Are You Prepared For Marriage?

….Hey….it’s me…I was thinking…Oh I’m sorry…Here’s an invitation to what I’ve been wondering about lately. Welcome to my thoughts…..I was looking back at my life and to be quite honest I’ve been blessed…I have accomplished some of what I wanted at stage in my life. I love God with all my heart, I got an education, I have a career that I love, and a great place to work. I’m healthy, my family is with me and I have real true friends.

I was thinking about how I got it all. What did I do to get it all? I realized that for the most part I prayed and then got myself prepared for each step I took. When I finished high school I knew I wanted to go to college so I got prepared and made a list of schools I wanted then applied and don’t forgot that I prayed along the entire process. When I went to class, I learned the material and went home to go back over everything so that I’d be prepared for the exams. I got myself ready, I studied, I researched what I didn’t really know or understand. Well lets keep going…I promise you that I’m getting somewhere with this……I knew I wanted to buy a car someday but first I needed to learn how to drive!! I needed to get ready to get on the road before I could officially call myself a driver. I did a lot of praying because I was really afraid of driving my car on NYC streets. These were all challenges. Yet I prayed and God helped me during each phase.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I did something to prepare myself for the unknown. For college, for those exams, for that road test, for my monetary investment and read my bible to develop my spiritual life. So then I started to wonder…I wondered about the other things I’d like to see happen in my future…marriage…kids…however I began to realize when it comes to something as big as marriage that people aren’t getting themselves prepared. Something that will affect the rest of your life. Something so complicated as falling in love and staying together. Now I used the word complicated because it’s just that…Love and developing a relationship is hard work. Marriage is about two people becoming one. Have you ever wondered about what it would be like to take a course on marriage before you jumped the broom. I know you can’t know everything, but maybe…just maybe you could do some research, speak to a few married or divorce couples just to get some insight about the idea of happily ever after (if that is even at all possible cause living in today’s age is no fairytale)

How amazing would it be to know what pitfalls to avoid before you get to them before you get married? How to resolve issues? How to communicate your feelings? Isn’t it ironic that people get themselves prepared in one way or another for a lot of things in life but they don’t get prepared or try to figure out what it would take to have a successful marriage….?

If marriage is something your heart desires is there really anyway to get yourself prepared (and I’m not talking about when you are engaged already…way before that?)

I also ask you this…..

Do you feel like there is a way to get yourself prepared and if so what would you be willing to do to prepare for it? Have you done anything so far? If so what was it?

Why is it that with everything else we are ready to do the research to get ourselves prepared for the unknown…but we often walk into marriage thinking we can take a crash course at the alter?

Haiti Earthquake - Are your Hearts Shaken up?

I wanted to do a post regarding Haiti because I am Haitian American. The past couple of days has shaken everyone internally as the news and the internet has been covering the devastation in Haiti. Maybe you do not know any Haitian people. Maybe you did not even know about the tiny country in the Carribean. However, now its the topic from the supermarkets to the Office. I have heard bad news and good news during the past few days from Haitian friends regarding their families. It has not been easy mourning with those who have lost so much and rejoicing when you find that people have lived. Its a lot of emotions to bare all at the same time as people relay stories.

So I am not going to retell any stories. I am simply hoping and praying that everyone will do whatever they can to help someone in need. Whether if it is a listening ear, a word of encouragement, maybe a donation to the Red Cross, whatever you feel moved to do, DO it.... People have made comments about God punishing Haiti, or where was God when this happened, or why should we help. God knows all and if you have any mixed feeling about Him I would suggest you start asking him these questions, I guarantee that if you truly want answers from Him he will respond and give you the answers you need. Get alone with God and ask him whatever your heart truly wants to know. If you're mad then go talk to God and tell him your concerns. He will show up if you are willing to listen to what he has to say.

This is a personal matter for me. My heart aches so I will be trying my best to help in my own way. If your heart aches also do something however small it is. If you opt out of doing anything and have your reasons, that's ok too. I just know that my outlook on life and my lenses are a bit clearer. I am thankful for the gift of life and I hope that when it's my turn to leave this earth that someone would say "She was an encouragement to those around her."

What would you want people to say about your life after you have passed away?

Thanks for reading

Just_Wondering

How do I know he loves me? Does she love me? What is Love? Is it True Love?

