So, what is the most important parts of our lives?  Our house?  Our new car?  A snowmobile or ATV?  Our clothes?  A priority is something that is very important in our lives.  I know people who will make their jobs, their priority.  For others, the most important aspect is their spouse or their children.  For others, their hobbies and toys take the most time out of their lives.  I read an article awhile back in The Catholic Register that showed that those couples and families that placed God as being the most important in their lives . . . perhaps more like God is placed at the center of their lives . . . these were the happiest and most stable relationships.  The article was explaining the purpose of a "Marriage Encounter" where couples learn how to improve their marriage relationship, grow closer to each other, and improve commitment to each other.  The basis for a marriage encounter is for communication between each other and God to form the strength of the bond.

Why is this so important?  What could God possibly bring into a relationship?  Sure, these are clear, if not stupid questions because the answer is so obvious.  God create us in His own image.  This isn't to say that we look like God (though Jesus is fully human while being fully God).  But we resemble God in our feelings for each other and our need to communicate and interact with one another.  God create people so He could interact with us, and we with Him.  The entire Bible is about our relationship with God and each other.  God intended to be the center of our lives and with it, we would grow and enjoy His presence in our hearts and souls.  So, because of this design, if we as committed couples in the sanctity of marriage place God at the center . . . or at the heart of our relationship, then we are fully blessed by His glory.

This isn't to say that we will not have our high and low points, our challenges.  A God centered relationship will grow in strength and wisdom through His Holy Spirit.  Through Him, we will persevere.  Through Him, we will grow.  Through Him, our love will shine.

What an awesome God we have!!!  Blessings.

I had a chance to reflect on God's role in our family . . . I am referring to my wife, children and I in a Christian relationship with God.  When I was younger and directionless, I discovered the grace of Christ in my life.  After that moment, things did not look the same.  I found myself in an empty relationship (actually and engagement) and life was no longer satisfying the way I was living it.  I grew up in a "religious" family but did not understand His love or have a personal relationship with Him.  I found this love in the Navy; not the result of the Navy but while I was serving in the Navy.  When I finally met D, our entire relationship was centered on Christ.  After we were married, we maintained our Christ-centered life through thick and thin.  I will certainly admit that our life was not a bed of roses, unless of course you count the thorns.  As normal life struggles would bog us down we would wallow in our gloom and then realize that God never left us.  Through Him, we were capable of surviving.

D and I raised our children under the love of Jesus.  As a "normal" or "typical" family, we continued to fight life's battles with God at the center . . . ok, maybe not always at the center but we would fall back on Him for strength and courage.  I look back on all of those struggles as well as the wonderful aspects of having a Christ centered family.  I also look at how others would see us: laid back family . . . caring and understanding . . . nonjudgemental . . . generally happy and well adjusted.  I realize that this is not a function of our personalities, but more a reflection of our Lord and Savior.  I also realized that we are nonmaterialistic because we have God and each other.  We live in a tiny house on the west side of town.  My wife and I drive a 1993 Chevy conversion van (the "shagging wagon" as my secretary calls it).  In fact, if you tally up our van, P's Grand Am, K's Mercury Mistique, our two ATVs, our whitewater rafts, our Coleman canoe and our 1979 camp trailer, the net worth of these material items would total less than $6000 for all of these vehicles.  Wow!  My "wingman" at work owns a two year old Prius and a Pontiac G6 covertable totalling $60,000 for these two items alone.  Of course the benefit of our route is that we make no payments on our vehicles.

Are we happy?  I have to admit that there are some things that I would like to be different than is currently presented in our lives.  But all in all, I am happy and content in my life.  I am thrilled that I start each day in prayer with my wife before I catch my bus.  I enjoy our family prayer circle at night, even if it might only be D and me.  I love going for short drives with our shih-tzus.  I enjoy the backyard barbeque meals.  I love watching the stars at night (yesterday's Leonid meteor shower was a disappontment).  I live for moments of driving our aged ATVs in the mountains with our son.  I am elated to spend time on photo ops with our youngest daughter.  I live for every moment that my wife and I are together.  And most of all, I am proud to be called a Christian and to give Him all the praise and glory that He deserves.

What a life!  I am so glad that God is in the center of our lives.

If you have followed my blog these past several weeks you would know that we spent a few weeks in a cabin in western Wyoming for our anniversary.  Our friends, Paul and Linda who own the cabin had a death in the family this past weekend.  Paul's 54 year old brother Mark was found dead in his apartment of an apparent heart attack.  Mark was a professor at a university in China since August of this year.  He did not show up to work and people were sent to check on him and he had died in his sleep.  The U.S. State Department is busy with President Obama's visit and has not been able to perform an autopsy or investigation so it could be awhile before his remains are shipped back to the states.  Mark leaves behind two daughters (23 and 25) and an extended family in shock.  Please pray for Mark's family and friends as they cope with his loss.