Children, Encouragement, History, Just for fun

Four Days Until Christmas

Brief thoughts leading up to the celebration of Christ’s birth and a special Christmas song for you.

“A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!” It was a Holy Night just as Isaiah the prophet prophesied 900 years earlier: “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:6, 7)

There is no peace greater than the peace of Christ in the heart of man. There is no greater government, no other Son given, no better counselor and certainly nothing close to everlasting life without Him.

He is The Prince of Peace for every need you face this Christmas. Call on His Name. Nothing and no one comes close to His love, His acceptance, His approval and His security.

O Holy Night

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Five Days Until Christmas

Brief thoughts leading up to the celebration of Christ’s birth.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, and Savior came to earth wrapped in a swaddling cloth and placed in an animal feeding trough. This Jesus would usher in the New Covenant, a new relationship between God and man. During His earthly stay, He would declare the love of God, His Father, to the world, heal the sick, cast out demonic presence, turn tables upside down, speak of His home in heaven and confront the religious spirits of His day. 

All over the world Christians will gather and celebrate this historical fact. And the one thing His presence always brings is unity, no matter the ethnic or cultural background. His plan would bring hope to all the world, every nation and every people group. For there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female as we are all one in Christ. (Galatians 3:28) 

For the first time in all of history, salvation would come to everyone! 

This is Christmas; this is the greatest hope and the greatest story for all the world! 

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Challenge, History, Issues of the Day

A Famous Painter 

In the year 1606 a young couple gave birth to a son. He would become one of the world’s most famous artists and he would paint scripturally-focused scenes on his canvasses. Growing up, this budding artist read mostly one book–the Bible. And it was that book that inspired his paintings.

Rembrandt van Rijn’s paintings would fill museums with his masterpieces. Paintings like: The Return of the Prodigal Son, Christ Before Pilot, Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalene and many more. 

Rembrandt was living in Amsterdam and he would use local Jewish persons as his models. He also used street people and his model for King Solomon was a local beggar. Rembrandt had a way of making his characters look like real persons.

In his work, The Raising of the Cross, he included himself in the portrait as one of the soldiers who raised the cross of Jesus. He noted that he was like all human beings who were responsible for the death of Christ. 

Rembrandt died in 1669, but not before giving us Christian art that no painter has ever rivaled. Are you aware that the Christ whom Rembrandt painted so often was also the Christ who gave his life a ransom on the cross?

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Tying the Knot Tighter; 10 Ways to Grow Your Marriage

We’re all looking for ways to stay married. Whenever you hear of a marriage that has lasted 50 years or more, the question that follows is always, “How did you do it?” I listen very closely when I hear about one of those special marriages. 

I heard someone recently say, “Tie the marriage knot so tight it can’t be untied.” That’s wisdom when it comes to two persons staying together.

So, what are some of those practical, insightful words of wisdom to tie the knot tighter and to grow your marriage to become closer, intimate and stay very much alive? 

  1. Serve God together. Make Him first in your lives and in your marriage. Pray together as it leads to a greater level of intimacy.
  2. Discover your marriage mission­–the “why” of your marriage.
  3. Serve one another. Discover what blesses your life mate and serve them in that area.
  4. Find commonality in things to do together. Find fun things that make you laugh together. Maintain a bi-monthly or monthly date night.
  5. Be challenged in your marriage. Read a marriage growth book together. Go to a seminar on marriage. Attend a sweetheart banquet.
  6. Discover what nourishes your spouse, what their love language is, and pursue those things.
  7. Be committed to a local church family where you can serve together and where you can grow and learn together with accountability for your marriage relationship.
  8. Maintain your sexual intimacy. Never allow it to be stolen from you. Fight for it.
  9. Take time to listen to each other and then reflect upon what you heard so you can also hear each other’s heart.
  10. Evaluate your relationship. Ask yourselves where you can grow and how are you doing spiritually, physically, financially and emotionally.

Marriage does not grow on its own. Anything not exercised suffers from atrophy. You are responsible to take the steps and then you will realize your marriage knot growing tighter.

