Raising Children: Donna and Ray Reish

Goodness and Mercy

God treats you the way one mother treated her young son, Timmy.  She didn’t like the idea of his walking to school alone.  But he was too grown-up to be seen with his mother.  She did her best to stay calm, quoting the 23rd Psalm to him every morning:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

One day she asked a neighbor who walked with her daughter to follow Timmy to school, but to stay at a distance.  After several days Timmy’s little friend said, “Do you know that woman who follows us to school?  “Sure,” Timmy answered.  “That’s Shirley Goodnest and her daughter, Marcy.”  My mom reads about them every day in the 23rd Psalm  She says they will follow me all the days of my life.  So, I guess I better get used to them!

You will too.  God never sends you out alone!

Taken from: Fearless

Sexual Fulfillment Starts Here

by Dr. Gary Chapman

The Question
In your book, Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married, you discuss that sexual fulfillment is not automatic. What do you recommend for couples who are trying to figure out how to have a fulfilling sex life?

The Answer
First of all, that they need to be honest with each other about their past history sexually before they get married. I continue to run into couples that have been married two to three years and then they find out that the person they married had been sexually active with a number of other people before they came to them, but they never shared that or they shared part of their history but not all of their history. The person feels deceived, and it's difficult to deal with after you're married.

So, what I'm saying to singles: when you get serious about thinking about marriage, it's time for you to share your histories with each other. For example, if you were sexually abused as a child or teenager, that needs to be shared, because if you have not dealt with that sufficiently, when you bring that into marriage, it's going to distort everything else about your sexual relationship. And if you've been sexually active with others, that needs to be shared. Now, sometimes singles will say, "Well if I really tell the truth, then they're going to walk away and leave me, and I don't want to lose them." It's far better to tell them beforehand and let them walk away than to be married three years and they found out and then they walk away. Much better to deal with it before you get married.
 

Sunday Sermon - 27-May-2012 - Ps. Malcolm Dennis

Speaker: Pastor Malcolm Dennis
Full Gospel Assembly KL

http://www.mediafire.com/?3bbdhmwe414nzwt

Men: What Not to Say to Your Wife

Samuel Rainey

I grew up with 4 sisters and prided myself on my ability to speak respectfully to women. I wasn’t a “player,” but knew how to observe and understand women better than most of my peers. I had a lot of friends of the opposite sex and always felt like I related better with them than I did guys. So it was with great pride that I entered my marriage and knew that I wasn’t going to make the same mistakes I’d heard horror stories about my other friends making. But, I’m still a guy, and I’m still from a different planet than my wife. To my surprise these words came out of my mouth:

That’s not how my mom makes it.”

I had just come home from work and sat down for dinner. After taking a bite of corn bread, I was confused. I hadn’t had cornbread like this before, and this was a meal that my mom used to make for my family all the time. Why was this cornbread different? Surely my wife had my mom’s recipe, or did she? The confusion was too much to hold inside, and thus I stuck my foot in my mouth.

Oops.

It was a harmless comment, or so I thought. We can joke about it now but at the time I remember it hurting Stephanie’s feelings quite deeply as she was trying her hardest to be “the best wife” by cooking this meal. In our early days of marriage we struggled with our roles as husband and wife, and this comment only helped to cement that I really didn’t understand how hard it was for her as a wife. I’m sure I tried to justify my comment, or blame it on stupidity, but in the end the damage was done.

The Four Signs of Marriage Apocalypse

from HERE

There is a lot of talk these days about December 21, 2012—the date the Mayan calendar ends and what that might mean for those of us on planet Earth. Some are speculating that the world will end. Some feel life will go on. The whole “scare” brings to mind the paranoia that surrounded Y2K. Many were stocking supplies: gas, generators, log cabins, canned goods, tents, guns, hunting materials, and the like. I personally jumped on board and bought an extra gallon of water which began and ended my disaster prep. Guess I’m not one to fear the worst. Regardless, watching how people react to news of doom and gloom intrigues (and entertains) me to no end.
 

How would you react if you learned of news that, with some high degree of accuracy, predicted the end of your marriage? Would you take precautions? Would you go on as usual? Would you care? The answer to these questions might give you a confirming or perhaps an uneasy glimpse into how much you value your commitment to your spouse. Most of us aren’t going to look to the Mayans to find out if our marriage will end, but there are a few indicators that D-Day might eventually come to our shores.

Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Fruit and the Evidence of True Pentecost

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Pentecost’s power is more than wind, fire and supernatural hoopla. Without love it is just noise.

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “Pentecostal”?

A. · · A woman with a beehive hairdo, support hose, Granny shoes and no makeup?

B. · · Someone rolling on the floor while speaking in tongues uncontrollably?

C. · · A slick-haired televangelist in a white suit who begs for donations?

D. · · A sour-faced Christian who looks like he just sucked all the juice out of a lemon?

E.  · · A sincere Christian who passionately loves God and people and believes in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit? 

I wish we all could answer E., but we Pentecostals have an image problem. I’m not ashamed of the word itself, but I don’t use it as a label because the bad stereotypes (A., B., C. and D.) have just about ruined it for the rest of us. Many people associate Pentecostals with dry legalism, fanaticism, charlatanism and downright hatefulness.

“Unselfish love, generosity, brotherly affection and sincere kindness is just as much a manifestation of the Spirit as healing or miracles. In fact, powerful signs and wonders are more likely to happen in an atmosphere that is bathed in Holy Ghost love.”

One friend of mine says it this way: “Some of the meanest people I know speak in tongues.”

Learning to Love: Ron and Judy Kessinger

Sunday Sermon - 20-May-2012 - Dr. Sandra Nair

Speaker: Dr. Sandra Nair
Eagles Height Network

http://www.mediafire.com/?xv99ubwhu6ic1uo

Lord, Send the Wind of a Fresh Pentecost!

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

In the days leading up to the Global Day of Prayer, let’s bombard heaven on behalf of the United States.

Twelve years ago a South African businessman, Graham Power, felt God nudge him to organize a prayer gathering in the city of Cape Town. About 45,000 Christians responded to the call by jamming into a rugby stadium in March 2001 to intercede for their nation.

That was the beginning of the Global Day of Prayer, an event that will likely involve millions of Christians in 220 nations on Pentecost Sunday, May 27. This year organizers are encouraging people to extend their prayers for 10 days prior to the event, beginning on May 17. They are also urging pastors to fuel the prayer with sermons about the necessity of the Holy Spirit’s power.

“One breath of the Holy Spirit can bring life to dry bones! Lord, send the refreshing wind of Your presence into lifeless congregations.”

It’s obvious the Holy Spirit is orchestrating this grass roots movement, and I hope you will join it, either by attending local gatherings during the next 10 days or by focusing your personal prayers on the need for a fresh Pentecost. I believe we are on the verge of a new season of spiritual awakening, and the concentration of prayer this month is a key to unlock it.

During these next 10 days I will be meditating on the first chapters of the book of Acts and praying for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the United States. If you’d like to join me, you can use the following prayer points as a guide:

It's not really over.

by Dr. Gary Chapman

The Question

Today, divorce is a highly accepted and common solution to marital difficulty. Why should someone go through the hard work of fixing a broken or unsatisfying marriage, when divorce is so easy - even encouraged - in our culture?

