More than just rings

Passages from The Love Dare
Receive this as a warning. This forty day journey cannot be taken lightly.

It is a challening and often difficult process, but an incredibly fulfilling one. To take this dare requires a resolute mind and a steadfast determination.

It is not meant to be sampled or briefly tested, and those who quit early will forfeit the greatest benefits. If you will commit to a day at a time for forty days, the results could change your life and your marriage.

Consider it a dare, from others who have done it before you.

God designed and created marriage as a good thing. It is a beautiful, priceless gift. He uses marriage to help us eliminate loneliness, multiply our effectiveness, establish families, raise children, enjoy life and bless us with relational intimacy. But beyond this, marriage also shows us our need to grow and deal with our own issues and self-centeredness through the help of a lifelong partner. If we are teachable, we will learn to do the one thing that is most important to marriage - to love. This powerful union provides the path for you to learn how to love another imperfect person unconditionally. It is wonderful. It is difficult. It is life changing.

If you accept this dare, you must take the view that instead of following your heart, you are choosing to lead it. THe world says follow your heart, but if you are not leading it, then someone or something else is.

We dare you to think differently - choosing instead to lead your heard toward that which is best in the long run. This is a key to lasting, fulfilling relationships.


"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence." ~ 2 Peter 1:3, NLT

A dream fulfilled?

I'm waiting and working to see a dream fulfilled. It's a painful and inward journey that I've begun. I have a plan and somedays it works better than others.

My deferred hope is making my heart sick, has made my heart sick, and I fight everyday to heal my sick heart. My heart is more than broken, and I don't know that it will ever be healed. My faith wanes from day to day, but deep down I do know that I am chosen, loved and important to Him, even if to no one else.

I am re-learning, or maybe I never knew how... to love. Love is so many things, and isn't so many others. Love is patient and kind, but many times I am not patient or kind... so much to learn!

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life." ~ Proverbs 13:12, NLT

How does He see us?

Yes, godseyes! How does God see us? How does He view the election results? How pleased or displeased is He with our acts of "free will" that we exercised yesterday? How does it all look to Him?

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." ~ 1 Samuel 16:7, NLT

Election Day Stress

Oh my... What a stressful day... and we might not, should not, probably won't really even KNOW anything today! I pray for not only the right people, in God's eyes, to be elected but for a "clean" election. That the people may accept the voting as tallied and it doesn't turn into a big ugly scene.

I've heard stories today about the uglyness of "Christians" claiming to be speaking God's truth in a very unholy manner, putting a bad taint to the rest of us. Sinners we all are. We all get passionate and can sometimes cross that "line" of decency that should be something that we don't do.

Issues that seem so clear in the theoretical can be so hard to figure out in the real here and now. How do we preserve God's word and yet allow people to love one another. Just one of the hard questions, on many ballots today.


The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. ~ John 10:10, NLT

Patience Pays Off

I don't know about you, but I wasn't patient enough to stand in line to get all the patience this life requires, but, I am striving for more everyday, and sometimes I can see the fruits of my hard-earned patience.

Take today for instance... DH actually did what I recommended! A small feat or a large one, you decide :) Maybe there is hope for our marriage and our future. I can take it one small step at a time, at least most days ;) [see, told you I wasn't very patient!]

I'm reading "My Husband, My Maker" by Sharon Ries maybe its all sinking in??? who knows?!?! but I am thankful!

633219753 and so on :)

Prayer from email (I'm not forwarding, but left the forwarding instructions - God is far more powerful than any forward, instructions followed or not). Enjoy!

You never know when God is going to bless you!! Good things happen when you least expect them to!

Change the number in the subject box when you forward it by adding one!!!

Dear Lord,

I thank You for this day, I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning.

I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God.

You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me.

Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you.I ask now for Your forgiveness.

Please keep me safe from all danger and harm.

Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude.

Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.

Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.

Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. And give me the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.

I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart..

Continue to use me to do Your will.

Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others.

Keep me strong that I may help the weak...

Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.

I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way.

I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood.

I pray for those who don't know You intimately.

I pray for those that will delete this without sharing it with others

I pray for those that don't believe.

But I thank You that I believe that God changes people and God changes things.

I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes; that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.

I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God.

Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight.

I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees it in Jesus' name.

Amen!


If you prayed this prayer, change the number in the subject box before forwarding the message so people can see how many other people have done so. God Bless!

Just repeat this phrase and see how God moves!!
God I love you and I need you, come into my heart, please.

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe." ~Proverbs 29:25

Automobile Adversity

Grrr, if it isn't one thing, its another. Aug 27th I was rear-ended, which caused my car to be "totalled" and it also caused whiplash. Today, hubby's car was STOLEN, in broad daylight in a public parking lot in San Francisco. Hmph.

Just like my accident, there isn't much that can be done about a random theft, but good golly, it is SO frustrating. I'm so glad that I am storing treasures up in Heaven instead of here in this temporary world. All these things are just things, tools to help us get things done here, ways to get to work, and whatever else.

There is no promise of no storms in life, but instead a calm voice in the storm, a strong hand to hold, a Father who listens and gives us strength.



"... Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ... And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love."~ Romans 8:35, 38, NLT