check and see if your pretty damsel-dress is stained, faded, ragged or torn. It’s the old mote/log story. The Holy Spirit is pretty cool about keeping you looking good for your Knight if the Lord is first in your life.

well, duh

A local newspaper report of a few weeks ago...hmmmmm

My Knight in Shining Armor Part 1

I’ve heard it too often. Now I must speak.

Women, disappointed in their marriages, express their dismay over the outcome of their expectations of their man. “I thought he would be my Knight in Shining Armor, riding on a beautiful steed, coming to sweep me off my feet and take me to his castle where we’d live happily ever after…”

We meet the guy of our dreams; marry him, and then what happened? Was he really a Knight In Shining Armor?

A husband, serving as a Knight In Shining Armor, must be devoted to a woman, protect her, be a fervent supporter and defender of her, and protect her with an unblemished safeguard.

The Bible says a man must love his wife as Christ loves the church, and to love his wife as he does his own body. A Knight In Shining Armor would do that. He’d die for his cause, his damsel, his wife.

I believe the guy (knight) starts out wanting to do all these things for his bride (damsel). His life.

But all some brides discover is that he isn’t perfect. He’s not shiny at all.

Alack, he’s blemished.

(to be continued)

Half-Banana

One day last week I decided to have a banana with my breakfast. Since our fruitbowl had only really big ones, I cut one in half, and put the dirty knife by the sink to be washed. Then I sat down at the table to enjoy my yogurt and toast and coffee along with my half-banana.

When I was well into the meal, Martha (our wonderful housegirl) spoke to me.

"Madam," she said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

I turned to answer her. She was standing by the kitchen drawers, the top one (the knife drawer) open. In her hand was a half-banana.

"Madam," she spoke again, this time with a bit of a twinkle.

"Oh no, Martha!" I sputtered. "Was that in the drawer?"

She sparkled and twinkled and giggled a bit. "Yes, Madam."

I think I'm getting old.

A New Thing

It’s so wonderful to have most of our ‘Cup team back in Swaziland.

The Rehmeyers got home a few weeks ago; Charles and Kristen Young got back a few days ago.

Our newest members, Isaac and Carol Williams have been here for a couple of weeks.

Needless to say, things are getting back into full swing.

A bunch of the ‘Cup gang went to Ncobe, Mozambique this week for a few days to hold a medical clinic and to paint the new church building. It’s cream colored on the top half of the exterior walls, and a cheery orange on the bottom. Very Africa. Since it’s on the highest point in the area, it can be seen from afar.

Neighbors are getting excited about the new facility. They even named the dusty road in front of the site “Church Road.”

Pastors Isaac and Carol walked across Church Road to call on the local witch doctor and her husband. They simply introduced themselves and chatted a bit. Just showing them a bit of Jesus’ love. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if this couple were among the first to be won to Jesus in our new church?

Ben and Susan’s interdenominational Saturday Night Bible Study / Food & Fellowship is growing by leaps and bounds (50+ there last time).

Today we began our own little ‘Cup Sunday Morning Fellowship at the Rodgers house with lots of praise and prayer followed by a sermon from Pastor Dino by way of video. The presence of God was so heavy I went through half a box of Kleenex. We sang as Isaac played the guitar, prayed for one another including Ben and Susan’s children—who also prayed for us—and shared communion at the close. There may have been only twelve of us there, but I'm convinced the room was full of angels joining us in our praise to God!

We really feel like God is taking us to a higher place of ministry. In our day-to-day work we need to be spiritually sound. Just as sports teams come together all week long and get in shape for the next game, the ‘Cup team comes together to worship the Lord and to get themselves in shape for the week's work. We cheer each other on, encourage, rejoice and laugh and cry. Just like a tight knit family…

Can’t wait for Patrick Conti to get back (he’s such a strength to us all—and a huge encouragement to the Swazis) and for Christy Merrill to get here in June. (If you want to make a donation to their individual ministries, visit our website www.childrenscup.org, and indicate your designation.)

While you are at the website, check out the blogs of the ‘Cup team members to get a more thorough picture of what’s happening in Swaziland and Mozambique.

"Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road (Church road?) through the desert (Ncobe?), rivers in the badlands ." Isaiah 43:18, 19 TMB

Great Good News

Mid October we will be blessed for the thirteenth time: Josh and Shannon will give us another grandchild.

Are we excited? Is sugar sweet? Is the Pope a Catholic? Is a pig's rearend pork?

We are crazy excited.

Whoopee! Yipeee! Hallelujah! Yea! Hurrah! Glory!

Dancedancedancedancedance.

(Pardon our exhuberance.)

Ponderism

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"

If you have the answer, please let me know.

Our Day, February 14

Happy Birthday to my dear one.

Happy Anniversary to my lover.

Happy Valentine’s Day to my sweetheart.

Life with you has been amazing beyond my hopes and dreams.

I want the whole wide world to know that I love you.

Too Young?

February is a very busy month of celebrations for the Ohlerkings.

Danny’s birthday is the 8th. Lincoln’s birthday is the 9th. David III’s birthday is the 25th. Rhodes and Rhett’s birthday is the 29th.

Wednesday is Valentine’s Day. That’s Dave’s birthday. It’s also our anniversary.

Dave and I were just young kids when we married. It was his 19th birthday. I was 18. We were in love.

There was a secular song out about that time, “Too Young,” sung by the velvety voice of Nat King Cole.

Well, yesterday as we were playing a CD of golden oldies, that song came up. As we drove down the hill from Susan’s house here in Swaziland, our minds went back to the early days of our marriage. There were people who were whispering (and not too quietly either) things like, “This will never last. They are just too young.” Hence our love of this tune.

They try to tell us we're too young
Too young to really be in love
They say that love's a word
A word we've only heard
But can't begin to know the meaning of
And yet we're not too young to know
This love will last though years may go
And then some day they may recall
We were not too young at all

Too bad the whisperers are dead and gone now. We’d show them!

(Sometimes the best thing we can do for young marrieds who seem too immature to “make it” in the commitment they have made to each other, is to encourage them to celebrate their love, showing them by our own marriages how to grow their love for each other. How to stick it out through the tough places as well as the smooth. How to view differences as opportunities to know each other better. How to laugh and cry together. How to love each other no matter what. )

Marriage is not just a union, it’s a continual meshing of each one’s lives, hearts, spirits, souls. It’s worth all the effort when you look back over 48 years of loving and growing and raising a family (4 kids, and 12 grandkids) and serving God together.

Thanks, Dave, for 48 wonderful years. We weren't too young after all!

Thanks, God, for blessing us beyond measure.

Bragging Again

Did you ever see such cute kids in your life?

On the bronze LSU tiger at one of our most favorite eating hangouts (TJ Ribs), Dave snapped this photo of some of our grands while he was in USA early January.

From left to right: Rhodes (I think), Monet (I think), Vaughn, Monroe (I think), Lincoln, Rhett (I think). The "I thinks" are there because these are two sets of twins and I'm never really SURE. I've already changed R&R's names twice in my indecisiveness.

Now I need to post current photos of Tori, JD, and David III. I'll see what I can do about that...