I Do and I Did

Ok... Some of you noticed there were few days without any updates. I don't refresh the site too much on the weekends because believe it or not I do have a life beyond the radio and this site! But this weekend was different from most. I did something that I know most guys will cringe when they read this. I went to the Family Life Marriage Conference here in Pittsburgh, PA. It was 3 full days downtown at the Pittsburgh Hilton.
My wife and I have been married for 5 years now and we have a 3 year old son. Trust me, I'm not one to walk in and say "Hey honey, I got a great idea! Let's spend the entire weekend working on the issues in our marriage!" If I did, she would think either they are sold out of root canals or I was taken by aliens and replaced by a cyborg.
But our station was promoting this thing and I thought I'd go see what it was like and I could always escape if I needed to. So I tossed out this invitation to my wife. It was along the lines of "I gotta go to this thing for the station you can come with me if ya wanna." She was really busy, but agreed to go for a bit.
I was glad she was going because there were some things she needed to get fixed. You know I was perfect but she had some issues. I soon found out that most of the guys there were complete jerks like me and thought this same way. A funny thing happens when you hear truth, you become convicted. You can sit a smile and say that's not me, but you can't outrun guilt. It will get you everytime. So Friday night I was tired, but I listened and proceeded cautiously, still keeping my guard up.
There were some interesting things said and so Saturday morning I dragged myself out of bed to get downtown. My wife came with me again and we spent the day laughing and learning about each other. She would elbow me when the speaker told of some act of stupidity that he obviously stole from me. I grinned at her as we learned about the three rings of marriage. The engagement ring, the wedding ring and the suffer ring. We talked with one couple that had been married for 29 years and they told of their struggles through the years. There was another couple we sat with and they shared they were a signature away from divorce. They were separated and had a child. They went to this conference a few years ago and now they were back for the second time. Still married!
Sunday was the true test. As it was time to go in to the conference room I could hear from the bar downstairs "This is the NFL on CBS". There was a big screen TV in the lobby and the sound wafted up the staircase like a freshly baked pie. I saw several men had gathered around that TV for their "Sunday Service" but I continued on to the conference floor. You could tell all the guys had some tough choices to make. The Steelers or my marriage? Ben Rothlessberger or my wife. 7 and 1 or haven't won in years? There was a projection screen in the conference room and one guy asked me if they would be showing the game there. I was not sure but I guessed somehow no. I could see a tear in his eye as I made my prediction. I walked into the back of the room for a moment and there was a group of men gathered in prayer. I moved toward them thinking they were praying for restoration in their marriage and strength and forgiveness. But they were praying for the game to be on that projection screen. That prayer never was answered. The doors closed and with the exception of a few guys getting text message updates on the score, most of us forgot about the game.
After 3 days I was emotionally exhausted. But I had met someone I had not seen in a long time. Someone I had adored and loved. Someone who once was my best friend. I met my wife and I would die for her. I was reminded of another person who felt that way and died for us. The problem is, between our marriage and Christ, sometimes the world gets in between. Instead of forcing it out we push things farther apart to make room for the world. Next thing you know, you're a million miles away. I discovered marriage is not a romantic love story but a constant battle for (not against) each other.
This is not a commercial, but if you are stuggling or just wanted to strenghten your marriage I encourge you to try one of these weekends. You can find more information here:
http://www.familylife.com/marriage.asp