Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
YOU ARE PREGNANT WITH IDEAS AND SKILLS NO ONE HAS.
Nothing happens unless first we dream.- Dreams are the touchstones of our character.You have to PUSH through travailing prayer.
In life, many thoughts are born in the course of a moment, an hour, a day. Some are dreams, some visions. Often, we are unable to distinguish between them. To some, they are the same; however, not all dreams are visions. Much energy is lost in fanciful dreams that never bear fruit. But visions are messages from the Great Spirit, each for a different purpose in life. Consequently, one person's vision may not be that of another. ( Habakkuk 2:2) And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
To have a vision, one must be prepared to receive it, and when it comes, to accept it. Thus when these inner urges become reality, only then can visions be fulfilled. The spiritual side of life knows everyone's heart and who to trust. How could a vision ever be given to someone to harbor if that person could not be trusted to carry it out. The message is simple: commitment precedes vision.
I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams.... without darkness Nothing comes to birth, As without light Nothing flowers.
PUSHING TO BREAKTHROUGH.
And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. (Isaiah 37:3)
When pregnant woman are told by their doctor you are in nine centimeters dilated and in a few minutes, it would be time to push. I waited for about fifteen minutes and I got the urge to push. Three ten-second pushes and there was little baby( Dream and Vision ) is birthed.Our push is travailing in prayer the less you push the more risky the baby is,so be on the safe side of prayer.
We are not born all at once, but by bits. The body first, and the spirit later; and the birth and growth of the spirit, in those who are attentive to their own inner life, are slow and exceedingly painful. Our mothers are racked with the pains of our physical birth; we ourselves suffer the longer pains of our spiritual growth.
"Hezekiah says, 'This is a black day. We're in crisis. We're like pregnant women without even the strength to have a baby!I encourage you to stand strong and be courageous for your dreams and visions shall birth-forth. Take care, your worship, those things over there are not giants but windmills.
HEZEKIAH: PRAYERS TO GOD OF HEAVEN.
Then Hezekiah prayed to God: "God-of-the-Angel-Armies, enthroned over the cherubim-angels, you are God, the only God there is, God of all kingdoms on earth. You made heaven and earth. Listen, O God, and hear. Look, O God, and see. Mark all these words of Sennacherib that he sent to mock the living God. It's quite true, O God, that the kings of Assyria have devastated all the nations and their lands. They've thrown their gods into the trash and burned them—no great achievement since they were no-gods anyway, gods made in workshops, carved from wood and chiseled from rock. An end to the no-gods! But now step in, O God, our God. Save us from him. Let all the kingdoms of earth know that you and you alone are God."
GOD'S ANSWER TO KING HEZEKIAH.
Finally, this is God's verdict on the king of Assyria:
"'Don't worry, he won't enter this city,won't let loose a single arrow, Won't brandish so much as one shield, let alone build a siege ramp against it. He'll go back the same way he came.He won't set a foot in this city.God's Decree. I've got my hand on this city to save it, Save it for my very own sake,but also for the sake of my David dynasty.'"
When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Avoiding Titanic recipe in Dating (How to Get Him to Fall in Love with You.).
Rori Raye Dating Advice How to Get Him to Fall in Love with You
If you've been struggling to get the man you're with to fully BE in the relationship with you - to commit his heart and his mind to you - to fall "IN love" with you and not just "love you," then you know men don't "work" the same way we women do.
You know there's got to be some way to make this kind of love happen for you, but you just haven't found it yet.
And you know for sure that what you've been doing - in fact, what you've always done (and most all of us woman have always done) - doesn't work.
If you're feeling stuck like this, you're not alone.
I was there most of my life.
I'd get involved with one man way too quickly, give him my whole heart - even if he said he wasn't ready for a relationship or wasn't in love with me - and then break my own heart.
While I was writing this letter to you, I found myself going back over my whole history of my love life. Old feelings came back to me, and memories I didn't know I had.
Along with the horrible memories of Imaginary Relationships there were memories of some men who'd loved me, but who I hadn't loved. There were memories of a man I thought I'd lost because of the mistakes I was making, but in the memory, just being with him feels bad.
I'm so glad I took a moment to look back at this, because it really comes down to what I teach - that you can use everything that's ever happened to you to QUICKLY get the man and the relationship you really want.
It's as though everything else was a warm-up to my husband.
I realize now how scared I was of the "Real Thing." And how long I pushed it away.
If you're like I was, you think that being "cool" and "helpful" and "nice" and even "understanding" is the way to a man's heart. And, If you're like I was, and so many of my clients are, you've worked hard to ACT "cool" and "helpful" and "nice" and "understanding" - and even "sexy," and just been shocked when, not only does that NOT make your man come closer - it seems to create even MORE distance between you.
And then - you get angry. Angry and resentful and tense.
And we all know what happens then.
We start to feel totally unappreciated, and we tell him so. We start asking for the "basics" that we should always be getting from a man - affection, attention, great sex, fun, and we start feeling hurt and telling him he's hurting us. Every time we just try to "express" ourselves and tell him what's wrong in the relationship and how it could be so much better - an argument starts. Pretty soon every conversation ends in angry words, and pretty soon conversation stops - because no one wants to fight, and yet - there's a fight about everything.
Sometimes we get so frustrated we want to leave, but most of the time we get so frustrated we just want to shake him. When this goes on for awhile, we can get discouraged. We decide to work even harder at the relationship, and then what happens?
It all gets worse.
Or we give up.
Well, I won't let you give up. And you don't have to.
There's a way to undo all the damage that's happened and a way to make sure the painful patterns of anger and frustration never even get started.
If you want to take the next step in understanding how to avoid all of these traps, find your inner confidence and either set the relationship you have right again or start off a new relationship in a foolproof new way.
Most of us think a relationship is about emotions, and we're right about that - but we ususally end up focusing on the WRONG emotions - his. So many of us get caught up in trying to make something happen on HIS END of the relationship - and that's when we lose everything.
The moment we start trying to manipulate him, or use strategy or play games to "get" him, or cover over our real selves in order to "please" him, we kill the love that's already there, and cut ourselves off from love in the future.
The moment we focus on HIM, instead of on ourselves, we lose ground.
But doing the opposite seems impossible. It seems hard. It seems way too scary - like letting go of the wheel of a car, or letting go of the rails when you're up high or moving fast. And sometimes it feels impossible because we've never ever seen any other woman DO IT - and we have no clues about how to do it for ourselves.
So, how does a man fall in love?
And what does he love about you?
Well, first of all, if he's dating you, he's interested in you. So many of us feel so bad about ourselves we feel honored just to be asked out - and that's not the way it is. He's asking you out because he's attracted to you, he's interested in you, and he wants to spend time with you.
But here's a good question - does he have a checklist of his own for falling in love?
You know - the woman he falls for has to look a certain way, act a certain way, do certain things, have a certain background or certain skills?
And the answer is - sure he has a checklist - going in. That means, he thinks he has a "type" and he thinks he knows what he wants. But all that goes out the window when he sees you.
Attraction has nothing to do with a checklist.
And I'm not talking about sexual attraction (which is something most men can feel for almost any woman). I'm talking about EMOTIONAL attraction.
Emotional Attraction, for a man, can happen instantly. And that's what you want to invite him to do - be instantly emotionally attracted to you.
And that attraction will only GROW with time, as you allow him to see more and more of you by expressing your feelings in a way he can truly, deeply connect with, and let yourself be vulnerable in his presence.
The one thing I'd always done, and the thing that absolutely stops emotional attraction cold and starts resentment and fighting is PRETENDING.
And most of us are so afraid of "rocking the boat" or "looking bad" or "being weak" that we pretend to be strong and end up closing ourselves off from our men.
And instead of our feelings coming out all soft and true and clear and authenic and emotionally appealing - they way they REALLY ARE - they come out all spiky and angry and forward leaning. They come out as complaining and demanding and attacking.
And if we DON'T let them out that way, then we hold them in so long we either explode one day and destroy everything, or we get sick inside.
I don't want you to have to go through any of that.
I want you to know what it took me so long to learn. How to let your feelings out without pushing a man away. How to use everything you've ever experienced, even the painful things, to bring him close. How to just BE with a man so he'll feel helplessly, deeply, emotionally attracted to you, fall for you, and work hard to keep YOU.
That's the way it happens for a man, and it's my mission to help you have that experience, right now.
