I still find if funny how women can be treated so unequally in the workplace after so many years...
I work in the customer service area of the company I work for along with two other ladies and there is also one other woman that works in out warehouse.
They tell us that we're not allowed to have out cell phones out, or have personal phone calls. We can't wear jeans except on Fridays and we aren't allowed to sit and talk to each other when we aren't busy.
BUT... all the males that work here can wear what they want, take personal calls, sit and talk all day, etc, etc, and make us handle their customers just because they don't want to deal with them... how does that make me equal in the workplace???
I understand them not having time to talk to their customers if they aren't in the office or taking care of another customer but really now... just because it isn't a customer you care for you make me do your work because your "personal" conversations about fishing or new houses or football, etc, etc are more important than the people paying for all that stuff?
If you take the last bit of coffee and you see that i'm too busy to make anymore at the moment, don't say we need more coffee and walk off...if you know you're going to want more coffee and have a free second, the coffee filters and coffee are right in front of you. Empty the old coffee out and put new in and then add water and shut the top... it's not that hard no is it?
We are still under paid, not appretiated, and taken advantage of because of our gender...
I don't know if anyone agrees with me or not, but i had to voice my opinion...
Have a nice day!!!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Long Time...
Sorry it's been a while. My life has been crazy and i've been sick...
The Memorial Day holiday weekend was wonderful!!! There are so many family members that I salute to and will do so until the day that I day.
Some have past and some have retired and some are still serving but no matter what the case is, they all gave some and some gave all!!!
They will never be forgotten nor criticized as long as I am breathing by anyone.
Did you thank a military soldier this weekend???
We often times forget that our freedom isn't free and that there are still men, women, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, cousins, etc still over seas protecting our freedom at the cost of their own life.
We are lucky to live in a world that people are willing to stand up for people that they don't even know and probably never will meet.
So the next time you think that you're life sucks and that you wish you had everything that you don't because it would make you happy, think about the men and women who can't have/may never be able to get back.
Missed moments with their families. Their children being born. Family/Friend's birthdays. Babies first steps/words/facial expressions. Etc...
Just be thankful that you have a roof over your head and that you can see/talk to your friends whenever you want to. The US Soldiers may only get to talk to their family/friends once maybe twice a month if they're lucky. Some go years without ever seeing their family/friends.
Just be thankful and remember that it doesn't have to be Memorial Day for you to thank a soldier. Do it as you walk past them in the mall, sitting at that stop light, or wherever you may see one.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The Memorial Day holiday weekend was wonderful!!! There are so many family members that I salute to and will do so until the day that I day.
Some have past and some have retired and some are still serving but no matter what the case is, they all gave some and some gave all!!!
They will never be forgotten nor criticized as long as I am breathing by anyone.
Did you thank a military soldier this weekend???
We often times forget that our freedom isn't free and that there are still men, women, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, cousins, etc still over seas protecting our freedom at the cost of their own life.
We are lucky to live in a world that people are willing to stand up for people that they don't even know and probably never will meet.
So the next time you think that you're life sucks and that you wish you had everything that you don't because it would make you happy, think about the men and women who can't have/may never be able to get back.
Missed moments with their families. Their children being born. Family/Friend's birthdays. Babies first steps/words/facial expressions. Etc...
Just be thankful that you have a roof over your head and that you can see/talk to your friends whenever you want to. The US Soldiers may only get to talk to their family/friends once maybe twice a month if they're lucky. Some go years without ever seeing their family/friends.
Just be thankful and remember that it doesn't have to be Memorial Day for you to thank a soldier. Do it as you walk past them in the mall, sitting at that stop light, or wherever you may see one.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Thursday, April 12, 2012
THE INTERRUPTED LIFE SESSION 2 - 4/11/12
I AM SO EXCITED TO BE BLOGGING ABOUT THE SECOND VIDEO SESSION!!!
IT WAS ONE TO REMEMBER!!!
So buckle up, because here we GO!!!
----------------------------------------------
So the first session we learned that the INTERRUPTED LIFE is the priviledged life and also the cure for the search for significance.
In this second session we learn the the INTERRUPTED LIFE is the challenging life, it not only looks different but also looks more difficult, and also that it is the accountable life.
The session began with the readin of Jonah 1:2, "Arise, go to Ninevah the great sity and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before me."
We are going to focus on the first two words of this verse. People often times want to sit and wait for God to tell them to do the things that they want to do instead of what HE wants them to do.
We have to be willing to ARISE & GO whenever God asks us to, even when it is out of out "comfort zone".
In today's world, people have become so comfortable with only doing as much as is necessary as long as they know they will be safe doing it and not have to go far from where they are sitting. When are we, as God's people, going to ARISE & GO and finally give in to what God has in store for us to do for HIS will???
---------------------------------------------
(think about it...)
---------------------------------------------
1) 1) The INTERRUPTED LIFE is the challenging life.
Some people think that the are too weak to do the tings GOD has called them to do, which brings us to our next point, we need to remember that GOD will give us the strength to handle the challenge.
HE will never leave us to fend for ourselves!
Our next point is one that should be held dear to your heart, If you are a believer in JESUS CHRIST, all the the greatness, power, gandeur, authority and fullness of GOD HIMSELF is in you because the HOLY SPIRIT is on the inside of you.
We always hear of the HOLY SPIRIT as the Third Person in scripture, but that isn't because is less important than GOD the FATHER or GOD the SON, all three are equally the same and are with us always!
---------------------------------------------
Oftentimes the greatest hindrance of a new move of GOD in our life is the last move of GOD.
Some of us put off following GOD's plan for our life because we indeed think of it as a LIFE INTERRUPTED, but that isn't always a bad thing.
I've known since I was a senior in high school that I would be involved with student ministry and it was a deep passion of fire in my life whenever I got the opportunity to become a leader in a youth group.
At the time, I thought it was the right time but it was not GOD's timing. I had been in a relationship with my husband for about two years and we were both serving in the ministry and one day my husband, who was my fiance at the time, came to me and said that he felt GOD was telling him that we needed to take a break until after our wedding the following year and you can imagine how mad I was at him for telling me that GOD was telling him that it was not my time to be doing what I knew I was supposed to be doing.
We fought a lot and I had conversation after conversation with my mom and i'll never forget what she told, she had told me that my husband was supposed to be the spiritual leader in the household and that I needed to trust him that in fact what he was saying GOD told him was true and pull back and let GOD work.
It finally clicked in my head and now we are on the path to taking over a youth group at a completely different church.
I had to learn to be patient and wait on HIS timing.
Our next point, GOD loves to put us in the challenge because that's where HE gets to be who HE is.
"GOD is not just a 'big' us, HE is mysterious."
There are many things about GOD that we will never know until we see HIM face to face in Heaven and that is an awesome thing because that means HE is different than we are.
---------------------------------------------
The next verse we looked at was Psalms 37:4, "Delight yourself in the LORD; and HE will give you the desires of your heart."
We need to not get this confused with thinking that GOD will give us what we want if we submit ourself to HIM and choose to follow HIS plan, it means that HE will change our hearts to want what HE wants in our life.
Psalms 119:36-37, "Incline my heart to YOUR testimonies and not to dishonest gain. Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, and revive me in YOUR ways.
---------------------------------------------
2) The INTERRUPTED LIFE no only looks different but also looks more difficult.
We must remember that our call we are given by GOD will most likely not be the call of someone else and that we need to make the decision to obey GOD fully and go where HE tells us to go.
HE will always equip us to handle the challenge no matter how hard we feel it may be.
