Update on Aaron
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Posted:Aug 27, 2008 10:46 pm
Last Updated:Aug 29, 2008 7:43 am 1824 Views
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Thankfully Aaron has stayed with his older brother Benjamin in Tamworth over the past two weeks, only the first night he stayed out on the street. I have given him over to the Lord as hard as that was for me to do.
Last night I recieved a phone call and I have an offer of two godly men, one in our church and the other an older gentleman not far from Tamworth who has been in ministry helping youth like Aaron for years. I am meeting with these men, John and Bill, along with my Beloved on Sunday afternoon to see where we go from here, and if Aaron wants to participate in an on going support from them.
What an awesome answer to prayer! I am so encouraged and blesed outta my sox, jumps for joy! Isn't God good??
Please pray for us as we seek the Lord together for Aaron's future. Please pray that Aaron would be comfortable and willing to meet with John and Bill in the coming week.
Thanks again my special friends here at BC for your prayer support. It has meant so much to me and for my family.
Blessings,
Louise
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Being a Godly woman
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Posted:Aug 27, 2008 10:35 pm
Last Updated:May 27, 2024 12:57 am 1519 Views
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Becomming a Godly woman we must first know what the Gospel is & believe it, and make it the centre of our lives.
What is the Gospel I hear you say? It's not about "I" prayed, "I" received etc etc, but about what God did has done. It is His love story for His people. Christianity is the only religion in which salvation cannot be earned. The Gospel belongs to God, it is His Gospel.
The Gospel shapes our lives and everything we do. Being disciplined in the Gospel means coming to God on His terms. The gospel is so dynamic that it satisfies us and motivates us toward Holiness.
We women learn that we are made very distinctly female as opposed to male, having a very different role to play in our lives. We discover that we are of great value to the Lord as Christ demonstrated His love for us on the cross.
Instead of asking the question "who am I" prior to being saved, we are assured as belivers that we are created in His image. We know who we are! We never have to have an identity crisis when we are christians. It brings dignity to our humanity, and purpose and meaning to our lives.
The Gospel is a woman's first and foremost discipline. It is the source of Godliness.
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Discipline is a form of Godliness
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Posted:Aug 27, 2008 3:41 pm
Last Updated:Aug 27, 2008 10:08 pm 1668 Views
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In the wee hours of this morning when I should have been tucked up in my bed I was reminded of what the Lord has been speaking to me lately in my personal walk with Him.
I am learning how to become a Godly woman. This is something that I think all us ladies desire to become. It isn't as easy as it sounds, is it?
I have the tendancy to become lazy and undisciplined when I have late nights and allow stress to take hold in my life. I have to be disciplined and routined in my home as I am the leader, teacher, business woman, mother and a future wife. I wear a lot of hats in my day and if I don't excersise my mind on the things of God, excersice my body into shape or excersise my prayer life to reflect my faith, I am useless to those around me. I need to put these three things into place each day, even before my get up out of bed so I am prepared to face all that comes my way, and to lead my family in their walk with the Lord. This reminds me of my favoutite scripture, Proverbs 31 from verse 10. This is my heart, and my inspiration to aspire to become like the Proverbs 31 Lady.
I have struggled with what all this means, and putting it into practice takes courage, strength and an attitude of wanting to live a disciplined life which can only bring the Lord glory as the scriptures tell us that discipline is a form of Godliness.
We are told in 1 Timothy 4 to train to be Godly. Godliness has value for all things and all those who love the Lord. We are not to loose heart, and be renewed each day. 2 Corinthians 4:16. We are to get rid of all hinderances , bad habits and obstacles so we can direct our energy toward Godliness 1 Corinthians 9.
Discipline leads to a life of pleasing God, not legalism which leads to death. Pursuit Godliness and submit to His plan for your life.
What habits, hinderances and obstacles are are preventing you from pressing into Him and living a more disciplined life?
God Bless you as you serve Him today.