The thing is, if you THINK you're expressing yourself now, but he isn't falling, chances are you're doing it the old way - the way that doesn't work. If you're feeling angry and resentful and thinking it's HIS FAULT, then chances are that the way you're looking at this is a big part of the problem. It's likely that the way you're looking at it is actually both CAUSING you to be upset, and causing HIM to upset you in the first place.
If you're tired of doing things the same way and getting the same results, then you may be ready to take a new step in a different direction.
Instead of going down the road that leads to the same old places and same old romance dead- ends, you can undo the damage and quickly learn to do what actually WORKS so a man won't be able to help himself - he'll just fall in love with you.
You can change your love life from a string of Imaginary, painful relationships into the one relationship you really want. The one that will last you your whole life long.
Love, Rori
If you've been struggling to get the man you're with to fully BE in the relationship with you - to commit his heart and his mind to you - to fall "IN love" with you and not just "love you," then you know men don't "work" the same way we women do.
You know there's got to be some way to make this kind of love happen for you, but you just haven't found it yet.
And you know for sure that what you've been doing - in fact, what you've always done (and most all of us woman have always done) - doesn't work.
If you're feeling stuck like this, you're not alone.
I was there most of my life.
I'd get involved with one man way too quickly, give him my whole heart - even if he said he wasn't ready for a relationship or wasn't in love with me - and then break my own heart.
While I was writing this letter to you, I found myself going back over my whole history of my love life. Old feelings came back to me, and memories I didn't know I had.
Along with the horrible memories of Imaginary Relationships there were memories of some men who'd loved me, but who I hadn't loved. There were memories of a man I thought I'd lost because of the mistakes I was making, but in the memory, just being with him feels bad.
I'm so glad I took a moment to look back at this, because it really comes down to what I teach - that you can use everything that's ever happened to you to QUICKLY get the man and the relationship you really want.
It's as though everything else was a warm-up to my husband.
I realize now how scared I was of the "Real Thing." And how long I pushed it away.
If you're like I was, you think that being "cool" and "helpful" and "nice" and even "understanding" is the way to a man's heart. And, If you're like I was, and so many of my clients are, you've worked hard to ACT "cool" and "helpful" and "nice" and "understanding" - and even "sexy," and just been shocked when, not only does that NOT make your man come closer - it seems to create even MORE distance between you.
And then - you get angry. Angry and resentful and tense.
And we all know what happens then.
We start to feel totally unappreciated, and we tell him so. We start asking for the "basics" that we should always be getting from a man - affection, attention, great sex, fun, and we start feeling hurt and telling him he's hurting us. Every time we just try to "express" ourselves and tell him what's wrong in the relationship and how it could be so much better - an argument starts. Pretty soon every conversation ends in angry words, and pretty soon conversation stops - because no one wants to fight, and yet - there's a fight about everything.
Sometimes we get so frustrated we want to leave, but most of the time we get so frustrated we just want to shake him. When this goes on for awhile, we can get discouraged. We decide to work even harder at the relationship, and then what happens?
It all gets worse.
Or we give up.
Well, I won't let you give up. And you don't have to.
There's a way to undo all the damage that's happened and a way to make sure the painful patterns of anger and frustration never even get started.
If you want to take the next step in understanding how to avoid all of these traps, find your inner confidence and either set the relationship you have right again or start off a new relationship in a foolproof new way.
Most of us think a relationship is about emotions, and we're right about that - but we ususally end up focusing on the WRONG emotions - his. So many of us get caught up in trying to make something happen on HIS END of the relationship - and that's when we lose everything.
The moment we start trying to manipulate him, or use strategy or play games to "get" him, or cover over our real selves in order to "please" him, we kill the love that's already there, and cut ourselves off from love in the future.
The moment we focus on HIM, instead of on ourselves, we lose ground.
But doing the opposite seems impossible. It seems hard. It seems way too scary - like letting go of the wheel of a car, or letting go of the rails when you're up high or moving fast. And sometimes it feels impossible because we've never ever seen any other woman DO IT - and we have no clues about how to do it for ourselves.
So, how does a man fall in love?
And what does he love about you?
Well, first of all, if he's dating you, he's interested in you. So many of us feel so bad about ourselves we feel honored just to be asked out - and that's not the way it is. He's asking you out because he's attracted to you, he's interested in you, and he wants to spend time with you.
But here's a good question - does he have a checklist of his own for falling in love?
You know - the woman he falls for has to look a certain way, act a certain way, do certain things, have a certain background or certain skills?
And the answer is - sure he has a checklist - going in. That means, he thinks he has a "type" and he thinks he knows what he wants. But all that goes out the window when he sees you.
Attraction has nothing to do with a checklist.
And I'm not talking about sexual attraction (which is something most men can feel for almost any woman). I'm talking about EMOTIONAL attraction.
Emotional Attraction, for a man, can happen instantly. And that's what you want to invite him to do - be instantly emotionally attracted to you.
And that attraction will only GROW with time, as you allow him to see more and more of you by expressing your feelings in a way he can truly, deeply connect with, and let yourself be vulnerable in his presence.
The one thing I'd always done, and the thing that absolutely stops emotional attraction cold and starts resentment and fighting is PRETENDING.
And most of us are so afraid of "rocking the boat" or "looking bad" or "being weak" that we pretend to be strong and end up closing ourselves off from our men.
And instead of our feelings coming out all soft and true and clear and authenic and emotionally appealing - they way they REALLY ARE - they come out all spiky and angry and forward leaning. They come out as complaining and demanding and attacking.
And if we DON'T let them out that way, then we hold them in so long we either explode one day and destroy everything, or we get sick inside.
I don't want you to have to go through any of that.
I want you to know what it took me so long to learn. How to let your feelings out without pushing a man away. How to use everything you've ever experienced, even the painful things, to bring him close. How to just BE with a man so he'll feel helplessly, deeply, emotionally attracted to you, fall for you, and work hard to keep YOU.
That's the way it happens for a man, and it's my mission to help you have that experience, right now.
The thing is, if you THINK you're expressing yourself now, but he isn't falling, chances are you're doing it the old way - the way that doesn't work. If you're feeling angry and resentful and thinking it's HIS FAULT, then chances are that the way you're looking at this is a big part of the problem. It's likely that the way you're looking at it is actually both CAUSING you to be upset, and causing HIM to upset you in the first place.
If you're tired of doing things the same way and getting the same results, then you may be ready to take a new step in a different direction.
Instead of going down the road that leads to the same old places and same old romance dead- ends, you can undo the damage and quickly learn to do what actually WORKS so a man won't be able to help himself - he'll just fall in love with you.
You can change your love life from a string of Imaginary, painful relationships into the one relationship you really want. The one that will last you your whole life long.
Love, Rori
The Lost Art of Praying Together.
Does praying in front of others terrify you?
Jesus promised that "where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20). Praying together is an opportunity to enter into the presence of God in a unique and powerful way. But for many, praying together has become a lost art.
The Lost Art of Praying Together: Rekindling Passion for Prayer, author James Banks reminds us that God responds when His people unite their voices in prayer. Rediscover the power and rewards of joining together in prayer. Make united prayer a priority—in your church, your family, and wherever God's people are gathered together.
Jesus promised that "where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20). Praying together is an opportunity to enter into the presence of God in a unique and powerful way. But for many, praying together has become a lost art.
The Lost Art of Praying Together: Rekindling Passion for Prayer, author James Banks reminds us that God responds when His people unite their voices in prayer. Rediscover the power and rewards of joining together in prayer. Make united prayer a priority—in your church, your family, and wherever God's people are gathered together.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE :THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION.
THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION
The most important question that confronts every man living on this earth is: "Where will I spend my eternity?" The thing that is clear to every one is that man's life on earth, no matter how much prolonged, is short and full of labors, dangers, disasters, adversities, sorrows, fears, and tears.
But all those do not compare neither with the measure nor with the extent of the eternal sufferings that will inflict every sinful man in the fire of hell. When it becomes clear to us that this life is short and that eternity is endless, then we give eternity the priority it deserves in our life.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Thanks, Dad.
We exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children. —1 Thess. 2:11
In the US, more long distance calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day. But on Father’s Day, the most collect calls are made. It seems that children still depend on their fathers to provide, even when they are far away from home.
Fathers are needed and wanted for much more than financial help. While 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 is primarily directed toward church leaders, Paul talks about how their role is similar to a father’s. He states: “You know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children.”