Some of us may hear GOD's calling but are relunctant to follow because we look at people around us and see that they have better clothes, better cars, bigger houses, etc and we begin to question why GOD would give them all of those things and not us because we are doind what HE told us to do, but we need to remember that GOD GIVES US EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE IT THROUGH WHAT HE HAS CALLED US TO DO.
We don't know what GOD has called them to do with those things and how HIS will will be done through them.
When GOD places an abnormal calling on your life, it is because HE has abnormal results HE wants to produce through you.
We have to decide if we are going to be like Jonah and flee or if we are going to pick-up our belongings and take the journey into the unknown that GOD only knows where it leads.
---------------------------------------------
3) The INTERRUPTED LIFE is the accountable life.
Jonah 1:3, "But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD."
Jonah fled from GOD 2,000 miles away from where GOD told him to go because he thought he could escape the voice and calling of the LORD, but the LORD in always present wherever you are.
We sometimes think that if we can just get away that GOD will change HIS mind and give us a different path but the truth is, is that we will have such conviction with in HIS presence and we will also lose so much more by running from GOD.
GOD does not convict us to condemn us. HE wants to restore a relationship with us.
Sin is a never-ending downward spiral, a never-ending downward cycle and all GOD wants to do is rescue us!
Sometimes we don't realize what we've done until we are half through it or until it's too late.
Let's be the ones to stand up, arise, and go to the places GOD would have us go.
---------------------------------------------
I pray for a safe week that is full of grace and mercy from GOD.
I pray that you will lean on GOD for HIS strength to get you through the things you think you are too weak to do.
IT IS THROUGH OUR WEAKNESS THAT WE SEE JUST HOW STRONG GOD REALLY IS!!!!!
IT WAS ONE TO REMEMBER!!!
So buckle up, because here we GO!!!
----------------------------------------------
So the first session we learned that the INTERRUPTED LIFE is the priviledged life and also the cure for the search for significance.
In this second session we learn the the INTERRUPTED LIFE is the challenging life, it not only looks different but also looks more difficult, and also that it is the accountable life.
The session began with the readin of Jonah 1:2, "Arise, go to Ninevah the great sity and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before me."
We are going to focus on the first two words of this verse. People often times want to sit and wait for God to tell them to do the things that they want to do instead of what HE wants them to do.
We have to be willing to ARISE & GO whenever God asks us to, even when it is out of out "comfort zone".
In today's world, people have become so comfortable with only doing as much as is necessary as long as they know they will be safe doing it and not have to go far from where they are sitting. When are we, as God's people, going to ARISE & GO and finally give in to what God has in store for us to do for HIS will???
---------------------------------------------
(think about it...)
---------------------------------------------
1) 1) The INTERRUPTED LIFE is the challenging life.
Some people think that the are too weak to do the tings GOD has called them to do, which brings us to our next point, we need to remember that GOD will give us the strength to handle the challenge.
HE will never leave us to fend for ourselves!
Our next point is one that should be held dear to your heart, If you are a believer in JESUS CHRIST, all the the greatness, power, gandeur, authority and fullness of GOD HIMSELF is in you because the HOLY SPIRIT is on the inside of you.
We always hear of the HOLY SPIRIT as the Third Person in scripture, but that isn't because is less important than GOD the FATHER or GOD the SON, all three are equally the same and are with us always!
---------------------------------------------
Oftentimes the greatest hindrance of a new move of GOD in our life is the last move of GOD.
Some of us put off following GOD's plan for our life because we indeed think of it as a LIFE INTERRUPTED, but that isn't always a bad thing.
I've known since I was a senior in high school that I would be involved with student ministry and it was a deep passion of fire in my life whenever I got the opportunity to become a leader in a youth group.
At the time, I thought it was the right time but it was not GOD's timing. I had been in a relationship with my husband for about two years and we were both serving in the ministry and one day my husband, who was my fiance at the time, came to me and said that he felt GOD was telling him that we needed to take a break until after our wedding the following year and you can imagine how mad I was at him for telling me that GOD was telling him that it was not my time to be doing what I knew I was supposed to be doing.
We fought a lot and I had conversation after conversation with my mom and i'll never forget what she told, she had told me that my husband was supposed to be the spiritual leader in the household and that I needed to trust him that in fact what he was saying GOD told him was true and pull back and let GOD work.
It finally clicked in my head and now we are on the path to taking over a youth group at a completely different church.
I had to learn to be patient and wait on HIS timing.
Our next point, GOD loves to put us in the challenge because that's where HE gets to be who HE is.
"GOD is not just a 'big' us, HE is mysterious."
There are many things about GOD that we will never know until we see HIM face to face in Heaven and that is an awesome thing because that means HE is different than we are.
---------------------------------------------
The next verse we looked at was Psalms 37:4, "Delight yourself in the LORD; and HE will give you the desires of your heart."
We need to not get this confused with thinking that GOD will give us what we want if we submit ourself to HIM and choose to follow HIS plan, it means that HE will change our hearts to want what HE wants in our life.
Psalms 119:36-37, "Incline my heart to YOUR testimonies and not to dishonest gain. Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, and revive me in YOUR ways.
---------------------------------------------
2) The INTERRUPTED LIFE no only looks different but also looks more difficult.
We must remember that our call we are given by GOD will most likely not be the call of someone else and that we need to make the decision to obey GOD fully and go where HE tells us to go.
HE will always equip us to handle the challenge no matter how hard we feel it may be.
Some of us may hear GOD's calling but are relunctant to follow because we look at people around us and see that they have better clothes, better cars, bigger houses, etc and we begin to question why GOD would give them all of those things and not us because we are doind what HE told us to do, but we need to remember that GOD GIVES US EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE IT THROUGH WHAT HE HAS CALLED US TO DO.
We don't know what GOD has called them to do with those things and how HIS will will be done through them.
When GOD places an abnormal calling on your life, it is because HE has abnormal results HE wants to produce through you.
We have to decide if we are going to be like Jonah and flee or if we are going to pick-up our belongings and take the journey into the unknown that GOD only knows where it leads.
---------------------------------------------
3) The INTERRUPTED LIFE is the accountable life.
Jonah 1:3, "But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD."
Jonah fled from GOD 2,000 miles away from where GOD told him to go because he thought he could escape the voice and calling of the LORD, but the LORD in always present wherever you are.
We sometimes think that if we can just get away that GOD will change HIS mind and give us a different path but the truth is, is that we will have such conviction with in HIS presence and we will also lose so much more by running from GOD.
GOD does not convict us to condemn us. HE wants to restore a relationship with us.
Sin is a never-ending downward spiral, a never-ending downward cycle and all GOD wants to do is rescue us!
Sometimes we don't realize what we've done until we are half through it or until it's too late.
Let's be the ones to stand up, arise, and go to the places GOD would have us go.
---------------------------------------------
I pray for a safe week that is full of grace and mercy from GOD.
I pray that you will lean on GOD for HIS strength to get you through the things you think you are too weak to do.
IT IS THROUGH OUR WEAKNESS THAT WE SEE JUST HOW STRONG GOD REALLY IS!!!!!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Come Thou Fount
So I've had this song in my head since I heard it play on my "Shane & Shane" Pandora station and I thought maybe, just maybe, someone needed to read these lyrics today... GOD BLESS!!!
Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
I'll praise the mount I'm fixed upon it
Mount of thy redeeming love
Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by thy help I come
And I hope by thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
[. From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/d/david-crowder-band-lyrics/come-thou-fount-lyrics.html .]
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wondering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above
Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
I'll praise the mount I'm fixed upon it
Mount of thy redeeming love
Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by thy help I come
And I hope by thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
[. From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/d/david-crowder-band-lyrics/come-thou-fount-lyrics.html .]
