To Train Up A Child

My friends and I gathered around the supper table. It had been a long day of classes and lectures. Our conversation turned to our favorite things: our spouses and our children!

We enjoyed a good chuckle over the antics of our children, and got to know each other a little better.

One of the people there was a bearded farmer named Johnny. His face lit up as he talked about investing a few dollars so that he could get each of his kids a headlamp. When the days get short, his crew plays outside a little longer. I could just imagine hearing little ones laughing and running, playing tag after dark, while their battery-operated lights cut through the night.

We could tell Johnny missed his family -- especially his wife! He seemed a little lost without her.

The conversation turned to the sadness we sometimes see in families and marriages. Johnny's eyes took on an earnest twinkle as he said, 'What most men don't realize is that women are like crock pots.'

I wasn't sure where he was going with this. Was he talking about handles or the shape?

He seemed amused by our puzzled looks and continued.

'Well if you want to have a good meal for supper that night, you've got to put some good stuff in the pot and turn it on long BEFORE you expect to eat. If you wait 30 minutes before eating and toss some frozen stuff in there, you can't blame the crock pot when your supper is cold and undercooked. It's the same with wives and marriage. You gotta think ahead, fill it up with the right ingredients, add a spark and keep it warm if you want something good in return.'

I stopped chewing and stared. He was right. Farmer Johnny got it right and put the profound in simple terms. You want fun? Invest in fun. You want a good marriage? Put good stuff in there. Makes sense. Smart man!

If you'd like to hear Johnny and his wife Terri share their testimony click the play button to hear "I Like My Wife"
(click the play button twice to engage audio)



Hear Johnny and Terri share more of their testimony by listening to "Young Love And Pig Farming"
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Terri mentions that women should "read the book" to discover her the secret to keeping a happy husband. She was talking about Created To Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl. If you'd like to 'read the book' too, click on the title for ordering information.

"Somewhere over the passing years and changing culture, women have lost their way. This book is written to lead them back home. Regardless of how you began your marriage or how dark and lonely the path that has brought you to where you are now, I want you to know that it is possible today to have a marriage so good and so fulfilling that it can only be explained as a miracle."