We have a park about three blocks from our house that turns into an amphitheater every Sunday throughout the summer. The concert is free and features a different variety of music each week. Sunday was a tribute to the music of Sting. Though we’ve heard a lot about it, Sunday was our first time to attend.

The music starts at 5 pm but as early as 3 pm, people are claiming their spots on the grass with, in most cases, a blanket and a cooler. In the afternoon, while I was out, Marti sent me a text with a grocery list of stuff to purchase at the market for our concert in the park. What ensued was a little dance that has occurred over and over in our marriage: John comes home from the market with the bare minimum; Marti sends him back for something closer to what she originally requested.

This is indicative of a fundamental difference in character between the two of us. Put simply: John is cheap, Marti is magnanimous.

Chandler had been running with four or five neighborhood kids who would most likely end up at the park. Marti wanted us to be able to accommodate them without hesitation. Not to mention other guests that might join us, or new friends we might make while there. Marti anticipates generosity, and in doing so, she more closely approximates the mind of Christ.

As it turned out, we needed everything we brought.

Besides, based on past performance, had Jesus been there, he would have fed everybody!