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wondering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Thoughts of the Day 04/04/12
So sorry I have not posted in a few days.... It's been crazy in my life lately....
I'm trying to get caught up on Jonah study and as soon as I do I will post some more... hopefully this weekend because i'm off on Friday and I'll have a good three days to get caught up on everything!!!!!
I just wanted to write my thoughts down today on what was on my mind...
Today I'm feeling extremely blessed by God because He has always been by my side and has never left me...
Even in my darkest hour He has stuck by me and put his loving arms around me.
Today I can't express how blessed I am to have the best husband in the world!
Every morning I get to wake up beside one of the 3 men in my life that I will never stop loving... Now before you go and start thinking something terrible i'll explain...
I recently go an e-mail from dad and it was titled "10 Ideas To Make Time For Your Spouse", and this is what it read:
10 Ideas to Make Time for Your Spouse
by Mary May Larmoyeux
My husband, Jim, and I have been married for more than 30 years and we consider one another to be best friends. Despite this, we have to intentionally keep our relationship and marriage on the front burner of life.
Finding time to be with just one another is important to Jim and me. But I confess, it’s not always an easy thing to do. And this isn’t just our isolated problem. It’s common in most marriages—regardless of age.
The following 10 ideas can help you and me intentionally make time for our spouse:
1. Cultivate a common interest. Your spouse should be your best friend, and friends enjoy spending time with one another. If you and your spouse have different hobbies, find something that you both enjoy doing and do it together. You may want to go bike riding, walk together at the end of a long day, play tennis, or learn how to ballroom dance. Shared experiences enrich marriages and deepen friendship.
“I realized that our relationship had to be a higher priority than my hobbies,” says FamilyLife President Dennis Rainey of his early days of marriage. “Barbara and I had to decide what we wanted to be at the end of our lives—two people who had grown old together as partners or two people who had grown old alone.”
2. Have a regular date night. If you don’t have a relative nearby who would gladly watch your kids, then consider swapping babysitting with a friend on a regular basis. For example, you would watch their kids on the first Friday of every month and they would watch your kids on the second Saturday of every month.
With a little imagination, you can also plan some great dates at home … not only while the kids are sleeping, but also while they are enjoying pizza or watching a special movie.
3. Try new adventures together. We only live this life once. Try doing something different to force yourself out of the rut of normal day-to-day living. If you and your spouse would like to do something a little more daring, consider activities such as skydiving, scuba diving, mountain climbing, etc.
“When my husband, Jim, and I said, ‘I do’ 37 years ago, I never envisioned myself camping on a budget or whizzing through the countryside on the back of a motorcycle,” LaRue Launius says. “And Jim never imagined himself thousands of feet up in the air. But God has used these experiences, and countless others, to gradually knit our hearts together as best friends.”
4. Write love letters to one another and read them over a romantic dinner. Writing letters is almost a lost art form today. You may want to redeem it by regularly expressing your love to your spouse in a letter. Then read it to your spouse over a romantic dinner.
You could purchase special wooden boxes for your love letters. Or, record them in individual journals as a lasting reminder to your legacy of your love for one another.
If you’re not sure how to begin writing your letter, read “Tips for Writing a Notable Love Letter.”
5. Go on overnight getaways—without the kids. The possibilities are endless. Many state parks have great campsites and beautiful lodges. Staying at a nearby bed and breakfast can be a real treat. Also, hotels often have special weekend getaway packages.
Bill and Carolyn Wellons have written a getaway guide for couples titled, Getting Away to Get It Together. After being married for 10 years, they discovered a secret that re-energizes their relationship—regular getaways. “We may relax at a friend’s lake house, camp at a state park, or book a resort condominium in the off-season,” Bill explains. “God has continued to teach us to step off life’s treadmill and examine the health of our relationship. When we evaluate where we are heading, we reap a fabulous return on investment.”
6. Set aside regular time to talk with one another—without any distractions. Make time to focus on one another and talk about the day’s events. When our children were young, my husband and I tried to visit together for 10-15 minutes before dinner each evening—just the two of us. You and your spouse may want to do this after the kids go to bed. The important thing is to share heart-to-heart and face-to-face.
If the kids are in school, you may want to have lunch together once a week. Put it on the calendar and make definite appointments. I read about a pastor who did this for years. He had a standing invitation for lunch one day a week that could not be broken—lunch with his wife.
7. Read a book together and discuss it over coffee at a local coffeehouse or bookstore. Take turns choosing the books. If a movie has been made out of the book, read and discuss it together and then watch the movie. Compare the book to the movie.
You could also go through one of the HomeBuilders Bible studies® as a couple. Although these Bible studies are designed for small groups, you could do one with your spouse. Studies include Building Teamwork in Marriage, Improving Communication in Your Marriage, and Growing Together in Christ.
8. Be accountable to one another. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 tells us, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion.”
You may want to ask your spouse to keep you accountable in a certain area. For example, I have a habit of over-committing myself and having way too many things on the to-do list. My husband is great about bringing me back to earth and helping me establish a more balanced schedule.
Being accountable to our spouse requires one-on-one time—whether it’s over coffee in the morning or evaluating a to-do list together in the afternoon.
“Accountability gives each marriage partner freedom and access to the other,” Dennis Rainey writes. He adds that it means asking for advice and gives a spouse the freedom to share honest observations. “It means we're teachable and approachable. We both need to be accountable to the other because each partner is fallible and quite capable of using faulty judgment.”
9. Pray together. When we regularly pray with our spouse, our souls and hearts are uniquely knit together. Sadly, we’ll forget many of the ways God answers our prayers unless we write them down.
You may want to record how God answers your prayers in a notebook. Once or so a year, go on an overnight getaway with your spouse and review it together. Spend some time thanking the Lord for all He has done.
10. Tune-up your marriage at a Weekend to Remember® marriage getaway. Attending a Weekend to Remember will help you get away from the distractions of life and focus on one another.
“We had a wonderful time,” one wife wrote after attending a recent Weekend to Remember. “Everyone was so welcoming. We didn’t come to this as a couple who was looking to save their marriage. We came as a couple who needed a tune-up. We’re running good and would like to keep it that way.”
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I've been told and have also seen that when couples get married everything changes... and that is exactly what happened when I got married.
Of course you go through your honeymoon stage of trying to get to know one another and it's like nothing can go wrong... UNTIL... you have your first real fight as a married couple... things are said/done that you can't take back and you experience your first night going to bed mad at each other...
Now, if you're anything like me, you don't like to go to bed with things unsettled so you keep trying to resolve your problems and all it does is just make things worse and then for some reason you find yoursefl apologizing for things that you didn't even do, but you can't stand the pain of knowing your husband/wife is mad at you.
Parke has had to tell me to just shut my mouth and go to sleep because if I kept talking it would just escalate and he would eventually say things he didn't really mean. So I am slowly learning to pick my battles when to keep my mouth shut during an arguement so I don't make things worse.
BUT, I wouldn't change any of my arguements with my husband for the world becasue at the end of the day we can still hold each other in our arms and honestly say that we love each other no matter what and that, together, we will make it through even our toughest days.
Back to the e-mail...
Number 4 Write love letters to one another really caught my attention and I have been trying to write a letter everyday and even on the days that I have nothing to write, I remember that the important thing to do is to tell him I love him. There have been a couple days that my letters have repeated themselves because I believe that you can never tell your husband/wife how much you love them enough
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Yes, our schedules are busy and sometimes we don't see each other until we lay down to go to sleep, but I know that I will never forget how much Parke loves me and how much I love him because my favorite part of my day is when Parke wraps me in his arms, kisses me softly, and squeezes me tight to his chest before we go to bed.