Blessings, Louise
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Matchmaking Heaven's way
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Posted:Aug 26, 2008 11:12 pm
Last Updated:Sep 5, 2008 7:00 pm 1665 Views
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It has been on my heart for days now to share this post. I have been a little disscouraged at the lack of reponse to my last two posts, and have realised that it is very confronting for some. Still I believe that the Holy Spirit lead me to write it, and He has led me to write this one also. It came about when responding to Susan aka readingandroses latest post. I copied and pasted what I said, becuase I just couldn't rewrite it any differently. I feel led to write more on this topic of Godly courtship and leading into marriage etc, so stay posted and be as blessed as we are.
Louise
My beloved and I have only been courting a couple of months, yet before he met me in the physical, he knew that I was 'the one'! Ask him to explain it and he says that he knows that he knows that he knows. Ask me to explain it, and i say that I know that I know that I know. We were friends for about 6 months prior to actually meeting. When we met, it was confirmation beyond comprehension. We were so totally at peace with it all. His intention was never to 'date me' and see what happens, it was much more deeper than that. I have prayed for this for a long time, and yes God answers prayer. He is faithful and He has answered. I really believed that it was possible thanks to some really good reading material such as Joshua Harris "I kissed dating goodbye" and "Boy meets girl" a guide to godly courtship. It has been two years since the Lord showed me "His way" and it has become my desire to seek that which he placed on my heart.
I stand here before you my friends in humility before my Lord and share with you the most amazing and beautiful experience in my whole life! My beloved loves me, and just as I am. He doesn't see my double chin or extra weight I carry, or the blemishes on my skin! How can that be I ask? It is a mystery to me, and hard to comprehend! He thinks that I am the most beautiful woman in the world! He believes that God has hand picked me as a gift to himself, and I believe that God has hand picked him as a gift to me, and he really is a gift! To tell you the truth, I wouldn't have picked this man out in a lineup! He is gentle and kind and most importantly, he is a Godly man. He is very handsome too! I have not gone for this type of man before as I didn't feel I deserved it! He is everything I have ever hoped for in a man. Oh how I failed in that area before! Goes to show you how wrong we can get it, doesn't it?
This love is so deep and secure, and has bought much healing into my life as well as deepening my relationship with God the Father. The Lord intended him to bring about deeper healing and to be closer to Himself. The Lord spoke to me about this almost 20 years ago, and I can see it all unfolding, and in His time.
One of the most amazing experiences for me is to be so totally and deeply in love that the spiritual side of our relationship is number one. It deals with the physical side which isn't as hard as I would have thought it to be. We have made a committment to each other not to kiss or touch each other until our wedding day as we belive that the wrapper shouldn't come off the gift, even just a little bit and spoil it until that day. Having that security makes me love him all the more as I am learning to trust him unto the Lord. We both know that our relationship isn't driven by selfish desires, and helps us even more to focus on Him.
I guess what I am saying in all of this is that we need to have the revelation first that God is into match making, but His way! Then it is a matter of believing what He said and then resting in that. My beloved came along when I least expected it, nor was I looking. The Lord knew the precice moment that he would reveal him to me, and because my beloved is led by Him, he acted in obedience to His will for our lives together.
I would love to encourage all singles to 'stop searching' and relax in the Lord and belive that He will bring your mate to you, and I know that He will, he just needs a faith vessel!
May I also encourage you to read Joshua Harris's books that I mentioned, as it was the turning point in my life. If you ever wondered how we can live and love our intended with absolute purity, these are the books to read.
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Don't Kiss Me (Part 1)
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Posted:Aug 23, 2008 6:47 am
Last Updated:Sep 25, 2008 1:04 am 1636 Views
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There is alot of talk going on here at Bc especially about sex, what is right and permissable etc etc. I am embarrased by the talk that has been going on not because I am a prude or that I live in the 'dark ages', but because I feel we as christians are delving into areas that are sacred and reserved for marriage. I feel that if we keep on 'bringing this stuff out in the open' as some are calling it, we are going to become unstuck in our own walk with the Lord, and quiet possibly cause our brother or sister to stumble, which would be sin.