Exhorted is “to call near.” It is easy for fathers to think that all that’s required of them is to bring home a paycheck. But children need their close encouragement.
The word comforted is “to console.” Nothing is more valuable to a child than the time given by a father to listen and talk. Without constant relating, relationships turn cold.
Charged is “to affirm.” Fathers challenge their children by affirming the truth of God’s Word as they live it out in front of them. And even in failings, they affirm what is right through the asking of forgiveness.
How thankful we can be for fathers who help their children “walk worthy of God” (v.12).
We’re thankful for our fathers, Lord,
They’re special gifts from You;
Help us to show we honor them
By what we say and do. —Sper
Good fathers reflect the heavenly Father.
In the US, more long distance calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day. But on Father’s Day, the most collect calls are made. It seems that children still depend on their fathers to provide, even when they are far away from home.
Fathers are needed and wanted for much more than financial help. While 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 is primarily directed toward church leaders, Paul talks about how their role is similar to a father’s. He states: “You know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children.”
Exhorted is “to call near.” It is easy for fathers to think that all that’s required of them is to bring home a paycheck. But children need their close encouragement.
The word comforted is “to console.” Nothing is more valuable to a child than the time given by a father to listen and talk. Without constant relating, relationships turn cold.
Charged is “to affirm.” Fathers challenge their children by affirming the truth of God’s Word as they live it out in front of them. And even in failings, they affirm what is right through the asking of forgiveness.
How thankful we can be for fathers who help their children “walk worthy of God” (v.12).
We’re thankful for our fathers, Lord,
They’re special gifts from You;
Help us to show we honor them
By what we say and do. —Sper
Good fathers reflect the heavenly Father.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A New Normal.
Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. —Romans 6:4
After my doctor announced that I had cancer, I tried to listen to what he said, but I couldn’t. I went home, pulled a blanket over my head, and fell asleep on the couch, as if sleeping could change the diagnosis.
When I finally gained enough strength to tell my loved ones, my friend Judy Schreur said something especially memorable. After expressing her sympathy, she said, “This is what will happen. You will feel really bad for 3 days. Then you will get up, figure out what you have to do, and get on with your life.” Then she added, “I think it has to do with death, burial, and resurrection.”
At the time, I didn’t believe it. I was sure that life as I knew it was over. Nothing would ever be the same. I couldn’t imagine feeling normal again. But she was right. Three days later I woke up and realized I didn’t feel quite so bad. And little by little, despite the physical misery of chemotherapy treatments, my emotional and spiritual condition improved significantly. I “died” to my old reality and was “raised” to a new normal.
Thankfully, God is in the business of resurrection. For those who have died in Christ, the death of one reality means resurrection to a new, glorious normal so that we can “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).
Jesus redeemed us and died in our stead;
In Him we died and rose from the dead.
No longer is death a thing that we dread;
The old is behind us, the new is ahead. —D. De Haan
To be “in Christ” is to share in His life, in His death, and in His resurrection.
After my doctor announced that I had cancer, I tried to listen to what he said, but I couldn’t. I went home, pulled a blanket over my head, and fell asleep on the couch, as if sleeping could change the diagnosis.
When I finally gained enough strength to tell my loved ones, my friend Judy Schreur said something especially memorable. After expressing her sympathy, she said, “This is what will happen. You will feel really bad for 3 days. Then you will get up, figure out what you have to do, and get on with your life.” Then she added, “I think it has to do with death, burial, and resurrection.”
At the time, I didn’t believe it. I was sure that life as I knew it was over. Nothing would ever be the same. I couldn’t imagine feeling normal again. But she was right. Three days later I woke up and realized I didn’t feel quite so bad. And little by little, despite the physical misery of chemotherapy treatments, my emotional and spiritual condition improved significantly. I “died” to my old reality and was “raised” to a new normal.
Thankfully, God is in the business of resurrection. For those who have died in Christ, the death of one reality means resurrection to a new, glorious normal so that we can “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).
Jesus redeemed us and died in our stead;
In Him we died and rose from the dead.
No longer is death a thing that we dread;
The old is behind us, the new is ahead. —D. De Haan
To be “in Christ” is to share in His life, in His death, and in His resurrection.
Comforted To Comfort.
[God] comforts us that we may be able to comfort [others] with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. —2 Corinthians 1:4
While speaking to a group of Christian athletes, I asked them how they normally responded to hardships. Their responses included fear, anger, self-pity, aggression, despair, abusive behavior, apathy, and turning to God. I encouraged them to trust that God would comfort them and then use them to comfort others.
Just as I encouraged those athletes, Paul encouraged a group of believers in a town called Corinth. He reminded them that afflictions were inevitable for the follower of Jesus. Many were being persecuted, imprisoned, and oppressed—all because of their relationship with Jesus. Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that in the midst of their trouble God was their source of help. He would come to their side and help them to have godly responses. Then Paul gave one of the reasons God allowed suffering and brought divine comfort—so that the Corinthians might have the empathy to enter into other people’s sorrow and comfort them (2 Cor. 1:4).
When we suffer, let us remember that God will bring comfort to us through His Word, by the Holy Spirit, and through fellow believers. God does not comfort us so that we’ll be comfortable; we are comforted by God so that we might be comforters.
When you receive God’s comfort,
Be sure to pass it on,
Then give to God the glory
From whom the comfort’s drawn. —Hess
When God permits trials, He also provides comfort.
While speaking to a group of Christian athletes, I asked them how they normally responded to hardships. Their responses included fear, anger, self-pity, aggression, despair, abusive behavior, apathy, and turning to God. I encouraged them to trust that God would comfort them and then use them to comfort others.
Just as I encouraged those athletes, Paul encouraged a group of believers in a town called Corinth. He reminded them that afflictions were inevitable for the follower of Jesus. Many were being persecuted, imprisoned, and oppressed—all because of their relationship with Jesus. Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that in the midst of their trouble God was their source of help. He would come to their side and help them to have godly responses. Then Paul gave one of the reasons God allowed suffering and brought divine comfort—so that the Corinthians might have the empathy to enter into other people’s sorrow and comfort them (2 Cor. 1:4).
When we suffer, let us remember that God will bring comfort to us through His Word, by the Holy Spirit, and through fellow believers. God does not comfort us so that we’ll be comfortable; we are comforted by God so that we might be comforters.
When you receive God’s comfort,
Be sure to pass it on,
Then give to God the glory
From whom the comfort’s drawn. —Hess
When God permits trials, He also provides comfort.
The Persecuted Church.
If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. —1 Peter 4:16
One October morning in 2006, a woman and her six children were forced to witness an attack on their husband and father. His assailants tried to force him to deny Jesus but he refused. He continued to proclaim Christ as Lord and died praying for his family. The family is determined to follow Christ, even in their grief.
Another man was sentenced to 3 years in prison for allegedly insulting another religion. He’s an outspoken Christian with a passion for Christ. He and his wife and children continue to be faithful and refuse to deny Him.
Persecution for the Christian faith is as real in our world as it was for the Jewish believers in the early church to whom Peter wrote. He prayed, “May the God of all grace, . . . after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1 Peter 5:10).
Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. These prayer points from Open Doors USA, a ministry that’s committed to encouraging persecuted Christians, can help guide us as we pray:
• Pray for the safety and faith of the secret believers in countries where it is illegal to share about Christ.
• Pray for the health, perseverance, and encouragement of believers who are imprisoned for the gospel.
• Pray that those whose loved ones have died due to martyrdom will rely on God for their strength.
Together, let’s bring our fellow believers before the Lord in prayer.
The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. —Tertullian
One October morning in 2006, a woman and her six children were forced to witness an attack on their husband and father. His assailants tried to force him to deny Jesus but he refused. He continued to proclaim Christ as Lord and died praying for his family. The family is determined to follow Christ, even in their grief.
Another man was sentenced to 3 years in prison for allegedly insulting another religion. He’s an outspoken Christian with a passion for Christ. He and his wife and children continue to be faithful and refuse to deny Him.
Persecution for the Christian faith is as real in our world as it was for the Jewish believers in the early church to whom Peter wrote. He prayed, “May the God of all grace, . . . after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1 Peter 5:10).
Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. These prayer points from Open Doors USA, a ministry that’s committed to encouraging persecuted Christians, can help guide us as we pray:
• Pray for the safety and faith of the secret believers in countries where it is illegal to share about Christ.