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Challenge, Encouragement, Issues of the Day, Training

Are You a Thief? You Might be Surprised

I was sitting in a training meeting recently and found myself thinking about robbing God, of all things. I was considering ways that I might be involved in theft and may not even be considering it as a theft. By theft I mean stealing from God or others for my own selfish desires/gaines vs a loving adherence to God’s word and His desires. Further, I was asking myself if I am in any kind of self-deception, i.e., not seeing what God sees. I’ll let you work through the following scenarios in order to ask yourself the same questions.

You might be stealing if…

  • You’re not giving your employer 100% for what you’ve been hired for and are supported for.

(See Colossians 3:23, 24.)

  • You are not claiming on your tax return the “under the table” income you receive.

(See Proverbs 10:2.)

  • You’re withholding from your spouse financially, emotionally, romantically, sexually or spiritually.

(See Ephesians 5:25-28 and I Corinthians 7:5-7.)

  • You are not giving away and/or equipping others in what God has gifted to you.

(See Ephesians 4:11-13.)

  • You are withholding your tithe and offerings and not sowing seed financially.

(See Malachi 3:8, 9.)

  • You’re living with your boyfriend or girlfriend.

(See Galatians 5:19; I Corinthians 6:18.)

  • You’re avoiding fellowship and commitment to a local church, robbing yourself and others from fellowship with you.

(See Hebrews 10:25.) 

  • You’re not lovingly sharing your testimony with others so they can hear the good news of Jesus.

(See I Peter 3:15.)

  • You walked away from the store with too much change and did not return it.

(See Mark 10:19.)

  • You are failing to spend daily, quality time with your Savior and His word, the Bible.

(See Matthew 13:1; 14:23; Mark 1:35.)

Maybe there are areas you can think of which are acts of theft either passive or more obvious. Integrity certainly connects to what we’re doing when no one is looking, checking up on us or following through with accountability. God has so much more for us. Living life in any of the above ways is living a life that is far beneath what God has for every one of us on this earth. 

Please take the time to look up and read the above scripture verses. Let me end with this verse: He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with is own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.  (Ephesians 4:28)

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Encouragement, History, Just for fun

Fun Facts for Thanksgiving 2022

Being thankful is a daily exercise. Someone said our normal position in life should be “thanksliving.” Giving thanks can be and should be a lifestyle. We are encouraged to give thanks in all things. A thankful heart is so much better to be around than an unthankful heart. So, in the spirit of an American national holiday called Thanksgiving, here are a few interesting facts surrounding this celebration. Share them with your family around the table.

  • The American Thanksgiving is modeled after a 17th century harvest feast. However, the U.S. National Park Service states that in 1565 Spanish settlers in St. Augustine, (now Florida), celebrated a meal with Native Americans of pork stew, sea biscuits, wine and beans. It is believed the native Americans provided turkey and venison.
  • Around 46 million turkeys are consumed which is approximately 720 million pounds of turkey. Approximately 89% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
  • Forty years ago, Butterball turkey company opened a hotline to answer questions and some 100,000 people call this hotline annually. 
  • The Swanson company began the concept of frozen dinners in 1953 when they overestimated the number of frozen turkeys they would sell. Rather than waste all that meat, they recycled and repackaged it into frozen TV dinners.
  • Thanksgiving became a national holiday when Abraham Lincoln made it one after the Civil War on October 20, 1864. That move was initiated and lobbied for by a woman named Sarah Joseph Hale most known for writing “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
  • Other nations also celebrate this holiday in some form or fashion including: Canada, Grenada, Liberia, the Philippines, Saint Lucia and the Netherlands. 
  • The U.S. president “pardons” a turkey from slaughter on Thanksgiving. Where did this tradition come from? It dates back to Abraham Lincoln’s son who was upset that his family’s turkey was going to be killed for dinner.
  • According to the U.S. Calorie Control Council (who knew there was such a council), an average American may consume 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day.
  • And finally, the day after Thanksgiving is said to be the busiest day of the year for plumbers!
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Challenge, Issues of the Day, Marriage, Men, Women

Dating During Separation or Divorce – Yes or No?

Assuming marriage for you has been a rough go or your partner left you or worse yet, committed adultery and you find yourself separated or in the middle of a divorce. Your emotions left the marriage perhaps months or even years ago for multiple reasons, but you tried repeatedly to make it work. You’re tired and you lack answers. You’re in a tough place. 

