faith around the world

Hello gang,

Good to be with you again! How have you been? Good! some not so good...ah cool thanks for your honesty. Everyone doing great here in the boro'. The heat is starting to rise a bit, bodies are plunging into the water and under shade trees to find relief from the heat and humidity.

We have been discussing over the year, our faith and last blog entry was on acceptance. Today i would like for us to dissect Romans 1:8. The NIV translation reads v8 First i thank God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.

Man, can you imagine. I mean look at what Paul just reported. Your faith is being reported all over the world. How? What were people saying? I look at the translation of faith, which in greek is pistis. i know be careful with that word, someone may think your mad hahaha and find this definition

) conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it

1) the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ

b) relating to Christ

1) a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God

c) the religious beliefs of Christians

d) belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same

2) fidelity, faithfulness

a) the character of one who can be relied on

So when i read the definition then place in the scripture, Paul is saying your conviction, your strong and welcome belief that Jesus is the Messiah is being heard all over the world. So am i to believe that in this conviction, in this strong belief, manifested out into visible acts?

YES SIR! Galatians 5:22-26 (NIV)But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness v23 gentleness and self-control v24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires v25 Since we live by the Spirit let us keep in step with the Spirit v26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Like the words in the wonderful song by Mercy Me. "i can only imagine" a community not provoking each other or envying each other. i can only imagine a place where we are not keeping up with each other through the temporal but keeping in step with Spirit, that unites us through Jesus Christ! We have glimpses, that exercise the fruits in my presence, thank you. forgive me for the times i don't...

aaaahhhh that just might be what Paul was hearing from around the world. Yea, Paul days before sitting down through the Holy Spirit to write the letter to the Roman church, people are running to him, "Paul Paul have you heard about our brothers and sisters around the world? Paul their faith is growing, people are taking notice of the faith through forgiveness of each other through Jesus Christ. With so much excitment, the people keep runing to Paul, dust flying up as they stop in their tracks to report the news, they shake him to make sure he is listening, Paul Paul are you hearing me? Faith around the world?

I am hearing of faith also, and it is a sweet, sweet sound to my ears!

keep lovin em up gang!

accept

Hello gang,

You know when you look at a photograph, especially a group photo, do you ever wonder the moment right after everyone says Chhheeeeessseee and click? Yea the thoughts rolling through the minds as the photograph is done and we start other random conversations, like i think my eyes were closed, yea i was looking at the traffic behind the photographer, but for the moment in the picture, everyone was in harmony with each other in having their moment captured.

Paul talks about this harmony quiet often in his letters. The past few weeks i have camped out in Romans 14 and 15. Go ahead grab your sword and take a little journey with me. Depending on the version you have in your hands, Romans 14 comes right out of the gate and instructs us, again depending on your translation, to accept, receive, or welcome the one with weaker faith and to not argue, quarrel, don't pass judgment on what you "think" is right versus what your brother/sister "thinks" is right.

Now skip on over to Romans 15. Paul picks this subject up once again. You see the rest of 14 he detailed some areas that was causing our brothers/sisters to argue or not accept each other. Now over to 15 verse 1 Paul states (NLT) We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not please ourselves v2Each of us should please his neighbor for his good to build him up.....go to verse 7

v7Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God...WHAMO moment uh....wait a minute...hold the phone...uh Lord uh how, uh what are You asking me/us here? I know, i know, i know...now let's hang with each other here for a second and ask ourselves this question. How did Paul know his faith was that strong? Remember he said in verse 1 We who are strong....what was he using as a benchmark to determine that his faith was strong? Better yet, how do you and i determine how strong our faith is?.....or if we really want to, let's ask ourselves what are we utilizing to determine where one of our brothers or sisters faith is. hahahaha....

Get's us thinking a bit doesn't it? Sure does and has for me. As i continue to walk this life, and bounce this scripture off where i am walking, i see real quick how i pushback on folks, that may not think exactly like me, or how if someone has accepted me into their circle of friends, yet i'm selective about who comes into mine.