• Pray for the health, perseverance, and encouragement of believers who are imprisoned for the gospel.
• Pray that those whose loved ones have died due to martyrdom will rely on God for their strength.
Together, let’s bring our fellow believers before the Lord in prayer.
The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. —Tertullian
How To Help Those Who Hurt.
When I have asked suffering people, “Who helped you?” not one person has mentioned a PhD from a prestigious seminary or a famous philosopher. All of us have the same capacity to help those who hurt.
No one can package or bottle the “appropriate” response to suffering. If you go to the sufferers themselves, some will recall a friend who cheerily helped distract them from their illness. Others think such an approach insulting. Some want honest, straightforward talk; others find such discussion unbearably depressing.
There is no magic cure for a person in pain. Mainly, such a person needs love, for love instinctively detects what is needed. Jean Vanier, who founded the L’Arche movement for the developmentally disabled, says: “Wounded people who have been broken by suffering and sickness ask for only one thing: a heart that loves and commits itself to them, a heart full of hope for them.”
Such a love may be painful for us. But real love, the apostle Paul reminds us, “Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:7).
As is so often His pattern, God uses very ordinary people to bring about His healing. Those who suffer don’t need our knowledge and wisdom, they need our love.
O brother man, fold to thy heart thy brother!
Where pity dwells, the peace of God is there;
To worship rightly is to love each other,
Each smile a hymn, each kindly deed a prayer. —Whittier
They do not truly love who do not show their love. —Shakespeare
How To Help Those Who Hurt.
When I have asked suffering people, “Who helped you?” not one person has mentioned a PhD from a prestigious seminary or a famous philosopher. All of us have the same capacity to help those who hurt.
No one can package or bottle the “appropriate” response to suffering. If you go to the sufferers themselves, some will recall a friend who cheerily helped distract them from their illness. Others think such an approach insulting. Some want honest, straightforward talk; others find such discussion unbearably depressing.
There is no magic cure for a person in pain. Mainly, such a person needs love, for love instinctively detects what is needed. Jean Vanier, who founded the L’Arche movement for the developmentally disabled, says: “Wounded people who have been broken by suffering and sickness ask for only one thing: a heart that loves and commits itself to them, a heart full of hope for them.”
Such a love may be painful for us. But real love, the apostle Paul reminds us, “Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:7).
As is so often His pattern, God uses very ordinary people to bring about His healing. Those who suffer don’t need our knowledge and wisdom, they need our love.
O brother man, fold to thy heart thy brother!
Where pity dwells, the peace of God is there;
To worship rightly is to love each other,
Each smile a hymn, each kindly deed a prayer. —Whittier
They do not truly love who do not show their love. —Shakespeare
Get Moving! (1)
Abide in Me . . . —John 15:4
In the matter of determination. The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by way of the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I then have to build my thinking patiently to bring it into perfect harmony with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus— I have to do it myself. I have to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 ). “Abide in Me”— in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. Our lives are not made up of only one neatly confined area.
Am I preventing God from doing things in my circumstances by saying that it will only serve to hinder my fellowship with Him? How irrelevant and disrespectful that is! It does not matter what my circumstances are. I can be as much assured of abiding in Jesus in any one of them as I am in any prayer meeting. It is unnecessary to change and arrange my circumstances myself. Our Lord’s inner abiding was pure and unblemished. He was at home with God wherever His body was. He never chose His own circumstances, but was meek, submitting to His Father’s plans and directions for Him. Just think of how amazingly relaxed our Lord’s life was! But we tend to keep God at a fever pitch in our lives. We have none of the serenity of the life which is “hidden with Christ in God” ( Colossians 3:3 ).
Think of the things that take you out of the position of abiding in Christ. You say, “Yes, Lord, just a minute— I still have this to do. Yes, I will abide as soon as this is finished, or as soon as this week is over. It will be all right, Lord. I will abide then.” Get moving— begin to abide now. In the initial stages it will be a continual effort to abide, but as you continue, it will become so much a part of your life that you will abide in Him without any conscious effort. Make the determination to abide in Jesus wherever you are now or wherever you may be placed in the future.
In the matter of determination. The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by way of the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I then have to build my thinking patiently to bring it into perfect harmony with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus— I have to do it myself. I have to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 ). “Abide in Me”— in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. Our lives are not made up of only one neatly confined area.
Am I preventing God from doing things in my circumstances by saying that it will only serve to hinder my fellowship with Him? How irrelevant and disrespectful that is! It does not matter what my circumstances are. I can be as much assured of abiding in Jesus in any one of them as I am in any prayer meeting. It is unnecessary to change and arrange my circumstances myself. Our Lord’s inner abiding was pure and unblemished. He was at home with God wherever His body was. He never chose His own circumstances, but was meek, submitting to His Father’s plans and directions for Him. Just think of how amazingly relaxed our Lord’s life was! But we tend to keep God at a fever pitch in our lives. We have none of the serenity of the life which is “hidden with Christ in God” ( Colossians 3:3 ).
Think of the things that take you out of the position of abiding in Christ. You say, “Yes, Lord, just a minute— I still have this to do. Yes, I will abide as soon as this is finished, or as soon as this week is over. It will be all right, Lord. I will abide then.” Get moving— begin to abide now. In the initial stages it will be a continual effort to abide, but as you continue, it will become so much a part of your life that you will abide in Him without any conscious effort. Make the determination to abide in Jesus wherever you are now or wherever you may be placed in the future.
Worth Dying For.
Sophie Scholl was a young German woman during the 1940s. She saw the deterioration of her country under the iron rule of the Nazi regime, and she determined to make a difference. She and her brother, with a small group of friends, began to peacefully protest not only the actions but the values that the Nazis had forced upon the nation.
Sophie and others were arrested and executed for speaking out against the evil in their land. Although she wasn’t anxious to die, she saw that the conditions in her country had to be addressed—even if it meant her death.
Sophie’s story raises a critical question for us as well. What would we be willing to die for? Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Pete Fleming, Roger Youderian, and Ed McCully gave their lives in the jungles of South America because they were committed to spreading the gospel. Elliot revealed the heart that drove such sacrifice when he wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” The apostle Paul put it this way: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).
Some things really are worth dying for—and in them we gain the reward of the One who declares, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21,23)
Forbid it, Lord, that I should be
Afraid of persecution’s frown;
For You have promised faithful ones
That they shall wear the victor’s crown. —Bosch
Those who faithfully bear the cross in this life will wear the crown in the life to come.
Sophie and others were arrested and executed for speaking out against the evil in their land. Although she wasn’t anxious to die, she saw that the conditions in her country had to be addressed—even if it meant her death.
Sophie’s story raises a critical question for us as well. What would we be willing to die for? Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Pete Fleming, Roger Youderian, and Ed McCully gave their lives in the jungles of South America because they were committed to spreading the gospel. Elliot revealed the heart that drove such sacrifice when he wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” The apostle Paul put it this way: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).
Some things really are worth dying for—and in them we gain the reward of the One who declares, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21,23)
Forbid it, Lord, that I should be
Afraid of persecution’s frown;
For You have promised faithful ones
That they shall wear the victor’s crown. —Bosch
Those who faithfully bear the cross in this life will wear the crown in the life to come.
Monday, June 14, 2010
English Bible History John Bunyan.
John Bunyan (November 30, 1628 - August 31, 1688), was the most famous of the Puritan writers and preachers. He was born at Harrowden (1 mile south-east of Bedford), in the Parish of Elstow, England. He is most well-known for his book “The Pilgrim's Progress”, one of the most printed books in history, which he composed while in prison for the crime of preaching the Gospel without a license.
John Bunyan – An Overview
John Bunyan had very little schooling. He followed his father in the tinker's trade, and he served in the parliamentary army from1644 to 1647). Bunyan married in 1649 and lived in Elstow until 1655, when his wife died. He then moved to Bedford, and married again in 1659. John Bunyan was received into the Baptist church in Bedford by immersion in 1653.
In 1655, Bunyan became a deacon and began preaching, with marked success from the start. In 1658 he was indicted for preaching without a license. The authorities were fairly tolerant of him for a while, and he did not suffer imprisonment until November of 1660, when he was taken to the county jail in Silver Street, Bedford, and there confined (with the exception of a few weeks in 1666) for 12 years until January 1672. Bunyan afterward became pastor of the Bedford church. In March of 1675 he was again imprisoned for preaching publicly without a license, this time being held in the Bedford town jail. In just six months this time he was freed, (no doubt the authorities were growing weary of providing Bunyan with free shelter and food) and he was not bothered again by the authorities.