That is my safe place and I always know that he will be there for me just as God is always there for me when I need a tight hug and soft kiss.
God has blessed me more than I deserve and He will continue to do so and He has begun to lay down a path that Parke and I will walk down together, holding hands, to reach lives for His kingdom and we will inherit a BEAUTIFUL kingdom because we are following God's way and not our own!!!
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I will leave you with these few verses:
1 Corinthins 13:4-7 -
"4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (NLT)
Proverbs 2:6-9
"For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.”
GOD BLESS YOU ALL IN YOUR DAILY LIVES & I PRAY GOD STAYS WITH YOU IN EVERYTHING YOU AND EVERYWHERE YOU GO & WITH EVERYONE YOU MEET!!!
REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON CHRIST AND HE WILL ALWAYS BE THERE WHEN YOU NEED HIM...
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK =)
I'm trying to get caught up on Jonah study and as soon as I do I will post some more... hopefully this weekend because i'm off on Friday and I'll have a good three days to get caught up on everything!!!!!
I just wanted to write my thoughts down today on what was on my mind...
Today I'm feeling extremely blessed by God because He has always been by my side and has never left me...
Even in my darkest hour He has stuck by me and put his loving arms around me.
Today I can't express how blessed I am to have the best husband in the world!
Every morning I get to wake up beside one of the 3 men in my life that I will never stop loving... Now before you go and start thinking something terrible i'll explain...
- God - Because He has been with me since I was born. I have always been told as I was growing up that God had a special plan for my life because He has been protecting me since I was born May 30, 1989.
- I was only a couple months old when hurricane Hugo came through and my crib was set in front of the window where one of the pine trees stood in front of our house. When the storm was over and my parents went outside to look at the damage, they noticed that all the trees were turned the same way except for that one in front of my window...It was laying in the complete opposite direction! Now tell me that isn't a God thing...
- When I was almost a year old, I was run over and all I had were a couple of bruises and a limp...tell that isn't a God thing...
- My husband, Parke Allen Raider - He is my world and I can't imagine living one day without him... God put him in my life just when I was about to hit rock bottom. I had just gotten out of a long term relationship 2 months before we met and I had made up my mind that I didn't care and that I was going to start my own path and then God took a hold of me and it was as if He slapped me across the face and shook me to get my attention...The night I met Parke was the night that I believed in love at first sight because that it what is was. We have talked ever day since July 25, 2009 and on July 30, 2012 we will be celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary together =)
- My dad, Walt Pilley - He has been the reason I believe in God and know that there is life after death in a kingdom that words can't even begin to express. He has always been there when I have been hurt, even when I shut him out, he never gave up on me. My mom and dad have always tried to be the best parents possible to me and my 2 older sisters and tried to teach us right from wrong to keep us from making mistakes that we can't change. I won't lie, I have made my fair share of mistakes, but they have never judged me in anything I have done. They have always been there to be my strength when I needed them the most.
I recently go an e-mail from dad and it was titled "10 Ideas To Make Time For Your Spouse", and this is what it read:
10 Ideas to Make Time for Your Spouse
by Mary May Larmoyeux
My husband, Jim, and I have been married for more than 30 years and we consider one another to be best friends. Despite this, we have to intentionally keep our relationship and marriage on the front burner of life.
Finding time to be with just one another is important to Jim and me. But I confess, it’s not always an easy thing to do. And this isn’t just our isolated problem. It’s common in most marriages—regardless of age.
The following 10 ideas can help you and me intentionally make time for our spouse:
1. Cultivate a common interest. Your spouse should be your best friend, and friends enjoy spending time with one another. If you and your spouse have different hobbies, find something that you both enjoy doing and do it together. You may want to go bike riding, walk together at the end of a long day, play tennis, or learn how to ballroom dance. Shared experiences enrich marriages and deepen friendship.
“I realized that our relationship had to be a higher priority than my hobbies,” says FamilyLife President Dennis Rainey of his early days of marriage. “Barbara and I had to decide what we wanted to be at the end of our lives—two people who had grown old together as partners or two people who had grown old alone.”
2. Have a regular date night. If you don’t have a relative nearby who would gladly watch your kids, then consider swapping babysitting with a friend on a regular basis. For example, you would watch their kids on the first Friday of every month and they would watch your kids on the second Saturday of every month.
With a little imagination, you can also plan some great dates at home … not only while the kids are sleeping, but also while they are enjoying pizza or watching a special movie.
3. Try new adventures together. We only live this life once. Try doing something different to force yourself out of the rut of normal day-to-day living. If you and your spouse would like to do something a little more daring, consider activities such as skydiving, scuba diving, mountain climbing, etc.
“When my husband, Jim, and I said, ‘I do’ 37 years ago, I never envisioned myself camping on a budget or whizzing through the countryside on the back of a motorcycle,” LaRue Launius says. “And Jim never imagined himself thousands of feet up in the air. But God has used these experiences, and countless others, to gradually knit our hearts together as best friends.”
4. Write love letters to one another and read them over a romantic dinner. Writing letters is almost a lost art form today. You may want to redeem it by regularly expressing your love to your spouse in a letter. Then read it to your spouse over a romantic dinner.
You could purchase special wooden boxes for your love letters. Or, record them in individual journals as a lasting reminder to your legacy of your love for one another.
If you’re not sure how to begin writing your letter, read “Tips for Writing a Notable Love Letter.”
5. Go on overnight getaways—without the kids. The possibilities are endless. Many state parks have great campsites and beautiful lodges. Staying at a nearby bed and breakfast can be a real treat. Also, hotels often have special weekend getaway packages.
Bill and Carolyn Wellons have written a getaway guide for couples titled, Getting Away to Get It Together. After being married for 10 years, they discovered a secret that re-energizes their relationship—regular getaways. “We may relax at a friend’s lake house, camp at a state park, or book a resort condominium in the off-season,” Bill explains. “God has continued to teach us to step off life’s treadmill and examine the health of our relationship. When we evaluate where we are heading, we reap a fabulous return on investment.”
6. Set aside regular time to talk with one another—without any distractions. Make time to focus on one another and talk about the day’s events. When our children were young, my husband and I tried to visit together for 10-15 minutes before dinner each evening—just the two of us. You and your spouse may want to do this after the kids go to bed. The important thing is to share heart-to-heart and face-to-face.
If the kids are in school, you may want to have lunch together once a week. Put it on the calendar and make definite appointments. I read about a pastor who did this for years. He had a standing invitation for lunch one day a week that could not be broken—lunch with his wife.
7. Read a book together and discuss it over coffee at a local coffeehouse or bookstore. Take turns choosing the books. If a movie has been made out of the book, read and discuss it together and then watch the movie. Compare the book to the movie.
You could also go through one of the HomeBuilders Bible studies® as a couple. Although these Bible studies are designed for small groups, you could do one with your spouse. Studies include Building Teamwork in Marriage, Improving Communication in Your Marriage, and Growing Together in Christ.
8. Be accountable to one another. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 tells us, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion.”
You may want to ask your spouse to keep you accountable in a certain area. For example, I have a habit of over-committing myself and having way too many things on the to-do list. My husband is great about bringing me back to earth and helping me establish a more balanced schedule.
Being accountable to our spouse requires one-on-one time—whether it’s over coffee in the morning or evaluating a to-do list together in the afternoon.