Have you ever started out in a relationship with someone and wonder when you will know it’s really love? How do you know if that woman or man loves you? Do you even know what true love is really like? These are some of the questions I think most of us wonder about when we start dating someone and it’s going well after a few months. I know it’s something that I had to find out. I’ll be honest with you (yeah you reading this post lol) I'm not the type of girl that just falls in and out of Love. My definition of Love transcends those butterfly feelings that one gets when they spend quality time with the person they are dating. So I wanted to know in my heart and in my mind a way I could know that what I had with my guy was real. Here's my definition of Love and how most people get caught up in what they think is Love. Hey, it may just help you to figure out if your girlfriend/boyfriend really does Love you or if you really love that person also.

What I hope to accomplish my the end of this Love Post lol is to

(a) Define Love, (b)Knowing what isn’t Love, (c)How do you know when you’re in love?

Ok I would like to begin by saying that I’m no expert. I think that Love is wonderful and we all long to be in a relationship that will bring us joy even when things get tough. However, I feel like a lot of us run around wanting to be loved and we tend to get ourselves into relationships that end up hurting us or someone else. Sometimes we carry some of the hurt, and pain into our next relationship and it becomes a vicious cycle.

Why don’t we start off with defining love? I went online and looked up love on a dictionary website (dictionary.com) and this is what it said:

Love: [luhv](n)
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3. sexual intercourse or sexual passion
4. a personification of sexual affection
5. to embrace and kiss (someone), as a lover.
6. affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one's neighbor.
7.the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God

I don’t know about you but I thought this list was rather fascinating. So why don’t we play a little game on how love is defined by saying Love equals (=) and add that definition above

Love=Passionate Affection, affection is a feeling
Love=Feeling attachment/affection aka feelings again
Love=Sex
Love=Sex
Love=Hugging and Kissing
Love=Concern for others (feelings of affection with action) loving your neighbor
Love=Comes from God that He gives and we return to him.

WOW what a list right. Ok the first two have to do with feelings and next three are physical and the last two essentially have something to do with God.

I don’t know about you, but if I had to use 1-5 to figure out if my man loves me based on just feelings he says he has then everyone is in Love lol People can say that they love you but it may not be true. A lot of people can feel affection because you are attracted to that person. But is that really love? As for sex, well we know tons of people have sex for a lot of reasons and many don’t even claim to love the person they are having sex with. So I’m not convinced that love is sex, hugs, and kisses. All that can possibly come from the attraction you physically feel when you are with or thinking about the person which isn’t love.

Now we’re left with the last two options. Ok you may not be a person who believes in God. However, since this definition mentions God I think it would be worth it to glance at the Bible to find out what love is. The Bible says that God is Love. He is the author of love. So if you want to know what Love is all about you’d have to find out who God is and you can definitely read about God in the Bible which I call God's Love Letter (click there for my previous post)

Love is defined in the Bible as the following in 1Corinthians13:4

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

The description perfectly fits God's love toward us, and should be the way we love each other and God. What I noticed about this definition is that there’s no mention of physical attraction, sex, or having passionate feelings. If not those things, then what does it say love is supposed to be like.

Love=Patience, Kindness these are not things that you feel, but things that you see that the person is exhibiting through actions.

Love=Rejoices in Truth which means that if someone says something and you can see through actual evidence that it is true then that’s an indication of Love on their part

Love=Always Protects, Trusts, Hopes Perseveres, Never Fails

I know that we are not perfect people. No one can perfectly meet everything on this list without God helping us to do so since he is the author of love. However, if you are trying to figure out if you love someone or if that someone loves you. Please PLEASE PLEASE look at their actions. See if what they say matches up with what they DO. Actions speak louder than words. I am not saying that words don’t speak loud..lol But Actions speak LoudER!

So if you want to know if you are in love. Don’t depend on sex, passionate feelings or attachment to someone because that stuff can only entertain you for maybe 3months, 6months, maybe a year. But you will know if it’s love if both of you tell each other the truth, you will trust each other, you both will be patient and kind, you will want to protect each other from all kinds of hurt meaning you feel hurt when they get hurt, and it’ll be something that you hope will go through the test of time (perseveres.) Only time will tell you all these things so don’t rush into anything. If it’s true love then you’ll get through hardships, trials, or tough times together because you want the love that doesn’t give up and never fails.

Before I wrap up I also want to point out what LOVE IS NOT (≠) according to the author of Love (God).

Love ≠ does not envy- being envious means that someone can be jealous, spiteful, resentful towards you

Love ≠ does not boast- being boastful means that you’re showing off things about yourself, and saying all you have to offer all the time

Love ≠is not proud aka prideful- is also connected to boasting about yourself, pumping yourself up or telling that person they are lucky to have them in your life

Love ≠ is not rude- we all know what being rude is which is being discourteous, impolite, vulgar, offensive, having no manners towards you

Love ≠is not self-seeking- only looking out for yourself love is about looking outside of yourself and looking out for someone else.