The Answer

The difficulty is that divorce is not a solution. Divorce creates a lot of other problems. People feel like, "I'm so miserable in this marriage. I'm going to divorce. I'm going to find a new life. Things are going to be better for me." Well, that just simply doesn't happen for most people. Divorce may get you out of the pressure-cooker of a difficult marriage, and it may allow you to breathe deeply for a bit, and you may feel more relaxed when you get out from under that pressure, but divorce creates another whole set of problems.

The reality is that when you divorce someone, that person doesn't cease to exist. They are ex-spouses now. They're still spouses, and they're still in your life, especially if you have children. That means you're going to encounter them from time to time. It means all the special events of life, such as marriage, graduation from high school and college, and all those kinds of things, you are going to be face-to-face with your ex-spouse. And yes, some people learn to navigate that fairly decently. For others, it's just a pain in the neck the rest of their life.

Second Chances: Tom and Kim Higgs

Published on 18 May 2012 by drgarychapman
For more information about The 5 Love Languages or the work of Dr. Gary Chapman, visit www.5lovelanguages.com.

Our Daily Bread: A Woman of Influence

READ: Proverbs 31:10-31

She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. —Proverbs 31:27

During the early years of the Protestant Reformation in Europe, Katharina Von Bora, a former nun, married Martin Luther (1525). By all accounts, the two had a joyous married life. Luther said, “There is no bond on earth so sweet, nor any separation so bitter, as that which occurs in a good marriage.

Because Katharina rose at 4 a.m. to care for her responsibilities, Luther referred to her as the “morning star of Wittenberg.” She was industrious in tending the vegetable garden and orchard. Also, she administered the family business and managed the Luthers’ home and property. In time, the couple had six children for whom Katharina felt the home was a school of character development. Her energetic industry and care for the family made her a woman of influence.

Katharina seems to have been a woman like the one described in Proverbs 31. She was indeed a virtuous wife who awoke “while it [was] yet night” and provided “food for her household” (v.15). She also watched “over the ways of her household, and [did] not eat the bread of idleness” (v.27).

From role models like Katharina, we can learn about the love, diligence, and fear of the Lord that’s needed to be a woman of influence. —Dennis Fisher

Lord, thank You for the influence our mothers and wives have had on us. We too want to touch the lives of others, to point them to You. We know we need Your Spirit’s power to do that. Fill us and use us, we pray.

Good mothers not only tell us how to live— they show us.

Sunday Sermon - 13-May-2012 - Sis. Gigi Lim

Speaker: Sis. Gigi Lim

http://www.mediafire.com/?v131cowvujdfsr1

Mother's Day - Pastor Mark Gungor

Pastor Mark Gungor preaches a message to our Sunday morning services.
 Download MP3 of Mother's Day: http://media.celebrationchurch.tv/audio/2011/sun/5_8_11.mp3

What About Me?

by Dr. Gary Chapman

The Question

Human nature is very self-oriented, especially in today's culture. How do couples combat that selfish tendency in their marriage in order to meet the needs of their spouse?

The Answer 

It doesn't come naturally because by nature we are self-centered. We are egocentric. That's not all bad. Because we are egocentric we feed ourselves, we get rest, and we get exercise. We take care of ourselves. That's good. But when that self-centeredness becomes selfishness, so that we view everything through the lens of what am I getting out of this? then we start thinking, "They're not treating me fairly. They're not doing what they should be doing for me. I'm not getting out of this marriage what I should be getting out of this marriage." Everything is focused around us and what we're getting. When you have two people who are focusing like that on self, and then they start not only requesting things, they start demanding things of each other, they're on a downward spiral from that point on.

So, I think this whole thing of selfishness is a malady that all of us have, and we have to learn to love. Love is the opposite of selfishness. Love has the attitude, "I'm married to you, how can I help you? How can I make your life easier? How can I be a better husband to you?" Love is reaching out to benefit the other person. And when you get two people loving, you have what marriage was designed to be: a supportive, encouraging relationship.

From my perspective there is a spiritual element to this. The Scriptures say, "We love God because God first loved us." Well, somebody's got to start the process of loving rather than being selfish. Another biblical perspective is that the love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit; that we allow God, as it were, to love through us. "It doesn't have to be my feelings and how I am feeling about them, but I know God loves them, so I give myself to God to be an agent of loving them, expressing His love." To me, that spiritual dimension helps people break free from selfishness.

Continue the conversation: Share your questions, thoughts insights, or comments by joining the conversation on Facebook at facebook.com/5lovelanguages

No Child Ever Leaves God’s Sight

by Max Lucado

We taught our kids the Bible, but they have left God. What happened? We thought if we trained them in God’s Word, they would not depart from him. Isn’t that what the Bible says?

Train up a child in the way he should go, -And when he is old he will not depart from it. (Prov. 22:6 NKJV)

Be careful with this verse. Don’t interpret it to mean “If I put my kids on the right path, they’ll never leave it. If I fill them full of Scripture and Bible lessons and sermons, they may rebel, but they’ll eventually return.”

The proverb makes no such promise. Salvation is a work of God. Godly parents can prepare the soil and sow the seed, but God gives the growth (1 Cor. 3:6). Moms and dads soften hearts but can’t control them.

Show them the path? Yes.

Force them to take it? No. 

At moments in my own life I stood at the crossroads of the path and even took a few steps down the wrong one. One thing always brought me back—that inner compass shown to me by my Christ-loving parents.

Article: How Satan Stops Our Prayers - 6

I said to him, "Do you mean an angel can be held in captivity by demonic forces?" This man did not even know the scriptures by the time he was saying all this. He did not know very many scriptures. He was just sharing his experiences. And he said, they wouldn't hold the angel too long because as other Christians prayed elsewhere, reinforcement would come, and the angels would go free. If the Christian responsible did not pray through, he remains a captive. Then the enemy sends his own angel as an angel of light to this person, and that is where the deceptions come in. False visions and false prophecies. False leadership, I mean leading, guidance in the spirit, making wrong decisions of all types. And many times this person is open to all kinds of attack and bondages.

And I asked the Lord. I left that dinner so troubled, so troubled. I said, "Lord, I don't want even to try and believe this." It removes all my confidence, my security. When I went to seek the Lord, it was ten days, the Lord did two things. He did not only confirm the things I had heard, he opened my mind to see a lot more that this man could not tell us of what happens in the spiritual realm. And two, he led me to see what we are supposed to do as the things are happening so that we are not overcome but that we can overcome. And we need to know three things and really come to terms with these three things.

It’s NOT Just a Bunny

by Mark Gungor

Most people don’t understand the power of sex. Our culture has poisoned their thinking and they’ve bought the lie that sex is just something you do because it’s exciting and feels good. Most people are totally unaware of the consequences of being sexually involved with another person.

In previous blog posts, I wrote about the power of “sexual imprinting” and how “sex can make you stupid”. But as I keep hearing more and more stories of couples who are having troubles when it comes to their sex lives, I’m convinced that we are clueless about the ramifications of sex done the wrong way instead of the right way—God’s way. We have to start connecting the dots, folks. How you behave sexually outside of marriage has an impact on sex inside your marriage. It’s an important message that we must get out to our Christian young people.

Dr. Kenneth Ryan has written a great book titled, Finding Your Prince in a Sea of Toads. I highly recommend it for all single women and for parents of teenage girls. The book explains how to date the right way in order to “find a quality guy without getting your heart shredded”. A large portion of it is dedicated to telling young women how handle themselves when it comes to sex and the importance of doing it right prior to marriage.

Discipleship Is Not a Dirty Word

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Reclaiming the process of discipleship will require a total overhaul of how we do church.