Our primary goal as christians would be to walk in love and preach the gospel. We are called to live moral and pure lives in thought as much as action. Talking about such things that are designed for marriage can 'awaken love' before it's time. It is repeated 3 times in the book of Song of Solomon 2, 3:5 & 8:4. We are told here not to stir up sexual excitement until a couple enters a marriage union. Thr phrase "stir not up" means don't get sexually aroused, and "awake my love" means let your your sexual passion lie dormant until you can fulfill sexual enjoyment in a biblical way, ie marriage. This is an appeal to us not expose ourselves to sexually explicit conversations or movies that excite sexual passion, and not to engage in physical touching including kissing that arouses sexual desire.
I feel that many of us are playing with fire, and we are gonna end up getting burnt!
How can we as christians bring the gospel to unbelivers if we display the same kind of attitudes and behaviours as in 'the world'?
I read this article a couple of years ago. Like some of you, I have never heard this spoken about before then. When I read it, I was challenged beyond what I had realised at first. My prayer then was for the Lord to change my way of thinking and for the desire to seek a 'oneness' in the spirit with my future husband without 'awakening love' before its proper time. My prayer also included that he too will have this revelation and that we would supprt each other through the courtship without the need for anything else other than pure love for each other in Him.
I have been graciously and truely blessed! The Lord has brought this man, my beloved into my life and he felt the same way as I do. Our love for each other is not stirred up, complicated or confused by any other desire as we have chosen to protect each others purity in the Lord's sight.
I hope and pray that you will see the opposite sex in a new and beautiful way as the Lord has shown me and now I am sharing the revelation with you.
Blessings, Louise
Kiss me beneath the milky twilight. Lead me out on the moonlit floor. Lift your open hand. Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance, Silver moon's sparkling. So kiss me.
You might recognize this chorus, from one of the most popular Christian songs-gone-mainstream – it was #1 on the Billboard chart for two weeks in May of '99. It's "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer. Scan your radio channels for a minute and you're bound to catch the tune's signature descent of guitar chords and whimsical vocals.
In a recent Christian catalog I came across an endorsement for the self-titled Sixpence CD - "One of the most talked-about albums of the year!" From the discussions I've had with Christians my age, I believe it. All the talking can be summed up in a statement I found on a Christian listener's Amazon.com review:
"What in the world does 'Kiss Me' have to do with Jesus?"
It's a fair question, but I think it reveals a profound misunderstanding. You might as well ask: What does the Song of Solomon have to do with Jesus? It is called The Song of All Songs, though it never mentions God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit by name. Yet, it's an important book of the Bible because it teaches us that sexual intimacy (kissing included) in the right context is a gift from God. I'd bet Matt Slocum (songwriter and creative force behind SNTR) and lead singer Leigh Nash understand the connection between kissing and Christ, since they're both married.
I don't question Christian musicians singing a poem about kissing. I do question the rest of my Christian family separating such a deeply significant act from the One who designed it for us. Mind you, I understand their concerns. "I'm not thinking about God when I hear that song," a 22-year-old male friend of mine said. "I'm thinking about kissing my girlfriend. That's not very worshipful." My friend is trying to honestly assess his own motives, and he's right to do so. But he's missing the significance "Kiss Me" has in pointing toward an experience God intends as a type of worship. Worship literally means "to kiss the cheek of." I firmly believe that we are kissing the cheek of God when we take delight in the pleasures of intimacy with our marriage partners. Of course my friend was probably also right that he wasn't thinking worshipful thoughts. And here's where I get controversial. I also believe that kissing a romantic interest outside of marriage is not gratifying to God.
"Treat younger men as brothers ... and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity" (emphasis added) (1 Timothy 5:1b, 2b). There are two states of sexuality outlined in the Bible, celibacy and marriage – and during the transfer from the first to the second we are still under Paul's command of restraint.
