Sunday Celebration - Remain In My Love

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. 

Now ... Remain in my love. John 15:9

One would think after making it through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year ... Valentine's Day would be a breeze. Right? Not necessarily. Enduring the expectations of the 'holiday of love' can be torture. Especially, if you are grieving the loss of a loved one.

• Perhaps, your loved one is now in heaven. 
• Perhaps, your loved one is now living across town following a divorce.
• Perhaps, your loved one is lost to an addiction. 

In times like these, we don't feel loved. Our loss or rejection may even spill over into how we see God. We might begin to question if He can be trusted. In times like these, we need to be reminded ... 

Circumstances change, but Jesus never does.

People will let us down, but Jesus never will.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is love. He can be trusted. Hear that again ... God is love. God can be trusted. 

God is good and His grace is sufficient. Yet, there will be storms of life. 

The pain is real. The grief is real. The heartache is real. 

So, how do you make it through the storms of life? You remain in His love.

Resist the desire to withdraw or run from Jesus. Run to Him. 

Remain in His love. Remain in His love. Remain in His love. 

What Are You Choosing?

If you read my previous blog "Wake Up Church" you know I have a fire in my belly when it comes to divorce. I get so angry when I see marriages (and families) fall apart because of selfishness. That said, I want to make it clear it is NOT selfish to protect yourself and your children. If you (or your children) are in an unsafe situation .... you should seek safe shelter, safe counsel, and PROTECTION immediately!

However, if you are a woman (or man) who has simply "fallen out of love" with your spouse you need to be reminded >>> love is a choice.

We choose daily to love (or not love) our spouses.

We choose daily to forgive (or not forgive) our spouses.

We choose daily to commit (or not commit) to our marriage.

Divorce doesn't happen overnight. It takes many little choices not to love, not to forgive, and not to commit before we end up contemplating divorce.

What are you choosing?

Wake up Church!

Churches all across America are making sure those who gather in the name of Jesus on Sunday mornings are reminded of the truth about marriage. Even on the blog-a-sphere the theme on Mondays has turned to marriage. What's going on?

God is clearly getting His message out to anyone who will listen .... "Do not buy into the lie! The lie which seeks to entice you into leaving the (wife) (husband) of your youth! The lie which seeks to destroy you and your family!"

Why? Because divorce (yes, even in the church) is running rampant!

Lives are being shattered, families are being destroyed, as one partner (sometimes both) buys into the lie that divorce will make them happy. Divorce will not make you happy. However, sin will deceive you into believing you are happy.

Here's the truth .... sin is fun. If it wasn't we wouldn't be tempted. The Bible is very clear on this subject. Sin is fun for a season. As an East Tennessee gal, I am well acquainted with seasons. Seasons come to an end! I beg you to listen .... at the end of a season of sin, there will be consequences. The Bible is very clear on this subject too. The cost of sin is death.

• Death of trust
• Death of a dream
• Death of a marriage
• Death of a family

Just this week, I have witnessed (first hand) the wake of destruction in two beautiful families. I have watched two precious women attempt to make it through their days as single moms after being cast aside by the husbands of their youth. These women (and their children) are living the devastating effects of this lie now. When their husbands "wake up" from their season of sin, they too, will see the consequences they have brought on their families.

Wake up church. Marriage was God's idea. Marriage is a covenant.

Two became one - for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health .... till death do we part. Is it any wonder those who have experienced the consequences of divorce describe it as agonizingly painful? As feeling like they have been ripped apart.

Wake up church.

Marriage is good. It is for our good, and it is for His pleasure. Two BECOME one.

What's the problem? Selfishness. Pure and simple, selfishness. Seeking our own selfish gain. Desiring (at any cost) to be happy.

Wake up church.

Marriages are crumbling all around us. Families are being destroyed.

Why do we stand by in silence when we see our brother or sister walking into this lie which seeks to destroy them and their family? Or worse, embrace or encourage them to act upon this sin of selfishness?

What's the problem? Apathy. Pure and simple, apathy. Seeking our own selfish gain. Desiring (at any cost) to mind our own business.

Wake up church.

"SonDay, Sunday" - Humility

In my Adult Bible Fellowship (a.k.a. adult Sunday School) this week we had a guest speaker from our church counseling ministry. I was deeply moved by this portion of his presentation - I am posting it here (with his permission, of course) in hopes it will be an encouragement to you, or someone you know ...


I want to be your friend, but first I must be your Lord.
Your pride is the primary hindrance to intimacy with Me.
I will help you deal with your pride.

As your sovereign, loving Lord, I will allow painful, unpleasant
circumstances into your life offering you the opportunity to
surrender to My wisdom, My ways, My plans, and My agenda.

Your surrender in itself will be saying no to your pride and
embracing humility … allowing you to draw closer to Me.
As you surrender more and more of your will to Me,
you will experience profound emotional peace.

Jesus
________________________________________

Will you surrender? Begin today. Or begin again, today.

