You see, a wedding celebrates two peo-
ple that have found the person they want
by their side during the distress of life
� because distress is inevitable. On occa-
sion, that distress will probably be created
by one another. There will be moments when
love is not patient, and is not kind, and you can
count on many irritable moments and some sel
fi sh-
ness thrown in for good measure.
By reading 1 Corinthians 13 at weddings we are
setting ourselves up for failure, and sending couples
off into the world with the idea that real life will be
like a fairy tale or romantic comedy. Real life, real
relationships, real marriages are built on more than
love. It's easy to fall in love; it's hard to be in a rela-
tionship. Marriage requires intention, and
should be built on mutual respect that
allows you to honestly look at the per-
son standing beside you and say you're
worth the distress.
If you can
fi nd a person who
understands all that comes
with marriage and is
willing to stand
beside you
during the distress of life,
that's the person worth
marrying. When
you
fi nd that
person, together
you must put
your own spin on traditional, and make marriage
yours, not what tradition says it should be. When you
do, that is a relationship built on a foundation that
just might "bear all things, believe all things, hope
all things and endure all things."
-- Cara Rockhill @McRockhill
February
2O14
W W W . S A I N T E R S E C T I O N . O R G
REALITY
CHECK
H
ave you ever wondered just what daily spiritual inspira-
tion our country's leaders are receiving, especially the
President of the United States?
Each morning as I read a few
devotional thoughts from various writers I receive a blessing and
inspiration from their skill of communication. But what about
President Barack Obama? From where does he receive daily
blessing and inspiration? The answer is simply "from
the writings of the Bible" as sent to him daily
from Joshua DuBois.
For years Josh DuBois worked closely in the
Obama political campaign and later on as the
executive director of the White House Offi ce of
Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
While observing the demands and challenges of
public service offi cials, DuBois, a committed
follower of Jesus Christ, was convinced the
biblical foundation of his faith would be both
transformative and restorative for the President.
So with conviction and confi dence, he daily
emailed a devotional nugget to the most powerful
man in the world. The only question which
remained was if these daily offerings would be
read and appreciated? Hear the very words of the
President, "Every morning [Joshua] sends me via
e-mail a daily meditation � a snippet of Scripture
for me to refl ect on. And it has meant the world to me."
[quoted in the New York Times]
The style of writing is both succinct and focused. Knowing the
strict time constraints upon the President, the thoughts are meant
to briefl y and directly speak a word from the Word. Often DuBois
begins with a quote from the secular or religious community and
then a scriptural quote. What follows next is a brief, well-orga-
nized thought that captures your attention and releases your
imagination to what God could be saying to you. God is still
inspiring contemporary writers to address ancient texts. He has
done that through DuBois.
Former editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, David Neff
comments on this devotional that it is "fi lled with pastoral insights
that can help guide us to make good choices."
This book sits on my desk and provides a midday shot of
spiritual inspiration and yet is a daily reminder to lift up in prayer
our President, national and local leaders.
-- Review by Stephen Ban
fi eld
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[quoted in the New York Tim
age
...in Real Life
"It is impossible to rightly govern the
world without God and the Bible."
-- George Washington