Herein is a great controversy. As John Bunyan was married with children to support, and he could have walked out of the jail a free man at any time if he simply promised to stop preaching publicly without a license, one must ask if he really did the right thing. He was not asked to deny Christ or to recant his faith as the Protestant martyrs of a century earlier were. Indeed, many of those around him were openly Christians who shared his faith. Bunyan was simply asked to stop preaching without a license, or to move on. Should Bunyan have simply agreed and walked out of the jail and gone home to fulfill his duties before God as a husband and father? Or did he do the right thing in making those duties secondary to his personal conviction that he should be allowed to preach in that city without a license? Bunyan was not a martyr, nor was he ever violently persecuted, but his convictions, whether admirable or misplaced, were quite strong and vexed the local authorities who viewed him more as a troublemaker than any real threat.
On a trip to London, John Bunyan caught a severe cold, and he died at the house of a friend at Snow Hill on August 31, 1688. His grave lies in the cemetery at Bunhill Fields in London.
The Pilgrim's Progress
John Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim's Progress in two parts, of which the first appeared at London in 1678, which he had begun during his imprisonment in 1676. The second part appeared in 1684. The earliest edition in which the two parts were combined in one volume came out in 1728. A third part falsely attributed to Bunyan appeared in 1693. “The Pilgrim's Progress” is the most successful allegory ever written, and like the Bible has been extensively translated into other languages. Protestant missionaries commonly translated it as the first thing after the Bible. It is said that in the days of westward expansion in the United States, early settlers often owned only two books, one being the Bible, and the other being John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.
John Bunyan wrote many other books, including one which discussed his inner life and reveals his preparation for his appointed work is “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners” (1666). Bunyan became a popular preacher as well as a very voluminous author, though most of his works consist of expanded sermons. In theology he was a Puritan, but not a partisan. He was no scholar, except of the English Bible, but that he knew thoroughly. He also drew much influence from Martin Luther's “Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians”.
Some time before his final release from prison Bunyan became involved in a controversy with two theologians of his day: Kiffin and Paul. In 1673 he published his Differences in Judgement about Water-Baptism no Bar to Communion, in which he took the ground that "the Church of Christ hath not warrant to keep out of the communion the Christian that is discovered to be a visible saint of the word, the Christian that walketh according to his own light with God." While he agreed as a Baptist that water baptism was God's ordinance, he refused to make "an idol of it," and he disagreed with those who would dis-fellowship from Christians who did not adhere to water baptism.
Kiffin and Paul published a rejoinder in Serious Reflections (London, 1673), in which they set forth the argument in favor of the restriction of the Lord's Supper to baptized believers. The controversy resulted in the Particular (Calvinistic) Baptists leaving the question of communion with the unbaptized open. Bunyan's church permitted pedobaptists (those who baptize children, such as the Calvinistic Presbyterian Church) to fellowship and eventually, Bunyan’s church even became a pedobaptist church.
John Bunyan – An Overview
John Bunyan had very little schooling. He followed his father in the tinker's trade, and he served in the parliamentary army from1644 to 1647). Bunyan married in 1649 and lived in Elstow until 1655, when his wife died. He then moved to Bedford, and married again in 1659. John Bunyan was received into the Baptist church in Bedford by immersion in 1653.
In 1655, Bunyan became a deacon and began preaching, with marked success from the start. In 1658 he was indicted for preaching without a license. The authorities were fairly tolerant of him for a while, and he did not suffer imprisonment until November of 1660, when he was taken to the county jail in Silver Street, Bedford, and there confined (with the exception of a few weeks in 1666) for 12 years until January 1672. Bunyan afterward became pastor of the Bedford church. In March of 1675 he was again imprisoned for preaching publicly without a license, this time being held in the Bedford town jail. In just six months this time he was freed, (no doubt the authorities were growing weary of providing Bunyan with free shelter and food) and he was not bothered again by the authorities.
Herein is a great controversy. As John Bunyan was married with children to support, and he could have walked out of the jail a free man at any time if he simply promised to stop preaching publicly without a license, one must ask if he really did the right thing. He was not asked to deny Christ or to recant his faith as the Protestant martyrs of a century earlier were. Indeed, many of those around him were openly Christians who shared his faith. Bunyan was simply asked to stop preaching without a license, or to move on. Should Bunyan have simply agreed and walked out of the jail and gone home to fulfill his duties before God as a husband and father? Or did he do the right thing in making those duties secondary to his personal conviction that he should be allowed to preach in that city without a license? Bunyan was not a martyr, nor was he ever violently persecuted, but his convictions, whether admirable or misplaced, were quite strong and vexed the local authorities who viewed him more as a troublemaker than any real threat.
On a trip to London, John Bunyan caught a severe cold, and he died at the house of a friend at Snow Hill on August 31, 1688. His grave lies in the cemetery at Bunhill Fields in London.
The Pilgrim's Progress
John Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim's Progress in two parts, of which the first appeared at London in 1678, which he had begun during his imprisonment in 1676. The second part appeared in 1684. The earliest edition in which the two parts were combined in one volume came out in 1728. A third part falsely attributed to Bunyan appeared in 1693. “The Pilgrim's Progress” is the most successful allegory ever written, and like the Bible has been extensively translated into other languages. Protestant missionaries commonly translated it as the first thing after the Bible. It is said that in the days of westward expansion in the United States, early settlers often owned only two books, one being the Bible, and the other being John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.
John Bunyan wrote many other books, including one which discussed his inner life and reveals his preparation for his appointed work is “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners” (1666). Bunyan became a popular preacher as well as a very voluminous author, though most of his works consist of expanded sermons. In theology he was a Puritan, but not a partisan. He was no scholar, except of the English Bible, but that he knew thoroughly. He also drew much influence from Martin Luther's “Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians”.
Some time before his final release from prison Bunyan became involved in a controversy with two theologians of his day: Kiffin and Paul. In 1673 he published his Differences in Judgement about Water-Baptism no Bar to Communion, in which he took the ground that "the Church of Christ hath not warrant to keep out of the communion the Christian that is discovered to be a visible saint of the word, the Christian that walketh according to his own light with God." While he agreed as a Baptist that water baptism was God's ordinance, he refused to make "an idol of it," and he disagreed with those who would dis-fellowship from Christians who did not adhere to water baptism.
Kiffin and Paul published a rejoinder in Serious Reflections (London, 1673), in which they set forth the argument in favor of the restriction of the Lord's Supper to baptized believers. The controversy resulted in the Particular (Calvinistic) Baptists leaving the question of communion with the unbaptized open. Bunyan's church permitted pedobaptists (those who baptize children, such as the Calvinistic Presbyterian Church) to fellowship and eventually, Bunyan’s church even became a pedobaptist church.
Get Moving!
Abide in Me . . . —John 15:4
In the matter of determination. The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by way of the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I then have to build my thinking patiently to bring it into perfect harmony with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus— I have to do it myself. I have to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 ). “Abide in Me”— in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. Our lives are not made up of only one neatly confined area.
Am I preventing God from doing things in my circumstances by saying that it will only serve to hinder my fellowship with Him? How irrelevant and disrespectful that is! It does not matter what my circumstances are. I can be as much assured of abiding in Jesus in any one of them as I am in any prayer meeting. It is unnecessary to change and arrange my circumstances myself. Our Lord’s inner abiding was pure and unblemished. He was at home with God wherever His body was. He never chose His own circumstances, but was meek, submitting to His Father’s plans and directions for Him. Just think of how amazingly relaxed our Lord’s life was! But we tend to keep God at a fever pitch in our lives. We have none of the serenity of the life which is “hidden with Christ in God” ( Colossians 3:3 ).
Think of the things that take you out of the position of abiding in Christ. You say, “Yes, Lord, just a minute— I still have this to do. Yes, I will abide as soon as this is finished, or as soon as this week is over. It will be all right, Lord. I will abide then.” Get moving— begin to abide now. In the initial stages it will be a continual effort to abide, but as you continue, it will become so much a part of your life that you will abide in Him without any conscious effort. Make the determination to abide in Jesus wherever you are now or wherever you may be placed in the future.
In the matter of determination. The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by way of the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I then have to build my thinking patiently to bring it into perfect harmony with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus— I have to do it myself. I have to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 ). “Abide in Me”— in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. Our lives are not made up of only one neatly confined area.