I get funny looks from some charismatic Christians when I tell them I believe God is calling us back to radical discipleship. Those in the over-50 crowd—people who lived through the charismatic movement of the 1970s—are likely to have a bad taste in their mouths when it comes to the dreaded “D word.”

That’s because the so-called Discipleship Movement (also known as the Shepherding Movement) turned a vital biblical principle into a weapon and abused people with it. Churches that embraced the warped doctrines of shepherding required believers to get permission from their pastors before they bought cars, got pregnant or moved to a new city. Immature leaders became dictators, church members became their loyal minions, and the Holy Spirit’s fire was snuffed out because of a pervasive spirit of control.

"Reclaiming this process of discipleship is going to require a total overhaul of how we do church. Do we really want to produce mature disciples who have the character of Jesus and are able to do His works? Or are we content with shallow believers and shallow faith?”

I don’t ever want to live through that again. I know countless people who are still licking their wounds from the spiritual abuse they suffered while attending hyper-controlling churches in the 1970s and ‘80s. Some of them still cannot trust a pastor today; others walked away from God because leaders misused their authority—all in the name of “discipleship.”

Article: How Satan Stops Our Prayers - 5

Beloved, I don't know whether to go deeper because I do not want to start something I cannot finish. Let me just try to take one step forward. And this man said that when prayer breaks through like that, the answer will always come. He said he does not know a case where prayer broke through and the answer did not come. He said the answer always came, but in most cases, it would never get to the person who asked. Why? Battle in the heavenlies. He says as long as they succeed in cutting off the open heavens and the rock is restored, they watch this person, they are waiting because they know the answer is definitely coming.

And then this man spoke something that really shook my faith. It is because of the next part he shared that I went into fasting ten days to say, Lord, is this true? Can you prove it to me? This man said that every Christian has got an angel serving that Christian. Now we know the Bible says angels are ministering spirits to us. He said that when people pray, the answer comes in the hands of the angel. The angel brings the answer like we can read it in the book of Daniel. Then he said something really tough; if the one who prays knows the spiritual armors and is clothed with them, the answer comes by an angel who is also clothed in full armor.

If the one who prays doesn't care about spiritual armory, their angels come without spiritual armor. Christians who don't care about what kind of thoughts come into their minds. They don't fight the battle of their minds. Their angels come without the helmet. Whatever spiritual weapon you ignore on earth, the angel doesn't have it as he serves you. In other words, our spiritual armor is not protecting our physical bodies; it's protecting our spiritual exploits.

I Said I Was Sorry

by Mark Gungor

In my Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage seminar I explain in detail how a man’s brain tends to compartmentalize things. It’s like men have separate boxes in their heads for everything: money, sex, kids, wife, in-laws, etc. And for a guy these boxes don’t touch. He thinks about one thing at a time and then moves on to the next thing since one box isn’t connected to another.

Then I go on to explain how a woman’s brain is like a big ball of wire where everything is connected to everything and there is no compartmentalizing at all. Money can be connected to the in-laws and sex can be connected to the kids. Things can run together very easily in a woman’s brain.

These two very opposite ways of thinking and processing cause men and women to communicate in very different ways. There is one area this is particularly evident and often problematic–the apology. Because men have this unique ability to compartmentalize, a guy can go to his “apology box”, say he’s sorry for something he did, close that box and then move on to the next task or thing to think about. In his mind he took care of it, he said he was sorry, it’s done and life goes on.

Article: How Satan Stops Our Prayers - 4

You can imagine we were all seated looking at this man. He was telling us the things he used to do and what he used to see. Then he told us what they would do to people who have broken through in prayer. He said they marked such people; they studied such people. They dug up everything they could find about such people. So they knew their weaknesses, and when someone overcomes them in prayer and breaks through, they communicate with other spirits and say, "Target him with this and with this and with this. These are his weaknesses."

So when this person walks out of the prayer closet, the spirit of prayer is upon him, the presence is upon him, his spirits are high, the joy of the Lord is his strength. As he moves the enemy tries to bring those things that can distract him from focusing on the Lord.

If his weakness is in the area of temper, then the enemy is going to cause people to do things which can make him really angry. And if he is not sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and he allows himself to go into the temper, he takes his eyes off the Lord. He gets angry, he feels so furious, and after a few minutes later, he wants to put that behind him and move along in the joy of the Lord, but he doesn't feel it anymore. He tries to feel good again; he doesn't feel any good again. Why? As he yielded to the temptation, they worked hard to close the door upstairs. And once they restore the rock, the presence is cut off. The person does not cease being a child of God. But that extra anointing that goes on his life, that presence that could do things without his manipulating anything, it's just cut off. They seek out where the weaknesses are.

Sunday Sermon - 6-May-2012 - Bro. Philip Yeoh

Speaker: Bro. Philip Yeoh
Evangelist, Full Gospel Assembly USJ

http://www.mediafire.com/?hgdm1jb8b8dhvxp

Dealing Effectively With Anger

by Dr. Gary Chapman

Communicate
Let's begin by admitting that all of us experience anger. Your spouse treats you unfairly, or they fail to do something that you expected them to do, so you feel angry. In a healthy marriage, the couple has an agreement: that when you feel angry, I want you to tell me. I can't help you with your anger until I know what you are angry about.

And yet, this is a new idea for many people. One wife said, "You mean I'm supposed to tell my husband that I am angry that he washed his car and did not wash mine." That's right I said, unless you want to have a dirty car the rest of your life. Sharing your anger is the only way to process your anger in a positive way.

Take a Break
When you are angry with someone it means that, in your mind, they have wronged you. When someone has wronged you, the emotion of anger pushes you to fight back. But fighting back almost always makes the situation worse. One fundamental principle in anger management is to make a covenant with yourself, that you will not attack another person when you are angry.

Article: How Satan Stops Our Prayers - 3

Other kinds of distractions come your way, even if it means touching your body and bringing some pain somewhere. Even if it means making you hungry and you want to go to the kitchen and fix something to eat. As long as they can get you out of that place, they have defeated you. And he will say to the pastors, "Teach people. Set aside some time. Not for just some casual kind of praying. They can do that the rest of the day. Once in a day, they should have a time when they are focusing wholeheartedly on God, nothing distracting them.

And if people persist in this kind of prayer and allow themselves to be inspired in the spirit and keep going and keep going, something happens in the spirit. The fire touches that rock, and it melts. And this man said, when the melting begins, it is so hot, no demon spirit can stand it. No human spirit can stand it. They all flee. They all run away.

There comes an opening in the spiritual realm. And as soon as this comes, all this trouble in prayer stops. The person who is praying on the ground just feels like prayer is suddenly so smooth, so enjoyable, so powerful and intense. And I've discovered at that moment, we normally lose conscience of time and other things. Not that we become disorderly. God takes care of our time. But it is like you lay down everything, and you hook up with God. And this man said that when the prayers go through, from that moment there can be no resistance at all, and the person praying will continue as long as he wants. There is no resistance that can stop him.

Let's Major in God

by Max Lucado

David just showed up this morning. He clocked out of sheep watching to deliver bread and cheese to his brothers on the battle-front. That’s where David hears Goliath defying God,. . . .

Read the first words he spoke, not just in the battle, but in the Bible: “David asked the men standing near him, ‘What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?’” (1 Sam. 17:26 niv).

David shows up discussing God. The soldiers mentioned nothing about him, the brothers never spoke his name, but David takes one step onto the stage and raises the subject of the living God. . . .

No one else discusses God. David discusses no one else but God. . . .

