Fight for your marriage?

This blog is about marriage and a call to fight for yours if you are in one and to help those around you fight for there's. I have seen more marriages hurting and crumbling in the last 6 months than I have in my 17 years in the ministry. Daily (yes daily) i am hearing of couple who are preparing to let go of the end of their rope, and daily my heart is breaking for them.

There is the song out there that goes: "love is not a fight, but it's something worth fighting for."

If your marriage is going well (or at least you think it is), fight hard to improve it. Ask him/her what you could do to strengthen the relationship. Do a self-check on your priorities: God, Spouse, Kids, etc. Go on a date regularly (w/o kids), buy each other something, tell them they look hot (it's not unChristian to tell your spouse they are smokin' hot), attend a marriage conference to learn ways to grow and mature. Find another couple who can hold you accountable and then pray for each other.

If your marriage is not going well, fight hard to improve it. Don't wait for your spouse to change, or primarily work to change your spouse. Remember, the two became one so you start to work on yourself. Get with trusted friends and counsel (2 or 3) and ask people to commit to pray regularly for your marriage. Don't wait to go to counseling with your spouse, you go by yourself and prayerfully they will join you in the journey of healing.

Despite what can be taught out there: God does not want you to get a divorce. It is outside of His will and causes more pain than you think it will cause. I realize that there is only one instance where God permits (not commands) divorce and that is adultery. But know that as long as you are still breathing, there is hope for your marriage - God is still on His throne even when circumstances caused by our selfish decisions seem to rule the day.

I'm not trying to give a commercial, but I want to give a couple helps out there. First, is "stained glass ministries." Dale and Jena Forehand have had a marriage that has been to hell and back again. Learn from their story; it'll help you in your marriage.

Next is FireProof. I know you have probably seen the movie and done the Love Dare. If not, I highly recommend it as Valentine's Day approaches. But further, if you are near Mobile, the FireProof Marriage Conference is coming to First Baptist North Mobile in March. Take your spouse (or if you are engaged, your fiance'). The creators of the movie are hosting a weekend to come alongside marriages that just need a little tweaking or even a major overhaul. Make it a get-away weekend with just you and your spouse, go with another couple, or your whole church - just go.

I don't know how healthy your marriage is , but don't get content wherever it is. You can't change the past, but you can change everything between today and "till death do us part."

Thanks for reading,

BNall

Getting Godliness from the Gym

Recently, I was finishing up my morning workout at the gym when I noticed a new member walking through with one of the employees. Not to sound too harsh, but from the physcial appearance of the gentlemen you could tell he hadn't spent too much time exercising (I hope that was a gentle way of saying it....). As the man was getting a tour of the equipment, I heard the employee giving the name and description of each equipment. What I found odd, and kind of humorous, is that after the employee pointed to each piece of equipment the pre-bodybuilder stated he already knew how to work the equipment. After observing the quick tour, I don't think there was a single piece of exercise equipment in there that he didn't already know how to use - but yet you wouldn't have known that by looking at him.

I started to think about that example and most Christians. When we come to different parts of Scripture, we declare that we already know about it. We have studied it and could probably explain it to someone else; but if you were to look at our lives, would there be evidence that we have applied our knowledge.

Jesus said in John 14:21, "Whoever has My commands obeys them, he is the one who loves me."

I contend that is where the church has become week. We know how to work the equipment, we just need to get in there and put our knowledge into motion.

Let's work out
B

Is One Hour Too Much?

As you know I launched a website a couple of months ago in order to mobilize the Christians in my county (Santa Rosa, FL) to cover every hour of 2010 in prayer (all 8760 hours). (if you don't know, go right now to http://www.714santarosa.com/). During this process, I have been amazed at the comments from some as to the length of the prayer time -not the one year part but the one hour. It seems that the idea of praying for one solid hour has become something way out there, something unheard of, something only reserved for the radical Christians, or something that is a stretch for the average man.

It seems like not that much has changed since the days of Jesus. During the evening before Jesus was arrested, He asked His disciples, "could you men keep watch with me for one hour?" (matthew 26:40). I contend that Jesus is still asking that same question of us today - would you please just spend some time with me?

But why is one hour such a big deal, why would it even cross our mind to register our time of prayer with a friend so we can divide up the hour even smaller? Is it because we are so hurried we haven't the time for prayer? Do we only want microwave faith? Do we think we don't have that much to talk about - what about listening? What about worship and singing? What about reading Scripture and allowing the word to simmer in our soul?

On January 1 from 12am-1am was my first hour of prayer. It flew by and I look forward to my first hour of every month in 2010. I read an email from someone whose hour went so quick it turned quickly into 2 hours.

I don't think for a second that "one hour" is too great a goal and should be lowered to accomodate our feeble faith. I cling to the notion that one hour should be the launching point for a lifestyle of unceasing communion with God. Just try it. Prayer doesn't hurt too much.

Is one Hour too much? I don't think so.

B