The Grace Wife

On May 23, 1981, at Berean Baptist Church in Richmond, VA, Pastor Ralph Hubble pronounced Bob Kellemen and Shirley Vernon “husband and wife.”

On Our 30th Anniversary

If my math is correct, and it had better be, that makes today our 30th Anniversary.  

Because of how many marriages seem to fail in today’s world, many people have asked, “What’s your secret?”

I’m not a big believer in “secret steps” to anything. Obviously, I believe that a Christ-centered marriage is the not-so-secret secret.

Beyond that, I can personally attest to the fact that our marriage has survived and thrived because Shirley is a Grace Wife. There is no one I know better than Shirley, and, I can honestly say, there is no one who better reflects Christ’s grace than Shirley.

Don’t just take my word for it. Consider my seventeen-year-old nephew. He recently commented, “No one is kinder, sweeter, or more gracious than Aunt Shirley.”

High praise from a teenage male!

And he’s right. His words remind me of several passages that convey how Shirley models Christ’s grace.

Romans 2:4: “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?”

Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 5:1-2: “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Jesus with Skin On

I write and speak a lot about “Jesus with skin on.” About how we need to give one another tastes of Christ’s grace.

Shirley is Jesus with skin on for me. She gives me continual tastes of grace.

How has our marriage survived and thrived? Because Shirley is an imitator of God, of Christ.

Happy Anniversary, Shirley. I love you. Thank you for being my grace wife.

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