David sees what others don’t and refuses to see what others do. All eyes, except David’s, fall on the brutal, hate-breathing hulk. . . . The people know his taunts, demands, size, and strut. They have majored in Goliath.

David majors in God. He sees the giant, mind you; he just sees God more so. Look carefully at David’s battle cry: “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel” (1 Sam. 17:45)

— originally printed in Facing Your Giants

Article: How Satan Stops Our Prayers - 2

One night, I (John Mulinde) went to a dinner. The sole reason I went is that someone told me about this young man, and I was so curious to see him, and see if his story was true. So I sat at that dinner and in the evening, this man was given the chance to give his testimony. He talked about so many things. Sometimes he cried because of the things he did. As he finished, he made an appeal.

There were many pastors in that room. And he said, "I appeal to you, pastors. Please teach the people how to pray." The people who don't pray, can be taken in anything, in anything by the devil, and there are ways that the enemy exploits their lives and their prayers. The enemy knows even how to exploit their prayers of those people who don't know how to pray. "Teach the people how to use the spiritual armor that God provides."

Then he shared how he lead expositions into the air. He would go with other satanic agents and lots of demon spirits into the air. It was like a shift, you've got to go and work your shift. So regularly he had a time he had to go and wage war in the heavenlies. And he said that in the heavenlies, in the spiritual realm, if the land is covered under the blanket of darkness, that blanket is so thick, it is like a rock. And it covers the whole area. And these spirits are able to go on top of this as well as below this blanket. And from that level, they influence the events on earth.

When the evil spirits and human satanic agents leave their shifts, they go down on earth at the points of covenant, even waters or on the land at the points of covenant for refreshing of their spirit. And how do they refresh their spirit? By the sacrifices that people give at these altars.

New Wine, Old Wineskins and the Fear of Change

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

The Lord wants to unleash a gushing river of new wine into the church today, but we must leave some things behind.

A woman from Orlando, Fla., was in the news last month because she decided to retire from driving her 1964 Mercury Comet. Rachel Veitch, who is 93, bought the car new for $3,300 when gasoline cost 29 cents a gallon. Today the light yellow car, which Veitch calls “Chariot,” has 567,000 miles on it.

That’s great news for Veitch—who will probably get $44,000 for the antique car because she took such good care of it. But whoever buys it will either store it in a fancy garage or display it at an auto show. There are not too many miles left on this relic of the past.

“We cannot rely on church growth gurus, popular books or rock-star preachers to lead us into genuine innovation. Copying spiritual trends is just a form of carnality.”

Cars have a life expectancy. Most 1964 Mercury Comets have long been doomed to the junkyard. Engines die, carburetors rust and models go out of style, so we trade them in for newer vehicles. In our fast-paced world, Apple debuts a new iPhone every few years and the most popular apps have almost monthly updates. We’ve come to expect frequent upgrades.

Yet for those of us involved in ministry, we tend to think the church needs no remodeling or renovation. We expect congregations to hum along perpetually for years and years, thinking the world will want to pile into our 1964 yellow Mercury Comet and enjoy the retro ride. But that is a faulty assumption.

Article: How Satan Stops Our Prayers - 1

Author Unknown

I want to share with you from a testimony of someone who was saved, someone who had been serving the devil. And when that man gave his testimony, it so challenged me, I did not want to believe it. I had to go ten days before the Lord in fasting, asking Him, "Lord, is this true?" And it was at that time the Lord began to teach me what happens in the spiritual realm when we pray.

This man was born after his parents dedicated themselves to lucifer. When he was still in the womb, they made so many rituals dedicating him to serve lucifer. When he was four years old, he began to exercise his spiritual power. And his parents began fearing him. When he was six years, his father surrendered him to the witches to go and be trained. And by ten years, he was doing great things in the kingdom of the devil. He was feared by the normal witches.

He was still a young boy, but he was so terrible in the things he did. He grew up to be a young man in his twenties with so much bloodshed on his hands. Killed at will. He had the ability to go out of his body through transcendental meditation. And he could levitate. Sometimes his body would lift off the ground and stay in the air. And sometimes he could go into a trance, and come out of his body; his body would remain behind, and he would go out into the world, this is called astro-travelling. And this guy was used by satan to destroy so many churches, to break down so many churches and to destroy so many pastors.

Sunday Sermon - 29-April-2012 - Pastor Dennis Balan

Speaker: Pastor Dennis Balan
Full Gospel Assembly USJ

http://www.mediafire.com/?9p4ur2agc47v7go

Daily Deeds of Kindness

by Max Lucado

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

In the final days of Jesus’ life, he shared a meal with his friends Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. Within the week he would feel the sting of the Roman whip, the point of the thorny crown, and the iron of the executioner’s nail. But on this evening, he felt the love of three friends.

For Mary, however, giving the dinner was not enough. “Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils, anointed and massaged Jesus’ feet, and then wiped them with her hair. The fragrance of the oils filled the house” (John 12:3). . . .

Judas criticized the deed as wasteful. Not Jesus. He received the gesture as an extravagant demonstration of love, a friend surrendering her most treasured gift. As Jesus hung on the cross, we wonder, Did he detect the fragrance on his skin?

Follow Mary’s example.

There is an elderly man in your community who just lost his wife. An hour of your time would mean the world to him.

Pull the Plug on Porn

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

If you or someone you love is struggling with a porn addiction, take these steps to freedom.

At a men’s conference I sponsored last weekend in Philadelphia, some of my friends took the stage and got gut-level honest about their temptations. I was so proud of their courage. Shay, a young father from Ohio, admitted that he was exposed to hard-core pornography when he was only five years old. He began modeling what he saw in X-rated videos when he was just six.

Another guy from Pennsylvania told the men in the audience that he began watching porn when he was a preteen—and this led him to sex with dozens of girls in high school. Until recently this man still battled the shame of his porn habit even though he was a lay leader in his church

“It’s not enough to whisper a quiet prayer under your breath. To break free from a life-controlling habit as powerful as porn, you must talk to someone else. And you should do it sooner, not later.”

Jason, a youth pastor in northwestern Pennsylvania, preached to the men on Friday night about how to reclaim purity in our sex-saturated culture. Like so many of the guys in our conference, Jason had been exposed to porn at a young age. His lust could not be satisfied by masturbation or kinkier videos, so his addiction drove him to seek out multiple girls for instant gratification. That’s where porn leads.

Selfishness in Marriage

by Mark Gungor

All marriages start off very selfishly. When a couple begins dating, it is generally all about each person’s own interests. “I like what you do for me. I like the way you make me feel. When I’m with you I’m happy. You make me feel validated.” At the beginning, marriage really is the ultimate in narcissistic expression. The reason you are getting married is because of what he/she does for you. And it’s the same for the other person. It’s all about me, me, me!

But then you get these two me, me, me people together and something has to give. Marriages where couples are able to make the transition from selfish, me-centered thinking, the ones where the husband and wife realize that they can’t get everything they want, are the ones that make it. The marriages where couples can’t do that…and many people don’t…are the ones that fall apart. It’s amazing how many emails I receive from those selfish spouses asking, “How can I make my spouse___________? Fill in the blank with whatever fits.

• How can I get my spouse to load the dishwasher the way I want?
• How can I get my spouse to do the things I want to do?
• How can I get my spouse to keep the house better?
• How can I get my spouse to spend less money?

