Stuff Michael Meeks is doing
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This is my (in)activity log. You might like to visit
Collabora
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Also if you have the time to read this sort of stuff you could enlighten
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- Up extremely late, to discover J' already up and
had prepared lunch which was cooking well and smelling lovely.
- Amy, Vanessa and Ricki around for lunch, they stayed
until 4.15pm. Worried about Thomas' non-arrival.
- Listened to an excellent Gordon sermon on The
Gift of Marriage
1 Cor. 7. I wish I had time to grok the others, particularly
Singleness, what to do with a gift you don't want.
- The vital, concept of mutuality, hammered home in
verses 2,3,4 - each man should enjoy his own wife, each
woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his
marital duty to the wife, and likewise the wife to her
husband.
- Not another sentance in all ancient literature that
is equally compelling on the mutuality of marriage, and
it's commensurate emphasis on marital fidelity.
- In Paul's day in secular contexts - during the wedding
ceremony - family members would tell the bride: When
the husband commits adultery she should not take it as a sign
that he doesn't love her, but that he is just trying to gratify
his passions.
- Or perhaps Demosthenes - We have mistresses for pleasure,
prostitutes for daily physical use, wifes to produce legitimate
children, and serve as trustworthy guardians of our homes.
Not complaining - just stating a fact.
- Paul instead stressing the mutuality and sexual fidelity of
marriage - a refreshing breath of air - and an emphasis on the
conjugal aspect of marital intimacy.
- A most amusing section on how badly the Church has got it
wrong at various times.
- Not the husband's perogative to go on a business trip /
holiday by himself - it's a denial of the one flesh bond. The
apostles took their wifes with them wherever they went
despite the obvious dangers of their life. [ not just hotels
where they charge extra for a 2nd occupancy ].
- The need to un-learn the dangerous missionary ideals; eg.
E.Stanley books - missionary to India, in his autobiography, 2
inches thick, in the middle there are 2 lines that mention his
wife I thank God that he gave me a wife that would stay behind
(in New Jersey) - he should not have been thanking God but repenting
of putting his marriage in jeopardy - prize your marriage.
- The risks of Christians being coy about sex, indeed we should be
modest, but it has two risks. We're seen as up-tight, repressed,
guilt-ridden, but worse - in the absence of sound teaching the vacuum
is filled by the unremitting blair of Hollywood, that imply if you
want real excitement it has to be an illicit relationship: promiscuous,
better still adulterous - then you'll really get your heart throbbing.
- Don't blame Hollywood, the script-writers just live sheltered
lives - they've never (apparently) seen a good marriage. Writing
out of their own experience - not known the amazing joy and excitement
of a good marriage after 10 years or 20 years, when you're more and
more in love with each other, since they never accurately portray that.
Assume it's not a nefarious plot, but simple ignorance.
- We have to remind the world there is an alternative - intimacy in
marriage is not everything, but it is a deep expression of the
bondedness given by Christ.
- Believers have a 1 year honeymoon
Deut 24:5
a newly wed must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him,
he should stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.
Put another way - the enemy can be landing on the beaches tommorow, and
the military calling everyone between 18 & 35 up, and you look at the
calendar and say sorry - it's only been 11 months. For one year, nothing
is more urgent than learning how to give pleasure to your bride. Make
it the best year of your life, and if you do - every year after will be
better.
- Proverbs - takes your breath away, be drunk on your wife,
captivated by her; fall head over heels in love with your wife.
- What is the key to that satisfaction - the world is pre-occupied
with sex, but in the end finds very little satisfaction. It measures
love in terms of self gratification rather than self giving. The
reason Christian marriages are so romance filled are because they have
learned this lesson: that it is better to give than recieve.
- We should be consumed with how to please each other rather than
ourselves. The key to satisfaction that makes marriage a gift comes
from God, who can allow us to be that kind of wife or husband.
- A challenge indeed - we pray we can live by it.
- Set off for Cambridge to see if Thomas is around,
re-called by the wife, he's still in London. Back, played some
guitar and sang, good to worship God like that.
- Out again with J' to fetch Thomas, home, dinner, bed early.
My content in this blog and associated images / data under
images/ and data/ directories are (usually)
created by me and (unless obviously labelled otherwise) are licensed under
the public domain, and/or if that doesn't float your boat a CC0
license. I encourage linking back (of course) to help people decide for
themselves, in context, in the battle for ideas, and I love fixes /
improvements / corrections by private mail.
In case it's not painfully obvious: the reflections reflected here are my
own; mine, all mine ! and don't reflect the views of Collabora, SUSE,
Novell, The Document Foundation, Spaghetti Hurlers (International),
or anyone else.
It's also important to realise that I'm not in on the Swedish Conspiracy.
Occasionally people ask for formal photos for conferences
or fun.
Michael Meeks (michael.meeks@collabora.com)