Rethinking a Kiss
"Passionate kissing is: (1) a harmless recreational activity, (2) a godly way to show true love while dating, (3) something only married people should share, (4) a means of seducing your date."
My eyes were immediately drawn to the survey question-of-the-week at the Christian Web site www.singleness.org. Of the 302 people surveyed (I'd guess most were Christians), 27 chose the first answer, 76 chose the second, and 40 chose the last. Add that up and over 47 percent of them allowed that passionate kissing is acceptable outside of marriage.
Something only married people should share. I added my click and my vote to that group. At one point I might have chosen while dating, or even harmless recreational activity – but over the past few years I've found Bible verses that have convicted me otherwise. "Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth" (Proverbs 5:15-1.
'Never' covers all of time – before, during and after marriage. Since I'm not married yet, I am responsible for guarding my husband's 'fountain' (my body, which includes my lips) from strangers, even strangers who would only take a sip. I am attempting to rise to the challenge of Proverbs 31 – "a wife of noble character ... brings her husband good, not harm, all the days of her life." Men, likewise, are responsible for drinking only from their own wells, only from their own wives, and for staying away from mine.
Christians give the actual act of sexual intercourse a great deal of spiritual significance, yet we rarely examine the motives behind our casual exchanges of physical intimacy with brothers and sisters. We don't fully acknowledge sexual intimacy as a whole package; we don't realize that the beginning and ending of passion are inseparable. Most Christians of my generation would agree with the biblical teaching of physical purity as a goal. Yet when it comes to following up in action, we make the same mistakes as our supposedly more worldly peers. Why is that?
I believe it's partly because kissing is treated so nonchalantly – it's something we exchange between dates, and it's justifiable as long as the people involved are Christians and they don't take it "too far." It has little to do with God; it has been reduced to a touch exchanged between two, instead of its intended purpose of three-way communion between man, woman and God. The Bible never says "Thou shalt not kiss" so we assume Jesus doesn't come into our physical connections until we are on the way to marriage.
I'm a sophomore in college with virgin lips. A few months after turning 16, I vowed to keep my "bow" tied until a man promises to commit himself to the whole package. My first kiss will be from my husband on our wedding day. Yes, that's quite a progression, from an inexpert kiss at the altar to the complete unwrapping of the wedding night – believe me, my friends have pointed that out. Then again, Adam and Eve managed to figure everything out in a day.
God never intended the engagement period to be a time for physical experimenting, for peeking under the wrapping paper. Kissing – which quickly turns passionate when you are in love – carries a current intended to light a fire. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for "kiss" (nashaq) is derived from the primary root meaning "to kindle." I don't want to open the matchbox. "Why preheat the oven when you can't cook the roast?" as Doug Wilson puts it in Her Hand in Marriage.
We see this truth reflected in places ranging from Scripture to literature that has endured for centuries. Song of Solomon 8:4 says not to arouse love until the right time. The fairy tales of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White hold a deeper symbolism: a kiss is (and should be) an awakening. I want to guard my fiancé; I want him to be asleep to me until we are one before God. There will be other ways of showing affection without arousing passion.
A Virginal Heart
Ultimately I am not as concerned about what Christians' lips do as I am about where our hearts are. One short kiss might not spark anything (though a string of short kisses quickly becomes a fuse). What's behind your kiss is what God is concerned about. Are you bestowing devotion or taking gratification? If you truly love that person, is it in their best interests to whet their thirst when you cannot give them the whole glass of water?
Elisabeth Elliot says it best in Passion and Purity: "Can I say categorically that a kiss is a sin? I can say that it might be. I can say that it might take the edge off, spoil the taste and the pleasure later on. It might reduce power. It might distract the heart. ... It is the heart's direction that is always the central issue. God knows what the heart is set on. We can deceive others. We can easily deceive ourselves. The humble and honest heart will always be shown the truth."
