Just the two of us!

"Just the two of us! we can make it if we try...just the two of us (just the two of us). Just the two of us, we'll build a castle in the sky; just the two of us, you and I..." These famous lyrics from the 1981 hit by Grover Washington, Jr. could have been spinning in our head as we descended the Jetway on to the Delta Airlines flight to Atlanta, that led to another short flight to Orlando. Jana and I were privileged to hop a plane all by ourselves and fly off into the sunrise Monday morning (June 14th). We were guests of the Southern Baptist Convention at several congenial business sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. I say congenial because while this year's meeting swirled with "controversial" topics like Great Commission Giving and Great Commission Resurgence, I found the meetings to be an excellent example of what it means to be autonomous Baptists who work cooperatively. Wow, that was actually a mouthful! Basically, though clumsily, we effectively voted to amend the GCR report and then voted in the new amended version which will certainly call for changes in the way CP monies are allocated to NAMB and IMB. Hopefully this will make us more effective in what we do as Southern Baptists ...time will certainly tell.

Now, back to the two of us. Jana and I had a great time together. We hadn't done anything like this in...well,...never. Hmmm, maybe this is a signal that we should try to do this more. We desperately love our children and thank God for them everyday, but it is rather nice to focus on each other for a few days. I was reminded these last few days of many reasons why I married Jana. Actually the first may be that she was the only one I could fool into thinking I was marriage material. You know, on the other hand, she probably felt sorry for me and decided to do what she could to save this ole' boy from falling into the pit. Well, whatever the case, I am so glad that God gave me such a godly, gorgeous redhead to love and cherish throughout my short time on earth. Throughout these few days together, I really enjoyed just tooling around in our sleek and stylish Dodge Caliber (it was either this or a KIA Forte'). We had a great time eating, shopping, and just being together. For a brief moment, I thought we were back in Seminary in our early days. Those days when we would zoom around the Metroplex in our Dodge Shadow and take in dinner and a movie. Ahhhh.....those were the...wait a minute...those don't just have to be fond memories, do they? No, we should do this more often even if our kids are with us. You know, we can be this much in love and fun with our kids around. I think it may have more to do with our mindset and demeanor than anything else. After all, I sure would love for Claire and Levi to see Mom and Dad in love with each other and learn the importance of having a spouse who lives this way. I guess that is what God had in mind when he said, "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up (Deut. 6:7)." We need to have those times for just the two of us, but we need to model the same heart we have for each other then, for our children when we are all together.

So, Orlando was great. We loved the food (especially Maggiano's), fellowship, and fun, but we were glad to bring the love home to our kids. Thank the Lord for those times when it is...just the two of us.