World Renewal International

This weekend my prayer partner and radio show co-host, Jack Holliday (Rowena) of the Welcome Home Broadcast will celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary January 26. [Pictured- Jack and Gary doing the Welcome Home Broadcast] It is an awesome accomplishment for many reasons. Obviously, most marriages don't last that long and for many reasons. Lots of folks just do not live enough years to achieve such a wonderful goal. Unfortunately, many married folks decide they do not want to stay married for 5o years. Being a pastor and minister for almost 40 years, I think I have heard most of the reasons for this missing of the mark. It is usually not the choice of both parties and usually appears that one walks away happy or in love with someone else and the other is hurt. I have found everyone involved gets hurt. Especially the children.

It all becomes so complicated. Family gatherings force a togetherness of offended parties and those yet to be offended. Children's schedules that force the adults involved to communicate often turn into opportunity for the ugly side of the carnal heart to strut its stuff. Children learn to manipulate and use the adults to meet childish desires and wants and of course occasionally real needs. I once heard one of these children who had received a present from a little seen father as a "guilt gift." This teenager knew how to get the things she wanted. The skills they develop during these maneuvers are not relationship and character builders and make for futures that need the grace and love of Jesus. It makes the little chorus "Pass it on" have a totally different meaning.

With all this in mind it makes the accomplishments of my friends Jack and Rowena stand out like an oasis in a dry desert. Congratulations Jack and Rowena! Your children and grandchildren and their children and their spouses and family are the winners here. All those you minister to as pastors and those that you work with and know your are blessed. Someone said to me yesterday, "I don't think I know anyone else who has been married 50 years!"

Now, I was Jack and Rowena's pastor when their children were still in school and college. I was there when they experienced many difficult things in their lives. I have listened as they explained past trials in their lives. They faced things that could have destroyed their relationship. But they took serious the promises they had made to one another and to the Lord Jesus. They prayed, studied God's word, they sought counsel, they cried, they overcame and did what they had to do to keep a marriage that others have lost. Any of us who have maintained a lengthy marriage have that same testimony. Life deals some ugly blows. The enemy has sunk many a nuptial ship. No one can right a sinking or disabled ship like Jesus.

We need to remember that God invented weddings and marriages. It was not Hollywood and movies or a good novel that came up with "I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you and have babies together." It was the Master Inventor himself, and its is his book, the Bible, that first says those words to us. He "first loved us" and wants to be with us at all times. He wants to be there when we have a lover and spouse. He wants to be there to share in the building of our families. After all He is the one who said "It is not good for Man to be alone, I'll make him a helper, a companion." It was all His idea. He also knows how to make it work, even for 50+ years. His instructions on how to make it work should not be ignored.

Some of you reading this, maybe most of you, have gone through a divorce and a broken marriage. It may not have been your choice to end the marriage. On the other hand, some may say, "I really was at fault and messed it up!" Please understand, I am not wishing to throw gasoline on your fire of hurt or guilt. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for over 36 years. I do not deserve her devotion and love. I am just thankful to Jesus and for role models in both of our parents and grandparents who stayed together for better or worse until death caused them to part. I am thankful we had this close-up picture that said, "This is how you do it." I am grateful for God's mercy and grace. I have needed it as a husband. I have been really stupid at times. Grace, what a wonderful life source. I am grateful for a spouse who has refused to give up on our marriage and me.

My advice? Marriage is wonderful and I highly recommend it. If your married, stay married if possible and love the one your with. Have I got a simple strategy? Yes! The prophet Micah [6:8] asked the question, "What does God want?" "What does He (God) require?" Micah wrote He wants us to do three things: "To do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God." I think this will make a great strategy not only for life but also for marriage. All I can say is, "Works for Me"

Congratulations Jack and Rowena, my life is better and blessed for knowing you.

Thanks for stopping by.

I hope you had a great holiday season. Mine was wonderful. I battled an old foe called pneumonia. I am now on the winning side it seems. Nevertheless, it did not keep Carol and I from looking at each other during recent days and saying, "That may have been our best Christmas ever!" Why was is so good?

[Who gave Andy a harmonica for Christmas. Proves we have some slow thinkers in the family]

Good question and too much and maybe too personal to answer here completely. It all had to do with God and family. Grand kids! Addison and Andy are 3 and 2. The energy and joy they can bring to a room is baffling to me since they are so small and little. Yeah, they cause problems. The first day at our house Addison threw-up on our newly cleaned carpet. They string toys everywhere. Food and drinks, clothes, diapers and many other accessories that are a part of two little boys lives seem to multiply in our rooms right before our eyes! It's just great! I love it! However, one must learn to be careful when walking without shoes. It can be painful! But now that they have returned home I wish I had to be more careful walking through the dark house at night.

The sounds that they bring are the sounds of a full house. Andy expresses great joy with a high decimal scream that I am sure wakes sleeping dogs throughout central Indiana. In spite of this high pitched audio, we love it. We love him. Addison, three and a half years old, likes to attack pap pa with a number of toy weapons of no destruction. I yell and make wounded noises to which he and Andy laugh and then really let me have it. Finally, I call an end to the suffering by saying pap pa needs to rest and that is usually true. Now it is so quiet that it hurts without them.

[I have my own personal "Batman." Addison proved himself to be a child of faith praying at every meal for the months prior to Christmas for Batman stuff that "Nanna Carol" would give him for Christmas. Faith works!]

Meanwhile, the sounds of my children and their mother talking in various rooms of the house is sweet to me. Over the years I find it more and more difficult to find fault in the children's mother. Therefore, I must be responsible for the fact that my children are not perfect. It was so good to see my children grow this year. I saw them change as individuals for the better. I saw them grow in Christ. I noticed they grew in their relationships with one another. Both of my younger sons are now engaged to be married. David and Katie Olsen will be married June 7 of this year. David will have graduated from Ohio University with his masters. He has already been accepted into three schools for his doctorate. Jon became engaged to Keely Radosavic during Christmas. [above picture] They plan to be married in a couple or more years as both are deeply involved in college careers. Micah is a senior at Ave Marie University but may not graduate until the fall of 2008 before going on to seminary. Chris and her husband Adam live in Colorado Springs. They love their church. They both sing in the choir. Chris has started singing solos again. They are both involved in group studies and growing in Christ. Praise the Lord Jesus for His wonderful care and love for my family. I am one grateful dude! [Katie and our resident intellectual and doctoral candidate.]