God asks different things of different people. My point is not that everyone should take a vow against premarital kissing. My challenge is that this generation of Christians would take a deeper look at something we treat so lightly. That we would take the initiative in saving something so precious for the right time and person – that we would pray about grasping what Solomon meant when he said there is a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. That we would understand how intricately kissing is involved with Jesus and that we would ask Him how we can better obey His commands for purity.
Since I don't have a boyfriend and have never been kissed, when I hear "Kiss Me" on the radio I turn it up. I get a little dreamy and ponder on what it will be like to dance among the fireflies and moonlight with my husband. And I know that when he kisses me the joy I feel will be praise that goes straight to heaven.
By Bethany Patchin
One day my Beloved and I will have a testimony just like Bethany did. Hope you enjoyed it and are challenged as well.
Don't forget to read part 2.
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Don't Kiss Me (Part 2)
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Posted:Aug 23, 2008 12:52 am
Last Updated:Aug 26, 2008 4:32 pm 1616 Views
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"When my husband kisses me, I know it will be praise that goes straight to heaven." With those words I snagged a husband. In August of 1999, Boundless published my first article, entitled "(Don’t) Kiss Me." The gist of it was that Christians need to take kissing more seriously, and I shared my own personal vow to save my first kiss for my wedding day. But as Sam Torode rightly accused me of in his rejoinder, "There’s More Than One Kind of Kiss," I was not entirely innocent in my musings – I see in retrospect that, unconsciously, I was taking slight advantage of the opportunity to broadcast my availability. I was indeed employing reverse psychology – to pique Sam Torode’s interest, though I had never met him, did not yet know his name, and did not expect my future husband to write a critical response in return.
I am happy to say that it worked like a charm. On January 14th, 2000, Sam and I met face-to-face for the first time, went out to dinner, and talked for three hours. When I returned from the evening, my 12-year-old brother Micah said to me, "He’s older than you, he’s taller than you, he opened the door for you, and he’s a Christian – he’s the one!" He was right: on May 28th, Sam asked me to marry him.
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Over the course of our engagement we received frequent e-mail messages from Boundless readers mistakenly assuming that our opinions on kissing were in direct opposition to each other – asking, "So, have you kissed yet?" or "Who won?" Sam usually replied by writing, "My friends often ask similar questions, and I refuse to satisfy their curiosity. I will say only: a vow is a vow, Bethany’s principles are my principles, and a kiss is a mystery that cannot be defined."
They were usually frustrated with his response, because a vast majority of the inquirers were young women, and young women want details – preferably in romance-novel or how-to form (I can say that because I am the same way). They wanted to know if we hugged, if we kissed on the cheek, how much we touched.
Writing about kissing in theory is quite a different thing than writing about kissing a particular person. Not only are such details very private and sacred between Sam and me, they are also not things that any one couple should publish as suggested guidelines for thousands of readers, because while certain principles are universal, the specifics will vary with each couple’s situation.
Though I said in my first article that there is no perfect blueprint for every couple, by the undertone of the piece I implied otherwise. I have since learned that couples who save their first kiss for the altar are not necessarily any purer than those who save it for engagement. "The more you save before marriage, the more enjoyment you have afterwards" is not in and of itself a true statement. If that were entirely the case, then we should return to the days of arranged marriages, so that everything about our spouse would remain hidden until the day of the wedding.
When evaluating physical guidelines between yourself and your fiancé, the two most important factors to look at are family history and previous physical experience. For example, a woman who feels abandoned by her father as a result of divorce or absence could have a lot of insecurity that will cloud her understanding of selfless, loving physical expression. She will need to be on guard against using touch to assure herself of her worth, or that her boyfriend/fiancé will not leave her. In the same way, someone who has awakened his desires prematurely by taking touch out of the context of commitment will need to take greater measures to restore his purity when he does pledge himself to someone.