I guess it would be neat if we had faith o meter's or faith o mometer's that we could hold and show the "world" just how strong our faith really is. HMMMM, when you think about this for a second, we already have this measuring device, yea yea yea...Jesus talked about it after he washed the disciples feet. John 13:35 (NLT) Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. Paul gives another in the letter to the Galatians chapter 5 verse 13 and 14..go check it out!

It's showing the world that yes we do and can disagree, but he/she is my brother in Christ and we are meeting each other back at the empty tomb to worship, to create unity, to manufacture harmony through our resurrected Savior who ACCEPTS me everyday through FAITH in HIM!

love em up!

Schools

Ok so i'm running/jogging/walking...at times crawling my way around Murfreesboro taking in the crispness of the morning in search for that runners high. It's just a cool way for me to connect with God and roll the day's, week's month's activities around in the ol noggin.

This morning, this thought or question came blasting to the forefront. What happened to the schools? No i'm not going down the road in how people desire to take God out of the schools by eliminating prayer, or how some folks are desirous in eliminating Bible clubs in schools around the nation. I'm asking, "why are the schools getting these fancy names?"

It seems that if a particular school is starting to decline in popularity, we change the school to a magnet or whatever the buzzwords of the day are that scream quality to the world and deems that school worthy of our children attending. What are we basing our decisions on? Is it the building, the faculty, the students, the area, the atmosphere or climate of the school?

I don't know. I really don't. This medium is not for the debate of such things, but to maybe get us to look inward. Let's look inward for a second to see if we are living out what Paul reminds us of in his second letter to the Corinthians in chapter 5 verses 13-16...go check it out? i'll paraphrase for the sake of space in this format.

Paul is saying look if we look crazy (not like the world) well guess what? we are! and here is why. Jesus!! Yea because we are CONVINCED that Jesus died for all and that since we no longer live for ourselves but for HIM...so we are going to stop evaluating or we will no longer look at folks with our worldly goggles. (warned you it was a paraphrase)

So that we will think of others in a higher manner than we do ourselves. WHAT that's not in there? hahaha...i know, but it is in Phillipians 2:3. Think of the places you do not desire to be and then let's ask ourselves the question why? When i'm truly honest with myself it's because of my lack of living out the verses we just plowed through. i "think" i'm better...uuggghhh..anyone else?

Lord we pray for those of us that have placed ourselves above you and our fellow man and made decisions based on the "world's standard" not yours.... Father we thank you for placing us with you through our belief in Jesus Christ. For you thought alot of us to send Jesus, it's now our turn. Amen

Post 40

As i typed the title, i realized that this really can mean several things; like yes i'm over 40 years old, sounds like a cereal, some golfers would love to post a 40 on 9 holes, but this is in regards to a post i shared with you guys back in March.

You see i shared that in observance of the 40 days leading to Christ's resurrection, i was refraining from sweets. You can scroll down a few blogs to catch up. Well Easter was yesterday and man o' man did we celebrate. No not by eating bunny ears (although those are quite tasty) We gathered with our brothers and sisters across the globe to celebrate our Risen Savior. I thought our skin was going to pop off at times,with our hands raised, eyes closed and my bride after we sing He's Alive is just about to put her fingers in her mouth for a good ol southern whistling salute of her Praises to the King....she refrained hahaha...

Well it's Monday. The celebration continues, as we know that for over 2000 years our Lord reigns!

I must share that this year my senses were heightned to the resurrection as i journeyed through the fast. You see as my body would crave the sweets, (which still has not gone away)i would think of Jesus. As the days came closer and the week of His triumphal entry, i literally would place myself in the setting and play out where i thought i might be, i would ask myself, "how quick would i have ran" when asked about Jesus. Would i have been like Peter and have Jesus tell me to get behind him? Or would i have been one of the crowd asking for the release of Barabas instead of Jesus.....I don't have to wonder that anymore.

You see in the days leading up to the resurrection this verse was revealed to me. Revelation 19:6-8 Look at verse 8. The she is us folks...those of us that have said yes and believe to Jesus, those of us that recognize Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. That fine linen, well when you dissect that word in the original greek language, it is a bleached white linen (spotless without blemish)Our spotless, without a blemish Savior places this on me and you. Go ahead jump and do a chest bump or side bump with someone.....gang that is why He emptied Himself out of that tomb to conquer death, so HIS bride (the body of Christ)can live everlasting to everlasting with our bridegroom Jesus Christ without a blemish.