The Impact of Appreciation in the Workplace

by Dr. Gary Chapman & Dr. Paul White

Life in the workplace has become increasingly stressful. The financial stress from the global economy downturn has impacted businesses, non-profit organizations, ministries, schools, and government agencies. Employees in the workforce are discouraged. Team members are having to "do more" with less resources. Staff members report not feeling valued for the work they are doing, and are approaching burnout.

Sixty-five percent of workers report receiving no recognition or appreciation from their supervisors in the past twelve months. And 79% of employees who quit their jobs report that not feeling valued as one of the top reasons for leaving.

DEAR GARY...

by Dr. Gary Chapman

We are to the point of divorce. Can you help?

Question: My husband and I are at the point of divorce. Though he has agreed to look at some of your materials with me. Can you give us a starting point?

Answer: I would suggest you start with my book The 5 Love Languages. Ask him if he would be willing to read the first chapter this week if you read the first chapter. And at the end of the week, you will share one thing you learned and he will share one thing he learned. It's a good way to get started. Then, if he feels good about it and you feel good about it, take chapter two the next week. Work your way through the book one chapter per week.

Sunday Sermon - 22-April-2012 - Ps Benaiah Naresh

Speaker: Ps. Benaiah Naresh
( NECF Associate Member )

http://www.mediafire.com/?7d46bnd5o20bdlr

DEAR GARY...

by Dr. Gary Chapman

We are to the point of divorce. Can you help?

Question: My husband and I are at the point of divorce. Though he has agreed to look at some of your materials with me. Can you give us a starting point?

Answer: I would suggest you start with my book The 5 Love Languages. Ask him if he would be willing to read the first chapter this week if you read the first chapter. And at the end of the week, you will share one thing you learned and he will share one thing he learned. It's a good way to get started. Then, if he feels good about it and you feel good about it, take chapter two the next week. Work your way through the book one chapter per week. By the end of the book, I think you both will have rediscovered how to love each other, and how to stimulate warm feelings toward each other. Chances are he'll be willing to share another book with you. Sharing a book is one way to stimulate marital growth.

How do we prepare for spending time apart?

Question: My wife and I are both active duty Marines, and we spend a lot off time away from each other. How do we start talking when we know one of us will be leaving soon?

Son Reflectors

by Max Lucado

What does the moon do? She generates no light. Contrary to the lyrics of the song, this harvest moon cannot shine on. Apart from the sun, the moon is nothing more than a pitch-black, pockmarked rock. But properly positioned, the moon beams. Let her do what she was made to do, and a clod of dirt becomes a source of inspiration, yea, verily, romance. The moon reflects the greater light.

And she’s happy to do so! You never hear the moon complaining. She makes no waves about making waves. Let the cow jump over her or astronauts step on her; she never objects. Even though sunning is accepted while mooning is the butt of bad jokes, you won’t hear ol’ Cheeseface grumble. The moon is at peace in her place. And because she is, soft light touches a dark earth.

What would happen if we accepted our place as Son reflectors?

Such a shift comes so stubbornly, however. We’ve been demanding our way and stamping our feet since infancy. Aren’t we all born with a default drive set on selfishness?

I want a spouse who makes me happy and co-workers who always ask my opinion. I want weather that suits me and traffic that helps me and a government that serves me. It is all about me. . . .

God’s Answer to Racial Profiling

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Trayvon Martin was not a criminal because he was black and wearing a hoodie. And I’m not a racist because I’m white.

We will have to wait months to find out how jurors in Florida will rule in the Trayvon Martin case. Did his accused assailant, George Zimmerman, act in self-defense when he shot the unarmed boy? Or did Zimmerman kill Martin because he just assumed any young black man walking through a gated neighborhood wearing a hoodie is a dangerous criminal?

Trayvon’s case should cause all of us to check our hearts. We’ve all been guilty of making unfair judgments. Many of us stereotype people unconsciously.

“Paul required church leaders to be free from prejudice. If we required the same today, we would raise a new standard. Leaders would confront racism from the pulpit instead of tolerating or ignoring it.”

Some Americans think all Mexicans are illegal and dangerous. Others think all blonde women are silly. Other people think all Arabs are terrorists, all skinny girls are anorexic, all Nigerians are con-artists, all Indians run convenience stores, all rural Americans are rednecks, all Jews are pushy, all black women are angry, all men with dreadlocks are potheads and all Italian-American teens act like the cast of Jersey Shore.

Sunday Sermon - 15-April-2012 - Bro Liong Kam Chong

Speaker: Bro. Liong Kam Chong
White Fields Assembly Seremban

http://www.mediafire.com/?ac97waacqel768b

The Movement Continues

by Max Lucado

The belief of French philosopher Voltaire: The Bible and Christianity would pass within a hundred years. He died in 1778. The movement continues.

The pronouncement of Friedrich Nietzsche in 1882: “God is dead.” The dawn of science, he believed, would be the doom of faith. Science has dawned; the movement continues.

The way a Communist dictionary defined the Bible: “It is a collection of fantastic legends without any scientific support.” Communism is diminishing; the movement continues.

The discovery made by every person who has tried to bury the faith: The same as the one made by those who tried to bury its Founder: He won’t stay in the tomb.

The facts. The movement has never been stronger. Over one billion Catholics and nearly as many Protestants.

Reclaiming True Friendship in the Facebook Age

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Technology has connected us superficially. But the Holy Spirit can knit us together supernaturally.

Two weeks ago I attended a men’s retreat in Georgia with some of my closest friends. Chris, Eddie, Rick, Michael, Ray, Robert, Medad, Quentin and James were in the audience with 120 other guys. We spent 2 1/2 days together—worshipping, attending teaching sessions, praying in small groups and eating our meals together. Nobody wanted to go home. It felt like heaven because we enjoyed being together so much.

“In this sophisticated age of social networking, when everyone is supposedly ‘connected,’ we are as self-absorbed and isolated as ever. Digital technology has trivialized relationships to the point that we ‘friend’ or ‘unfriend’ a person with a click. You can have 5,000 ‘friends’ and yet be the loneliest person in cyberspace.”

When it was time to leave I asked all the guys to come near the stage. We linked arms and sang a simple chorus I haven’t heard in years. You may remember the words:

Bind us together, Lord, bind us together / With cords that cannot be broken / Bind us together, Lord, bind us together / Bind us together with love / There is only one God, there is only one King / There is only one body, that is why we can sing ...

That song was popular during a simpler time, at the tail end of the Jesus movement in the 1970s when church wasn’t as trendy and professional as it is today. Back then we didn’t have savvy marketing strategies, media-enhanced sermons and hipster preachers. But what we lacked in coolness we made up for with deep relationships.

Easter Sunday Sermon - 8-April-2012 - Rev Dr Sandy Haverfield

Speaker: Rev. Dr. Sandy Haverfield

http://www.mediafire.com/?z72bbod3jgapd6c

Easter - Pastor Mark Gungor

Pastor Mark Gungor preaches a message to our Sunday morning services.
Download MP3 of Easter: http://media.celebrationchurch.tv/audio/2011/sun/4_24_11.mp3

Jesus' Burial

by Max Lucado

When Pilate learned that Jesus was dead, he asked the soldiers if they were certain. They were. Had they seen the Nazarene twitch, had they heard even one moan, they would have broken his legs to speed his end. But there was no need. The thrust of a spear removed all doubt. The Romans knew their job. And their job was finished. They pried loose the nails, lowered his body, and gave it to Joseph and Nicodemus.