Am I preventing God from doing things in my circumstances by saying that it will only serve to hinder my fellowship with Him? How irrelevant and disrespectful that is! It does not matter what my circumstances are. I can be as much assured of abiding in Jesus in any one of them as I am in any prayer meeting. It is unnecessary to change and arrange my circumstances myself. Our Lord’s inner abiding was pure and unblemished. He was at home with God wherever His body was. He never chose His own circumstances, but was meek, submitting to His Father’s plans and directions for Him. Just think of how amazingly relaxed our Lord’s life was! But we tend to keep God at a fever pitch in our lives. We have none of the serenity of the life which is “hidden with Christ in God” ( Colossians 3:3 ).
Think of the things that take you out of the position of abiding in Christ. You say, “Yes, Lord, just a minute— I still have this to do. Yes, I will abide as soon as this is finished, or as soon as this week is over. It will be all right, Lord. I will abide then.” Get moving— begin to abide now. In the initial stages it will be a continual effort to abide, but as you continue, it will become so much a part of your life that you will abide in Him without any conscious effort. Make the determination to abide in Jesus wherever you are now or wherever you may be placed in the future.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
God Bless my Mother, all I am or Hope to be, I owe Her.
I think that today , on this mothers day, would be a wonderful day to declare publicly your love to your mom if you still have her or to give thanks to the lord for her if she is no longer with you.Then show in some tangible way how much you love her and how much she has meant to you.
Since the priceless gift God gave us Must from us one day depart,Lavish her with love and kindness.Real True Love with all your heart.
Since the priceless gift God gave us Must from us one day depart,Lavish her with love and kindness.Real True Love with all your heart.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Voices of The Persecuted Christians.
SERVING THE PERSECUTED CHURCH
Release International serves the persecuted church around the world in five key ways:
1 Showing God's compassion
providing for the needs of the families of martyrs and prisoners
2 Serving God's church
enabling them to survive persecution and its effects
3 Sharing God's love
helping the persecuted church win to Christ those who are opposed to the gospel
4 Spreading God's Word
supplying Bibles and literature to meet the need for growth and evangelism
5 Speaking as God's advocates
being the voice of the martyrs and the oppressed
1 Showing God's compassion
providing for the needs of the families of martyrs and prisoners
Every year thousands of Christians are detained and imprisoned for their faith in Jesus Christ. Some are even martyred. Where families have lost the breadwinner, Release gives pastoral care and practical support.
2 Serving God's church
enabling them to survive persecution and its effects
Release stands with churches and church leaders around the world who are being persecuted because of their faith in Jesus Christ: by directly supporting persecuted pastors and their families; and by providing leadership and theological training.
3 Sharing God's love
helping the persecuted church win to Christ those who are opposed to the gospel
The Bible tells us that the apostle Paul was once a persecutor of the early church - until God turned his life around - transforming him into a mighty preacher and church-planter. Release helps persecuted churches bring the good news of the gospel - even to those who persecute them.
4 Spreading God's Word
supplying Bibles and literature to meet the need for growth and evangelism
Release provides Bibles and Christian literature in local languages to build up the church, to encourage evangelism and disciple new believers in Christ.
5 Speaking as God's advocates
being the voice of the martyrs and the oppressed
Release helps to bring the voice of the persecuted church to fellowships in the UK and Ireland, and also to governments. We regularly ask supporters to campaign on behalf of persecuted Christians by writing letters and using petitions.
Dear God,
Thank you for loving me. Thank you that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins and failures. I admit to you that I am a sinner, that I need you to save me. I ask you to forgive me for my sins. I turn from them now. I invite Jesus into my life as my Savior and Lord. I turn my life over to him. I will live for him as long as I live. Thank you for giving me eternal life and making me the child of God. In Jesus' name, Amen
Thank you for loving me. Thank you that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins and failures. I admit to you that I am a sinner, that I need you to save me. I ask you to forgive me for my sins. I turn from them now. I invite Jesus into my life as my Savior and Lord. I turn my life over to him. I will live for him as long as I live. Thank you for giving me eternal life and making me the child of God. In Jesus' name, Amen
The Pastor and his son. (A masterpiece Story and My Eyes with tears,This is a mustread).
Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at the church, the Pastor and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out Gospel Tracts .
This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring rain.
The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, 'OK, dad, I'm ready.'
His Pastor dad asked, 'Ready for what?'
'Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and go out.'
Dad responds, 'Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring rain.'
The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, 'But Dad, aren't people still going to Hell, even though it's raining?'
Dad answers, 'Son, I am not going out in this weather.'
Despondently, the boy asks, 'Dad, can I go? Please?'
His father hesitated for a moment then said, 'Son, you can go. Here are the tracts, be careful son.'
'Thanks Dad!'
And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a Gospel Tract .
After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST TRACT. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a tract to, but the streets were totally deserted.
Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered.
He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He waited but still no answer.
Finally, this eleven year old trooper turned to leave, but something stopped him.
Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch!
He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.
Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady. She softly asked, 'What can I do for you, son?' With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, 'Ma'am, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that * JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU * and I came to give you my very last Gospel Tract which will tell you all about JESUS and His great LOVE.'
With that, he handed her his last tract and turned to leave.
She called to him as he departed. 'Thank you, son! And God Bless You!'
Well, the following Sunday morning in church Pastor Dad was in the pulpit. As the service began, he asked, 'Does anybody have testimony or want to say anything?'
Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood to her feet.
As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from her face, 'No one in this church knows me. I've never been here before. You see, before last Sunday I was not a Christian. My husband passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Sunday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live.
So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof, then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken-hearted I was about to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, 'I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away.'
I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly...
I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me.' I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder.
When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you!
The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long been dead, TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, 'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU .' Then he gave me this
Gospel Tract that I now hold in my hand.
As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel Tract. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing them any more.
You see-- -I am now a Happy Child of the KING. Since the address of your church was on the back of this Gospel Tract, I have come here to personally say THANK YOU to God's little angel who came just in the nick of time and by
so doing, spared my soul from an eternity in hell.'
There was not a dry eye in the church. And as shouts of praise and honour to THE KING resounded off the very rafters of the building, Pastor Dad descended from the pulpit to the front pew where the little angel was seated..
He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.
Probably no church has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love & honour for his son... Except for One.
Blessed are your eyes for reading this message.
Don't let this message die, read it again and pass it to others. Heaven is for His people!
Remember, God's message CAN make the difference in the life of someone close to you.
Please share this wonderful message...
If you love JESUS, please forward this message.
Spread His word, and share His goodness and faithfulness.
Matthew 10:32 says:
'Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in heaven'
Love,
As Always,
This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring rain.
The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, 'OK, dad, I'm ready.'
His Pastor dad asked, 'Ready for what?'
'Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and go out.'
Dad responds, 'Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring rain.'
The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, 'But Dad, aren't people still going to Hell, even though it's raining?'
Dad answers, 'Son, I am not going out in this weather.'
Despondently, the boy asks, 'Dad, can I go? Please?'
His father hesitated for a moment then said, 'Son, you can go. Here are the tracts, be careful son.'
'Thanks Dad!'
And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a Gospel Tract .
After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST TRACT. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a tract to, but the streets were totally deserted.
Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered.
He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He waited but still no answer.
Finally, this eleven year old trooper turned to leave, but something stopped him.
Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch!
He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.
Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady. She softly asked, 'What can I do for you, son?' With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, 'Ma'am, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that * JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU * and I came to give you my very last Gospel Tract which will tell you all about JESUS and His great LOVE.'
With that, he handed her his last tract and turned to leave.
She called to him as he departed. 'Thank you, son! And God Bless You!'
Well, the following Sunday morning in church Pastor Dad was in the pulpit. As the service began, he asked, 'Does anybody have testimony or want to say anything?'
Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood to her feet.
As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from her face, 'No one in this church knows me. I've never been here before. You see, before last Sunday I was not a Christian. My husband passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Sunday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live.
So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof, then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken-hearted I was about to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, 'I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away.'
I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly...
I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me.' I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder.
When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you!
The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long been dead, TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, 'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU .' Then he gave me this
Gospel Tract that I now hold in my hand.
As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel Tract. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing them any more.
You see-- -I am now a Happy Child of the KING. Since the address of your church was on the back of this Gospel Tract, I have come here to personally say THANK YOU to God's little angel who came just in the nick of time and by
so doing, spared my soul from an eternity in hell.'
