King Henry VIII is famous, not so much for his rule of England, but for his six wives. He was not, if you’re wondering, a polygamist. By the time he died at 55 years of age, he had been married six times. It was his inability to keep his first marriage with Catherine together that led to a disagreement with Pope Clement VII over the issue of annulment, which ultimately led Henry to breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church to form the Church of England.
High Drama
Reading Henry’s story is akin to a modern-day soap opera with dramatic twists and turns of romance, sex, power, and violence, along with a scattered array of offspring left in the wake to find their own way. His legacy is not one we would celebrate on Father’s Day, yet its high drama has earned favor on Broadway through the widely acclaimed musical, SIX.
High-drama families sell out shows. We stare through their windows and are entertained, but we all know there’s something just not right about families living in such incessant disrepair.
Low Drama
The family I grew up in was far from dramatic. We had our problems. Not even close to perfect. Nor were we the kind of family Broadway musicals are made of. We were, in my words, boring.
My parents were born and raised in rural Tennessee. After they graduated from high school, my dad joined the Air Force. He married my mom, and they moved to the Air Force Base in Blytheville, Arkansas. They had my older brother and only sibling there. After the Air Force, they moved back to Middle Tennessee. I was born in Tullahoma in 1971.
Dad started work, they bought a modest home, and began to plant roots.
My childhood was simple:
My parents loved each other, and they loved my brother and me.
I never remember hearing about divorce.
When my parents argued, they did it outside of my presence.
I didn’t know what domestic abuse was, never saw or heard of it until I was an adult.
I never saw anyone use or abuse alcohol in my home.
I walked to school, took a bus on occasion, or carpooled with friends.
I played baseball and football during the baseball and football seasons.
I was a Cub Scout, got bored with it, and did not become a Boy Scout.
We went to church on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night.
We were not rich, and we were not poor.
After school, I would play outside or watch TV. We would eat supper, do homework, and go to bed.
On Saturdays, I might ride my bike with friends all day.
Apart from my dad’s gall bladder attack, life was pretty predictable.
Before you get the idea I’m romanticizing my childhood home, I’m not. We had challenges, blind spots, and dysfunctions. Still do.
But what I am suggesting is that we could use a revival of boring homes.
A Revival We Could Use
We could use a revival of boring homes where a dad and a mom love each other for a lifetime, and love their kids the best way they know how. We could use a revival of boring homes that exalt Jesus and find great joy in simple acts of faithfulness. We could use a revival of boring homes where a dad and mom load their kids in the same vehicle every Sunday and go to church together. We could use a revival of boring homes where kids get free time, get bored, and get creative. We could use a revival of boring homes where sons and daughters live with security that comes through the predictability of their father and mother.
King Henry’s home was anything but boring and it reminds us again that a packed calendar, a drive for the next best thing, and a fear of missing out never come from a healthy place and they never produce what our discontented hearts hope they will.
The influencers tell us we need more excitement, a bigger platform, and more productivity. But what if they are wrong. What if we need less of that, and more faithfulness, more simplicity, and fewer options? What if we need a revival of boring homes?
PICTURES OF THE WEEK
POINT PARK, LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, TN
Deborah and I spent a few days last week in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This is a view of the city from Point Park on top of Lookout Mountain.
CEDARSTONE BANK JOINS THE EVERYONE’S WILSON NETWORK
Welcoming marketplace leaders into our community transformation work is a joy!
EVERYONE’S WILSON
I’m the Executive Director of Everyone’s Wilson—a community transformation initiative. Our mission is to unite the Church to engage the community, so everyone thrives. Very simply, we’re passionate about helping Jesus-loving people live like missionaries in their local community through prayer, equipping, collaboration, and service.
To keep up with my work at Everyone’s Wilson, you can Follow Us on the Socials or Subscribe to the Everyone’s Wilson Newsletter Here.
If you, your church, or your community leaders are interested in creating or joining community transformation collective in your community, I’d love to connect with you.
Sign up as an Everyone’s Wilson Prayer Partner HERE.
Please consider partnering with us financially. You can give HERE. All gifts are tax-deductible.
I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.
Thank you for reading and subscribing to this newsletter.
If it’s helpful, I’d love to hear about it. If it’s not, I don’t want to hear about it, but I probably need to. So either way, please give me some feedback.
Just click the button for my contact information.