Do you date? Why not? Your friends are trying to set you up, telling you to move on and/or saying that you need to think about yourself. 

It’s problematic

Dating during separation or divorce can be problematic on several levels. The first to consider is that you are still legally married; therefore, you are not available. Separation, even a legal one–you’re still married. Divorce pending–still married. Legally and spiritually, your vows are still intact. To start a relationship on this foundation would not only be unrighteous, but unwise seeds planted into the next relationship.

You are most likely not ready for a new partner; therefore, you should not be dating. Dating is an act of looking for love and companionship again and a marriage partner. Are you emotionally free, financially free, mentally and spiritually free? In other words, have you been on a healing trek during this time of separation and/or divorce? Most experts say this process takes at least two years.

What responsibility do you take for the failed marriage? Everyone bears responsibility and there are many things to learn and grow through about partners (right and wrong ones), about ourselves, and about a lasting marriage. Do not rob God or yourself of sufficient healing time.

If there are children, then you and your ex are both still intricately relating. If you are pursuing divorce and dating, court judges may look negatively on the responsibility level of your parenting. Further, your kids are hurting and they need you fully there for them.

Are you escaping bad feelings and a relationship that ultimately didn’t work? Are you trading bad feelings for new, exciting ones? While this new relationship might be exciting and create new, feel-good emotions (mainly wanting to escape the old ones), then you might be forfeiting the deep work that could be taking place in your life. Worse yet, most relationships started during separation or divorce do not last. Now you have further complicated the issues for you and your family.

Another soul connection

Adding another soul connection via a new relationship further complicates the process. Maybe it starts as a friendly meal together. Then it progresses to deeper talks as the friendship grows. Then there is an attraction. As the attraction grows, the pair become more and more open, more and more vulnerable. Eventually feelings of love can be the result, causing a deepening soul connection and then one can begin thinking, “This is the person for me.”

If the relationship continues, it can become physical with hugs, hand holding and kisses. This touch leads to more touch and a soul-to-soul connection. Further, if the physical, emotional and, yes, even spiritual relationship continues to be justified, it can ultimately cross boundaries and become sexual. 

Each decision we make has consequences

So, let’s back up the truck. When did this relationship we’re writing about cross the line and become sinful? The lesson for men and women who are separated or pursuing divorce is to not start the process of dating until the vows are legally broken and sufficient healing has taken place. 

If you are separated, seek with all of your heart and soul to remain faithful to your vows, obeying the scripture and your spoken word. Relentlessly pursue personal healing with everything in you. Lay your feelings at the altar and ask Jesus to walk with you. Seek the Spirit of God’s advice and direction. Ask Him to be Lord of all your decision making. 

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Challenge, Encouragement, Healing, Identity, Insecurity, Men, Women

Blemishes, We All have Them

One day my wife, Mary, a registered nurse, returned home from work with multiple black spots under each eye. I asked her what on earth could have happened at work that evening. She told me, “Oh, you know all those white age spots I had under my eyes? Well, I had the doctor burn them off for me.” 

I shared with her that I never noticed any white age spots, but I sure did see the black ones and they were far worse! Mary saw those spots every time she looked in the mirror. Not everyone noticed them, not even her husband, but she did. 

We tend to look at a picture of ourselves and see the blemishes: the crooked nose, the mole, the scar, or the receding hairline. The same is true of our emotional blemishes and past sins. We “see” and recall our selfish behavior, our sinful exploits, and our insecurities. 

Colossians chapter one states this: “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” (Colossians 1:21, 22)

Here is the really good news: the verses in Colossians tell us that those blemishes are no longer a part of us, we have been made holy and we cannot be accused any longer. We have been forgiven and we are free. We are reconciled and presented holy in His sight, without blemish and totally free from accusation! Stop focusing on the blemishes and start focusing on how your heavenly Father sees you.

(To all veterans. Thank you for your service. Enjoy your special day today!)

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Challenge, Encouragement, In the news, Issues of the Day, Leadership, Prayer

Another Election Day Approaching

As many of us approach election day here in the USA, I thought I would pass along to you some really healthy and sound advice. But first, let me share some of the best advice from God’s word found in I Timothy 2:1-3 from The Passion version.