Love ≠is not easily angered- meaning getting upset very very quickly. It doesn’t say you can’t get upset. It says that you don’t get mad at the drop of a dime.

Love ≠no record of wrongs- You shouldn’t have a long list of things he/she has done wrong and throwing that stuff in their face. Love is about true forgiveness. If you can’t forgive then you don’t love the person or vice versa.

Love ≠ does not delight in evil- that means anyone who is hurting you physically, emotionally, mentally that is not love its being evil or wicked. Love is not supposed to HURT!!

So there you have it Ladies and Gentlemen. There’s your checklist that I hope you can use. Write it down on a piece of paper. Watch the actions of the person you are dating and see if it matches up. Oh and don’t forget to use the checklist to figure out if you love that person based on your actions after you have spent some serious time with that person. Sure you can have sexual attraction, you can have butterflys, you can certainly have a great time hugging and kissing. Those things are fleeting. But when you have a problem will sex, butterflys and empty words of affection really be there for you. Maybe for a short while you think it can help you forget the problem. However, if you are interested in true love that comes from the author of Love (God) I think you’ll have a better chance of having a wonderful relationship that will last for a long time. Sure it will be work. I never said it would be easy…But love is definitely worth it..If its real love.

I hope this helps and that God will teach you the love He has so that you can demonstrate that to someone else. Ask him, he’s always there to listen.

Thanks for reading!!

Just_Wondering

Is it Love? Part 2

Claire walked out of the office building where she worked in a daze. She could not believe what just happened. She got laid off. When her supervisor called her into his office, she thought he wanted to discuss a new project that he proposed during the last staff meeting. However, as he told her that the company needed downsizing due to product sales going down causing him to make some cuts from staff. After those words reached her ears, she could only see his lips moving in disbelief. How could this happen during a time in which she had so many financial responsibilities? How was she going to pay for her rent, car note, electric/cell/gas bill, student loans that seemed never ending and the good ole cable bill?

As she rode the train home to her apartment in Corona, Claire started to worry. Tears started to stream down her face as she began to ponder on what she was supposed to do now that her back was up against the wall. As she cried, she said a silent prayer to God saying how she needed Him to come quickly to comfort and help direct her steps as she did not know what she would do to keep her head above water. Claire reached into her bag for a tissue wiping away her tears. She suddenly realized that people around her may be wondering why she was so distraught. Her stop came. She rose from her seat and got out of the train station. As she walked home she called her mother, sister, best friend and told them what happened. They said some encouraging words which brought her some comfort. When she got home, she said another prayer as she crawled into her bed hoping that this would all go away.

A few hours had passed as Claire’s cell phone rang on her night stand. She looked at the phone and saw that it was one of her favorite people to speak with. Her highlight…His name was Daniel Earton… In that moment, Claire really did not feel like talking. So she ignored the call and let it go to voicemail. She pulled the covers over her shoulders and went back to sleep.

Daniel had been emailing Claire from work as they often communicated via the internet throughout the day. However, for some reason the emails stopped around 10:30am. He was somewhat puzzled wondering if he had said something wrong to have upset her, but his last few responses could only bring a smile to her face. He was called into a meeting and it ran a lot longer than expected. When he returned to his desk and checked his email, she had not responded all day. He started to become concerned and called her job and they said that she had left early for the day. So Daniel called her on his way to the parking lot and when she didn’t answer he said, “Hey Sweety, I noticed that you haven’t returned my emails today and when I called your office they said that you went home early. Is everything ok? Please call me, ok Babe..bye”

Daniel had a long drive home and as he pulled into his driveway all he could think about was Claire. He wondered why she had not called back by now. He tried calling her again only to find that it went straight to voicemail. Although, he lived 45mins away from her, he pulled right back out and headed towards her apartment complex. As he rang the doorbell he was hoping that his girl was ok.

Claire heard the doorbell ring, but she didn’t want to get up even though she knew she had to. She was thinking it was her sister stopping by to check up on her. But when Claire opened the door…It was Daniel.

Daniel took one look at Claire and new something was not right. Not only was Claire’s hair disheveled but judging from the wrinkles in her clothing, it was obvious that she didn’t bother to change before lying down. What gave her state of mind away were her sad eyes. Those are not the eyes that he was used to staring into.

“Claire what’s wrong? Tell me what happened?”

Claire walked away from him without responding and left the door open for him to enter the living room. She sat down on the couch as a flood of feelings began to invade her entire body. She started to cry. Daniel closed the door and when he heard her crying he felt paralyzed for a few seconds. He had never seen Claire like this before and immediately went to hold her while she cried on his shoulder. Claire didn’t have the words to explain and she felt helpless in his arms. After a couple of minutes she, told him what happened.

