I had lunch today with Jaime and Lalo Rocha. They are making final preparations this fall to move to Mexico City to initiate a new church plant. If I can progress in Spanish as fast as Lalo has moved in his command of the English language, I will be in good shape! He is an inspiration.

Lalo made an interesting comment about life in Mexico City, while we ate.
He observed that marital breakdowns are really having an impact on churches in that sprawling city. He went on to note that good resources, such as marriage and family therapists, are not readily available. Counseling couples in trouble in Mexico City could be a legitimate mission for someone so inclined.

We were talking over music blaring in the restaurant during the course of this entire conversation. I found it a little ironic that the song playing during our discussion of marital breakdowns was nothing other than an old Hank Williams Jr. song. The title of the song? Women I have Never Had. The second verse goes like this:

I take a little smoke and a lotta wine
I get high on all old friends of mine
I like the sweet young things and OLD GRANDAD
And I like to have women I’ve never had

I don’t recall the year that song was released, but it is quite possible that Lalo was not even born then. That maybe just as well. i recall listening to that song long before I was married in a place that certainly did not promote the pursuit of what is holy! You get the idea… The blend of old memories, our discussio on marriage, and the accompanying music reminded me of several things.

Good people who are able to assist families in crisis are needed everywhere. Marriage counselors are needed in Mexico City and they are needed in Granbury, TX. We need to encourage people seeking degrees to consider making a commitment to helping professions of all kinds. They are needed all over the world. I was reminded of the importance of being b-lingual as well. The potential exists to help more people in more places. Finally I was reminded that pop culture is very unlikely to encourage the pursuit of marital fidelity and family enrichment. Lalo’s call for help in Mexico City against the backdrop of Hank Williams Jr. was a not so subtle reminder of that fact.