| I love to hunt! I always come home with
| |
| | life, and they vowed always to remain
|
| exciting stories to tell! (My wife says
| |
| | married together as one, no matter how
|
| I come home excited, with stories to
| |
| | hard the winters became.
|
| tell; is there a difference?) Anyway,
| |
| | The two oak trees flourished; loving one
|
| Cheri says it doesn't matter whether I
| |
| | another, dropping their acorns, thus
|
| "shoot" anything or not, because I get SO
| |
| | creating the Mighty Oak Trees of the next
|
| MUCH enjoyment from being out in nature.
| |
| | generation, and providing life-giving
|
| During a recent Deer hunting season, I
| |
| | sustenance for squirrels and deer. They
|
| saw a dozen wild turkeys, almost as many
| |
| | were content, and lived in perfect
|
| deer, and a coyote. WOW!
| |
| | harmony. Their limbs spread out as they
|
| One day I was sitting in my tree-stand,
| |
| | shared the same space, as they shared the
|
| eagle eyes keenly observing my
| |
| | same soil, as they shared the same sap of
|
| surroundings in a slow, methodical
| |
| | life. When a deer came and stripped the
|
| panoramic scan; ears alert to the
| |
| | bark from a young sapling Oak, they wept
|
| slightest sound of movement in the
| |
| | together. As others grew strong and
|
| forest; always ready in an instant to
| |
| | vibrant, they laughed together and shared
|
| dispatch the enemy in perfect "sniper"
| |
| | their joy of life. They held one another
|
| fashion, i.e. "one round, one kill!" (I
| |
| | close throughout all the seasons of life.
|
| think I spent too many years in the Army!
| |
| | And they were content in their world.
|
| Even though I was a Chaplain, I always
| |
| | INTERPRETATION
|
| went to the range with my troops, and I
| |
| | 1. Take your time and allow God to lead
|
| ALWAYS qualified Expert on whatever
| |
| | you to the mate who is His choice for
|
| weapon system they were firing - .45
| |
| | your life partner in marriage. Pray
|
| caliber or 9mm pistols, M-16 Rifle, Saw,
| |
| | together, study scripture together,
|
| .50 & .60 caliber machine guns, and even
| |
| | worship together, eat together, talk
|
| the M-24 SNIPER Rifle! (Arghh! Arghh!
| |
| | together, share your dreams, goals, and
|
| Arghh!) Sorry about that - I always get
| |
| | aspirations together. Like one another
|
| excited when I start thinking and talking
| |
| | first and then learn to love one another.
|
| about "shootin' stuff!")
| |
| | 2. Invest your life in your marriage
|
| Anyway, as I sat in my tree stand, out in
| |
| | partner. Become "One Flesh."
|
| my 20 acres of hardwoods in the Ozarks
| |
| | 3. You become "One flesh" by sharing all
|
| hills of SW MO I observed two trees close
| |
| | the seasons of life together. Marriage
|
| by, and God gave me a message I call "THE
| |
| | includes love, careers, vacations,
|
| PARABLE OF THE OAK TREES". I'm going to
| |
| | spirituality, sexuality, intellects,
|
| tell you the parable, then give you my
| |
| | finances, having and raising babies,
|
| very limited interpretation. I will tell
| |
| | children, teens, and young adults.
|
| you up front that it deals with marriage.
| |
| | Marriage includes all the emotions of
|
| I want to leave the bulk of the
| |
| | joy, sorrow, laughter, weeping, pain,
|
| interpretation to you and the Savior. I
| |
| | excitement, sadness, happiness, anger,
|
| pray it speaks to your heart and your
| |
| | and exhilaration. Marriage includes
|
| need today.
| |
| | running, walking, standing, sitting, and
|
| THE PARABLE OF TWO OAK TREES
| |
| | lying together, through the good times
|
| Once upon a time, deep in the wooded
| |
| | and the bad, on the mountains as well as
|
| forest, two acorns landed near one
| |
| | in the valleys. Those sacred marriage
|
| another. They smiled and winked at each
| |
| | vows you took, to love, honor, and
|
| another in the warmth of the afternoon
| |
| | cherish one another, through better or
|
| sun, then went to sleep. When they
| |
| | worse times, through richer or poorer
|
| awoke, much to their surprise, they were
| |
| | times, in sickness and healthy times,
|
| both oak saplings. There were mighty
| |
| | till death separates you - OUGHT to mean
|
| oaks, and small oaks, walnut, hickory
| |
| | something!