I’m not a relationship expert and, although this is my second article about kissing, I don’t want to become one. I don’t want to set Sam and myself up as the ideal. No couple has the perfect love story. The perfect love story is the marriage of Christ and the Church, which is yet to come – all of our human experiences are but dim reflections of that glorious event.
Christ is the only example of ideal purity and we should all be on guard against lifting others to that place, especially writers and speakers who choose to share their stories with us. No one is a virgin in heart, whether they’ve kissed or not. The Bible is very clear about that. We are all failures (be prepared to realize that in a painful way when you someday join your life with another’s).
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In an otherwise excellent Christian relationship book I read recently, the author writes of "lusting" after his fiancée’s legs. After a war with his conscience, he tells her that he needs to be alone for awhile. I winced when I read this. Using "lust" in reference to desiring your intended is a depressing misuse of the word. Lust is the objectification of another human being, which happens when you remove the soul, spirit and mind of the other – the essence of them in all their profound individualness – and crave their body solely for your own satisfaction. I doubt the author was enjoying that leg as an object – he admired it because it was his fiancée’s. There is a beautiful flame of attraction that can be referred to as pure, holy desire, and it exists between all couples who are in healthy communion with each other, weaving their lives together within a covenant.
Many people, including myself, have said that there are only two states of romantic involvement outlined in the Bible – singleness and marriage – and that there is no room in-between for physical interaction. "Not married? Don’t touch. Married? Go hog wild!" But the engagement period is not a time to act like singles – never touching, never being alone together. It is a time when you learn how to channel your pure affections and passions to God through your intended, always with the thought of the other in mind. I would venture to say that touch is an important part of this. To self-disciplined, engaged couples, I would highly recommend admiring the beautiful gift of each other’s legs. In our culture, engaged couples desperately need to retreat from the world and redeem their Hollywood-polluted views of sex.
Of course not all desires, however good, can be acted upon before marriage. But when you’re struggling with them, don’t withdraw into yourself – share your burden. It takes away the secrecy and inner struggle, which Satan can use to blow things out of proportion. It was always very helpful for me to tell Sam, "Boy, I really feel like kissing you right now" – because then I was reminded of my commitment not to. God gives our fiancés to us for accountability and partnership.
The Bible does speak of an in-between period, a time when you are not single but not yet fully married. This is referred to in Matthew 1:18, where Joseph is called the husband of Mary, though he has not yet "taken her as his wife" or consummated the marriage. In traditional Hebrew practices, after a couple became betrothed they were considered legally bound to each other, so much that if the engagement were broken, one party would see the other in court.
We would do well to take our cues from the laws of God’s chosen people. Engagement should be binding, because you have given your word – and that should never be retracted, except under dire circumstances. Many parents and pastors do not stress this enough, and many young women do not take this into consideration when presented with that distracting diamond ring. We live in a society that treats commitment flippantly, but it is crucial that we understand how important it is to not promise things we cannot follow through on. (After engagement, I remember Sam pondering how connected we were, and commenting, "If we were to break up now it would be like a divorce.") At that point of "yes," you enter into something beyond a trial period.
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Over the summer Newsweek ran a cover story on female sexuality. In the following issue a long-married couple wrote a letter to the editor pointing out something that Newsweek had missed: the greatest aphrodisiacs for a woman are her husband taking out the garbage and bathing the . This seems simple, but it strikes a very complex and important concept – that sex without deeds is dead; that when our romantic acts are separated from the rest of life – even menial tasks – passion evaporates and we are left with an empty shell of what love should be. We cannot divide our lives into compartments. We need to stop referring to our "spiritual life" and "sex life" as separate from "everyday life." All aspects of our nature are connected in such a way that everything that goes on in the kitchen, dining room and church impacts the bedroom – and vice-versa.
And just as we should not draw hard lines between sexuality, spirituality and real life, we cannot separate the mind, soul and body. Our soul doesn’t reside in some cavity in our chests, it is woven throughout our flesh. Because of this unity, when our spirit joins in prayer with another’s, an emotional bond is formed. In the same way, our lips cannot do something without it affecting our soul.
