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Articles
Beatitudes
for
Married
Couples
Instruction
Before Marriage
Being
A Mom
Devotions
Joanne's
Daily Devotions
Family
and Home
Why
Christian's Fail At Internet Marketing
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Beatitudes
for Married Couples
Blessed
are the husband and wife who continue to be affectionate,
considerate, and loving through all the days of their life
together.
Blessed are the husband and wife who are as polite and
courteous to one another as they are to their friends
Blessed are the husband and wife who have a sense of humor,
for this will be a handy shock absorber.
Blessed are they who love each other more than any other
person in the world, and who joyfully fulfill their marriage
vow of a lifetime of fidelity as husband and wife.
Blessed are they who thank God for their blessings, and who
set aside some time each day for the reading of the Bible and
prayer
Blessed are they who never speak harshly to each other and who
make their home a place of mutual encouragement and love.
Blessed are the husband and wife who can work out their
problems without interference from relatives.
Blessed are the husband and wife who dedicate their lives and
their home to the advancement of Christ and his kingdom.
~author
unknown
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Instruction
Before Marriage
Author Unknown
Dear friends in Christ: As you
know you are about to enter into a union which is most
sacred and most serious, a union which was established
by God himself. By it, he gave to man a share in the
greatest work of creation, the work of the
continuation of the human race. And in this way he
sanctified human love and enabled man and woman to
help each other live as children of God, by sharing a
common life under his fatherly care.
Because God himself is thus its
author, marriage is of its very nature a holy
institution, requiring of those who enter into it a
complete and unreserved giving of self. But Christ our
Lord added to the holiness of marriage an even deeper
meaning and a higher beauty. He referred to the love
of marriage to describe his own love for his Church,
that is, for the people of God whom he redeemed by his
own blood. And so he gave to Christians a new vision
of what married life ought to be, a life of
self-sacrificing love like his own. It is for this
reason that his apostle, St. Paul, clearly states that
marriage is now and for all time to be considered a
great mystery, intimately bound up with the
supernatural union of Christ and the Church, which
union is also to be its pattern.
This union then is most serious,
because it will bind you together for life in a
relationship so close and so intimate that it will
profoundly influence your whole future. That future,
with its hopes and disappointments, its successes and
its failures, its pleasures and its pains, its joys
and its sorrows, is hidden from your eyes. You know
that these elements are mingled in every life and are
to be expected in your own. And so, not knowing what
is before you, you take each other for better or for
worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in
health, until death.
Truly, then, these words are
most serious. It is a beautiful tribute to your
undoubted faith in each other, that, recognizing their
full import, you are nevertheless so willing and ready
to pronounce them. And because these words involve
such solemn obligations, it is most fitting that you
rest the security of your wedded life upon the great
principle of self-sacrifice. And so you begin your
married life by the voluntary and complete surrender
of your individual lives in the interest of that
deeper and wider life which you are to have in common.
Henceforth you belong entirely to each other; you will
be one in mind, one in heart, and one in affections.
And whatever sacrifices you may hereafter be required
to make to preserve this common life, always make them
generously.
Sacrifice is usually difficult
and irksome. Only love can make it easy and perfect
love can make it a joy. We are willing to give in
proportion as we love. And when the love is perfect,
the sacrifice is complete. God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten Son, and the Son so loved us
that he gave himself for our salvation. "Greater
love than this no one has, that one lay down his life
for his friends".
No greater blessing can come to
your married life than pure conjugal love, loyal and
true to the end. May then, this love with which you
join your hands and hearts today never fail, but grow
deeper and stronger as the years go on. And if true
love and the unselfish spirit of perfect sacrifice
guide your every action, you can expect the greatest
measure of earthly happiness that may be allotted to
man in this vale of tears. The rest is in the hands of
God. Nor will God be wanting to your needs; he will
pledge you the life-long support of his grace in the
holy sacrament you are now going to receive.
Author Unknown
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Being
a Mom
By Dale
Hanson Bourke
From Everyday
Miracles: Holy Moments in a Mother's Day
To
all of the wonderful moms I know...
We are
sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions
that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a
family."
"We're
taking a survey," she says half-joking. "Do you
think I should have a baby?
"It
will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone
neutral.
"I
know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends,
no more spontaneous vacations."
But
that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying
to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will
never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the
physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a
mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she
will forever be vulnerable.
I
consider warning her that she will never again read a
newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY
child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will
haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children,
she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your
child die.
I look
at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think
that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother
will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting
her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause
her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moments
hesitation.
I feel
that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has
invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by
motherhood.
She
might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going
into an important business meeting and she will think of her
baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of
discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her
baby is all right.
I want
my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be
routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's
room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major
dilemma. That right there in the midst of clattering trays and
screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity
will be weighed against the prospect that A child molester may
be lurking in that restroom.
However
decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess
herself constantly as a mother. Looking at my attractive
daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed
the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same
about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of
less value to her once she has a child. That she would give
herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also
begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own
dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.