There was not a dry eye in the church. And as shouts of praise and honour to THE KING resounded off the very rafters of the building, Pastor Dad descended from the pulpit to the front pew where the little angel was seated..
He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.
Probably no church has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love & honour for his son... Except for One.
Blessed are your eyes for reading this message.
Don't let this message die, read it again and pass it to others. Heaven is for His people!
Remember, God's message CAN make the difference in the life of someone close to you.
Please share this wonderful message...
If you love JESUS, please forward this message.
Spread His word, and share His goodness and faithfulness.
Matthew 10:32 says:
'Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in heaven'
Love,
As Always,
Alpha and Omega
The meaning of the words Alpha and Omega —terms that refer to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet—is fairly easy to understand. Like A and Z, they simply mean “the beginning” and “the end.”
In life, we understand these concepts. Things begin . . . things end. Jobs start . . . jobs stop. Decades come . . . decades go. Birth . . . death.But there is something special and unique about the words Alpha and Omega as they appear in Revelation (1:8,11; 21:6; 22:13). Jesus Christ used those terms to describe himself—terms that refer to His deity.
When used in Scripture, the words have an almost unfathomable meaning. Jesus, the Alpha, had
no beginning. He existed before time, before the creation of the universe (John 1:1). As the first cause of all that exists (v.2-3), Jesus cannot be limited by the word Alpha. And as the Omega, He is not the “end” as we know it. He will continue to exist into the everlasting, never-ending future.
It’s mind-boggling and awe-inspiring—this view of our Lord. He’s the one “who is and who was and who is to come” (Revelation 1:8). He’s the Alpha and the Omega, the Almighty God. Not only that, He’s our Savior (Titus 2:13). As such, He deserves our praise, our lives, our all!
BE SILENT, BE STILL !!!!
Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
JOB'S SELFLESS SACRIFICE,YOUR HERITAGE.
The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the Lame.I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
(Job:29:9-17).
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Is Jesus the Only Way? (Matt. 22:1-14; John 14:5-6)
It may surprise you to know what many Americans consider to be the most serious sin. No, it’s not murder. Even murder can have mitigating factors. According to an article by Daniel Taylor in Christianity Today, many Americans consider the worst sin to be intolerance.And guess who are the worst sinners, at least in the minds of many Americans? Evangelical Christians! One writer said, "Christians are seen as the pit bulls of culture wars--small brains, big teeth, strong jaws and no interest in compromise."A guest on National Public Radio shocked even his liberal host when he objected to the Southern Baptist belief that a lot of people are going to hell. By the way, that’s not just a Southern Baptist belief; that’s a biblical truth. The guest on NPR offered this rather hateful comment: "The evaporation of four million Baptists who believe that garbage would leave the world a better place." Sounds to me like that guest was mighty intolerant of the Baptists. Don’t the Baptists have a right to their biblical interpretation?Dr. Laura, the popular and controversial radio host, has talked about the large volume of hate mail she receives for believing in moral absolutes. Her enemies ask her to be more tolerant of other moral views, but they don’t want to tolerate her views.In America, we believe in religious toleration. You can even be a Satan worshipper and have your religious expression protected. But along with our toleration has come the dangerous idea that no religion should make exclusive claims to truth. R.C. Sproul says that making exclusive claims in America is "like attacking baseball, hot dogs, motherhood and apple pie (not to mention Chevrolet)."1Jesus said many politically incorrect things, but the most shocking is recorded in John 14: He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (NIV).Now that’s an exclusive statement! CNN would never allow someone to make such a statement without an instant rebuttal.St. Peter made that claim of Jesus even more blatant when he said, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).Lots of Americans almost wallow in tolerance. They feel that as long as a person is sincere about his religious beliefs, it doesn’t matter what he believes. But isn’t it strange that they apply this logic to faith but not to any other area of their lives? They want the pilot flying their next commercial flight to be right, not just sincere. They want the accountant who does their taxes to be right, not just sincere. They want the pharmacist who prepares their prescription to be right, not just sincere. Why, then, in the single most important area of their lives--their relationship with God--would they be willing to settle for sincerity instead of accuracy? It makes no sense.When Jesus claimed that He was the only way to God the Father, He was motivated not by arrogance but by compassion. If you will suspend judgment for just a little while and consider with me a simple story Jesus told, I believe that Jesus’ claim will begin to make sense.In Matthew 22, Jesus told a story about a king whose son was getting married. No doubt, the king rented the banquet hall and ballroom of a big hotel and threw a bodacious bash.Remember, in first-century Palestine, most people were poor. But even among the poor, a wedding called for a weeklong party. This was the one occasion in life when the poor splurged, even if on borrowed funds. So if the king, with all his resources, was throwing a party, it’s probably going to be a Middle Eastern version of Mardi Gras. Therefore, you would assume that everybody would want to come to such a party. Wrong! Lots of specially invited guests refused to come.Jesus was clearly referring to the Jewish people who had been invited to be God’s chosen people. They were to be His cradle for the Messiah, a chosen race and a holy priesthood, designed to bless the entire world.But the Jews persecuted most of the prophets sent by God; and, tragically, they rejected the Messiah when He came.Verses 8 through 10 tell us that the king then extended his invitation to everybody--Jews and Gentiles, the good and the bad, the rich and the poor.It is a glorious truth that every person is invited into the Kingdom of God. Come as you are! God accepts us as we are but loves us far too much to leave us as we are.Then comes that difficult final part of the story, verses 11 through 14. The king found a fellow at the party who was not wearing the proper attire and kicked him out. You probably are thinking: If the king was tolerant enough to let anyone come to his party, why would he get bent out of shape over what they are wearing?St. Augustine, a great church leader of the fourth century, has helped us at this point. He explained that each person who accepted the king’s invitation was given proper attire for the banquet. The king was aware that poor people would not have proper clothing for such an occasion. Not wanting anyone to feel inferior, the king provided standard clothing for all the guests to wear.But this fellow in verse 11 was a rebel at heart. He disregarded the generosity of the king and decided to come on his own terms.St. Augustine believed that trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is what constitutes the proper wedding garment. If you are not humble enough to admit your need for the salvation He offers--if you are not grateful enough to accept it--you cannot come to God’s party.The only person who cannot experience God’s forgiveness is the one who thinks he has no sin. The only person who cannot be saved is that one who feels no need for a Savior. Jesus does not exclude us. If we reject His offer, we exclude ourselves.Some people believe that all religions are basically the same. These folks claim that it doesn’t matter which one you follow, as long as it works for you. Supposedly, all spiritual paths lead to the same place. While it is true that there is some common ground shared by the world’s major religions, there are significant differences. Only Christianity claims that God has visited planet Earth in the form of a person.Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Billy Graham, notes there are all kinds of faith alternatives. Some people follow Mohammed or Buddha or Confucius or Hari Krishna. But, Lotz says, "Jesus is different. He is not just one of the boys. He is the only begotten Son of God. He is God!"2Jesus is the only way to the one true God because He is the only person in the history of the world who can provide a cure for our "sin problem."Lee Strobel, a gifted teacher and preacher at Saddleback Church in California, has pointed out that every other religion but Christianity is based on people’s performance. They must "DO" something to somehow earn favor with God.Different religions offer different recipes for salvation. One says that you have to use a Tibetan prayer wheel; another that you have to avoid eating certain foods; another that you have to pray in one direction a certain number of times per day; still another that you have to go through a cycle of reincarnations. These are all attempts to earn enough favor with God to deserve His salvation.But Christianity is different. We do not focus on the word "DO." Our emphasis is on the word "DONE," especially what Jesus has done for us on the cross. He paid our penalty for sin. When we accept Him as personal Savior and leader, we are endorsing that transaction by faith. We are donning our wedding garment and are ready for God’s party.We Christians should never be disrespectful toward persons of other religions. We will never have a chance to share the gospel with Muslim, Hindu or Jewish people unless we treat them respectfully and winsomely. It is never proper for us to judge people of other religions. Only God is capable of doing that properly, with justice and mercy. But neither should we embrace the cultural myth that all religions are equally true.If I have an opportunity to share the gospel with a Hindu or Jew or Muslim, I will jump at the chance. But I will not approach him in a condescending or threatening way. Instead, I will share with him, as D.T. Niles described it, "as one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread."Jesus in Matthew 7 said, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (vv. 13-14).What is the small gate and narrow road? It is our faith in response to God’s grace. To go through the narrow gate means to say to Jesus, "Nothing in my hands I bring; only to Your cross I cling. I am a sinner who cannot fix my sin problem. But I believe You offered the one and only cure when You died for me on the cross. I accept it gladly, and in gratitude I invite You to be the leader of my life."One of the most popular places in Memphis is Tom Lee Park, a beautiful, open space alongside the mighty Mississippi. If you have lingered there long enough to read the plaque, you know the park was named for an African-American man named Tom Lee.One day in 1925, a steamer with lots of passengers aboard sank in the river, just below Memphis. Tom Lee saw the tragedy. He jumped into his small boat and, with great courage and determination, headed toward those drowning people. He rescued 32 of them.But let’s suppose that when Tom Lee approached some of those folks in the middle of the river, they had responded, "Thanks, but no thanks. Your boat doesn’t look too impressive to us. We’re going to just keep treading water in hopes that another boat more to our liking will come along." You’re thinking, That would have been really dumb--turning down a sure thing in hopes that something else might come along.That reminds me of the people who don’t want to accept the salvation offered by Jesus Christ through the cross. They hope that some other alternative, more to their liking, will become available. But the truth is that there is no other way to be saved."For God so loved the world that he gave" not a bunch of ways but one way--"his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
GOD'S CALL FOR GLOBAL SPIRITUAL AWAKENING.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicket ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7: 14
Why are we not seeing a great spiritual movement in Western Europe and North America? Because we live in a culture which views God as a hobby. In our society, Christianity is for church, religion for Sunday.