What's that? oh yes, i did eat a piece of nanny's (my mother in law's)amazing , that is submerged in eagle brand milk, creamy white icing with coconut flakes drizzled cake........oops sorry i fell down for a second hhahaha. But the struggle through the 40 was way much more than about not eating sweets. It is SO WAY ABOUT our reflection on Jesus and seeing that HE IS STILL ALIVE.

Good Friday

Gang,

Wow what an incredible two days and tomorrow's forecast looks like it will be another beautiful day. During the day tomorrow take notice, mark your calendars set reminders with your phones at 09:00…..12:00 to 3:00 pm…read Mark 15 and you will see these times. A couple of weeks ago we discussed preparing ourselves and how Christ has prepared rooms for us, so as we set our faces toward the incredible celebration on Sunday I/we must first travel through a Friday.

Mark 15:42 This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, [fn] the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached,

Let's join together and prepare. This for some folks will be there one or two times a year to walk through a door of worship barn, praise God for the ones that come to 1307 Rutherford boulevard. There will be some folks we haven't seen in awhile PRAISE GOD! renew friendships, for there is always room at the table for one more. I think for some Easter serves as a Christian new year, for those that feel they have "blown it". In a way it is similar to how people would load up each year, in observance of Passover, and travel to the Temple to offer sacrifices for the yearly sins…..Wow what a blessing we now have in Jesus who after washing the disciples feet on that Thursday (tonight) stated in John 13:35-36 (NLT) Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples v36 Simon Peter said "Lord where are you going?" and Jesus replied, "You can't go with me now but you will follow me later."

Man, can't wait to see my room, how about you?

Love and Respect - Hierarchy/Authority

Tonight, we talked about the H and A in CHAIRS. C stands for conquest, which we talked about last week. H stands for HIERARCHY and A stands for AUTHORITY


We defined hierarchy as "chain of command; structure; authority. We also spoke of authority that we are willing to submit to…examples…police, law, boss, mom/dad, and basically anyone that we respect who is put in a position of authority over us. The basic crux of hierarchy comes directly from scripture in Ephesians 5:22 that we are to submit to our husbands as to the Lord. God wired our men with an innate desire to protect and provide, and most women's hands went up in agreement that we want our husbands to protect us, provide for us, and to lead our homes. That is the place that God desires us to be where He (God) is top in authority, then comes our man, and then us. Our husbands are called to love us and lay down their lives for us as Christ did for the church, and we are called to submit (to give over or yield to the authority of another) to our husbands as the church submits to Christ. The key to authority is that much responsibility comes with it, as Christ well knows. The common bond between men loving their wives as Christ loves the church and women submitting to their husbands as the church submits to Christ, is CHRIST. We can't do this thing without Him!!!



We've talked quite a bit about "good will", and that is also another huge component in making this Love and Respect thing work. We have to have good will toward one another or we will not love like Christ, or be willing to submit to anything.

Good willed is defined as friendly disposition; usual mood or temperament; not to intentionally harm; serve; someone who is "for you". Here's where the hard truths really lie. If we are not good willed toward one another in our marriage, we are in quick sand with no movement. All of these things we've been talking about with the COUPLE acronym for the women and CHAIRS acronym for the men cannot move forward if we do not have good will toward our spouse and they to us.

Life in marriage is HARD.  It's work, but it's so worth fighting for.  Continue to plow forward in learning more about yourselves in marriage by diving into His Word to see what He has to say to guide your way in marriage.  The blessings are abundant for those who roll up their sleeves and live and grow together.  Our marriages are so worth it!  Let's continue to build the armor of steel around our hearts and marriages that are so susceptible to the evil one's lurkings.  STAND GUARD!!

gym church

Ok i admit...we are hooked on Biggest Loser...it's amazing! if you have never watched this show, give it a try and you will see some of the rawest emotion displayed each week, as these folks come together to lose much more than just weight.

The weekly show guides you through the week of workouts, challenges, education on diet, and invariably someone breaks through to find out why food was the method for them to find an escape. At different intervals in the journey the producers of the show will send the contestants home for a week to see how they implement what they are learning at the ranch. At the end of the week, the scales are waiting.

This year as the contestants went home and went to the local gym, several commented on how good it feels to be able to walk into the gym. Yea, they attempted to go in the past (the time most needed due to their lifestyle and size) yet they felt or applied self condemnation and walked out.

Don't we know some folks that treat the local church the same way? In Mark 2:17 (NLT)
Jesus tells us...."Healthy people don't need a doctor--sick people do. i have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough".

Who am i kidding i'm one of those folks...i felt that i had to get cleaned up (action based thinking) before i could go inside a local place of worship, yet Jesus wants me/us to come in just as we are. Part of the definition for the word sick is miserable, yet we walk around pretending alot of the time we are "fine" hahaha. If you are miserable (sick) come to the very place Jesus established to help us receive health, the local body of Christ.

See ya the worship barn

Loyalty...Esteem

Happy SUNNY Friday!


Wahoo!! Gonna get some dirt under my fingernails today as I'm outside enjoying His creation!!
We talked through the "L" and the "E" of our acronym in Love and Respect this past week. Just a refresher…

C..loseness

O..penness

U..nderstanding

P..eacemaker

L..oyalty

E..steem

Loyalty…my Golden Retriever that is laying right beside me as I type is a perfect God picture to me of Loyalty. He is always by my side, follows me around, and is the protector of our yard. As we talked through in class in our working definition of Loyalty, we described it as…faithful, on my team, on my side, committed, unconditional fidelity, trust, "for me", without question, allegiance



We found that we are loyal to a lot of different things/people in this life…God; t.v.; sports teams (anyone being loyal to some March Madness?...be sure to carve out a bit of time with your wife and family as your brain cells are withering away!! haha) kids; family; spouse; work; friendships; hobbies It was interesting to me that the spouse got listed so far down in our brainstorming even when we're in marriage class! We are all so different, but it would be interesting to take some time and write down what you feel like you’re most loyal to, and then ask your spouse to write a list of what they think you're loyal to…



We also dove into some pretty sensitive stuff as we talked about the visual age that we live in and how our minds, especially men's, are being bombarded with sexual images, from commercials, to catalogs, to Sports Illustrated, to pornography…Satan's lures are everywhere and he knows our weaknesses. Where loyalty is concerned, a wife has to be reassured that you are hers, and she is yours. Making comments about another woman, her looks, her build, her body parts, especially in front of your wife, is NOT COOL. Most of us agreed, that when that is done, we feel like we're not enough for our husbands, that we are somehow "less". Now, as I addressed in class, we, as wives, tired wives and moms, can tend to move to a place of comfort, ease, sameness with our man, and lose some of that pursuing that we did with one another when we dated. Our marriage should be the most important relationship on this earth, and as we all know, it takes WORK!!! As one woman noted in class, she heard a phrase on Focus on the Family that really struck a chord with her. "Have an affair with your husband, or someone else will". Our loyalties have to be guarded…first with Christ and then with one another. Marriages just don't work well without Jesus!!



Esteem…simply put…to have high confidence in something or someone

I know that women need it, but honestly, I don't know of a soul who doesn't. To be respected, honored, cherished, believed in, highly regarded, is something that we all long for, but I know that can easily be transferred onto humans above God in a heartbeat. It is reassuring to know that above man, Jesus highly esteems us, and as we seek to let our identities rest in Him, we are satisfied.



Here are some ways a husband/wife can esteem one another.

Tell one that you are proud of her/him.

Speak highly of one another in front of others.

Give encouragement and praise

Be physically affectionate in public

Teach the children to show her/him respect

Value one another's opinion

Make her/him feel of most importance

We're Goin' To the Chapel...

And we're gonna get married!  21 crazy, full, growth filled, wild with love, challenging, do it all again YEARS!!  I am blessed beyond my wildest imagination.  If I never got another day with this man, I would be blessed with more love than I ever thought I could receive or give to another human.  I am a better ME because he is in my life.  I thank God every day for taking two lost and wayward souls and knowing what they could be in Him, and loving them both enough to draw them to Himself.  What a ride! 

how fast is fast?

to abstain as a religious exercise from food and drink: either entirely, if the fast lasted but a single day, or from customary and choice nourishment, if it continued several days

That's the definition of fast…Yea Jesus demonstrated this discipline in the desert for 40 days, and then we see in Matthew chapter 6 verse 16 He states "and when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, who try to look pale and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I assure you, that is the only reward they will ever get." (NLT)

Before we dive in, let me share my first experience. I'm thinking now that it was about 5 years ago, I'm reading scripture and the thought of fasting came to mind and so in my typical fleshy way, I said to self….hey let's do this….Yea let's do this thing…I can do this…let me pick something to fast from…heck my doing was more like a side show you see when you go to Coney Island in NY. Yea the shows that show half dog half cat jumping through hoops of flames, or the tent where the man is swallowing everything except food or water. That was my mind set, look at what I'm attempting for God…WRONG answer! The attempting part was correct, but the motive way off. I was going into the fast as I would running a distance I have never run before, just to see if I could do it. Well guess what happened? Yep, fast didn't last…. Oh I forgot to tell you, my 2 day fast was from pop-tarts. No kidding I really really really enjoy those tasty little pastries, with butter smothered on them…placed in the ov….someone slap me here…ok I'm back with you. Fast forward to 2010

I must admit that most of the time when I hear the word fast now in this setting, I think to myself….yea, the reason it's called a fast is that when you are in it, you want it over real fast hahaha. But as God does when we are talking with Him, through His word and just talking (praying) in whatever we are doing. The verse pops up yet again and the week this verse pops up is start Ash Wednesday. The part of the verse that continues to penetrate me is the word WHEN. It doesn't say if i decide to fast, or if i think about it, Jesus says when you (we)fast. And this time, as I read, the week before, the thought of refraining from certain sweets was starting to enter my mind. Here's why…9 years ago, alcohol had a grip on me, it was an escape, it was a form of numbing the world around me (you can shoot me a message for the other details, will refrain here) suffice to say for those that understand addiction, you realize that the "whatever" can be more than the substances like drugs and alcohol, but also things like shopping, exercise, work, sex and hobbies, creeps into your mind and tells your body you NEED this.

So if you'll notice in the scripture cited above, Jesus tells us don't make it look obvious, so i really dug in and said YEA YEA…no one will know, not even my bride. Well remember this started on Wednesday and things are going ok, as I replace the sweets like chocolate chip cookies, brownies, donuts, cake, pies…ok ok I'm back…with the Word and or prayer and most of the time both. Wednesday night comes and a friend shares that she is fasting as well, so we high fived and said me too! but don't tell anyone…DAG GUM IT! I just told you…ok ok….keep it a secret. Friday comes and Debby, my bride, comes out of the store with, yep you guessed it. A big ol Hershey bar, my favorite. Satan away from me…surely Jesus didn't face this type of temptation did he?… Shook it off…."WHAT?" was her shocked reply. Yea, and as I brought deb up to speed I shared how this sweet thing is more than I really thought…kinda thought this would be a chip shot, but I am seeing even in this short time, my reliance on this is crazy. I ask her to pray with me during this time (James 5:16). The weekend comes and goes…whew, how many more days? Need reinforcements…Tuesday comes, I meet with some dear friends each Tuesday morning at 05:00 to discuss life, I bring them in. And as I am sharing I'm thinking, "this is so foolish, seems so trivial" but folks it's not!

Tomorrow will be the half way point. In just a few days we will celebrate our risen Savior Jesus Christ! We will celebrate the One who was tempted for 40 days in His fast, that was part of His preparation for the day that brings me and you our eternity, our salvation through faith in His risen Body! So right now when I say no to the Hershey bar, or when I say no to the whatever in life that has gripped me…..i am saying YES to JESUS…and the grip of the whatever loosens just a bit, the grip I have on myself loosens, as I continue to say YES to JESUS!

If you are saying yes, and you "feel" your yes just isn't sticking, give us a shout and share your experience with us we look forward to hearing your story.

mike

Love and Respect - Closeness

Hi everyone!


Hope your week is going well! We are plowing through Love and Respect and I know I can speak for all of us as I say we are definitely being challenged in many areas, which is so good, because challenges move us toward change. We have to begin to realize that our marriages are such a process of seasons of growth, and we can never settle in and feel like "we've got this". It is at that moment that we are easy targets for the evil one who absolutely hates the idea of a healthy marriage and family.



We started with the acronym C.O.U.P.L.E.

C loseness

O penness

U nderstanding

P eacemaker

L oylaty

E steem



There is another C.H.A.I.R, but that's weeks down the road. I will say, that COUPLE is geared more toward the man, and CHAIR toward the women. We are praying that these next weeks you will absorb these truths like a sponge that will ultimately help your marriage be all that God created it to be in Him.



CLOSENESS

We talked for most of the class time on closeness/connection. Here are some of things that helped us define closeness.

*inseparable; comfort; trust; share with one another; intimacy; to know; soul to soul; touch; tolerance; heart to heart; not necessarily proximity; common goal

LIFE CHALLENGES: when I'm sick; birth of child; sickness of child; death of a parent; financial struggles.



We agreed that in those life challenges God can use them to draw us closer, or if our marriages are on a shakey or shifting foundation, they can drive us apart.



A woman's innate desire is be close to her husband. Many times in confrontation, it is a woman's way of crying out for connection/closeness with her spouse. As we learned from the book and workbook, a man moving toward his wife and realizing her need for closeness will take a step off the Crazy Cycle and move onto the Energizing Cycle.



Know that you bless us every week with your input as we talk through this thing called marriage. I know we're getting stronger!!

40 days

40 days of rain
40 days of manna from heaven to feed the people on their way to Canaan
40 days moses with God
40 days of temptation in the desert, Jesus conquered

40 days from today we will CELEBRATE our RISEN SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! (picture the exclamation points going to infinite).

as a brief brief overview above, we see that in 40 days people change from the inside out….Will you join with me for the next 40 days (starting today)let's pray with our spouses…Yea for the next 40 days, let's not miss a day in coming together with the one, that we stood in front of friends and family and proclaimed that God joined us together……pray with each other for the next 40 days…..are you in? Good I see some heads nodding, I hear some stomachs flipping with nervousness, legs are swaying back and forth, questions rolling in the head "will he/she pray with me" YES!

love em up!

half way scared

You ever watch a squirrel trying to cross a road? Yea it's crazy, but when you stop a minute and think we have some similar traits. Oh i don't mean in how we cross the road, however, i have felt like a squirrel at times when crossing the roads after some sporting events.

Next time when you see a squirrel scurrying around with the tail flying all over the place, take notice. The one i watched today had the head going back and forth at record speeds, darted out to the middle of the road, looked back to where he or she (sorry wasn't that close)heard the noise of the on coming vehicle, dissected that they couldn't make it and scurried back to their original place of preceived safety, therefore, traveling the same distance back, as the distance that it would have been to cross the street completely. Whew...and as the squirrel would then look back over his situation, he finds, he's right back where he started.

Aren't we the same way in our lives.....yea....you see, the squirrel knew the land, the terrain, the danger from where he came.....what he didn't know, was the land ahead of him and if it was more dangerous getting across the street, than where he just came from...it was the unknown...fear grips us. In our daily walks in recovery, we/i can understand walking, scurrying, running, head darting to and fro, wondering what the next step should be, who's watching, what am i protecting....man can i get across NO...i must go back....but i don't want to go back....dag gum...what to do? HELP

Hebrews 13:6 (NLT) That is why we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, so i will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

Think i'll cross that street now, come on along and join the journey....

Keepin' Things Shiny

I usually clean my wedding rings once a week on Sundays before church.  They look all snazzy (i like that word, just don't know if it's a real one) and I love to look at them shine in the light.  If you look closely, you can see reflections in the gold.  As we travel Wednesday to Wednesday, living life with other couples, and seeking to strengthen our marriages, God reminded me of the process by which I clean my rings.  I let them soak in a jewelry cleaning solution, then, with the brush provided, I clean all the cracks and crevices that have accumulated dust, dirt, lotion, soap scum and hair.  I then rinse them and buff them with a towel to get them shiny.

God gave me this simple truth...Our marriages need soaked and brushed, so as to get all the gunk out, rinsed and cleansed, and buffed and shined.  Is this a one time chore?  Of course not.  In order for my rings to stay clean, I have to wash them regularly.  In order for my marriage to stay clean, I have to take necessary steps, communicating with Mike every day, setting aside time for "us" (not with kids or other couples), talking through and not stuffing hurt feelings, places where we don't agree, and things will help us grow.  Praying together has been one of the staple things that Mike and I as "one" can't do without.  It had been awhile since we had had an official date, but last week, we took time out, carved time out, stole time for us, and it was a great way to "shine up" a marriage that we cherish and want to fight for every day. 

I encourage you...take the well deserved time to shine up your marriage!  The blessings are immeasurable.

manhood part 2

Ok last week, we talked about, or really asked the question: "when did i walk through the door of manhood?"

Asking this question to some of the men that are willing to share their life with me, has been an absolute blast! The answers, comments, suggestions have been all over the place. You can imagine some of the responses; like, when i first started to drive, or when i started making money; there were some that half joking, but probably more serious stated, the first time to be sexually active......but as we really centered down on the question, especially when we walk out what this looks like to communicate to our sons, and for that matter our daugthers on entering womanhood an eiry silence falls over the landscape.

It's a silence men, we must break....so let me share what i believe to be my walking through the door to manhood....not arriving mind you, but growing each day into the man God has designed me to be through Jesus Christ.

It was the day that i started to accept my decisions, regardless of outcome and stop running from them, stopped making excuses in order to protect an image, i thought the world had of me, stopped being a pretender....NOW HOLD on....men hear me here.....listen to what i'm not saying...do i still make crazy decisions? YES! are all of my decisions right? well depends on if your asking me or my bride hahahaha....What i am saying is that you/me are exactly who God says we are! a co-heir; an ambassador; redeemed; cleansed; reconciled; filled with the Holy Spirit; Men we are HIS.

So there is a day coming soon, and deb and i will walk this out with our daughter,Kinsey, at graduation this coming May, then Madison 4 years down the road and then with Michael 8 years down the road with our tennis ball soaked walkers hahaha...heck no...we will be running with them...

and here is what will happen....the day will be a celebration as deb and i physically stand in front of our children upon graduation and communicate to them that God is in front of us and He has been leading us to lead (train Proverbs 22:6 NIV)you for the past 18 years. Today your mother and i now come beside you, as you now take ownership of your decisions, with God leading you....we are here for your support ALWAYS, but it is God's face you must seek first to determine your path. (Psalm 105:4 NIV)

so when did your manhood start? Not sure...cool, i wasn't either until talking with some brothers, do you have some men that you are sharing life with? If so, you understand how cool this fellowship is. If not and your are desirous to share life with other men, who are ready to learn what manhood is really about, let us know....groups are forming! look forward to your response

Starting to Love and Respect

Happy Friday!
The marriage class that we lead on Wednesday nights is diving into the book/workbook Love and Respect (click for link) by Emerson Eggerichs.  We are so excited about this and would love to have anyone come and join us.  We meet at 6:30 each Wednesday night at Belle Aire Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, TN.  Room 201

Here are some of the points that we discussed about RESPECT and some words we associate with it when we think about it.




***fear; provider; security; honor; revere; have value; high regard; submission; boundaries; subjection; trust; authority; earn it



The point was made and likened respect to a fire. It only takes one burn for us to gain a very healthy respect for it. We love for it to warm us, cook for us, and provide light for us, but we also must honor it and have a respect for the boundaries that it sets.



The question was posed to the men and women of what they would rather have, love or respect. The premise of the book is centered around Ephesians 5:33 that says that women need love, and men need respect, but it was cool to see the diversity of the group where we had some men admit that they'd rather have love if they had to choose, and women who said they'd rather have respect.



Here were some of the phrases that I got from the first chapter of the book that men have described to have felt disrespected…

"he felt like she could get along fine without him"

"he was made to feel insignificant as if he didn't matter"

"felt judged for failing to act in a certain way"

"unacceptable"

"using the words 'YOU NEED' to…"

"feeling put down by the demeanor of tone"

"acting as if she were my mom"

"constantly criticizing, complaining…not good enough"

Men, ask your bride if she feels like you show her love, and women, ask your man if he feels respected by you. If the answer is "yes", go one step further and give an example to one another of why you feel or don't feel this way.

Happy Weekend!!

manhood/respect

Happy Monday folks, this question/thought is for the hairy ankle boys/men....sorry ladies, even if you haven't taken the winter coat off the ankles, this is for the guys hahaha.

Men, as we continue our journey this week, we will tip toe into the land of understanding what respect means to not only us, but how do we help communicate this area of our lives with our spouse. How do we receive and tender love to our brides in a manner that as Paul shows us in Ephesians…..as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her….(Ephesians 5:25 ESV)

a question that I have been rolling around for awhile, came to light Sunday during the message, our pastor delivered that addressed the very scripture we have been living for over a year. (Ephesians 5:22-33)So ask yourself this question: "when did I march into manhood, or when did I become a man?" For those of us that have sons, how will we communicate/teach them they "have arrived" This has been cool conversation for us, as I also asked deb, "when did you feel you became a woman" I would love to hear what God lays on you….

love em up!

keep us together

over the past few days, we (debby and i) have been preparing for a weekly wednesday night class that centers it's discussion on marriage. This has been an absolute blast as over the past year, we see folks slowly start to loosen up, take off the "church mask" and share that life isn't always "fine" or ok, or good.....so this week we will start to dissect what love and respect means to us. But as i was looking up the various definitions of love in the greek language, this crazy song pops in my head....see if you remember it...

Love, love will keep us together....
Think of me babe whenever some sweet talking girl comes along....

YEA, you remember.that...I know, i know...crazy.....your welcome,you will be singing this for the rest of the evening. So i run down that trail for a bit and ask; does love really....i mean does the love that deb and i have for each other, is that really,.... do i believe that just my/our love is what will hold us together? What is that love? How deep? and then this verse came to mind.

Colossians 1:15-17 (NIV) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation v16 For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth; visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him v17 He is before all things and in him all things hold together.......

And so if God is love.....love shown to us through Jesus Christ......and Jesus is the one that EVERYTHING is held together......then what holds us together is our love for Christ? So the more i understand and grasp the love, the security, the self esteem, the confidence that comes to me/us through Jesus Christ, then my/our love for each other grows?......is held together?

So back to my thought trail after the song worm....singing her song, don't mess around you just gotta be strong...

ooopss so sorry....The answer is a tremendously big YOU BETCHA YA...Thank you Jesus for loving us first and the love my bride has for You, and how that love for you overflows to me.

Do you think Captain really likes that hat? hahaha. have a fun day gang!

Welcome!

Debby here...I just wanted to thank you for visiting our blog.  Our purpose is to live in community with some that we see weekly, and others that we may never see.  Our heart is for people, marriages, and how we fit into God's big plan for us!  I learned over the weekend at the Passion Conference in Atlanta (I'm too old, but had the privilege of going with my 18 year old daughter Kinsey) that this life is not about fitting God into our lives, but wrapping our lives around His.  I've had that thinking backwards for a long time.  We lead a marriage class at our church on Wednesday nights, and so we will be using this blog to post things, issues, questions from that, but we will also be using it to request input from you. 

We started class last night, and first off, we posed the question to get couples thinking in how they would rate their marriages.

1) ER-your marriage is flatlining…no pulse…in serious need of some resurrection

2) Critical Care-you've made it to the hospital, but your marriage is in serious need of treatment…it could go either way at this point.

3) Check Up-You're just in need of a routine check-up. You are coming in to make sure everything is working. You have a few sputters and bumps, but you are taking your vitamins and actively working at your marriage.

4) Spa-it's all good…Your marriage is strong. You are communicating. Working daily at making your marriage a priority, knowing that your work is never done.

Where is your marriage?  How did it get there?  We'd love to hear from ya!
Blessings!!

First time

Mike here...so it's half time of the Texas /Alabama game and this is the first time to contribute to a blog or post a blog...so does that make us bloggers? YES...alright! Not sure how many men out there are bloggers, but guys this will be a tool for us to communicate as we learn how to lead our families through Jesus Christ