Daniel began to reassure her that things would be okay, and that she had to have faith that everything was going to turn around. For the next three months, Daniel did everything he could to help Claire get through this trial. He came over at least twice a week after work helping Claire figure out her finances so that she could pay for all her bills. Daniel helped her fix up her resume and spent time referring her to websites that listed openings in her field. They even did some mock interviews as she had not been on an interview for the past 5 years and felt nervous. He knew that she was smart, and determined to find another position as she spent hours online looking for a job. She was going to job fairs and even got dressed up to drop her resume at a couple of companies.

It took six months before she landed a position at a prestigious company in the city. When she got the call from the HR department that she got the position she said a prayer of thanksgiving. Not only did she land a new job but she was going to be making ten thousand dollars more than she was making at her old job. She immediately called her sister and mother. She decided to hold off on calling Daniel as he was headed over to her apartment to drop off some job listing information she left at his house.

As she got some dinner ready for the both of them, she began to remember what it had felt like to lose her job and how she was able to make ends meet during the past six months. It was a miracle. Then she realized how much time Daniel had dedicated to supporting and helping her throughout the entire process and she was moved to tears.

Daniel rang the doorbell and when Claire opened the door, she saw her eyes. They seemed to light up and it’s something he had in a while. He missed them so much. She smiled and said “I GOT THE JOB!!!!” He rushed to embrace her and lifted her off her feet and said “YESSSSS!! I’m so happy for you baby!!” as he silently thanked God in his heart.

So I ask you this, Is this Love? If so, how do you know? If not, tell me why not?

Thanks for Reading…

Just_Wondering

The Power Of Prayer

Have you ever wondered if God is really listening when you ask Him for help? Do you think He cares about what is bothering you, who is hurting you, a situation is getting so out of control that you don't know what else to do. As a Christian I have built my faith on putting my trust in God. He is concerned about you and me! He will answer your prayers if you believe that he exists along with faith that He will fulfill your requests.


Well I wanted to share with you all just how much coming to God in prayer makes a difference in your life. When you pray, it doesn't have to be fancy, filled with a lot of words...Just talk to God like He is your friend. Speak to Him whenever you feel the need. On the bus, train, plane, while you are walking, running, before bed, in bed, in school, at work ANYWHERE!! God is so powerful that he has the ability to listen to each and everyone in different places at once!! So don't think He can't hear you.


This past summer my sister who was diagnosed with breast cancer found out that her cancer had returned after 5yrs!! Can you imagine just how shocking that was for my entire Family. She was diagnosed at the age of 23 and now at 28 she's faced with another tumor. So guess what we all did...You guessed it!! We started praying because honestly God is the one who created the human body. He knows how it works and Jesus healed many who came to Him by their faith. This time around I asked every single person I knew who told other people to pray for my sister. We attended the prayer meeting at our church and she went up for individual prayer each time. What was even more interesting was that at the prayer meetings the prayer band gives out prayer card requests to the entire congregation and we read the situations written on the card and get in small groups of 2-4 and pray about each request. During this ordeal do you know there were two occasions in which I received a card with two women who needed prayer because someone in their family had breast cancer. Did I get discouraged? Nope, because I knew that God had delivered my sister the 1st time and that card came to me for a reason. So I prayed with all my heart for those woman knowing GOD would come through for them!


They operated on my sister and removed the tumors! The doctors throughout the process were not very optimistic...However, we never placed our faith in them but in Jesus Christ! So when my sister went to see the doctor for her post opt visit the doctor told her that they removed the tumors, however the lab results revealed that my sister had microscopic cells left and that she had 3 options:


1-Do radiation for that area to kill cells (but you only get to do radiation once and it kills all cells)

2-Go back and remove more tissue hoping to get all of the cancer cells then radiation

3-Remove everything and be breast less (My sister had reconstructive surgery with breast implant)

This was a very hard decision as my sister still young and the thought of being breast less was a horrible thought. So she went with option 2.


When I found out this news, I was in a pharmacy and I was horrified! I came home that day and I pleaded with God to deliver my sister from this cancer as He has done in the past. I thanked him for keeping her for 5 years but I was coming to him again and this time ladies and gentlemen I left my sister in the hands of God. When you are in the mist of a storm, the winds my kick up, the rain may be pouring down hard, but God is in control of it all and I believed that He could heal my sister as Jesus healed that woman who was bleeding for YEARS and had faith that if she simply touched the edge of his cloak she would be healed. I have seen God protect my property (a story for another post) So of COURSE He could help my sister.