Joseph of Arimathea. Nicodemus the Pharisee. They sat in seats of power and bore positions of influence. Men of means and men of clout. But they would’ve traded it all for one breath out of the body of Jesus. He had answered the prayer of their hearts, the prayer for the Messiah. As much as the soldiers wanted him dead, even more these men wanted him alive.

As they sponged the blood from his beard, don’t you know they listened for his breath? As they wrapped the cloth around his hands, don’t you know they hoped for a pulse? Don’t you know they searched for life?

But they didn’t find it.

So they do with him what they were expected to do with a dead man. They wrap his body in clean linen and place it in a tomb. Joseph’s tomb. Roman guards are stationed to guard the corpse. And a Roman seal is set on the rock of the tomb. For three days, no one gets close to the grave.

Good Friday Service - 6-April-2012 - Rev Dr Sandy Haverfield

Speaker: Rev. Dr. Sandy Haverfield

http://www.mediafire.com/?28023qv73hswjfz

When ‘Seeker Friendly’ Is a Good Thing

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

It’s OK to tone down certain charismatic manifestations to make church visitors feel welcome.

I love it when the Holy Spirit moves in a church service. But I also know there’s a fine line between charismatic and charismaniac. Too often, those of us who love spiritual gifts get carried away—and before too long things get strange. What is supernatural turns weird, and what is prophetic becomes pathetic.

This is not a new problem. Two chapters of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians are devoted to this dilemma. Even in the first century, people misused charismatic gifts to get attention. The abuse of speaking in tongues created pandemonium, and the lack of order invited an apostolic rebuke.

“The apostle Paul was ‘seeker friendly’ in the best way. He urged the Corinthians to leave room for spiritual gifts, but he also warned them to avoid charismatic excesses.”

I’m mentioning this topic now because Resurrection Sunday is coming up in a few days—and more visitors will show up at Easter services than on any other day of the year. Hopefully all those visitors will hear the gospel and feel God’s power—rather than walk away confused because overzealous or immature saints ruined the experience.

I’ve never been a fan of the “seeker-friendly” philosophy. I don’t want to limit God or tell Him what He can or can’t do in church. But there’s nothing wrong with creating healthy barriers so that certain “characters” in your congregation don’t ruin the meeting or scare people. In my years of ministry I’ve identified the All-Time Worst Meeting Spoilers.

Jesus' Last Words on the Cross

by Max Lucado

The hill is quiet now. Not still but quiet. For the first time all day there is no noise. The clamor began to subside when the darkness—that puzzling midday darkness—fell. Like water douses a fire, the shadows doused the ridicule. No more taunts. No more jokes. No more jesting. And, in time, no more mockers. One by one the onlookers turned and began the descent.

That is, all the onlookers except you and me. We did not leave. We came to learn. And so we lingered in the semidarkness and listened. We listened to the soldiers cursing, the passersby questioning, and the women weeping. But most of all, we listened to the trio of dying men groaning. Hoarse, guttural, thirsty groans. They groaned with each rolling of the head and each pivot of the legs.

But as the minutes became hours, these groans diminished. The three seemed dead. Were it not for the belabored breathing, you would have thought they were.

Then he screamed. As if someone had yanked his hair, the back of his head slammed against the sign that bore his name, and he screamed. Like a dagger cuts the curtain, his scream cut the dark. Standing as straight as the nails would permit, he cried as one calling for a lost friend, “Eloi!”

Why is communication so hard?

by Dr. Gary Chapman

Why does communication break down after marriage? Often, the answer lies in emotions. Before marriage we felt one over-powering emotion . . . love. But now the emotions of hurt, anger, disappointment, and fear often dominate. These emotions do not encourage us to communicate. Or, if we communicate it is likely to be critical. 

We speak out of our anger and create even more negative feelings. The key is learning how share emotions without condemnation. "I'm feeling hurt and when you have time, I need your help." Identifying your feelings and choosing to share them is step one. Step two is accepting the feelings of your mate and asking, "What can I do to help?"

Why is communication so important in a relationship? Because we are not mind readers. The apostle Paul recognized this reality when he asked the question, "Who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." The reason we know what God is like is because God has chosen to reveal Himself. If we reciprocate, we can have a love relationship with God.

Likewise, when we reveal ourselves to another, and they listen and reciprocate, we can build an intimate relationship with that person. Communication is to a relationship what breathing is to the body. Don't stop talking and don't stop listening.

- adapted from The Marriage You've Always Wanted by Dr. Gary Chapman -

Continue the conversation: Share your questions, thoughts insights, or comments by joining the conversation on Facebook at facebook.com/5lovelanguages

"One Language at a Time"

— A Story about The 5 Love Languages
For twenty years, The 5 Love Languages has been improving marriages... one language at a time.
For more information, visit us online at http://www.5lovelanguages.com

If you like the song, you can purchase it on iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-you-more-single/id515103656

Don’t Add Fuel to Racism’s Fire

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

In the case of Trayvon Martin, we’d be better off to keep our heads cool and our words peaceable.

I live eight miles from the gated subdivision where Trayvon Martin died on Feb. 26. A few weeks ago that section of Sanford, Fla., was as peaceful as the palms that sway in our humid breezes. But since the black teenager’s unexplained death, an unsettling pall of anger and suspicion hangs in the air.

The specter of American racism has returned. And the world is watching us argue about it.

“Why do we have to say things, especially in the media, that rekindle old feelings of resentment and racial hatred? If we want the fires of racism to go out, why do we stoke them and blow more hot air on the cinders?”

Upset citizens have marched in Sanford, and similar protests have been staged in New York, Miami, Tallahassee, Fla., and the nation’s capital. Trayvon has become a national symbol of injustice. People want to know why George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old man who shot Trayvon (allegedly in self-defense), was not arrested after the incident. Those who are most angry about the case claim that Zimmerman killed the unarmed boy simply because he was black and wearing a hoodie—and that a racist police force mishandled the case simply because they don’t care about black boys.

When you throw those accusations into a boiling pot, mix in combustible comments by the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, add a demand from the New Black Panther Party (they are offering a $10,000 reward for Zimmerman’s “capture”), and then stir it up with 24/7 media coverage, you know you are about to get a fiery explosion.

Long Distance Love

by Dr. Gary Chapman

Question:

"How can one deal with a long distance relationship when the spouse's love language is Physical Touch? I am desperate and don't want this to end because of the distance."

Answer:

I am often asked this question when I speak to military couples. The good news is that all of the love languages can be spoken long distance. I know you may be thinking, "How can I speak the language of Physical Touch when we are half a world away?" It's not that difficult.

In a letter, phone call, or e-mail you say, "If I were with you, I would put my arms around you and give you a kiss you would never forget."

No, it is not the same as actually doing it. However, it communicates love emotionally. They know that you are thinking about them and their love language. One wife said recently, "Learning to speak my husband's love language long distance has made a world of difference. And, he is speaking my language. He writes, "If I were at home, I'd vacuum the floor and take out the trash without your asking. Wow! That speaks to me." So my advice? Try it. I think you'll like it.

Continue the conversation: Share your questions, thoughts insights, or comments by joining the conversation on Facebook at facebook.com/5lovelanguages

Sunday Sermon - 25-March-2012 - Dr Isaac Yim

Speaker: Dr. Isaac Yim
Itinerant Speaker

http://www.mediafire.com/?4m6n8udc0355pbd

You Can’t Be Pro-Life and Anti-Immigrant

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

I’m dreaming of a day when U.S. immigration policy reflects the values of the Bible.

