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Today is Our Wedding Anniversary

This was preached at our wedding in 1952 and we put it into practice:

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.” (Deuteronomy 11:18-21)

I memorized the following two years before our wedding:

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

We considered our children to be “faithful men”.

Before Douglas was born, Bessie and I decided that if one of us corrected a child, that correction would not be contradicted by the other. The children would never see a difference between us. We would not differ with one another in front of the children.

We were heavy on love, not legalism.
We gave our children freedom early in growing up.
We would not correct when angry.
We taught the gospel over and over again.
We did not teach eschatology other than the certainty of the Lord's return.
We were heavy on integrity.
We did not compromise.
We cared for the poor, blacks, and internationals.

Comments

Anne Payton said…
Your blog today reminded me that you shared the same verses with us when Doug Payton and I were married in 1977. (Has it really been that long?) Thank you for all the biblical advice you provided us and the hundreds (thousands?) of students who sat under your teaching at WSU. Happy Anniversary :) from Anne
10:51 PM
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