I want
her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will
become badges of honor. My daughter's relationship with her
husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she
could understand how much more you can love a man who is
careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with
his child. I think she should know that she Will fall in love
with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.
I wish
my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women
throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and
drunk driving. I want to describe to my daughter the
exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want
to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching
the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time. I want her to
taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.
My
daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have
formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I
finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my
daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for
me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way
into this most wonderful of callings.
Please
share this with a Mom that you know or all of your girlfriends
who may someday be Moms.
May
you always have in your arms the one who is in your heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A
VICTORIOUS DAY
“And
the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I
know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He
is not here: for he is risen, as he said, Come, see the place
where the Lord lay.”
Matthew
28: 5, 6
King
James Version
What
a Victorious Day when Jesus arose! He
allowed Himself to be crucified so that we may have the
victory in our lives every day. We do not
have to live a defeated life. Jesus
defeated satan on the Cross. If we have
made a heart commitment to Jesus, then He lives in us and it
is His Strength that will keep us victorious. We
can’t do it ourselves; we don’t have the power.
There
are times when we allow ourselves to become defeated.
Yes, we go to church, we teach, we preach, we sing, we
do good deeds, and go visit people, but we only do it because
we know that is what we are supposed to do. The
excitement of serving Him is gone because of the cruel things
that people have said to us.
I
heard a pastor say one time “I didn’t feel anything for a
year, but I kept preaching and doing what I was supposed to do
even when I was dead inside”. I submit to
you on the Authority of the Word of God that when Jesus lives
in your heart you will have a Joy and excitement even in the
midst of trials.
A
few months ago, I was being attacked viciously every day by
the same person who told me that I wasn’t a Christian, that
I would never go to heaven, and that Jesus didn’t Love me.
Yet, on this person’s website it talks about being
kind to people. I hurt deeply and cried a
lot over this attack, but when I would go to bed at night, the
Joy and Peace of Jesus would once again flood my heart.
When
you are grounded in the Love of Jesus and have the assurance
that He Loves you, all hell can come against you, your family,
loved ones and friends can leave you, but there will still be
a Peace and Joy in your heart. If you
don’t feel that Peace and Joy in your heart, search your
heart and be sure that you have made a heart commitment to
Him, and not just a head and verbal commitment.
Joanne
Lowe
April
10, 2006
joannelowe8@cox.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why
Christians Fail at Internet Marketing
by
Sean Mize
A Christian begins to think about marketing
online, and wants to market to the Christian Internet Market.
After some extensive research, he or she finds that the
Christian Internet market is saturated with multilevel,
get-rich-quick, gifting, Ponzi schemes, and surf programs. The
Christian either chooses to become involved in one of the
above-mentioned schemes, thinking that is what Christians are
looking for, or decides that Christians aren’t willing to
pay for good content or services online.
Unfortunately, the Christian is wrong on both accounts.
Christians are willing to pay for good content and services
online, but sadly enough, there are very few good Christian
services online. Why? Because marketers, both Christian and
Secular alike, have assumed that Christians will not pay for
online products, because they are unwilling to spend money
online. That is the problem. While many Christians, in the
early years of the Internet, may have been reluctant to spend
money online, with the advent of better Internet filters and
screening software, more Christians are spending time online.
I contend that the only reason they don’t spend more money
online is because of the dearth of good Christian content
online. I believe there is a conspicuous absence of good
Christian content online, and I believe that those who step
up, in 2006 and supply the content will get rich doing it.
That may be a bold statement, and some of you will quit
reading right now. Go ahead.
Those of you who are still reading, think about this for a
moment. When is the best time to get involved in a new window
of opportunity? When it first becomes a new window of
opportunity, right? I contend that this year, 2006, will be a
break-out year for Christian online marketing and sales.
Now, get me right here. I do NOT mean more Ponzi schemes and
multi-level games. I mean good, Christian, grounded,
chockfull-of-useful-information web-based content. Content
like information materials that teach about popular Christian
topics like Christian self-improvement, Christian dating,
Christian success, and Christian values. Products like
Christian books, Christian videos, Christian web-sites,
Christian marketing tools, and Christian studies.
Another vital point here. These products must be two things:
1) Bona-fide faith-based products that are not ashamed of the
Christian identity and 2) High-quality products that contain
as much or more good content as a competing secular product.
You cannot think that just because a Christian sees a product
with a Christian label that that will close the sale. It must
be worth every penny you price it at.
If you want to get involved in Christian Internet Marketing,
now is the time. Do it.
Sean Mize is a Christian Entrepreneur and Christian internet
Marketer, and the author of “The Christian Guide to
Maximizing Your Time”, which can be ordered via
Christian
Success Network
He also co-publishes a Christian Article Directory. To read
articles or submit articles for inclusion in the directory,
click here:
Christian
Article Bank
Note: You have my permission to reprint and distribute this
article as long as it is distributed in its entirety,
including all links.
© Sean Mize 2006
~~~~~~~~~~
Hope
you enjoyed this newsletter ~ God Bless friends!
Copyright © Heaven
Ministries ~ Angie Lewis
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