From Our Hearts

As if a global recession weren’t enough to worry about, Americans are now facing a very real global pandemic. We’ve all read the news stating that the Covid-19 virus poses a significant health threat. States have been shut down, reopened, and then...

One of the most valuable skills we can learn from our elders is hospitality. I’ve never forgotten how important and cherished my elders made me, and others, feel when they came for a visit.

Consider this a guide to help you walk through practical ways you can get the most out of your study time and to find out for yourself the meaning of scripture as well as its origin. Over time you will develop your own techniques and style in how to study the Bible, and that is how it should be!

GOD'S PURPOSE FOR MARRIAGE: Many times in our ministry we’ve listened to couples contemplating how the 50/50 model works in marriage. While it may seem logical, it is not biblical. We are complete in Christ. We are without spot or wrinkle when presented to our Holy Savior as His bride. How can that be so if we’re only half a person in marriage?

GOD'S PROVIDENCE IN OUR LIVES The story of Boaz and Ruth is such an amazing example of our relationship with the Lord. This Jewish redeemer from the tribe of Judah, who possesses the finest of qualities is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. He extends such grace to Ruth who feels so unworthy of it. Then, we discover that Boaz knew all about Ruth and her commitment before she knew anything about him! God prepared it all in advance.

FINDING ALONE TIME WITH GOD: Our salvation does not begin at death. It begins here and now. He came that we may have life and have it more abundantly. Jesus is alive and well and looking to spend time in fellowship with us.

I’ve heard many sermons and read many books that tell the tale of a dozen misfits that we admonish as biblical heroes; the apostles. None more clearly demonstrate to us just how human these men of God were than the Bible itself. Read about how Jesus used Peter's strengths and weaknesses in the Bible.

A successful Godly marriage comes with a price—the price of time. If you want your relationship with your beloved to be that of a biblical story, you are going to have to be willing to make time for it. In the beginning of a courtship, we purpose to make time for each other. Once the reality of bills, family, house repairs, and “what’s for dinner tonight” take hold, it is then we seem to forget there is so much more to marriage.

Redemption is an ongoing process. It has to do with so much more than our initial salvation. We need to know the answer to the question, “Does our ongoing deliverance from the power of sin come from our best efforts to keep God's law or is it also by trusting in the Lord Jesus as we did when we first met Him?”

We are blessed to be able to live in Hawaii on a part-time basis. Besides the weather, the residents are the friendliest people in the world. Even with all the tourism, the Hawaiian people, made up of all races, are kind, courteous, and helpful. This has certainly been our experience, and others have validated our observations. The residents seem to be genuinely happy!

DEVOTION: This may be a tender topic for you, but if your love has drifted … there is hope. What if We’re Thinking About Divorce? It may surprise you to know this, but there was a time in our marriage when we each entertained thoughts of divorce. We were the proverbial flailing couple who was going down…and taking two young daughters with us. We lost sight of our direction.

DEVOTION: “Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth.” Proverbs 5:18 We read this verse of scripture and sometimes wonder how can we accomplish such a thing? Does marriage really work like the Bible tells us? Life has changed. We’ve changed. Maybe there is some truth to that. However, I challenge you to consider why it has become your truth.