The Triple D - Divorce, Devastation, Disaster, Part 2

The illustrations from yesterday's post may have seemed a little over-the-top, and may have even made you wonder if they were taken from the sensationalism of daytime televison. I assure you, they were not. Unfortunately, they were all "real-life" examples of hurting children who know the devastation and disaster that accompany divorce.

But as we will see today, children are not the only victims.

Just ask the man, who is desperately trying to put the pieces back together of his shattered life. His wife, on the counsel of her mother that she deserved to be happy, walked out on him, their children, and the life they had built... for another man.

Or the woman, who cries herself to sleep each night wondering why she wasn't enough to keep her husband satisfied. Each day she puts on a mask of bravery to cover the fear and insecurity she now wears in her role as a single mom.

Or how about the man, who after years of chasing happiness, realized (too late) he had traded his wife, his family, and the life they had built, for nothing but "smoke and mirrors!"

Yes, divorce leaves quite a wake of devastation and disaster. The ripples go on, and on, and on...


Is there any wonder God hates divorce?


Join me on Monday when we will take our eyes off of divorce and focus on marriage.

The Triple D - Divorce, Devastation, Disaster

In the past week (I am very sorry to say) I have heard ALL of the following: The first was the story of a precious 12 year old girl. Her life had completely changed when her mother told her she was filing for divorce. And in a (STUPID) attempt to make it easier for the child, the mother further added… it was really no big deal because her husband was not even the child’s real father. As you can imagine, this news rocked the little girl to the very core of her being! Trying to be brave but with tears filling her eyes, she said she didn’t know which hurt more. That her daddy was leaving or that he was never her daddy.

The next is of an adorable little 7 year old girl. She was wondering what she should call her “new” daddy. She also wanted to know if he would be replacing her “old” daddy. A further evidence of the decline of her innocence was her curiosity in how “step” and “half” siblings are made. And would she ever have any “whole” siblings.

The final story was of a young man in his mid-20s. The scabs of his childhood wounds were freshly opened when his dad told him he was leaving his “new” wife and family. He could not understand what would make a man want to start over – twice! Needless to say, this young man is having trouble with the idea of marriage for himself.

What a mess! But is it any wonder? In our sin-filled, selfish quest for happiness, we are creating the triple D – Divorce, Devastation, and Disaster. And our children are the recipients of the ripple effects of the emotional trauma.

We rationalize our selfishness as an attempt to do right by our kids, saying things like…

Kids are resilient.

Or

It’s better for us to just part as friends than to become enemies.

We may even begin to believe this nonsense, but that does not make it true! It is never better for the kids when their parents take the easy way out.

In all honesty, and in complete love - that's a bunch of baloney!

Join me tomorrow as we further examine the truth of divorce.

The Big Lie

I recently heard a "so called" marriage expert say that most people who give up on their marriage make the decision in January. I was grieved at the statistics but as I listened to this guy, I became down right angry. In reckless chatter he was (during the month of January!) giving a laundry list of reasons that would validate a January decision to throw in the towel. I started yelling at him, "Hey budy, we're not talking about numbers here, we're talking about people! Hurting people, and you're feeding them a lie!" Unfortunately my passionate outburst had no effect on the guy on TV but it did run both of my dogs under the bed.

I am not a woman with my head in the clouds, I know (all too well) there are many things that contribute to stress in marriage. I certainly would agree that buying things you cannot afford in December and getting bills (you can not pay!) is one. Another certainly is spending too much time with in-laws (and out-laws!) over the holiday season. And don't even get me started on unrealistic expectations we try to meet of our friends, our family, and (dare I say) even ourselves! Just thinking about that is making the vein in my forehead pop out! Yes, there is no denying these things do exist, and they can make for a stressful January, but they do not cause divorce.

So what does? In January, or any other month?

Choosing to buy into the lie.

I'm sorry, were you expecting something deep?

In our quest for happiness, we buy into it - hook, line and sinker!

The lie that divorce is the answer to all of our problems.

The lie that divorce will make us happy.

We want to believe it. We want it to be the answer!

Unfortunatlely, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Divorce will not rid you of all your stress.

Divorce will not rid you of all your pain.

Divorce may get rid of your husband, but hear me when I say your husband is not your enemy.

Satan is, and this lie comes straight from him.

His sole purpose is to lie, steal, and destroy.

Do not buy into his lie. Do not let him steal and destroy your marriage.


If you're thinking of walking away...


STOP & PRAY!

Ask God to turn your heart around!

You have no idea what the road looks like ahead!

It's all a big lie!

Turn around! Turn around! Turn around!


If your husband is thinking of walking away...

STOP & PRAY!

Ask God to turn his heart around.

Remember that he has no idea what the road looks like ahead.

It's all a big lie.

Wait, and Pray for his heart to turn around.


Father God, You are the creator of marriage and therefore it is good. Turn our hearts first back to you, Father. Protect us from our selfish desires that the enemy would like to use to steal and destroy our marriage. Renew in us a desire for our husbands, and our husbands for us, that we may walk in marriage as You have created it. We boldly ask You to give us a passion for nothing less than Your best. In Jesus Name. Amen.