There are three main ways you weave your selves together in love in preparation for marriage: physical, mental and spiritual. It’s like three thermometers – the mercury in each should be rising as you approach your wedding day. And you’ll see that the closer you get spiritually and mentally, the closer you will desire to be physically. This is good and right, but it also means you need to be wise. It doesn’t take that long to prepare for marriage (Sam and I moved our wedding up a month and a half and completely switched plans in one weekend). A short engagement is a great aid to purity – and patience!
***
One large problem with much contemporary Christian teaching on sexuality is that the church has soaked up the culture’s over-sexualization of everything. (Perhaps if we would limit our movie and media intake we’d be better equipped to avoid this.) As a result, we often talk of ourselves as if we were hormone machines. This is a very animalistic view of what the Bible calls the image of God.
Until I met Sam, I didn’t realize that I had assumed this point of view, which implies that our passions are stronger than our wills. What I gleaned from the broad range of evangelical relationship books I read in my teens was that all passion leads to sex, and that a kiss was a surefire means of eventually going too far. What I’ve learned since then is that passion begins the minute you glance into each other’s eyes, and not kissing doesn’t prevent it from building. Our wills, when in submission to the Holy Spirit, are strong enough to make sure that we will not compromise our principles. We can’t blame blind passion when we fall short of our standards. We are never irrational to "the point of no return." We are not completely lost until we choose to lose ourselves. Hollywood pretends this isn’t so. We’ve all seen it – two characters are attracted to each other, and the minute they’re alone their lips are drawn together by a magnetic force they cannot resist – and then they just can’t help falling into bed. That is utter rubbish.
This over-sexualizing has also taken the form of over-romanticizing our expectations. I know I used to subconsciously believe that if I let God write my love story (by not participating in casual dating or kissing) then my romance would unfold like a novel. But just because you do all the "right things" according to the relationship experts doesn’t mean God is going to give you a purity trophy – that knockout Christian superstar who will make all your friends turn green with jealousy.
Our God delights in writing quirky stories using everyday materials – his own was not a king but a carpenter, the ’s mother a poor Jewish girl. Don’t dismiss the young men and women that others seem to always overlook – they are often the ones who make the best husbands and wives. You might not be smitten with overwhelming tingles the first time your hand brushes the one you end up marrying, but don’t gauge your future by what happens in the movies. Quite a bit of love is quiet companionship and deep friendship.
On November 24th, I married my quiet companion and deep friend. When he kissed me, I did not feel pure because I was a virgin, or because I was wearing a white dress, or because I had saved my lips for him. I felt pure because I knew that it was a fresh beginning (as is every morning) – that Jesus gave me to him to continue making us both holy through the perpetual confession and forgiveness that comes in married life. I pray that when I am 60 and he kisses me, my lips will be more pure than they were on my wedding day
By Bethany Torode (nee Patchin)
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Aaron
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Posted:Aug 22, 2008 9:49 pm
Last Updated:Aug 25, 2008 12:36 am 1709 Views
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It's been a while since my last post. So much has happened since then.
Last Monday my eldest at home, Aaron decided to rebell (again) and take off. He hitched a ride into Tamworth and wandered the streets. My oldest Ben & I spent all evening looking for him. When Ben finally found him he was with a group of addicts and was reluctant to come with him. We all met up at Mac Donalds where he came into the resturant aggressive and violent. He was removed by the staff and the police were called. It was humiliating! His behaviour was irratic and scary! I went into physical shock. The police didn't take him away, and he refused to come back home. Here in Australia you are a minor until you are 18, you can't drink or smoke until the legal age, but you can decide at 16 to not go home! At 16 the police will not enforce youth to tow the line! In my opinion it is giving the youth today greater leway at such a tender impressionable age to rebell. I felt so helpless. Aaron decided that he was going to do 'what feels good' and he walked away.
