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            The wedding guests have gathered in great anticipation; the ceremony to be performed today has long been awaited.

            The orchestra begins to play the wedding march, and the choir rises in proper precision.  The bridegroom and his assistants gather in front of the chancel.  One little saint, her flowered hat bobbing, leans to her companion and whispers, “Isn’t he handsome?”  The response is agreement, “My, yes, The handsomest...”

            The sound of the organ rises, a joyous announcement that the bride is coming.  Everyone stands and strains to get a glimpse of the beautiful bride.

            A horrible gasp explodes from the congregation.  In stumbles the bride.  She is limping on one leg, wedding garment tattered and muddy; the rents in dress leave her less than modest.  Her nose is bloody, and eye is swollen.  Her hair is a mess and some of it seems to have been pulled out.

            The organist, fumbling over the keys, begins the march again while the attendants cast down their eyes.  The congregation releases a quiet groan.

            Surely the groom deserved better than this, is the thought in every mind.  That handsome groom who has kept himself faithful to his love surely deserves to find consummation with the most beautiful women – not this.  Alas, His bride, the church, has been fighting again. -Taken from The Key to a Loving Heart, Karen Mains. Published by David C. Cook, 1979

Preventing a Church Split, Gene Edwards, page 147