We Prayed, WE prayed, People PRAYED...The more I prayed the more I knew that I knew that I knew that no matter what happened God would come through. God is faithful! I didn’t care if things looked WORST God was in control.


So surgery day came....They took more tissue out.. Tissue with tiny cancer cells...I'd call it a blind surgery because they could never be sure they got it all. It's like digging for gold. You never know when you'll hit the jackpot...A week later my sister couldn't make it to the prayer meeting. So I went for prayer for her. The man said a wonderful prayer and asked me to come back with the results.


The results came in: Here it Comes


NOT ONE SINGLE CANCER CELL WAS FOUND IN THE SAMPLE THEY TOOK OUT!!!! NOT ONE!!!!!


We rejoiced and gave praises to who???? God Almighty!


There is power in prayer. I don't care how small the request is....I don't care if you think it's impossible. Know that God is concerned about you. Know that He can do anything that you ask! His power is LIMITLESS!!!


But the key to prayer is this

Philpians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.


So present your request right and then do this:

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.


YOU MUST HAVE FAITH!!!


Place that problem, or situation in Gods hands trusting him, believing he exists and He will move!! There will be times when you see things getting worst but KEEP PRAYING!! Even when it looks ugly and crazy STAY on TOP of YOUR PRAYER REQUEST!


And when all is said and done. When God comes through for you, don't forget to give him 100% of the credit. Don't talk about luck, don't say it was positive thinking, don't say it was the doctors or the medicine (they have their place) however when you pray and God comes through don't rob him of a THank YOu Jesus!

Now if you are reading this and you are interested in having a personal relationship with God and allow Him to guide your heart and your life...You believe that you need a savior and you know you have sinned...The Bible says that

Romans 10:9-11That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (New International Version)

Get alone with God and say this prayer with faith and trust in God:

Heavenly Father,

I have sinned against You. I want forgiveness for all my sins. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again. Father, I give You my life to do with as You wish. I want Jesus Christ to come inot my life and into my heart. This I ask in Jesus' name.

Amen

If you read the Sinners Prayer and truely believe the words you read, then Praise the Lord as you have been saved and now your 1st step is to purchase a Bible, so that you can start your relationship with God! Check out http://www.christianbook.com/ to buy one. You can read my post on the Bible and watch the video at the top of this page to help you on your journey in understanding the message of the Bible. If you feel confused when reading ask God to help you understand each time before you start reading. I would suggest reading the book of John so you can get to know Jesus in a personal way.

If you have any questions about anything please email me. If you said this prayer EMAIL ME! I'd like to celebrate with you!

There is Power in Prayer!

God Bless You and Thanks for Reading!

Just_Wondering

The Special Invitation

Hey Bloggers and Visitors,

I know its really been a long long time lol I told you guys I'd only post if I felt inspired and here I am filled with inspiration ready to burst out. I'm hoping people will still swing by and check my page out. If not it's quite alright. I'm happy to have my own little space here where I can share with whoever may pass by.

So this post is about a Special Invitation that I made to someone very important in my life. Nope it's not My Mama, My Dad, My Sisters, or my beloved friends. It's Jesus!! I invited him into my heart and my life when I was 17. I will be honest with you I didn't read his love letter (please click for my previous post on the love letter)to me more consistently until I got older. But boy ohhhh boy, through Jesus I was able to find peace and joy that no man or woman on this earth could ever give to me. I'm happy people! Even when things get hard I know that I have a friend in Jesus who led me to a lastly relationship with God. Maybe you have no idea what I'm talking about. Maybe you think I'm this girl on a spiritual high that lives in some la la land! lol But I'm telling you God is real! He listens, he is faithful and he loves you. I've been through ups and downs and okay and golden times. Through all of it God was ALWAYS there for me.

Anywho, I found this little booklet in between my books the other day about what it means to invite Christ into your heart...I thought is was excellent and wanted you to read it. It may seem super long but it's worth reading. So take a deep breath and read on!!!! lol

My Heart........Christ's Home

Written by Robert Boyd Munger

If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." [John 14:23, NIV]

One evening I invited Jesus Christ into my heart. What an entrance He made! It was not a spectacular, emotional thing, but very real. Something happened at the very center of my life. He came into the darkness of my heart and turned on the light. He built a fire on the hearth and banished the chill. He started music where there had been stillness, and He filled the emptiness with His own loving, wonderful fellowship. I have never regretted opening the door to Christ and I never will.In the joy of this new relationship I said to Jesus Christ, "Lord, I want this heart of mine to be Yours. I want to have You settle down here and be perfectly at home. Everything I have belongs to You. Let me show You around."