“Accountability gives each marriage partner freedom and access to the other,” Dennis Rainey writes. He adds that it means asking for advice and gives a spouse the freedom to share honest observations. “It means we're teachable and approachable. We both need to be accountable to the other because each partner is fallible and quite capable of using faulty judgment.”
9. Pray together. When we regularly pray with our spouse, our souls and hearts are uniquely knit together. Sadly, we’ll forget many of the ways God answers our prayers unless we write them down.
You may want to record how God answers your prayers in a notebook. Once or so a year, go on an overnight getaway with your spouse and review it together. Spend some time thanking the Lord for all He has done.
10. Tune-up your marriage at a Weekend to Remember® marriage getaway. Attending a Weekend to Remember will help you get away from the distractions of life and focus on one another.
“We had a wonderful time,” one wife wrote after attending a recent Weekend to Remember. “Everyone was so welcoming. We didn’t come to this as a couple who was looking to save their marriage. We came as a couple who needed a tune-up. We’re running good and would like to keep it that way.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've been told and have also seen that when couples get married everything changes... and that is exactly what happened when I got married.
Of course you go through your honeymoon stage of trying to get to know one another and it's like nothing can go wrong... UNTIL... you have your first real fight as a married couple... things are said/done that you can't take back and you experience your first night going to bed mad at each other...
Now, if you're anything like me, you don't like to go to bed with things unsettled so you keep trying to resolve your problems and all it does is just make things worse and then for some reason you find yoursefl apologizing for things that you didn't even do, but you can't stand the pain of knowing your husband/wife is mad at you.
Parke has had to tell me to just shut my mouth and go to sleep because if I kept talking it would just escalate and he would eventually say things he didn't really mean. So I am slowly learning to pick my battles when to keep my mouth shut during an arguement so I don't make things worse.
BUT, I wouldn't change any of my arguements with my husband for the world becasue at the end of the day we can still hold each other in our arms and honestly say that we love each other no matter what and that, together, we will make it through even our toughest days.
Back to the e-mail...
Number 4 Write love letters to one another really caught my attention and I have been trying to write a letter everyday and even on the days that I have nothing to write, I remember that the important thing to do is to tell him I love him. There have been a couple days that my letters have repeated themselves because I believe that you can never tell your husband/wife how much you love them enough
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Yes, our schedules are busy and sometimes we don't see each other until we lay down to go to sleep, but I know that I will never forget how much Parke loves me and how much I love him because my favorite part of my day is when Parke wraps me in his arms, kisses me softly, and squeezes me tight to his chest before we go to bed.
That is my safe place and I always know that he will be there for me just as God is always there for me when I need a tight hug and soft kiss.
God has blessed me more than I deserve and He will continue to do so and He has begun to lay down a path that Parke and I will walk down together, holding hands, to reach lives for His kingdom and we will inherit a BEAUTIFUL kingdom because we are following God's way and not our own!!!
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I will leave you with these few verses:
1 Corinthins 13:4-7 -
"4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (NLT)
Proverbs 2:6-9
"For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.”
GOD BLESS YOU ALL IN YOUR DAILY LIVES & I PRAY GOD STAYS WITH YOU IN EVERYTHING YOU AND EVERYWHERE YOU GO & WITH EVERYONE YOU MEET!!!
REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON CHRIST AND HE WILL ALWAYS BE THERE WHEN YOU NEED HIM...
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK =)
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Love Is Always There...
Lyrics to Love Never Fails (Brandon Heath) :
Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most
Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside
Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you
Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time
Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you
When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this
Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life
Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most
Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside
Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you
Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time
Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you
When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this
Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life
Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you
Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most
Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside
Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you
Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time
Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you
When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this
Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life
Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most
Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside
Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you
Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time
Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you
When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this
Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life
Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
10 Ideas to Make Time for Your Spouse...
This is for the married people!!!
My dad sent this to me in an e-mail and I thought it hit a lot of important points...
March 26, 2012
10 Ideas to Make Time for Your Spouse
by Mary May Larmoyeux
My husband, Jim, and I have been married for more than 30 years and we consider one another to be best friends. Despite this, we have to intentionally keep our relationship and marriage on the front burner of life.
Finding time to be with just one another is important to Jim and me. But I confess, it’s not always an easy thing to do. And this isn’t just our isolated problem. It’s common in most marriages—regardless of age.
The following 10 ideas can help you and me intentionally make time for our spouse:
1. Cultivate a common interest. Your spouse should be your best friend, and friends enjoy spending time with one another. If you and your spouse have different hobbies, find something that you both enjoy doing and do it together. You may want to go bike riding, walk together at the end of a long day, play tennis, or learn how to ballroom dance. Shared experiences enrich marriages and deepen friendship.
“I realized that our relationship had to be a higher priority than my hobbies,” says FamilyLife President Dennis Rainey of his early days of marriage. “Barbara and I had to decide what we wanted to be at the end of our lives—two people who had grown old together as partners or two people who had grown old alone.”
2. Have a regular date night. If you don’t have a relative nearby who would gladly watch your kids, then consider swapping babysitting with a friend on a regular basis. For example, you would watch their kids on the first Friday of every month and they would watch your kids on the second Saturday of every month.
With a little imagination, you can also plan some great dates at home … not only while the kids are sleeping, but also while they are enjoying pizza or watching a special movie.
3. Try new adventures together. We only live this life once. Try doing something different to force yourself out of the rut of normal day-to-day living. If you and your spouse would like to do something a little more daring, consider activities such as skydiving, scuba diving, mountain climbing, etc.
“When my husband, Jim, and I said, ‘I do’ 37 years ago, I never envisioned myself camping on a budget or whizzing through the countryside on the back of a motorcycle,” LaRue Launius says. “And Jim never imagined himself thousands of feet up in the air. But God has used these experiences, and countless others, to gradually knit our hearts together as best friends.”
4. Write love letters to one another and read them over a romantic dinner. Writing letters is almost a lost art form today. You may want to redeem it by regularly expressing your love to your spouse in a letter. Then read it to your spouse over a romantic dinner.
You could purchase special wooden boxes for your love letters. Or, record them in individual journals as a lasting reminder to your legacy of your love for one another.
If you’re not sure how to begin writing your letter, read “Tips for Writing a Notable Love Letter.”
5. Go on overnight getaways—without the kids. The possibilities are endless. Many state parks have great campsites and beautiful lodges. Staying at a nearby bed and breakfast can be a real treat. Also, hotels often have special weekend getaway packages.
Bill and Carolyn Wellons have written a getaway guide for couples titled, Getting Away to Get It Together. After being married for 10 years, they discovered a secret that re-energizes their relationship—regular getaways. “We may relax at a friend’s lake house, camp at a state park, or book a resort condominium in the off-season,” Bill explains. “God has continued to teach us to step off life’s treadmill and examine the health of our relationship. When we evaluate where we are heading, we reap a fabulous return on investment.”
6. Set aside regular time to talk with one another—without any distractions. Make time to focus on one another and talk about the day’s events. When our children were young, my husband and I tried to visit together for 10-15 minutes before dinner each evening—just the two of us. You and your spouse may want to do this after the kids go to bed. The important thing is to share heart-to-heart and face-to-face.
If the kids are in school, you may want to have lunch together once a week. Put it on the calendar and make definite appointments. I read about a pastor who did this for years. He had a standing invitation for lunch one day a week that could not be broken—lunch with his wife.
7. Read a book together and discuss it over coffee at a local coffeehouse or bookstore. Take turns choosing the books. If a movie has been made out of the book, read and discuss it together and then watch the movie. Compare the book to the movie.
You could also go through one of the HomeBuilders Bible studies® as a couple. Although these Bible studies are designed for small groups, you could do one with your spouse. Studies include Building Teamwork in Marriage, Improving Communication in Your Marriage, and Growing Together in Christ.