Earlier this year when I was preaching in California, a woman came to the church altar and asked me for prayer. She spoke with a thick Spanish accent. Her tears had already streaked her mascara, and she was trembling. In between her sobs she told me that her husband, who is not a U.S. citizen, had been deported to Mexico—leaving her and their four children behind.

This woman is a U.S. citizen, but her husband had been standing in line for 10 years to get his papers. As is often the case with Mexicans, bureaucracy offered him no compassion. Now a family is split up. The land of the free and the home of the brave slammed its doors on a Christian brother.

“Hispanics love to say Mi casa es tu casa (“My house is your house”) because togetherness and community are valued in their culture. My dream is that, some day, all Americans will learn to say that phrase—and mean it.”

This breaks my heart. I hope it breaks yours.

I have many immigrant friends who came to the United States seeking a better life. Some, like the Russian-speaking Pentecostals I know in Philadelphia, were granted religious asylum in the 1990s because they were persecuted for their faith in their native country of Belarus. I have many Indian-born friends who were granted easy access to America’s privileges.

Sunday Sermon - 18-March-2012 - Elder Ps Dorai Manikam

Speaker: Elder. Ps. Dorai Manikiam
Full Gospel Assembly, Kuala Lumpur.

http://www.mediafire.com/?qw9atop1wgtj9v5

The Spit of the Soldiers

by Max Lucado

The whipping was the first deed of the soldiers.

The crucifixion was the third. (No, I didn’t skip the second. We’ll get to that in a moment.) Though his back was ribboned with wounds, the soldiers loaded the crossbeam on Jesus’ shoulders and marched him to the Place of a Skull and executed him.

We don’t fault the soldiers for these two actions. After all, they were just following orders. But what’s hard to understand is what they did in between. Here is Matthew’s description:

Jesus was beaten with whips and handed over to the soldiers to be crucified. The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace, and they all gathered around him. They took off his clothes and put a red robe on him. Using thorny branches, they made a crown, put it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and made fun of him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on Jesus. Then they took his stick and began to beat him on the head. After they finished, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. (Matt. 27:26–31 NCV)

How Do I Fix It?

by Mark Gungor

• -“Pastor, I had an affair and am trying to restore my marriage but even after three years, things still are still really difficult. What can we do to make things right again?”
• –“ I was so busy with raising children and I didn’t have much time for sex but now that we’re empty nesters my husband isn’t really interested in pursuing our sex life. How do we get back to the way it used to be?”
• –“My wife was sexually active with other guys before we married and it has really impacted our life now. What can we do to overcome her past?”
• –“I divorced and remarried a man who was also previously married and we are having issues dealing with the blending of our two families. How can we make this work and just be a normal family?”

These are all questions typical of requests for help that I hear. What they, and so many others, are really asking is, “How can we fix it and make it like it used to be?” People are looking for the solution that will erase the consequences of actions or events so that everything will go back to the way it was before.

One of the things that I do a lot is warn people rather than supplying solutions. “Don’t do this. Don’t go there. Stop it!” There are things you can do to help improve such situations or deal with these kinds of consequences in your marriage, but they are more patches than solutions. That’s why I spend more time warning people not to go to hell than I do helping them try to find an air conditioner once they get there!

Don’t Underestimate the Supernatural Power of Conversion

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

The testimony of a former drug dealer from Ohio reminded me this week of the priority of evangelism.

When my new friend Shannon McNeal was just a little boy, his older brothers put him in a washing machine, turned on the water and sat on the lid to trap him inside. Another time they taped him in a cardboard box and threw it down a flight of stairs to see if he would survive. And once they put him in the kitchen oven, turned it on and blocked the door with a chair while he screamed.

Shannon’s mom wasn’t around to stop the brutality. A single mother, she worked long hours at a Ford automobile plant in Lorain, Ohio, near Cleveland. Her husband had walked out on the family when Shannon was 2, leaving the three fatherless boys to fend for themselves.

“Sometimes we get so caught up in the hoopla of charismatic gifts—chasing the latest glittering manifestations and the trendiest prophecies—that we forget true conversion is the greatest miracle on the planet.”

Without any boundaries, Shannon’s brothers began dealing drugs as young teens, and they threw wild parties in their house while their mother was at the factory. Then a male relative exposed the boys to hardcore pornography. When Shannon was just 6 he was forced to watch pornographic videos; before he had even reached puberty he was expected to act out what he had seen with neighborhood girls.

Little Love Tanks

by Dr. Gary Chapman

During infancy, a child does not distinguish between milk and tenderness, between solid food and love. Without food a child will starve. Without love, a child will starve emotionally and can become impaired for life. A great deal of research indicates that the emotional foundation of life is laid in the first eighteen months of life, particularly in the mother/child relationship.

The 'food' for future emotional health is love expressed in five ways: physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, and acts of service. Speak all five languages to your child the first eighteen months and you are laying the best possible foundation for emotional health.

Do you know your child's primary love language? What I discovered years ago is that what makes one child feel loved, does not necessarily make another child feel loved. If you treat all children the same way in an effort to be fair, you are really not being fair at all.

I like to picture each child as having an emotional 'love tank'. If the tank is full, that is the child feels loved by the parents, then the child grows up normally. If the tank is empty, the child will grow up with many internal struggles. And, in the teenage years will go looking for love, typically in all the wrong places. Learning what fills your child's little love tank is one of the secrets to successful parenting.

Continue the conversation: Share your questions, thoughts insights, or comments by joining the conversation on Facebook at facebook.com/5lovelanguages

Sunday Sermon - 11-Mar-2012 - Ps Dr Christina Ang

Speaker: Ps. Dr. Christina Ang
Itinerant Speaker

http://www.mediafire.com/?8k23ju4qa7c6fi3

The Love Dare - Day 1

Day 1 - Love is patient

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. —Ephesians 4:2

Love works. It is life’s most powerful motivator, and has far greater depth and meaning than most people realize. It always does what is best for others, and can empower us to face the greatest of problems. We are born with a lifelong thirst for love. Our hearts desperately need it like our lungs need oxygen. Love changes our motivation for living. Relationships become meaningful with it. No marriage is successful without it.

Love is built on two pillars that best define what it is. Those pillars are patience and kindness. All other characteristics of love are extensions of these two attributes. And that’s where your dare will begin. With patience.

Love will inspire you to become a patient person. When you choose to be patient, you respond in a positive way to a negative situation. You are slow to anger. You have a long fuse instead of a quick temper. Rather than being restless and demanding, love helps you settle down and begin extending mercy to those around you. Patience brings an internal calm during an external storm.

No one likes to be around an impatient person. It causes you to overreact in angry, foolish, and regrettable ways. The irony of anger toward a wrongful action is that it spawns new wrongs of its own. Anger almost never makes things better. In fact, it usually generates additional problems.

Jesus Washes the Disciples Feet

by Max Lucado

It has been a long day. Jerusalem is packed with Passover guests, most of whom clamor for a glimpse of the Teacher. The spring sun is warm. The streets are dry. And the disciples are a long way from home. A splash of cool water would be refreshing.

The disciples enter [the room], one by one, and take their places around the table. On the wall hangs a towel, and on the floor sits a pitcher and a basin. Any one of the disciples could volunteer for the job, but not one does.

After a few moments, Jesus stands and removes his outer garment. He wraps a servant’s girdle around his waist, takes up the basin, and kneels before one of the disciples. He unlaces a sandal and gently lifts the foot and places it in the basin, covers it with water, and begins to bathe it. One by one, one grimy foot after another, Jesus works his way down the row.