The Study

The first room was the study - the library. In my home this room of the mind is a very small room with very thick walls. But it is a very important room. In a sense, it is the control room of the house. He entered with me and looked around at the books in the bookcase, the magazines upon the table, the pictures on the walls. As I followed His gaze I became uncomfortable.Strangely, I had not felt self-conscious about this before, but now that He was there looking at these things I was embarrassed. Some books were there that His eyes were too pure to behold. On the table were a few magazines that a Christian had no business reading. As for the pictures on the walls - the imaginations and thoughts of the mind - some of these were shameful.

Red-faced, I turned to Him and said, "Master, I know that this room needs to be cleaned up and made over. Will You help me make it what it ought to be?""Certainly!" He said. "I'm glad to help you. First of all, take all the things that you are reading and looking at which are not helpful, pure, good and true, and throw them out! Now put on the empty shelves the books of the Bible. Fill the library with Scripture and meditate on it day and night. As for the pictures on the walls, you will have difficulty controlling these images, but I have something that will help." He gave me a full-size portrait of Himself. "Hang this centrally," He said, "on the wall of the mind."

I did, and I have discovered through the years that when my thoughts are centered upon Christ Himself, His purity and power cause impure thoughts to back away. So He has helped me to bring my thoughts under His control.

The Dining Room

From the study we went into the dining room, the room of appetites and desires. I spent a lot of time and hard work here trying to satisfy my wants.I said to Him, "This is a favorite room. I am quite sure You will be pleased with what we serve."He seated Himself at the table with me and asked, "What is on the menu for dinner?" "Well," I said, "my favorite dishes: money, academic degrees and stocks, with newspaper articles of fame and fortune as side dishes." These were the things I liked - secular fare.

When the food was placed before Him, He said nothing, but I observed that He did not eat it. I said to Him, "Master, don't You care for this food? What is the trouble?"He answered, "I have food to eat that you do not know of. If you want food that really satisfies you, do the will of the Father. Stop seeking your own pleasures, desires, and satisfaction. Seek to please Him. That food will satisfy you."There at the table He gave me a taste of the joy of doing God's will. What flavor! There is no food like it in all the world. It alone satisfies.

The Living Room

From the dining room we walked into the living room. This room was intimate and comfortable. I liked it. It had a fireplace, overstuffed chairs, a sofa, and a quiet atmosphere.He said, "This is indeed a delightful room. Let us come here often. It is secluded and quiet, and we can fellowship together."Well, as a young Christian I was thrilled. I couldn't think of anything I would rather do than have a few minutes with Christ in close companionship.He promised, "I will be here early every morning. Meet me here, and we will start the day together."So morning after morning, I would come downstairs to the living room. He would take a book of the Bible from the case. We would open it and read together. He would unfold to me the wonder of God's saving truths. My heart sang as He shared the love and the grace He had toward me. These were wonderful times.

However, little by little, under the pressure of many responsibilities, this time began to be shortened. Why, I'm not sure. I thought I was too busy to spend regular time with Christ. This was not intentional, you understand. It just happened that way. Finally, not only was the time shortened, but I began to miss days now and then. Urgent matters would crowd out the quiet times of conversation with Jesus.I remember one morning rushing downstairs, eager to be on my way. I passed the living room and noticed that the door was open.Looking in, I saw a fire in the fireplace and Jesus was sitting there. Suddenly in dismay I thought to myself, "He is my guest. I invited Him into my heart! He has come as my Savior and Friend, and yet I am neglecting Him."I stopped, turned and hesitantly went in. With downcast glance, I said, "Master, forgive me. Have You been here all these mornings?""Yes," He said, "I told you I would be here every morning to meet with you. Remember, I love you. I have redeemed you at great cost. I value your fellowship. Even if you cannot keep the quiet time for your own sake, do it for mine."

The truth that Christ desires my companionship, that He wants me to be with Him and waits for me, has done more to transform my quiet time with God than any other single fact. Don't let Christ wait alone in the living room of your heart, but every day find time when, with your Bible and in prayer, you may be together with Him.

The Workroom

Before long, He asked, "Do you have a workroom in your home?" Out in the garage of the home of my heart I had a workbench and some equipment, but I was not doing much with it. Once in a while I would play around with a few little gadgets, but I wasn't producing anything substantial.I led Him out there. He looked over the workbench and said, "Well, this is quite well furnished. What are you producing with your life for the Kingdom of God?" He looked at one or two little toys that I had thrown together on the bench and held one up to me.