Benjamin and I were stunned! We fell into the gutter and cried in each others arms. It was already past midnight and I had my youngest with me and I had to travel over an hour to get home to my other two .
All I could do was pray and hand him over to the Lord! The next couple of days were difficult and my stress levels had heightened. I hadn't heard a thing until last night when Ben told me that he was with him. Ben has been talking some sense into Aaron and feels confident that Aaron will come home this weekend. I on the other hand am not feeling confident that it will last. This boy is 6'7" and will not come under authority. He has little if no respect for me and has no idea what his actions cause me emotionally or physically.
I would ask at this time again my friends if you would pray for me and for Aaron. I need boldness and direction in knowing what to do and how to handle this delicate situation.
Blessings and grattitude again my friends,
Louise
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Is divorce ever justified?
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Posted:Aug 15, 2008 9:05 pm
Last Updated:Aug 16, 2008 8:32 pm 2020 Views
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First of all, this is not my story, but I have been pondering as i know someone in this situation.
Put yourself in these peoples shoes for just a minute...If you were married a long time, had many unhappy years together and lots of separations and the last separation you decide that this time is for good. If you know in your heart that you never really deeply loved that spouse and the spouse didn't either even though there was love there would it be right to contemplate a divorce? What if the other partner is just hanging on for grim life but yet hasn't got the kind of relationship with God as Lord and Saviour as the other spouse? What if that spouse can only give the continual shallow love yet they believe that they genuinely love you? What if you know that you need more depth and can't give out of the depth in your own heart? What if you know that it has died a long time ago, yet hanging on becuase you know that it isn't God's will for you to be divorced? The more the other spouse begs and appeases, the more the other spouseis being pushed away further and more torment occurs. Both these partners have experienced long separations, but the physical relationship was still there. This could only confuse the situation more I know. Perhaps that has added to the torment they are both going through. Can a marriage ending in divorce ever be justified outside of abuse or adultery?
What are your thoughts?
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My Life
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Posted:Aug 13, 2008 6:15 pm
Last Updated:Aug 14, 2008 2:21 am 1802 Views
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My life
My life is but a painting
From past and up til now,
Not to rush or spoil it
And complete it here and now.
But patiently and thoroughly
And with every stroke,
I see my life is led by you
Not by puff or smoke.
I know I’m very grateful
For the many blessings near,
Of pitter-patter footsteps close
And love that has no fear.
A time of quiet reflection
Of all that is around,
To give you thanks and mean it though
Without even making a sound.
I love you Lord and praise to you
And thanks for your dear ,
I know that you are in my life
My journey’s just begun.
We all feel a little threatened
Of surrendering you see,
But I know we'll all discover one day
It’s your love that sets us free.
I’ll shout it from the mountaintop
That Jesus is the King,
Here on earth and heaven above
Oh hear the angels sing
(c) Louise Audet 14-08-08
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Prayer update
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Posted:Aug 13, 2008 6:01 pm
Last Updated:Aug 14, 2008 2:22 am 1687 Views
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In my recent prayer request I was having major difficulties with my eldest at home. At the time of my request I was beside myself, almost at the point of giving up, walking out etc etc. I was looking to the Lord in it all, yet felt so bombarded.
I give all glory and thanks to the Lord. This past week has been a total turn around in his behaviour and attitude. He is so much calmer and the cravings have subsided and he is more like who he used to be before he left home 8 months ago. My second eldest boy (at home)is also claming down and I am able to have a decent conversation with him without him getting over worked etc.
This past week has seen me in many tears, both for crying out to the Lord for His help and intervention, as well as tears of continued healing that the Lord is taking me through. There have also been tears of Joy! The Lord is doing amazing things in my life and restoring me and our family unit.
Please Keep Aaron in your prayers. There is deception and lies still going on, and it is an habitual thing that seems to have got a hold on him.
Thanks again to all who have been praying. The peace is slowly returning to our home. What an awesome God we serve!
Blessings,
Louise
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