Turn Down The Heat!!

By:  Donna Martin

“Hot town, summer in the city.  Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty”

The August heat brings to mind the words of the song "Summer in the City" written by Mark Sebastian and Steve Boone.  The song goes on to describe the difference in the atmosphere between the summer days and the summer nights in the city.  During the day people are down, acting half dead, hot and tired.  But at night the city comes to life.  People are dancing and having a great time.

Perhaps we could learn a little about how our home should be from this song.  During the day we work hard.  We get hot, tired, stressed, and worn out.  But then we go home and home should be the place where we dance all night, laugh, love, and cool down from the stresses of the day and the world.  It should be a place where we teach our children about God and his love for us, and place where we show them how to treat others, a place where we instill in them pride and knowledge about our family, our country, and our heritage.  It should be a place where respect and love flow, where kindness and thoughtfulness are displayed – a place of peace and refuge from the heat of the world.

How’s the thermostat in your home?  Do you need to cool it down a notch or two?  Pause each day with your family to read the Bible and pray.  Talk about your family values.  Evaluate the things you do as a family.  Are you glorifying God in your actions at home?  Is your home a place of refuge or a battlefield?  As you seek God and spend time reading the Bible and praying, God will reveal to you His will, give you His peace, and restore relationships in your family.

 The Martins currently present “Happy Together” Marriage Enrichment Events for churches and organizations.  To schedule an event call Michael at 940-735-1515. They are certified “Prepare/Enrich” Facilitators and are available to work with couples on an individual basis using the “Prepare/Enrich Assessment.”  They publish a weekly “Happy Together” Blog about family and marriage issues.  You can order copies of their new books Dancing With Death and 366 Tidbits We Have Learned in 14,610 Days of Marriage, read, and subscribe to their “Happy Together” Blog by logging onto the Martin’s website at www.happytogethermarriage.com.