"Is this the sort of thing you are doing for others in your Christian life?""Well," I said, "Lord, I know it isn't much, and I really want to do more, but after all, I don't seem to have strength or skill to do more.""Would you like to do better?" He asked."Certainly," I replied."All right. Let me have your hands. Now relax in me and let my Spirit work through you. I know that you are unskilled, clumsy and awkward, but the Holy Spirit is the Master Workman, and if He controls your hands and your heart, He will work through you." Stepping around behind me and putting His great, strong hands under mine, He held the tools in His skilled fingers and began to work through me.

The Rec Room

He asked me if I had a rec room where I went for fun and fellowship. I was hoping He would not ask about that. There were certain associations and activities that I wanted to keep for myself.One evening when I was on my way out with some of my buddies, He stopped me with a glance and asked, "Are you going out?"I replied, "Yes.""Good," He said, "I would like to go with you.""Oh," I answered rather awkwardly. "I don't think, Lord Jesus, that You would really enjoy where we are going. Let's go out together tomorrow night. Tomorrow night we will go to a Bible class at church, but tonight I have another appointment.""I'm sorry," He said. "I thought that when I came into your home, we were going to do everything together, to be close companions. I just want you to know that I am willing to go with you.""Well," I mumbled, slipping out the door, "we will go someplace together tomorrow night."

That evening I spent some miserable hours. I felt rotten. What kind of friend was I to Jesus, deliberately leaving Him out of my life, doing things and going places that I knew very well He would not enjoy?When I returned that evening, there was a light in His room, and I went up to talk it over with Him. I said, "Lord, I have learned my lesson. I know now that I can't have a good time without You. From now on, we will do everything together."Then we went down into the rec room of the house. He transformed it. He brought new friends, new excitement, new joys. Laughter and music have been ringing through the house ever since.

The Hall Closet

One day I found Him waiting for me at the door. An arresting look was in His eye. As I entered, He said to me, "There is a peculiar odor in the house. Something must be dead around here. It's upstairs. I think it is in the hall closet."As soon as He said this, I knew what He was talking about. There was a small closet up there on the hall landing, just a few feet square. In that closet, behind lock and key, I had one or two little personal things that I did not want anyone to know about. Certainly, I did not want Christ to see them. I knew they were dead and rotting things left over from the old life. I wanted them so for myself that I was afraid to admit they were there.Reluctantly, I went up with Him, and as we mounted the stairs the odor became stronger and stronger. He pointed to the door. I was angry. That's the only way I can put it. I had given Him access to the library, the dining room, the living room, the workroom, the rec room, and now He was asking me about a little two-by-four closet. I said to myself, "This is too much. I am not going to give Him the key.""Well," He said, reading my thoughts, "if you think I'm going to stay up here on the second floor with this smell, you are mistaken. I will go out on the porch."

Then I saw Him start down the stairs.When one comes to know and love Christ, the worst thing that can happen is to sense Him withdrawing His fellowship. I had to give in."I'll give You the key," I said sadly, "but You will have to open the closet and clean it out. I haven't the strength to do it.""Just give me the key," He said. "Authorize me to take care of that closet and I will."With trembling fingers I passed the key to Him. He took it, walked over to the door, opened it, entered, took out all the putrefying stuff that was rotting there, and threw it away. Then He cleaned the closet and painted it. It was done in a moment's time. Oh, what victory and release to have that dead thing out of my life!

Transferring the Title

A thought came to me. "Lord, is there any chance that You would take over the management of the whole house and operate it for me as You did that closet? Would You take the responsibility to keep my life what it ought to be?"His face lit up as He replied, "I'd love to! That is what I want to do. You cannot be a victorious Christian in your own strength. Let me do it through you and for you. That is the way. But," He added slowly, "I am just a guest. I have no authority to proceed, since the property is not mine."Dropping to my knees, I said, "Lord, You have been a guest and I have been the host. From now on I am going to be the servant. You are going to be the owner and Master."Running as fast as I could to the strongbox, I took out the title deed to the house describing its assets and liabilities, location and situation. I eagerly signed the house over to Him alone for time and eternity. "Here," I said. "Here it is, all that I am and have, forever. Now You run the house. I'll just remain with You as a servant and friend."Things are different since Jesus Christ has settled down and has made His home in my heart.

So if you want to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and you believe that He can lead you to into a life filled with peace and happiness, show you love, get you out of all the seemingly endless amount of emptiness, sadness in your life, even struggles you are fighting...Send him a Special Invitation....Trust me he'll show up...You just have to ask him....He's Waiting...Ask Him to come.....

