"Go and bear fruit—fruit that will last"

Let me explain this whole pears in a bowl thing. Every week we meet with these three amazing couples. They are such a blessing to us and continue to teach us something amazing every time we talk. Our first actual study that we did as a group was Gary Thomas' Sacred Marriage DVD. We're all sitting around the TV, hands in laps, waiting eagerly as the answers to all our marriage woes is about to pop up on the screen. And what pops up but two pears sitting in a bowl. Okay...this must mean something. What is God trying to tell us? There must be some sort of divine meaning to these two pears. Is that what it's all about..pears?? Well, come to find out the study was extremely beneficial and gave James and I a completely different perspective on our marriage.

Of course, being the small group that we are, every time those darn pears showed up, someone just had to make a crack at it. But, thinking back on it, those pears are somewhat symbolic of the way God intends marriage to be. We are two but became one and most importantly, once we are one, we need to continue to bear fruit. Our pastor did a sermon on bearing fruit and how important it is to living a life like Jesus. Jesus says in John 15:16 "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last."

There are times in our marriage that it can be really easy to get into the daily groove of our lives; enjoying each others company, going to work, and filling our days. But it can also be easy to forget that there is a whole world of lost people out there that need Jesus and we are called to "shine our light on them". So making a daily commitment to that is very important. So as I sit at the table in my "pull my finger" boxers (thanks Dad), drinking my protein shake (thanks Mom), and reading the New Testament; I pray that God will let me be a light to someone that day and that my husband would do the same.

On a lesser note, I wanted to comment on this blog and why we are starting it. I am no writer and no scholar but I am very honest and blunt. James and I are going through an amazing journey together and what better than to share that with family, friends, and others. We are not going to claim to be biblical scholars, novelists, or even always correct, but just strive to show how God teaches us things through our daily lives. We will try to be transparent, honest, and humble. Whether it be in our morning prayers, little garden in the backyard, hikes in the wilderness, or cuddles on the couch, we learn something new about God and the way he intends us to live. So we welcome you to join us on this journey; leave angry comments, tell us we are wrong, give words of encouragement and even disagree with what we believe. But also have fun, laugh, and enjoy.