8. Be accountable to one another. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 tells us, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion.”
You may want to ask your spouse to keep you accountable in a certain area. For example, I have a habit of over-committing myself and having way too many things on the to-do list. My husband is great about bringing me back to earth and helping me establish a more balanced schedule.
Being accountable to our spouse requires one-on-one time—whether it’s over coffee in the morning or evaluating a to-do list together in the afternoon.
“Accountability gives each marriage partner freedom and access to the other,” Dennis Rainey writes. He adds that it means asking for advice and gives a spouse the freedom to share honest observations. “It means we're teachable and approachable. We both need to be accountable to the other because each partner is fallible and quite capable of using faulty judgment.”
9. Pray together. When we regularly pray with our spouse, our souls and hearts are uniquely knit together. Sadly, we’ll forget many of the ways God answers our prayers unless we write them down.
You may want to record how God answers your prayers in a notebook. Once or so a year, go on an overnight getaway with your spouse and review it together. Spend some time thanking the Lord for all He has done.
10. Tune-up your marriage at a Weekend to Remember® marriage getaway. Attending a Weekend to Remember will help you get away from the distractions of life and focus on one another.
“We had a wonderful time,” one wife wrote after attending a recent Weekend to Remember. “Everyone was so welcoming. We didn’t come to this as a couple who was looking to save their marriage. We came as a couple who needed a tune-up. We’re running good and would like to keep it that way.
My dad sent this to me in an e-mail and I thought it hit a lot of important points...
March 26, 2012
10 Ideas to Make Time for Your Spouse
by Mary May Larmoyeux
My husband, Jim, and I have been married for more than 30 years and we consider one another to be best friends. Despite this, we have to intentionally keep our relationship and marriage on the front burner of life.
Finding time to be with just one another is important to Jim and me. But I confess, it’s not always an easy thing to do. And this isn’t just our isolated problem. It’s common in most marriages—regardless of age.
The following 10 ideas can help you and me intentionally make time for our spouse:
1. Cultivate a common interest. Your spouse should be your best friend, and friends enjoy spending time with one another. If you and your spouse have different hobbies, find something that you both enjoy doing and do it together. You may want to go bike riding, walk together at the end of a long day, play tennis, or learn how to ballroom dance. Shared experiences enrich marriages and deepen friendship.
“I realized that our relationship had to be a higher priority than my hobbies,” says FamilyLife President Dennis Rainey of his early days of marriage. “Barbara and I had to decide what we wanted to be at the end of our lives—two people who had grown old together as partners or two people who had grown old alone.”
2. Have a regular date night. If you don’t have a relative nearby who would gladly watch your kids, then consider swapping babysitting with a friend on a regular basis. For example, you would watch their kids on the first Friday of every month and they would watch your kids on the second Saturday of every month.
With a little imagination, you can also plan some great dates at home … not only while the kids are sleeping, but also while they are enjoying pizza or watching a special movie.
3. Try new adventures together. We only live this life once. Try doing something different to force yourself out of the rut of normal day-to-day living. If you and your spouse would like to do something a little more daring, consider activities such as skydiving, scuba diving, mountain climbing, etc.
“When my husband, Jim, and I said, ‘I do’ 37 years ago, I never envisioned myself camping on a budget or whizzing through the countryside on the back of a motorcycle,” LaRue Launius says. “And Jim never imagined himself thousands of feet up in the air. But God has used these experiences, and countless others, to gradually knit our hearts together as best friends.”
4. Write love letters to one another and read them over a romantic dinner. Writing letters is almost a lost art form today. You may want to redeem it by regularly expressing your love to your spouse in a letter. Then read it to your spouse over a romantic dinner.
You could purchase special wooden boxes for your love letters. Or, record them in individual journals as a lasting reminder to your legacy of your love for one another.
If you’re not sure how to begin writing your letter, read “Tips for Writing a Notable Love Letter.”
5. Go on overnight getaways—without the kids. The possibilities are endless. Many state parks have great campsites and beautiful lodges. Staying at a nearby bed and breakfast can be a real treat. Also, hotels often have special weekend getaway packages.
Bill and Carolyn Wellons have written a getaway guide for couples titled, Getting Away to Get It Together. After being married for 10 years, they discovered a secret that re-energizes their relationship—regular getaways. “We may relax at a friend’s lake house, camp at a state park, or book a resort condominium in the off-season,” Bill explains. “God has continued to teach us to step off life’s treadmill and examine the health of our relationship. When we evaluate where we are heading, we reap a fabulous return on investment.”
6. Set aside regular time to talk with one another—without any distractions. Make time to focus on one another and talk about the day’s events. When our children were young, my husband and I tried to visit together for 10-15 minutes before dinner each evening—just the two of us. You and your spouse may want to do this after the kids go to bed. The important thing is to share heart-to-heart and face-to-face.
If the kids are in school, you may want to have lunch together once a week. Put it on the calendar and make definite appointments. I read about a pastor who did this for years. He had a standing invitation for lunch one day a week that could not be broken—lunch with his wife.
7. Read a book together and discuss it over coffee at a local coffeehouse or bookstore. Take turns choosing the books. If a movie has been made out of the book, read and discuss it together and then watch the movie. Compare the book to the movie.
You could also go through one of the HomeBuilders Bible studies® as a couple. Although these Bible studies are designed for small groups, you could do one with your spouse. Studies include Building Teamwork in Marriage, Improving Communication in Your Marriage, and Growing Together in Christ.
8. Be accountable to one another. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 tells us, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion.”
You may want to ask your spouse to keep you accountable in a certain area. For example, I have a habit of over-committing myself and having way too many things on the to-do list. My husband is great about bringing me back to earth and helping me establish a more balanced schedule.
Being accountable to our spouse requires one-on-one time—whether it’s over coffee in the morning or evaluating a to-do list together in the afternoon.
“Accountability gives each marriage partner freedom and access to the other,” Dennis Rainey writes. He adds that it means asking for advice and gives a spouse the freedom to share honest observations. “It means we're teachable and approachable. We both need to be accountable to the other because each partner is fallible and quite capable of using faulty judgment.”
9. Pray together. When we regularly pray with our spouse, our souls and hearts are uniquely knit together. Sadly, we’ll forget many of the ways God answers our prayers unless we write them down.
You may want to record how God answers your prayers in a notebook. Once or so a year, go on an overnight getaway with your spouse and review it together. Spend some time thanking the Lord for all He has done.
10. Tune-up your marriage at a Weekend to Remember® marriage getaway. Attending a Weekend to Remember will help you get away from the distractions of life and focus on one another.
“We had a wonderful time,” one wife wrote after attending a recent Weekend to Remember. “Everyone was so welcoming. We didn’t come to this as a couple who was looking to save their marriage. We came as a couple who needed a tune-up. We’re running good and would like to keep it that way.
Monday, March 26, 2012
JONAH - The Life Interrupted 3 (part1)
Wow...It's been busy the last few days...
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Let's get right to it shall we!!!...
The reading on the 2nd day of my Jonah study started out with a verse from I Corinthians 3:9, and it says, "For we are God's fellow workers."
Priscilla begins by telling us a story about a women that she knows, who works for one of the most people in the country. She says that her friend had to completely change her lifestyle to fit this position because it was so demanding of her that she be willing to drop what ever she was doing at the exact moment her boss would call her.
She always makes sure her communcation devices are charged up and ready to go at an arms length away for when she is called to do something. When Priscilla asked her if she ever felt overwhelmed or disgusted with having to be able to drop everything in a second, her friend responded my saying "No way. It's an honor to have this job. And he's a nice guy. While everything he asks for is not always convenient, he's very considerate. I want to do a good job.".
