No sex please, we're married.

His name is Bill.
Her name is Betty.

He's a high school English teacher.
She's a homemaker by choice.

He pays the bills, mows the lawn and takes out the trash.
She cooks and cleans and does the laundry.

He volunteers at the soup kitchen every fortnight.
She teaches Sunday School every 3rd sunday of the month.

His teenage students feel he's too cute for the classroom.
She can still turn some heads whenever she goes for her evening jog.

When he's not tinkering with his bike, he likes to have a beer with the guys. When she's not baking , she loves to shop or catch a movie with her girl friends.

At dinner, they sit down to a healthy balanced meal which she prepares.He makes sure she knows how much he appreciates her good cooking and she listens attentively while he shares the highlights of his day. And when its time to do the dishes, she rinses while he dries.

He unwinds with Larry King Live while she reads a chapter of Sophie Kinsella. An unspoken ritual that has remained unchanged with the passing years.

As the evening draws to a close and its time to turn in, the couple retire to their beautiful 4 poster bed complete with matching drapes and lush satin covers. When the lights go out, they lie side by side in the darkness with only the sound of their even breathing to break the silence.

That's a page out of the life of a happily married couple.

Except for one tiny detail.

Neither Bill nor Betty have ever had to make their bed the next morning.

Okay I made them up. Bill and Betty are cardboard cutouts. They are not real. But their sham of a marriage reminds me of the cardboard Christianity we practice in our churches today. All of the responsibility and none of the intimacy.

[I extracted these lines from the most passionate book in the bible - Song of Songs (NIV)]

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love is more delightful than wine.
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.

His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.
My lover spoke and said to me,
"Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, and come with me.

My lover is mine and I am his;
Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,

His mouth is sweetness itself;
he is altogether lovely.
This is my lover, this my friend,
May the wine go straight to my lover,
flowing gently over lips and teeth
I belong to my lover,
and his desire is for me.

Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.

Do you wonder why church today feels sterile, cold, contained and controlled? Could it be we're so busy being committed, communal, relational, relevant, kingdomic, missional, evangelistic, mentoring, authentic _________ (fill in the blank with the latest christian fad/buzzword that's overtaken your church) etc.

All of Martha and none of Mary.

Do you wonder why you feel hollow and empty inspite of all the good and right things you do? Do you feel disoriented, lost even though everyone looks to you for guidance and inspiration? Do you envy those who talk to God on a first name basis? Does it puzzle you that they know Him so intimately even though they don't belong to a cell group? Worse, do they remind you of who you used to be at one time?

Its not too late, you know.

He's still smitten by you.