|
| nut, and other "nutty" trees all around
| |
| | 4. Marriage means love, and true love in
|
| them. There were turkeys, squirrels,
| |
| | marriage means putting the needs of the
|
| coyotes, deer, turtles, opossums,
| |
| | other person ahead of your own. Is that
|
| raccoons, chipmunks, and lots of
| |
| | tough sometimes? You bet! Is it worth the
|
| colorful, singing birds in the forest.
| |
| | effort? ALWAYS! That's what marriage and
|
| Although there seemed to be quite a
| |
| | being one flesh is all about.
|
| distance between them, they soon became
| |
| | 5. Be supportive, encouraging, and
|
| friends. They talked of life and laughed
| |
| | uplifting of one another in marriage. Hug
|
| at one another's jokes. The big orange
| |
| | and kiss every day. Say those three magic
|
| sun shone brightly in the afternoons, the
| |
| | words, "I love you" and truly mean them.
|
| rains were refreshing, and the winters
| |
| | Make married love as often as you can! (I
|
| were tough but tolerable. As the years
| |
| | didn't say "Have sex!" I said "Make
|
| passed, their trunks and limbs became
| |
| | married love!" If you don't know the
|
| large and strong. Their leaves were
| |
| | difference, you need to read my series of
|
| luscious and bright green, and their
| |
| | four articles entitled "Intimate
|
| acorns fat and juicy. Strangely, they
| |
| | Relationships; 13 Ways to Improve Yours,"
|
| noticed that the space between them grew
| |
| | which can be found in the Featured
|
| smaller and smaller. As they matured,
| |
| | Article Section of K-9 Outfitters, a
|
| they grew closer together, and fell in
| |
| | Division of Damascus Road Enterprises).
|
| love. Eventually, their sprawling
| |
| | It is my prayer that your marriage will
|
| branches allowed them to hug one another.
| |
| | be like THE PARABLE OF TWO OAK TREES.
|
| As time went by, there were more hugging
| |
| | (Genesis 2:23-24) "The man said, 'This is
|
| limbs, more embracing, more loving, and
| |
| | now bone of my bones and flesh of my
|
| soon they were no longer independent.
| |
| | flesh. She will be named woman because
|
| Their lives had intertwined. They had
| |
| | she was taken from man.' That is why a
|
| invested themselves in each other. Their
| |
| | man will leave his father and mother and
|
| limbs were hugging, their trunks were
| |
| | will be united with his wife, and they
|
| twisted together, and their love grew
| |
| | will become one flesh." WOW! That's
|
| ever stronger.
| |
| | marriage!
|
| They both felt very secure. Then a hard
| |
| | PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank You
|
| year came, and in their desire to
| |
| | for marriage, and for marriage partners.
|
| persevere and remain strong, each grafted
| |
| | Dear God, I thank You that we become one
|
| limbs into the others' trunk, so that
| |
| | flesh in the marriage event, and that we
|
| they literally became "one flesh" or one
| |
| | can joyfully invest ourselves in one
|
| tree. Their branches and their lives were
| |
| | another in marriage; growing closer and
|
| married together forever. They drew
| |
| | stronger together throughout all the
|
| strength and life from one another, and
| |
| | seasons of marriage and our lives. I
|
| they were very happy in their marriage.
| |
| | also thank You for the spiritual marriage
|
| The next year, they spread out again,
| |
| | we have with Jesus Christ as believers.
|
| each mighty Oak once again spreading out
| |
| | Jesus, I invite You to be Lord of my life
|
| with its own individual limbs and style.
| |
| | and my marriage today, (as well as Lord
|
| From then on, they could be separate, but
| |
| | of the lives and marriages of all who
|
| they would always be one! They both knew
| |
| | read this article) and to refresh and
|
| that the only way they could ever be
| |
| | renew both, as only You can. In Jesus'
|
| completely separate again would be to
| |
| | name I pray, Amen.
|
| kill a part of each of them. But that
| |
| | Danny Presswood, 2006 All rights
|
| didn't matter, because they truly loved
| |
| | Reserved.
|
| one another. They shared life, they loved
| |
| |
|
