Name it and claim it! 5 years married today
'If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer' (Mt. 21:22)
Zoom back about 7-8 years to my 'prayer closet':
'Pleeeeeeease give me a super hot wife, Lord, who for some reason really loves me a lot, and who is super wonderful, likes massaging my head and is just perfect for me. Victorious AMMMEEEEEENNNN'.
Actually, in my more charismatic and pietistic days that prayer probably sounded more like this:
'If you would just hear me Lord now, Lord. Oh Lord, please just grant me, Lord, a wife, for, Lord, it is, Lord, written "He who finds a wife finds a good thing". And that I do not burn within … [here I probably reminded God of something Saint Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7], please just hear me, Lord, for a fair wife, Lord, who loves you'
And five years ago on this day, God happily answered my prayers! I married my beautiful, precious wife, Anja, whom I love so dearly. May God also graciously grant us many more happy years together!
Both of these pictures were taken on that amazing day, 5 years ago. Of course, the question on everybody's lips is: 'How the hell did he manage that?!' I point readers to the new poll on my sidebar: 'How did Chris manage to marry such a looker?' I voted for options 2 and 4 of course.
"Ich liebe dich, Anja, so ganz arg viel,
Am Abend und am Morgen,
Noch war kein Tag, wo du und ich
Nicht teilten unsre Sorgen.
Und wenn die Liebe ein Chamäleon
ist denn liebe ich dich
mit verschiedenen Farben"
Beat that, Goethe!
posted by Chris Tilling @ 9:20 AM
28 comments
28 Comments:
Miracles do happen!
Congradulations for you and condolescences for your wife.
Congrats!! You'd better take a blogging break and get out on an all-day anniversary date.
PS - I'd love to see an updated family photo. I bet you've aged a lot more than she has.
You're both very lucky. Congratulations. You were both pretty good looking back then. But while her beauty has grown, your size has with all that Essen. So be careful or you'll squash her. May you both be eternally happy together.
I cheated whoops - I voted for no 2 twice, just to test it, and it seemed to accept my second vote unless someone else simultaneously voted. Anyway no 2 is the obvious true answer - it just doesn't reflect the majority opinion (which is either wrong and/or mean spirited).
I know the real reason. It has always been the case that when the country is occupied, the ladies of the land start to marry the occupiers. And since Mr. Tillinch's essence is of the english variety, the match was settled. It's all natural selection.
Congrats! And as we all know, 5 is the number of grace... If this isn't grace at work then I don't know what is... But now that I think about it next year will be 6 and 6 is the number of man... So next year I'll have to say that it was man at work... And that's kind of like stealing God's glory... But then another year will pass and it will be 7 which of course is God's number so I'll be able to say that it was God at work (which clearly it is for obvious reasons)... In any event, Biblical numerology aside, I wish you two many more wonderful years of wedded bliss... God bless!
I forget what year 5 is for - wood and silverware or something or other. My wife and I went a different route and got tattoos. Our 10th is fast approaching this year and we are going to go back and do it once again! Unconventional, but quite normative to mark one's body as symbolic of transitions in life in many tribal cultures.
Congrats!
Congratulations! Very sorry to hear about Anja's blindness, though...
You look a bit like Paul McCartney in that first pic.
OK I've now voted 3 times for "she married him for his charm, wit, good looks, in order to try and correct the shockingly wrong results of the poll so far. Not many respondents are giving much credit to the intelligent life choice of Anja - and in any case, love is blind (which is why she still loves the doublesizedu)
BTW Rob is right - I think there's a famous McCartney photo in that pose with the same expression too (just slightly leaner).
BTW Rob is right - I think there's a famous McCartney photo in that pose with the same expression too (just slightly leaner).
Congrats!!!
Oh, and we will celebrate 25 in the summer. So I'm presently feeling quite old!
Congratulations! And you need a sixth choice on the how-could-this-happen poll: The wildly wonderful and inexplicable grace of God!
On an only slightly more serious note ... what is about the word "just" in pietistic prayer? "Just" occurs three times in Chris's example. Sometimes when I am bored in a prayer meeting (of course, that hardly ever happens) I will sit and count the "just"s. Restraining my laughter is a sure cure for the boredom of the moment.
But I'm a little serious ... does anyone know exactly what it means and why we say it??
Dear Anja & Chris,
congratulations! Have a splendid day and many more to come!
Volker & Heike
Thank you one and all!
Except those who are voting for the "she must be blind" option (steph, TJ etc - oh yes, I know who you are and don't forget a thing)
Cliff, great question. It was discussed here once before when I poked fun at pop evangelical prayer liturgy. Is it a formula to mark indirectness, a sign of the 'fear of the Lord' finding expression? Perhaps a tick - a need to fill the breaks? WHat do you think?
JB they are hilarious. Thanks for the links.
Rob, I see it too. Lucky me!
I've sometimes thought "just" is an attempt at minimizing my request, as in: "I'm not asking you to do much for me, just ..."
The usage seems completely absent from the prayers of the Bible.
"Except those who are voting for the "she must be blind" option (steph, TJ etc - oh yes, I know who you are and don't forget a thing)"
But Mr. Tillinch, I only voted 30 times or so!
Chris - I voted for the truth - she married you for your wit and charm and personality etc - 3 times. I complained about the 'she must be blind' option because is a slight on Anja and doesn't respect her intelligence. I wish you both well and I resent being named and lumped in with the cynics and scofferes.
And you're a far more fun, and cute couple than Tintin or Austin Powers.
Congratulations!
May you have many more through the time when "...the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain; in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low;...."
Hi Chris,
sorry, I'm a little bit late. I wish you God's blessing for your future!
Chris and Cliff,
I think it's just one of those things...
{rimshot}{g}
And congrats on the anniversary last week. Victorious Aaaaaammmmeennnn! {s!}
jRP
Thanks to you all.
Hi Hendrik! Thanks!
Steph, sorry for the insult! I take it all back immediately!
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