ing each other as friends have long since stopped and in all the rooms of our soul the icy chill paralyzes our ability to respond or love. The fire is out and nobody is willing to go outside to the woodpile for a load o f fuel. Tending the fires o f the heart for 50 or 60 years of marriage requires much time, thought and effort, but it can be done. My grandfather had a way o f look ing over a noisy crowded room and winking at my 80-year-old grandmother that almost made me blush (I felt like a peeping Tom). It was the look o f love. She always responded and I can still see the glow on his face from the fire in his heart. It’s my most cherished memory of him. The Fourth Chapter of Ephe sians tells us not to lose the won der of living and loving when Paul ends the chapter by saying: “ And become useful and help- fu l and kind to one a/nother, ten derhearted ( compassionate, un derstanding, loving-hearted) fo r giving one another (readily and fr e e ly ) as God in Christ forgave y ou !” A mplified T ranslat ion Some o f us are more useful, helpful and kind to strangers on the street or to casual acquaint ances than to our helpmates. I re member the lady who chattered amiably with our new garbage collector for ten minutes, yet when her daughter approached us, the mother pounced into a verbal fight without so much as a “ hello.” She was sweeter to a man she’d never met before than she was to her own child. Perhaps the answer to holding onto the wonder of marriage and living in general is found earlier in that same chapter of Ephesians when Paul tells us constantly (and daily) to renew the spirit of our minds and follow in God’s image. The romance will go out of any marriage if the fires of love are left unattended. Renew ing our minds and hearts in Christ stokes those very same .burned-out embers and changes them into the warmth so desired, but it is a daily labor o f love. JUNE, 1969
MY CHILD SAID THAT? Our son Gordon was quite in terested in the Sunday school les son one Sunday when he was a very small boy. The subject of the lesson was how God took Adam’s rib and made Eve. When he came home he said to his mother, “Mamma, did it hurt our Daddy when God took his rib to make you?”
COOL OF OUR CRAÒG
Submitted by: Mr. Roy H. Fuller Northridge, California
ONE SUMMER MORNING On a sunny summer morning when the sky was bright, My spirit woke up singing, and I felt so very light That I thought the little cloud boats would scarcely even know If I boarded them in secret and prepared to go. The mocking birds were singing, and the blackbirds joined in too; The flower buds all had opened, and the bending sky was blue; The little baby chickens and the silliest old hen Just pecked with joy and industry and pecked and scratched again. A kitten and a puppy chased each other round and round, And I almost heard the earth worms ^-humming in the ground; All the little hills a-skipping were clapping joyful hands, As the happy rivers hurried across the smiling lands! Then someone came by and asked me, “What can YOU be glad about? Oh, yes, the day is lovely; but you know you can’t get out!” Then my spirit rose up singing, like a lily from a clod, As I said, “ I’m happy ANYWAY —for I have God!” Martha Snell Nicholson
A surgeon must be proficient with his scalpel. An engineer is lost without a slide rule. What can a lawyer research with out his library? What are your plans for the fu ture? Are you thinking of some Christian ministry? If so, your one prime tool is the Bible. For over a quarter-century ABC has prepared hundreds of young people in its ef fective use. As a Christian worker you'll learn how to wield this instrument, sharper than any physician’s knife. You’ll discover internal and external evi dences of Scripture providing an in- errant "rule” of life. You’ll become thoroughly acquainted with this "Library” of books and of its effec tive use. If you plan on the pastorate, mis sion field, evangelism, music, Chris tian education or some other minis try, the Word of God is your tool. The Bible is ABC’s main focal thrust. Our graduates fulfill the scriptural definition of workmen who need not to be ashamed. Master the tool of your trade .. . the Bible . . . at the Arizona Bible College. Learning isn’t an assembly line process at ABC. More classes allow for a better student-faculty relation ship. This means more involvement and personal attention for you. A Christ-centered education is your most important investment for the future. ABC has a distinguished history in providing the best! Write today for a free descriptive catalog. ARIZONA BIBLE COLLEGE
3025 W. McDowell Rd., Phoenix, Ariz.
35
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker