S.A.F.E.

Trying to decide if he or she is the one for you?  Here is a healthy, balanced way to observe the person you are dating within different contexts.

S ~ Do something spiritual together on a regular basis.  Go to church, attend a Bible study, pray together.  See if you connect with each other on the spiritual level.

A ~ Find something active that you enjoy doing together.   Need ideas....walking, cycling, running, tennis, swimming, sailing, kayaking, hiking, canoeing, social dancing, fishing, gardening, croquet, hunting, bowling....

F ~ Spend enough time with family to understand the dynamics.  Do you enjoy being with them?  Does your date enjoy being with them?  If you love the atmosphere, show some restraint in amount of time spent as it could complicate things should the dating relationship end.

E ~ Participate in something that is  effective and service-oriented.  Think beyond yourselves and consider how you, together, can make a positive difference in the lives of others. 

S.A.F.E. is not a bad formula for a married couple to adopt as well. 

TV~
Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. [Romans 13:13]

Somebody Praying

One of the jobs that a caring spouse takes on is to pray for this person with whom you are journeying through life.  If you aren't praying for that precious person, then who is?  Is there anyone who knows, better than you, what to pray?  You know him more deeply than anyone else on the planet, and you are on the pulse of his current struggles, dreams, fears, discouragements, and .... weaknessess. 

We have a choice: We can fight with our life partner when things are rough.  Or, we can fight for him.

TV:
As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.  [Exodus 17:11]

24 Things Not Found in Heaven

I happen to be a "list" person. Not a day passes without writing a list, following a list, or using a clipboard.  Here's a list for you.

24 Things Not Found in Heaven

 1.  Devil
 2.  Beast
 3.  False prophet
 4. Tears
 5.  Death
 6.  Sorrow
 7.  Crying
 8.  Pain
 9.  Former things
10. Temple
11.  Sun (see No Sunshine in Heaven)
12.  Moon
13.  Lamp
14.  Anything that defiles
15.  Anything that causes abomination
16.  Lies
17.  The curse
18.  Prophecying in part
19.  Speaking in tongues
20.  Knowing in part
21.  Seeing dimly 
22.  Closed gates
23.  Written names of some people (in the Lamb's Book of Life)
24.  The people mentioned in #23

(Revelation 20:10, 14, 15;21:4, 22-27; 22:5; I Corinthians 13:8-12)

TV:

"And there shall be no more curse..."  [Revelation 22:3a]

Getting a Lift

Depression - Being stuck in quicksand, sinking, and no way to get out...apart from God.  "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." (Psalm 40:2)

God tells us that He will lift us out of the mire, but I think we need to reach up and grab the lifeline that he's throwing to us.  If it is so bad that we can't even reach up, then reach out to God with words.  "I can't even lift up my hand to grab your lifeline.  I don't even want to.  So, please change my desires and give me strength so that I can say, 'I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.'" (Psalm 27:13)


 TV:
But you, LORD, be gracious to me and raise me up...  [Psalm 41:10]  

Mary, the Mother

Let us lay aside the strife within Christianity regarding Mary's role in the Christian story both past, present and future.

Let us look at what she did.  Emphasis usually is placed upon the beginning of her significance, the Magnficat, where she completely submitted to God's plan for her life.

Think however about the end.  Mary showed us the ultimate human love for Jesus.  She did not deny him.  When his body was in anguish on the cross, her soul and spirit were in anguish at the foot of the cross.  She stayed with him.  She did not leave.  That is what a loving mother's heart will do.

Lord, may we love you like Mary loved you.  May we stay visible and alongside of you, even when others are hurting you and making fun of you.

TV: 
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother...   [John 19:25]

Earthly Valuables Found in Heaven

Motherhood: beautiful, heartwrenching...tedious, when done diligently.  The problem with hands-on motherhood is that it involves the daily necessaries of cooking, cleaning and laundry.  For the select few, these mundane tasks can be hired out.  For the rest of us, they take up a tremendous amount of time.  As we work to train the littles to do these household tasks, they take even longer.  It uses all the reserves of physical and emotional energy.  So why bother?

We bother so they will become responsible, productive, loving citizens on this earth.  Yet it goes further.  One day, we will leave this earth...and we hope and pray that our children, priceless items of value,  will meet us in heaven.  The love, time and energy invested in their souls will reap a harvest, yes here on earth.  But we also can look forward to forever with our most precious valuables - our children.

TV:
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.  [I Corinthians 4:7]

A Bit Sheepish

I'm close with someone who owns a flock of sheep.  People are called sheep in the scriptures, so I try to observe parallels between sheep and human beings.

One ewe (female sheep) repeatedly kept getting her head stuck in the gate.  She only needed to back up a few steps to free herself.  However,  she couldn't/wouldn't/didn/t do that.  She wasn't free until her shepherd came along and pulled her back from the gate.

Do you ever think you're stuck?  Maybe you're not, really.   Maybe you just need the Shepherd to help you get out.  It's okay to ask for help.

TV:
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Isaiah 53:6)