When Barbara Schwartz was about 29-years-old, she visited her parents one weekend. They questioned her about her current boyfriend. Her mother asked, 'Just what kind of man are you interested in?' Barbara pointed to her father and said, 'I want one like him, but with a few minor modifications.' Her father grinned triumphantly. Her mother brought him back down to earth when she said, 'It's taken me 30 years to modify that one; it doesn't come in a 30-year-old model.'

In great marriages the partners are continually being modified for the better. When two people share faith in God and love for each other, they are always changing. Negative traits and habits are being forsaken; new ways to grow and delight each other are being learned. Great marriages aren't issued; they are grown.

 - Bill Bouknight, Christ United Methodist Church, Memphis, TN