Our first step is to "humble ourselves," to admit our need of God. Once we admit that we need God's help, we "pray." The Hebrew word describes a national plea for repentance. Then we "seek his face." The Hebrew phrase describes a person who is returning to God in individual repentance. We see the need of the nation, then we admit the need of our own hearts and souls.
God says, "Seek my face," not "Seek my favor." Seek to know me, more intimately and passionately than ever before. Love me, for I love you. Want me, for I want you. Know me, for I know you. Seek my face.
Gypsy Smith, a great evangelist of an earlier generation, was asked how revival begins. His response: "Take a piece of chalk, and draw a circle around yourself. Get on your knees and pray until everything in that circle is right with God, and revival will be upon us.
"By:Godfried A.Bediako-GPO
Why are we not seeing a great spiritual movement in Western Europe and North America? Because we live in a culture which views God as a hobby. In our society, Christianity is for church, religion for Sunday.
Our first step is to "humble ourselves," to admit our need of God. Once we admit that we need God's help, we "pray." The Hebrew word describes a national plea for repentance. Then we "seek his face." The Hebrew phrase describes a person who is returning to God in individual repentance. We see the need of the nation, then we admit the need of our own hearts and souls.
God says, "Seek my face," not "Seek my favor." Seek to know me, more intimately and passionately than ever before. Love me, for I love you. Want me, for I want you. Know me, for I know you. Seek my face.
Gypsy Smith, a great evangelist of an earlier generation, was asked how revival begins. His response: "Take a piece of chalk, and draw a circle around yourself. Get on your knees and pray until everything in that circle is right with God, and revival will be upon us.
"By:Godfried A.Bediako-GPO
Sunday, March 7, 2010
FIDELITY MARRIAGE ASSESSMENT
| Answer “yes” or “no” to the following questions and compare your score to the assessment scale below. |
| Yes | No | ||
| 1. | Do you have opposite sex close personal friendships? | ||
| 2. | Do you have same-sex close personal friends with whom you regularly share your feelings or intimate details about your life? | ||
| 3. | Do you keep in touch with ex-lovers? | ||
| 4. | Do you share your personal life with colleagues or clients? | ||
| 5. | Do you flirt? | ||
| 6. | Do you fantasize about anyone other than your spouse? | ||
| 7. | Have you ever been unfaithful? | ||
| 8. | Do you have a hobby, interest, game, sport, or activity that interferes with your connection to your spouse? | ||
| 9. | Is there anyone besides your spouse that you have physical contact with regularly? | ||
| 10. | Do you have any family members with whom you regularly share your feelings or intimate details about your life? | ||
| 11. | Is there anyone other than your spouse that you give to regularly? | ||
| 12. | Do you dress provocatively? | ||
| 13. | Do you have any addictions? | ||
| 14. | Do you ever share good news with someone other than your spouse before sharing it with your spouse? | ||
| 15. | If an attractive person flirted with you, would you engage them and enjoy it? |
0–3. MARRIAGE FITNESS CHAMPION. You are physically, emotionally and spiritually faithful to your spouse. Congratulations. Still, ask yourself if you fall short in any area or if you have room to improve and continue to work on it.
4–8. AVERAGE. You could improve your fidelity a lot and intensify the connection with your spouse. You’re probably not aware of how damaging the connections you are making outside your marriage are to the relationship with your spouse. For more insight and advice on this matter, join the Marriage Fitness Tele-Boot Camp.
9–15. OUT OF SHAPE. Your focus is outside your marriage. You are borderline unfaithful to your spouse, either physically or emotionally, or both. You need to redirect your focus to what’s most important. Quit all the extracurricular. It’s draining your marriage. For more insight and advice on this matter, join the Marriage Fitness Tele-Boot Camp.
KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR SPOUSE MARRIAGE ASSESSMENT
Love is not something you get from your spouse; it's something you receive as a result of giving to your spouse. But giving is not easy. You can't give someone something they don't want or need? How do you know what to give your spouse? How do you know what would tickle their soul? You have to know them very well. How well do you know your spouse? How well does your spouse know you? |
| Correct | Incorrect | ||
| 1. | What's your spouse's favorite color? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 2. | What's your spouse's favorite city to visit? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 3. | What's your spouse's favorite vacation destination? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 4. | What's your spouse's favorite restuarant? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 5. | What's your spouse's favorite type of food? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 6. | What's your spouse's favorite home cooked meal? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 7. | What's your spouse's favorite dessert? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 8. | What's your spouse's favorite holiday? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 9. | What's your spouse's most dreaded holiday? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 10. | Who's your spouse's best friend? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 11. | Who's your spouse's favorite relative? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 12. | What's your spouse's favorite clothing store? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 13. | What size shirt/blouse does your spouse wear? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 14. | What size pants/skirt does your spouse wear? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 15. | What size suit/dress does your spouse wear? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 16. | What size shoe does your spouse wear? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 17. | What's your spouse's favorite thing for YOU to wear? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 18. | What's your spouse's favorite day of the week? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 19. | What's the most relaxing thing for your spouse? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 20. | What's most stressful for your spouse? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 21. | What's your spouse's most dreaded chore? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 22. | What's your spouse's pet peeve? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 23. | What's the one thing your spouse has always wanted? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 24. | Who's your spouse's favorite actor? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 25. | What's your spouse's favorite movie? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 26. | Who's your spouse's favorite artist? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 27. | Who's your spouse's favorite musician? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 28. | What type of music does your spouse like the best? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 29. | What is your spouse's favorite way of making love? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 30. | How often per month or week does your spouse like to make love? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 31. | Who is your spouse's favorite author? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 32. | What's your spouse's all-time favorite book? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 33. | What type of books does your spouse like to read? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 34. | What is your spouse's favorite spectator sport? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 35. | Who is your spouse's favorite sports hero? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 36. | What's your spouse's favorite sports team? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 37. | What is your spouse's favorite hobby? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 38. | At what temperature does your spouse like the thermostat set? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 39. | What is your spouse's favorite topic of discussion? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 40. | If your spouse had an extra $100 per week to spend, what would your spouse choose to spend it on? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 41. | If your spouse was given one million dollars and had to spend it within one week, what would be the first high ticket item your spouse would buy? | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 42. | Which type of vacation does your spouse prefer? a.Sun, fun, and relax b.Sightseeing c.Outdoor adventure | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 43. | The best type of gift for my spouse is something: a.Practical b.Sentimental c.Just what they asked for d.A surprise | ||
| Answer: | |||
| 44. | My spouse prefers to wear/buy: a.Gold b.Silver c.Platinum | ||
| Answer: |
ASSESSMENT SCALE
0-28: OUT OF SHAPE. You're living with a virtual stranger.
29-38: AVERAGE. If you're trying to renew your marriage, this won't cut it.
39-44: MARRIAGE FITNESS CHAMPION. Good job!
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