In Jesus’ day the washing of feet was a task reserved not just for servants but for the lowest of servants…The servant at the bottom of the totem pole was expected to be the one on his knees with the towel and basin.

The Love Dare - 4

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1–3

Are You Aligned for Your Assignment?

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

You might have to make a strategic move in order to fulfill God’s plan for your life.

During a recent conference in Georgia my friend Barbara Wentroble taught an insightful message from the book of Ruth. She pointed out that Ruth, a hopeless young gentile widow, never would have inherited God’s blessings if she had stayed in the forsaken land of Moab. She had to leave her home and travel to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law, Naomi. Once Ruth was repositioned, she discovered God’s salvation and favor—and she ended up in the lineage of the Messiah.

The Bible is full of stories of people who had to move from one place to another to align with God’s plans. Abram and Sarai left their relatives in Ur; Moses had to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt; Nehemiah had to travel from Persia to Jerusalem. In the New Testament, Peter had to go to Cornelius’ house in Caesarea; Paul had to sail to Rome; and God had to scatter the disciples (see Acts 8:1) so they would fulfill the Great Commission.

“When the Lord is getting ready to do a new thing, He repositions us. God wants us in the right place at the right time.”

None of these transitions were easy. We prefer the comfort of the familiar and the security of a steady paycheck. But faith is a journey, and it often leads us to places we would never choose on our own.

The Love Dare - 3

http://thelovedarebook.com

The Scriptures say that God designed and created marriage as a good thing. It is a beautiful, priceless gift. He uses marriage to help us eliminate loneliness, multiply our effectiveness, establish families, raise children, enjoy life, and bless us with relational intimacy. But beyond this, marriage also shows us our need to grow and deal with our own issues and self-centeredness through the help of a lifelong partner. If we are teachable, we will learn to do the one thing that is most important in marriage—to love. This powerful union provides the path for you to learn how to love another imperfect person unconditionally. It is wonderful. It is

difficult. It is life changing.

This book is about love. It’s about learning and daring to live a life filled with loving relationships. And this journey begins with the person that is closest to you: your spouse. May God bless you as you begin this adventure.

But be sure of this: it will take courage. If you accept this dare, you must take the view that instead of following your heart, you are choosing to lead it. The world says to follow your heart, but if you are not leading it, then someone or something else is. The Bible says that “the heart is deceitful above all things,” and it will pursue that which feels right at the moment.

We dare you to think differently, and to choose to lead your heart toward that which is best in the long run. This is a key to lasting, fulfilling relationships.

The Love Dare - 2

This forty day journey cannot be taken lightly. It is a challenging and often difficult process, but an incredibly fulfilling one. To take this dare requires a resolute mind and a steadfast determination. It is not meant to be sampled or briefly tested, and those who quit early will forfeit the greatest benefits. If you will commit to a day at a time for forty days, the results could change your life, and your marriage.


Consider it a dare, from others who have done it before you.

Sunday Sermon - 4-Mar-2012 - Bro. Tom Cheryan

Speaker: Br. Tom Cheryan
White Fields Assembly Seremban

http://www.mediafire.com/?f3j0ibpw0c2jhhv

Children Like Gifts. Some Love Them!

by Dr. Gary Chapman

Does your child feel loved? All of the research indicates that children who are loved fare better in life than those who do not. Most parents love their children, but not all children feel loved. When Dr. Ross Campbell and I wrote the book The 5 Love Languages of Children, we discovered that children have different love languages.

What fills the love tank of one child will not necessarily fill the love tank of another. One child may crave physical touch - hugs and kisses, while another longs for words of affirmation. For some children it's quality time, for others it is gifts or acts of service. Discover your child's love language, speak it fluently, and you will keep the love tank full.

The Love Language of Gifts

One of the love languages of children is receiving gifts. I know what you're thinking: "That is the love languages of all children." But, not really. Some children will ooh and aah and jump up and down with excitement when they are about to open a present. Once it is opened, they will repeat the performance. Others will simply open the gift, look at it, perhaps say thanks, and then they are off to other events.

Why the difference? For one child receiving gifts is their primary love language while the other much prefers quality time or one of the other love languages. Don't expect all children to respond the same way. If you want to love effectively you must learn the primary love language of each child and speak it regularly.

The Love Dare

LINK TO WEBSITE

In the movie FIREPROOF, a couple dares to rescue their choking marriage from the flames of divorce and temptation using The Love Dare book as a guide. Now you can take the experience of the film one step further with your own copy of The Love Dare book. This daily devotional steers you through the fiery challenge of developing a strong, committed marriage in a world that threatens to burn it to the ground.

The Love Dare personally leads you through daily devotionals, records your thoughts and experiences, and ends each day daring you to perform a simple act of love for your spouse. This 40-Day journey equips you to melt hardened, separated hearts into an enduring love that can withstand the flames of fear, pride and temptation. The Love Dare book will help you reinforce and enrich your marriage, earn back a love you thought was lost, and hear more about the One who not only designed unconditional, sacrificial love—He illustrated it.

In a world that attacks, devalues, and redefines relationships every day, learn how to rescue and protect your marriage from the firestorm. Take The Love Dare and FIREPROOF your relationship.

TV and Kids

from HERE

This month I decided to do some investigation into the effects of TV and other electronic media on children and their development. How much TV is too much TV? and What kinds of TV are detrimental and if any of it is helpful to children’s growth?

It seems there is general agreement that a child’s exposure to TV of any type should be limited. The American Academy of Pediatrics even said children two years and younger should not watch any TV whatsoever. Yet, there is also general agreement that we are completely ignoring this advice. Most parents lobby for and seek TV programs with appropriate content as a matter of convenience, since TV clearly serves as a babysitter of sorts for parents feeling time-constraints.

In many homes the TV is turned on early and stays on late. The programs viewed shows less actual choice and more habit. There are TVs in several rooms of most homes. Many children not only have their own TV, but electronic games, a computer, a DVD player for the car, and the list goes on.

So why is this so bad?  Why should we not allow children under two to even see the TV?

Young children’s brains are genetically programmed to develop most effectively when exposed to a rich environment. They must have lots of social interaction and language exposure. This leads to self awareness and understanding one’s role in society. They should have virtually limitless opportunities for physical play, imaginative play, and creativity.

This Is the Hour for Women to Arise

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

God is calling His daughters to swallow their fears and step into a new level of faith and authority.

This week I’m ministering at Trinity Christian Centre, one of Singapore’s largest churches. It is led today by Dominic Yeo, but for 30 years it was pastored by Naomi Dowdy, a brave American missionary who grew the church from about 250 believers in 1976 to more than 4,000 members in 2005. The Pentecostal congregation has grown even larger since then, when Dowdy set Yeo into his pastoral role so she could do more traveling ministry.

Dowdy is a friend and a spiritual mother in my life. I’ve ministered with her in Malaysia, Nigeria, Venezuela, Ukraine and other countries. I’ve gleaned from her leadership skills, benefited from her counsel and been inspired by her zeal for missions. I view her as one of the planet’s best examples of a female church leader. When I consider her amazing legacy I’m grieved that we don’t have more women like her.

“I agree with the makers of the film Courageous that Christian men need to demonstrate integrity, sexual purity, family values and moral courage. But isn’t the same response needed from women?”

The primary reason we have so few Naomi Dowdys today is that the church does not encourage trained and anointed women to step into leadership. A second reason is that many women have either disqualified themselves from taking on such roles, or they aren’t willing to face the criticism that inevitably comes when a woman defies tradition.