Thanks for Reading!!!!!

Just_Wondering

The Love Letter- The Purpose of the Bible

Have you ever been in a position when you found an old envelope and in it was a letter from someone who loved you. It could have been an old crush or a best friend who moved away or a relative. You may have read it a couple of times and gave it gave you fond memories of your relationship with them. But somehow the letter got lost in the mix and although you cherished the relationship in your heart, you never picked up that letter again to refresh your memory. Well I’ve had a love letter that someone wrote to me that was always accessible, yet it was tucked under a pile of other stuff. Every time I opened this letter it would remind me of my first love. The other day someone asked me about that love letter, what it meant to me and about the person who wrote it. This is what I wrote about my first love his name is God.

Twelve years ago I was introduced to my first love. I remember when he asked me out I wasn’t sure if I believe everything he had to offer. So he wrote me a love letter and as time progressed I would read it over and over and spend time with him and I realized that his Love Letter wasn’t just for me. That love letter was the Bible. The Bible from my personal perspective is God’s love letter to humanity. Why a Love Letter you ask? Well because when you write a love letter to someone you truly care about, you take the time to formulate something that expresses what is truly is in your heart. It’s not random, it’s not empty, and it’s not careless. Rather it is filled with purpose, it’s filled with love and compassion which is straight from the heart. It’s real, almost jarring Jer 23:29 to hear just how much someone really cares for you even when they are trying to reach out to you or they are apart from you. It also has a beginning and an end. And when you finish reading that love letter, you know just where you stand with regards with how that person feels about you. Sometimes you find out things you never knew before. There’s nothing left for you to worry about because you have a sense of confidence, a sense of revelation that you never felt before. You really truly know your place in that person’s heart.

So the creator, all Mighty God, of this universe, heaven, the earth, and humanity had to find a way to help us get to know about who He is, why He created everything, and just how much he cares about us. The Bible is the source of all information about life in the past, present and future. It is our way of becoming acquainted with God. It is not just a book, it’s not a story, and it’s not just history. It’s real to those who believe in God and know that the words on the pages are His words (Ps 119:89)

When you get a love letter do you ever notice how much it reveals about the person who wrote it and how you’d like to read it over and over and over again so that the words can remain in your heart. Ps 119:11 Well that’s another purpose of the Bible. God gave His word to mankind so that we would turn the pages and read about his character, learn about his plan to rescue us (because when you’re loved by someone they are saving you from being alone, uncared for, or suffering Jn 8:51 ) for the things he knows that will hurt the ones he truly loves. That letter also expresses the role you play in that person’s life. So the Bible is a means of finding out how God wants mankind to live, how to interact with him and how His love will be extended to others (because lets be real…after you read a love letter you feel so happy and you’d want to share that love with others around you)

Lastly, a love letter keeps your eyes and heart fixed on it’s author Ps 119:105 It inspires, it’s filled with promises from the past, present, and for the future (e.g. Baby I loved you since the day I saw you, the love I have for you will never die, and I hope to love you till the end of my days.. I promise to always be there for you, to take care of you lol) God does a fabulous job of doing all that I just described and much more so that we can develop a wonderful and close relationship with Him. Isa 55:11

References to some of the scriptures I added:

Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?


John 8:51 I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Isaiah 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

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I'll be honest and say that for many years I thought the bible was a pretty boring book that I had a hard time understanding. Fortunately, with God's help and attending chruch services I've learned a great deal about the love of God and his message. Now I don't know your relationship with God but if you find yourself just wondering about the Bible and what its message is really about but need some help to get you started on your journey I'd like to recommend a wonderful book to you that made everything clear, SUPER easy, and it read like a book. I kid you not it will help anyone from someone who doesn't know anything about God to a person who has had a solid relationship with him for many years. I LOVEEEEE THISSSSSSSSS BOOKKKKK!!!!

The book is called The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus by John R. Cross

The book is a page turner and you will finish totally understanding God message with clarity.

"This fully illustrated, 304-page book is written for adults and teens who know little or nothing about the Bible. It explains in a straightforward way the greatest themes of the Bible, step by step"

You can purchase this book at http://www.goodseed.com/products/str-eng-book/ for only $10. If you're not sure about getting the book you can click on the link that says "FREEebook" and get a sample of the entire book on pdf format. I'd suggest getting the book though! lol If you're not into reading you can watch the video online.

So has anyone heard of this book? If so what did you think?

Do you find yourself having a hard time reading God's Love Letter?

Tell me anything that's on your mind!

Thanks so very much for READING! It feels awesome to be posting something.

Just_Wondering