Piety / A Turning Point

During this time I would pray once in a while and while the marriage began to fail I prayed to God that He would never let me totally slip away from Him.

After one year of marriage I ended up in a divorce.

She said she couldn't live with someone that placed such a high emphases on their relationship with God.

As much as I had slipped away from Christ there must have been a small spark left.

I rededicated my life to Christ and became very active in Church.

In 1980 God blessed me with one of the greatest gifts, my wife Lee.

Together we have led many to a relationship with our Lord and Savior. (Pause)

As men of God we are called to be the Spiritual leader in our household. Our home is the best place to begin our Pious journey.

I truly believe that Lee and I have brought up our children in a Christ centered home. Almost every night I will lay my hands on Kristin's and Justin's head while they are sleeping and pray for them.

I always end the prayer with ....Jesus in your dreams.

I still do that today, when they are home, even though they are 28 and 26 years old.

Jesus says that where two or three are gathered together in His name, He will be in their presence.

For those of us men that are married, that other person, should be the one that God gave us in the Sacrament of Marriage, Our Wives.

There is such power when Lee and I do God's work together and pray together.

Our Lords presence brings such peace in those moments that we are in His will.

Our wives are such blessings and they clearly know our weaknesses and I know it is a strong word but they know when we are hypocrites. (Do I hear an Amen?)

If we would only listen to them, If I would only take time to listen.

I believe that God gives our wives a gift of tremendous insight and intuition.

If we would only listen and let that gift permeate our lives.

When I think of Piety and interceding for others it brings to mind a story from a book I read titled One inch from the Fence " and I commend it to you.

The title of this short discourse is called " Kissing Frogs ".

Ever feel like a Frog?

Frogs feel slow, low, ugly, puffy, drooped, pooped. I know! One told me.

The Frog feeling comes when:

You want to be bright, but you feel dull.

You want to share, but you are selfish.

You want to be thankful, but you are resentful.

You want to be big, but you are small.

You want to care, but you are indifferent.

Yes, at one time or another, each of us has found themselves on a lily pad. Floating down the great river of life.

Frightened and disgusted buts too darn Froggish to budge.

The Rest of the Fairy Tale-

Once upon a time there was a Frog.

But he wasn't really a Frog.

He was a Prince that looked like a Frog.

A wicked Witch had cast a spell on him and only the kiss of a beautiful young maiden could save him.

But since when do cute chicks kiss Frogs?

So there he sat an un-kissed Prince in Frog form.

Ah, But miracles happen.

One day a beautiful maiden grabbed him and gave him a big smack.

Crash, Boom, Zap! He became.... he was a handsome Prince.

You know the rest. They lived happily ever after.