In every Christ-centered marriage, there comes a point in time when you need to peel away the layers of religious role expectations, and let the fresh breeze of grace refresh your relationship.

During our 35 year journey together, we have traveled counter-PopChristian-culture. We were “Growing Kids God’s Way” drop-outs. We were “Financial Peace University” flunkies.

Together, we have sorted through (and fought through) all the pious rules and holy, helpful jargon that’s still popular today. We’ve ended up ditching what we feel doesn’t line up with the simplicity of the gospel, like two high school lovers slipping away from their senior prom.

We seem to be cut out for only one thing: passion.

If you come visit our church, you will quickly see that our vibe attracts our tribe. Our dearest friends tend to be out-of-the-box passion people.

How we ended up in full-time ministry, I do not know.

Then again, I know exactly how: authentic passion.

And we cannot seem to get past it. We can’t seem to be able to mature into smooth, professional, Churchy Bigshots with a schtik and a system that we can monetize and market. Nor can we calm down and grow old with the buttoned-up, hands-raised-in-the-half-mast-position hymn singers. (The Preacher is a drummer, for crying out loud. Drummers drum! And their wives dance to the beat of it.)

Yeah, no…we aren’t normal. Yet! Yet, at the same time, we love the church of the Living God with….well, with great passion. We haven’t withdrawn from her corporate expressions into the false safety of a Starbucks or a random living room.

This will annoy some, and who cares if it does, when I tell you that in spite of our not fitting in with PopChristian Culture, though we are not megachurch material, we are actually that “success couple” - that power couple - you hear about. Because we love who we are, and what we do. We love who we are, what we do, and what is ours, so much.

Interestingly, what others think of us is - completely - about who they are, not who we are. This is why our vibe attracts our tribe. It is why our culdesac, our home, our sphere, our church is such a nourishing space. Who we are sorts out the negativity, and gathers in other weirdos who want to love and live well. We broadcast on a highly specific frequency, and that frequency repels “anti-organized church” curmudgeons, pseudo deep thinkers, and cynics.

Anyhoo. Today was our day off. We totally went off script. We dropped the top on the ‘Stang, and we drove all the back roads we have never been down, and found Cruze Farm ice cream.

It was at this point in the day, this video was taken. And it cracks my business up.

Watch as I think (every time) that The Preacher is tryna take my picture. (Mr. Smartypants never once told me he was shooting a video for the culdesac family.)

Watch how I pose for him. Over and over. Like I am all about it.

It must be said: I ate that hot fudge Sunday like it was #myparttimejob. Damn the torpedoes and damn the dairy - this was overdue time off, and we had sunshine.

My intent is to obey the Scripture where it says “let the older women teach the younger women”. #watchme girls.

Here’s a 2 Point Sermon:

1. Sweet freedom in Christ Jesus can be yours - Biblically, maritally, and dietarily..

2. You are never too old to believe with all your heart that your boyfriend must be trying to get a LOT of pictures of his date.