2.5.09 Lovely as a Rose, Proverbs 5

"Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose—don't ever quit taking delight in her body."

Proverbs 5:19


I have a picture on my desk of my wife when she was two months old. The picture serves as my reminder, that I am to care for her all of her days. The picture makes me smile and reminds me of my own daughters when they were the same age. She looks so delicate, innocent, and unaware of the hard life ahead (I chuckle). I feel very fortunate to have her in my home and together we have grown older and still appreciate each other through our years of battles, victories and celebrations, and sad moments in our lives. These days, they have been very fragrant and life has been so blessed as we watch our young children grow and explore their world. We hope they see the love and appreciation we have for each other, although it isn't all roses. There have been thorns along the way.

I wear my deceased father's wedding ring on my index finger as a reminder of the sanctity of marriage. My parents divorced when I was 22 (I am 43) and my mother gave me my father's ring a couple of years ago, several years after his death in 2003. I was shocked to know that my mother still had his ring.


"Addicted to Pornography"

Proverbs 5:20 - "Proverbs Why would you trade enduring intimacies for cheap thrills with a whore? for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?"

I recently read a book "Every Man's Battle" by Stephen Arteburn and it challenges men to control our eyes and our heart. He referenced this constant battle that men must fight. We are visually stimulated and our tendancy is to give in. Dwelling on impropriety is a distraction. I am not going to get preachy here, but a sign of spiritual maturity is being able to dart one's eyes away from sexually oriented thoughts and visual stimulus. However, there are really few prohibitions when those thoughts are about your own wife and you and she are free to love. That is the beauty of marriage, it is relatively guilt-free.

On Mission, On Assignment, and in the ZONE!

Andy Valadez
e-mail: Andy@TeamMarketingDynamics.com