When we choose to follow Christ, we are accepting a lifestyle of being open to God's "divine interventions" (God's interruptions). Even though His timing is always perfect, we should have the same attitude as the woman above and be willing to put down everything else that doesn't matter and be willing to serve God in what ever way He would have us. We need to remember that being able to partner with God is an honor because we are given the opportunity to help God fulfill His purposes for this generation. In Psalm 145:17, we are given a promise that will not soon be broken, "The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds."
Partnering with HIm doesnt mean we can't have any plans or ambitions of our own, it just means to hold them loosely and to always leave room to make adjustments as the Lord would have us to do.
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Let's go back and re-write the equations we learned from the previous day...
Based on how Jonah responded to the Lord's calling, would you think he considered it as an interruption or devine intervention?
- I believe that he considered it an interruption because he chose to run from God instead of following what He had said to him first.
Priscilla noted a could more verses to look at and asked that we determine whethere the people refereneced considered God's words to be and interruption or an intervention?
2. Second was, Gideon (Judges 6:11-27):
3. Third was, Cornelius (Acts 10:1-8):
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I will be back to post the second part to this day later, but I have to get some work done now...I pray that your day goes well and that you are able to open your eyes and heart to what God has to say to you...
-----
Let's get right to it shall we!!!...
The reading on the 2nd day of my Jonah study started out with a verse from I Corinthians 3:9, and it says, "For we are God's fellow workers."
Priscilla begins by telling us a story about a women that she knows, who works for one of the most people in the country. She says that her friend had to completely change her lifestyle to fit this position because it was so demanding of her that she be willing to drop what ever she was doing at the exact moment her boss would call her.
She always makes sure her communcation devices are charged up and ready to go at an arms length away for when she is called to do something. When Priscilla asked her if she ever felt overwhelmed or disgusted with having to be able to drop everything in a second, her friend responded my saying "No way. It's an honor to have this job. And he's a nice guy. While everything he asks for is not always convenient, he's very considerate. I want to do a good job.".
When we choose to follow Christ, we are accepting a lifestyle of being open to God's "divine interventions" (God's interruptions). Even though His timing is always perfect, we should have the same attitude as the woman above and be willing to put down everything else that doesn't matter and be willing to serve God in what ever way He would have us. We need to remember that being able to partner with God is an honor because we are given the opportunity to help God fulfill His purposes for this generation. In Psalm 145:17, we are given a promise that will not soon be broken, "The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds."
Partnering with HIm doesnt mean we can't have any plans or ambitions of our own, it just means to hold them loosely and to always leave room to make adjustments as the Lord would have us to do.
-----
Let's go back and re-write the equations we learned from the previous day...
- Insignificant Person + Insignificant Task = Interruption
- Significan Person + Significant Tast = Divine Intervention
Based on how Jonah responded to the Lord's calling, would you think he considered it as an interruption or devine intervention?
- I believe that he considered it an interruption because he chose to run from God instead of following what He had said to him first.
Priscilla noted a could more verses to look at and asked that we determine whethere the people refereneced considered God's words to be and interruption or an intervention?
- First was, Noah (Gen. 6:13-14, 17-22):
- 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress[a] wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.
- 17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.” 22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
2. Second was, Gideon (Judges 6:11-27):
- 11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” 13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”
And the LORD said, “I will wait until you return.”
19 Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah[a] of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.
20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. 21 Then the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”
23 But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”
24 So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25 That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old.[b] Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole[c] beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind of[d] altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second[e] bull as a burnt offering.”
27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.
3. Third was, Cornelius (Acts 10:1-8):
- 1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
-----
I will be back to post the second part to this day later, but I have to get some work done now...I pray that your day goes well and that you are able to open your eyes and heart to what God has to say to you...
Saturday, March 24, 2012
The BIG Day!!!
Well... two of my good friends are finally getting married today =) and I can't wait to see them!!!!!
-----
Marriage is a wonderful thing for two people that are in love.
-----
Marriage is a wonderful thing for two people that are in love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,
but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have a faith that can move mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,
but have not love, I gain nothing.
but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have a faith that can move mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,
but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient,
love is kind.
It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It is not rude,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
Love never fails.
But where there are prophecies,
they will cease;
where there are tongues,
they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge,
it will pass away.
love is kind.
It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It is not rude,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
Love never fails.
But where there are prophecies,
they will cease;
where there are tongues,
they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge,
it will pass away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child,
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror;
then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,
even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child,
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror;
then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,
even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
-----
CONGRATULATIONS TO JASON AND MONICA!!!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Jonah - The Interrupted Life 2
DAY 1:
I AM JONAH
"The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son Amittai saying.." Jonah 1:1
I am Jonah.
I want to serve God,
as long as it is convenient.
I desire to do His will...
until it is a tad uncomfortable
I want to hear His Word...
as long as its message is one I'm supposed
to pass on to someone else.
I don't want to have my plans interrupted.
Oh yes, I am Jonah, and I suspect that in
one way or another, you are too.
---
Let me start by asking you a couple questions I was asked yesterday during my study time...
Has your life ever been interrupted???
[ x ] yes [ ] no [ ] not sure
Have you ever run from God???
[ x ] yes [ ] no [ ] not sure
Think about it...
---
Throught the years, many people have come to believe that the story of Jonah is too good to be true ( I know you've been told that if it seems to good to be true, it probably is), but in this case it is true!
People can't seem to believe that teh events could really happen - such as, a great storm, big fish swallowing a man, the city's revival, the east wind, and the plant that all make this story a role in this compelling narrative.
I can't help but believe that this truely happened because I am a firm believer in Christ and I know with Him, all things are possible!!!
---
If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, then you are Jonah and his story is your story.
***I hate to be interrupted!
Now you say it... "I HATE BEING INTERRUPTED!"***
***Take a few moments to think about some of your life goals that you've yet to see become reality... How has life tampered with those goals???
-----------
- I thought that I would be a teacher after I graduated college but when I got there I ended up changing my major four times and decided to get a degree in business. Even though I am uncertain what I am supposed to do with this, I have been able to hold a job in my degree since I was 18 years old and I am done with school and I am also married to a wonderful man who loves God. I believe that if I would have stayed with my original plan I would still be in school and I also would have never met my husband. We are now in the process of following a new path that God has set before both of us in ministry, and even though we are scared, we are excited to see what God is going to do in our lives.
-----------
In my book Priscilla made the statement - Some changes we are delighted with, other disappoint us and leave us buried in questions. Without a firm belief in the goodness and the care of God, we can spend years mad at ourselves, others, and even mad at Him because we did not get to acomplish what we originally set out to do.
***Now take a moment and think of three adjectives that describe how you feel about interruptions you've faced in your life plans:
-----------
I learned that often times we tend to define the word 'interruption" as being terrible, and we have good reason to because most of the time it is... But if we take a closer look, we realize that there is an issue of value. We generally put priority on the things that we plan for ourselves and don't like it when we have to steer away of that.
In II Kings 14:25 we learn what Jonah's priorities were:
II Kings 14:25 says, "King Jeroboam restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prohet who was of Gath-hepher."
***Do you remember what Jonah's job was? He was a prophet of the Lord
***Do you think he was successful at his job?
I believe he was because the verse states that the king restored the borders according to the word of God.
As a prophet to the kingdom of Israel, Jonah's priorities were:
***From you personal goals you thought about, would you say you gave highest importance to God and His will???
- I haven't...
