Wow, time flies.....except when it doesn't!

I can't believe it has been over 2 weeks since I posted.  Since the last time, much has changed.  We find ourselves with 5 couples involved in TBI in varying degrees.  Couple #1 is still making progress for which only God can receive the honor, and we praise Him for loving them and us enough to fight for our marriages.  Apparently, love is a really big deal to Him!

Often tempted to settle for the watered-down version of love the world and satan offer, nothing outshines the love God reveals to us in Christ Jesus.  Don't you wish Adam and Eve had realized how precious God's love is and refused the fruit rather than opening the door to sin and sin's painful results?  I know Jesus wished that none of us had sinned.  We can't blame Him, can we?  Look what price He paid to convince us that the Father loved us before and loves us still.  This love is the kind of love He wants us to reveal to the world by loving our families, our spouse, other believers, the ones who don't yet know Christ......well, you get it, everybody.

Apparently, loving everybody is not easy.  Look at what is happening around the world currently.  Egypt, Morocco, Iran, Israel, USA, ...well, you get it, everywhere.  We only have to look in our own communities, neighborhoods, and, yes, even our own homes to see the struggle to love and the hope of being loved. When we are alone, lonely and hurting, time starts to drag and seemingly we will be lonely, hurt, or sad from now on.  Time stands still; well, not really.  Hopefully, prayerfully, something happens to change that and God enters the picture with someone to love us:  a child, our spouse, a friend, God Himself.

I have discovered another time when it slows to a crawl - I am speaking of those times when I am looking into my wife's eyes and we are talking.  No, really, don't stop reading thinking I am going off into a romantic rant.  When Carol and I are talking and I am really listening, time slows down.  I had not noticed the time warp ever before, but a few weeks ago we did something that helped me realize this powerful truth.  On our anniversary, as money was tight, I wrote 38 things to do together and gave her the list for our 38th Anniversary.  One of those items was to sit for 3 minutes and just look at each other eye to eye without saying anything.  The result was magical.  I don't think I had ever done it and now hope it will become a habit.  Maybe daily.....or not...but at least weekly as a part of a night out or time in when we are not occupied or when we travel together and have time during a flight, but I must make time to experience time slowing down in such a wonderfully uncomfortable way that I want to stay there.....with Carol and I mean truly with her.  We are together and not alone and we get it.

We, last week, had the privilege of attending a powerful marriage intensive at WinShape Conference Center in Rome, Georgia, on the campus of Berry College.  As each couple shared their story, carefully and with caring people present examined the variables that have taken our marriages to their current level of health and dysfunction, miracles of insight and awareness and perspective and change happened before our eyes.  The principles from scripture that worked so powerfully to open hearts (not every heart) and give hope are those same principles Carol and I learned and have been experiencing over the past 16 years since our marriage renaissance occurred in 1994.  I was reminded why I am so passionate about getting these truths out to the Church and through the Church to every community everywhere.  God's Word is living and He is still changing us to love more as He does.  There is no end to the beauty of His love or to the power of its passion.

When God's love happens, we are not alone, and our faith in Him grows to the place where we can love even when love is not returned.  But when love happens and is shared in a marriage and a home, the people in it can grab hold of time in ways that don't stop it or even truly slow it down, but in ways that make it count and use it to invest in relationships that last and love that changes us into the likeness of Jesus.  Jesus said that they would know we are His disciples if we have love for one another.  Today and in your tomorrows, if you can....if you will, find somebody or a few somebodies you love and ask them for 1 minute.  Tell them they don't have to say anything or do anything except let you look into their eyes.  As you look into their eyes, ask God to reveal to your their great value, their worth, His attitude toward them, and to let your love for them escape your busy world and enter their heart so they'll know how loved they are by another human being as time stands still....at least seems to .. for you both.

God provides again

As I did the home and ministry finances last week, I realized we were about to run out of money before we ran out of month.  I decided to try not to panic but to run to my Father.  I was still somewhat anxious but was able to rest in the knowledge that He called us out to this ministry and He keeps His promises to provide our needs.  So, I prayed, talked it through with Carol, and we prayed.

The next day I taught all day for the missions ministry of North Point to help prepare their volunteers to lead teams of short term missionaries during the year 2011.  We had a blast!  What a wonderful group of leaders. 

During a lull in the action, Lisa Gore brought me a contract to sign so that I could be paid for leading the event.  I had not told them what to pay.  In fact, we do what we do based on donations and don't charge a fixed amount.  I would have been pleased with whatever they chose to give/pay.  What the GlobalX staff didn't know is that I had moved a certain amount from savings to checking on Friday night during my financial review.  In my view it was substantial and I knew I could not keep that up each week or month without some hefty donations coming in from God's supply.

When I took the paper to complete the address, social security number, etc. on the contract I saw the amount of the contract and it hit me later .... after signing it and going back to leading the event...that the amount they had given me on the contract was the exact dollar amount that I had moved from savings the night before.  I just smiled really big inside and out. 

Praise my Father who knows "what I need even before I ask Him".  Isn't that exactly what Jesus said our Father would do.  Thanks for praying for us and thanks for trusting God in your life in ways that are just as obvious to you that He loves you and will meet you at your greatest point of need.

Now, we are seeing more couples coming to the site for mentoring and for conferences.  Couple #1 continues to fight for their marriage and they are winning against the Enemy of our souls.  Couples #2 has asked for mentoring and they are from another country.  Couples #3 is local and Couple #4 is interested in a marriage conference for their church and community.  Here we go!