The middle of winter was just ten days ago, yet today has felt like spring here where we live in Queensland.  But it’s chilly again this evening - just right for curling up with a book in front of the wood fire.  Or curling up with a printout of this latest issue of MarriageWorks!

There are always so many things to talk about - so many issues to address and think about.  Certainly the “Global Financial Crisis” has given everyone somewhat of a shakeup.  And maybe that’s not all bad.  Living in a land like Australia, we can easily get very complacent about things we simply take for granted.  Like having a job.  Like good health.  Like being able to service the mortgage on a home that might be bigger than we actually need, but is so nice to have.  Like plenty of food in the cupboard, fridge or freezer. 

Nothing wrong with any of those things - it’s just that we so easily take them for granted, forgetting that the most important things in our lives are not the things, but the relationships with people, and with God.  We can say that pretty glibly - we know it in our heads.  But when the job is lost, the mortgage can’t be paid, health problems happen, the cupboard starts to look a little bare - where do we turn?

Is God really still in control? How can we know that for ourselves? How can we experience that in ways that we can share with our kids? How can we help our families to really know God in ways that are going to be rock solid and sustainable in the years ahead?

Hopefully the articles in this issue will help to clarify some of those things.  Some good ideas…so curl up in front of the fire and read on.

Jim and Grace Vine