-----------
Now, you may be wondering what else we know about Jonah other than the fact that he is a prophet of God... Well, we don't really know much about his life prior to what is in the book of Jonah. All we know is that he foretold good things for his people so he must have been popular, respected, and appreciated and more than likely had financial security.
Jonah 1:3 says, 3But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His prophet] and went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish [the most remote of the Phoenician trading places then known]. So he paid the appointed fare and went down into the ship to go with them to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His servant and minister].
***What might this verse reveal about Jonah's financial security???
- To me, it seems that he was very secure because he was able to pay the fare, but I can't be 100% sure because it doesn't state how he paid the fare (ex. if it was through trade or money, etc.) ***
-----------
At the beginning of this study we learned that Jonah's life was interrupted in the very first verse of the first chapter in Jonah when "the word of the Lord came" to him. His priorities and comforts were completely disrupted and set of the course he had planned.
***What do you think might have been some of the comforts Jonah had to leave behind in Israel to follow God's instructions???
- I am currently still trying to figure out what my comforts are...
***What challenges doyou think you will face that will amke it difficult for you to see life interruptions in a positive way?
This study of Jonah is supposed to help me/us redefine interruptions when it comes to our relationship with God. If we make Him our priority and His will out primary purpose, then when "the word of the Lord" comes to us or when He allows us to see His hand in our circumstances, we must see it as an essteemed opportunity to participate in the kingdom purpose.
Priscilla redefined the meaning of "interruption" in her study book as this, "God's plan is a "Divine Intervention" not and "interruption".
She gave a few equations for me/us to consider:
- To me, when we choose to follow our own path, we will never be able to succeed and be happy, but when we choose to follow God's path and accept His will, we will be able to be successful in everything we do and also feel satisfied.
-----------
In closing, I would like to just take a moment and state a few other things that Priscilla has noted:
If you find yourself balking at God's instructions inyour life, it is an indication of the importance you place on God and His will.
Interruptions only become positive when we consider the person or the circumstances interrupting to be more significant than that which currently occupies our attention.
To handle life's interruptions appropriately, the prophet needed a fresh view of God!
-----------
I pray that you take in what God is saying to you because it is a GREAT priviledge to be able to hear the voice of God!
I AM JONAH
"The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son Amittai saying.." Jonah 1:1
I am Jonah.
I want to serve God,
as long as it is convenient.
I desire to do His will...
until it is a tad uncomfortable
I want to hear His Word...
as long as its message is one I'm supposed
to pass on to someone else.
I don't want to have my plans interrupted.
Oh yes, I am Jonah, and I suspect that in
one way or another, you are too.
---
Let me start by asking you a couple questions I was asked yesterday during my study time...
Has your life ever been interrupted???
[ x ] yes [ ] no [ ] not sure
Have you ever run from God???
[ x ] yes [ ] no [ ] not sure
Think about it...
---
Throught the years, many people have come to believe that the story of Jonah is too good to be true ( I know you've been told that if it seems to good to be true, it probably is), but in this case it is true!
People can't seem to believe that teh events could really happen - such as, a great storm, big fish swallowing a man, the city's revival, the east wind, and the plant that all make this story a role in this compelling narrative.
I can't help but believe that this truely happened because I am a firm believer in Christ and I know with Him, all things are possible!!!
---
If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, then you are Jonah and his story is your story.
***I hate to be interrupted!
Now you say it... "I HATE BEING INTERRUPTED!"***
***Take a few moments to think about some of your life goals that you've yet to see become reality... How has life tampered with those goals???
-----------
- I thought that I would be a teacher after I graduated college but when I got there I ended up changing my major four times and decided to get a degree in business. Even though I am uncertain what I am supposed to do with this, I have been able to hold a job in my degree since I was 18 years old and I am done with school and I am also married to a wonderful man who loves God. I believe that if I would have stayed with my original plan I would still be in school and I also would have never met my husband. We are now in the process of following a new path that God has set before both of us in ministry, and even though we are scared, we are excited to see what God is going to do in our lives.
-----------
In my book Priscilla made the statement - Some changes we are delighted with, other disappoint us and leave us buried in questions. Without a firm belief in the goodness and the care of God, we can spend years mad at ourselves, others, and even mad at Him because we did not get to acomplish what we originally set out to do.
***Now take a moment and think of three adjectives that describe how you feel about interruptions you've faced in your life plans:
-----------
- Excited
- Scared
- Surprised
I learned that often times we tend to define the word 'interruption" as being terrible, and we have good reason to because most of the time it is... But if we take a closer look, we realize that there is an issue of value. We generally put priority on the things that we plan for ourselves and don't like it when we have to steer away of that.
In II Kings 14:25 we learn what Jonah's priorities were:
II Kings 14:25 says, "King Jeroboam restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prohet who was of Gath-hepher."
***Do you remember what Jonah's job was? He was a prophet of the Lord
***Do you think he was successful at his job?
I believe he was because the verse states that the king restored the borders according to the word of God.
As a prophet to the kingdom of Israel, Jonah's priorities were:
- Hearing from God
- Declaring God's message to His people
- Being identified as a true prophet of God
***From you personal goals you thought about, would you say you gave highest importance to God and His will???
- I haven't...
-----------
Now, you may be wondering what else we know about Jonah other than the fact that he is a prophet of God... Well, we don't really know much about his life prior to what is in the book of Jonah. All we know is that he foretold good things for his people so he must have been popular, respected, and appreciated and more than likely had financial security.
Jonah 1:3 says, 3But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His prophet] and went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish [the most remote of the Phoenician trading places then known]. So he paid the appointed fare and went down into the ship to go with them to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His servant and minister].
***What might this verse reveal about Jonah's financial security???
- To me, it seems that he was very secure because he was able to pay the fare, but I can't be 100% sure because it doesn't state how he paid the fare (ex. if it was through trade or money, etc.) ***
-----------
At the beginning of this study we learned that Jonah's life was interrupted in the very first verse of the first chapter in Jonah when "the word of the Lord came" to him. His priorities and comforts were completely disrupted and set of the course he had planned.
***What do you think might have been some of the comforts Jonah had to leave behind in Israel to follow God's instructions???
- his family
- his home
- his job (if he had one other than being a prophet)
- I am currently still trying to figure out what my comforts are...
***What challenges doyou think you will face that will amke it difficult for you to see life interruptions in a positive way?
- my stubborness
- letting go
- not being in control of certain things
This study of Jonah is supposed to help me/us redefine interruptions when it comes to our relationship with God. If we make Him our priority and His will out primary purpose, then when "the word of the Lord" comes to us or when He allows us to see His hand in our circumstances, we must see it as an essteemed opportunity to participate in the kingdom purpose.
Priscilla redefined the meaning of "interruption" in her study book as this, "God's plan is a "Divine Intervention" not and "interruption".
She gave a few equations for me/us to consider:
- Insignificant Person + Insignificant Task = Interruption
- Significant Person + Significant Task = Divine Intervention
- To me, when we choose to follow our own path, we will never be able to succeed and be happy, but when we choose to follow God's path and accept His will, we will be able to be successful in everything we do and also feel satisfied.
-----------
In closing, I would like to just take a moment and state a few other things that Priscilla has noted:
If you find yourself balking at God's instructions inyour life, it is an indication of the importance you place on God and His will.
Interruptions only become positive when we consider the person or the circumstances interrupting to be more significant than that which currently occupies our attention.
To handle life's interruptions appropriately, the prophet needed a fresh view of God!
-----------
I pray that you take in what God is saying to you because it is a GREAT priviledge to be able to hear the voice of God!
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