Aug 28 2012
The Briens Rules
The Briens stayed with us a full week, and it went by in a flash. Zeke came home from school on the day they flew back to Nicaragua with a sad face.
“I miss the Briens,” he said. “When I’m 18, I’m going to move to Nicaragua and live next door to them.”
It is great fun to live with or near the Briens, but occasionally I am compelled to establish new rules in my house that I never thought I would need.
Rule #1: No playing a hand held electronic game system with it plugged into the wall charger while sitting on the toilet.
Rule #2: No hiding socks in my car, under my couch, in the bedding, and upon my tables because your mum/wife makes you wear them and you can’t stand it.
Rule #3: No yelling out curse words while heeling across the front of the church while your Dad is giving a missions support update.
Rule #4: No eating your children’s/husband’s chocolate whenever they do not have a firm grip on it.
Rule#5: No looking at your laptop while the children are saying their nightly prayers.
Rule #6: No walking outside wrapped only in a towel into the front yard where I’m gardening and yelling out to all my neighbors, “Margaret’s neighbors, do not be alarmed! My wife is in the house!”
I do know I am wasting my time making these rules. The Briens live by only two rules:
“…Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27
They follow those rules quite well, but I do think on occasion it is helpful to adhere to:
Rule #7: When traveling from church to church raising support for the work in Nicaragua and you are asked by the pastor of a church if your mum drinks coffee for breakfast, do not reply, “No, she doesn’t drink coffee, she drinks wine.”