 1-3 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

Some very sound advice:

  • I can deeply love people with whom I strongly disagree. I refuse to demonize any politician who is made in the image of God.
  • I have enemies and Jesus gave me power over them on the cross, but my battle is NOT against flesh and blood.
  • When you call someone by an evil name…you have decided that you know their heart. But, the Apostle Paul said, “Who are you to judge the servant of another?”
  • Associating with, or serving political people, should not be confused with embracing their ideologies. All political offices deserve to be honored according to Romans 13.
  • I am commanded and called to pray for my leaders. If I don’t pray for them, then I don’t have a right to critique their success or failure.
  • My first allegiance is not to a political party but to the kingdom of God.
  • I cannot separate my spiritual views from my political views because the government of this world is being affected and infected by the invisible realm.
  • Great government doesn’t take away the right of people to sin. It does however, protect people from sinning against others and teaching people to do so.
  • It’s not the responsibility of government to Christianize the world. That’s the church’s job.  Jesus rules the nations with a rod of iron, but He leads the church with a shepherd’s staff. (Bullet points written by author Kris Valloton.)

Lastly, let us keep in mind the innocent in this election, for our vote matters to them. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “This is God’s message: Attend to matters of justice. Set things right between people. Rescue victims from their exploiters. Don’t take advantage of the homeless, the orphans, the widows. Stop the murdering!” (22:3, The Message)

Let’s prayerfully walk out this election like our first allegiance is to the kingdom of God and not to a political party.

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Healing, Issues of the Day, Marriage, Men, Parents, Women

Is There a Place for Pornography in Marriage?

Pornography played a major role in Jon’s downfall, the husband of a couple that we had counseled with. For many, it is a silent killer. It’s a killer of intimacy, of honesty, of time, of finances, and of our own bodies. Jesus said, “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness” (Luke 11:34).

Our eyes provide a window to our mind, our heart, and our spirit. When our eyes wander toward or are attracted to pornographic images, we give darkness permission to enter the light. Jesus warned us about this very thing when He said, “See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness” (Luke 11:35). 

There is no redeeming factor when it comes to pornography. It is a multi-billion-dollar industry in our nation built on lust. Lust is insatiable, and Satan will hand it to us freely. Lust is about taking and is fully self-seeking. Lust will increase as we feed it until we find ourselves in bondage. But love is satisfying, focused on giving, and full of selflessness. As love increases, we will find ourselves walking in freedom and becoming closer to our life mate. 

In our pre- and postmarital book, Called Together, we ask the question, “Can you be involved in lust toward your spouse?” That question creates quite a stir and challenges couples not yet married. A single person may think that marriage means the end of lusting after another, but married couples know that simply is not true. According to the above definition of lust, we can be involved in lust within our marriages by demanding, taking, and sexual selfishness. Pornography will feed that self-centered attitude. 

Love feeds an attitude of giving, sharing, and bringing pleasure out of a heart and mind that is not tarnished by images of raw, base acts. Love is never demanding in the bedroom, as it speaks encouragement, affirmation, and genuine acceptance. 

                       Pornography: The Breakdown Within our marriages 

A nationally conducted survey among churches over the past five years revealed that 68 percent of men and 50 percent of pastors view pornography regularly. The most shocking was that 11- to 17-year-old boys reported being the greatest users at 85 percent, and nearly 50 percent of young girls are also viewing porn (see: fightthenewdrug. org). 

Pornography is a $4 billion industry in our country. More money is spent on pornography per year than on professional baseball, basketball, football, and the Super Bowl combined. Eleven thousand adult films are produced per year, which is 20 times the number of regular media films annually coming out of Hollywood. The issue is sweeping through the church, reaching the next generation. It is an epidemic. 

Studies show that when we are involved in sexual activity, the brain releases a number of chemicals, one of which is oxytocin, which is the “glue” that enables human bonding. (Oxytocin is also released as a mother holds and breastfeeds her newborn.) When we watch pornography, powerful neurotransmitters are activated. Our brain takes the images and associates this bonding chemical with them, actually interfering with natural human bonding and sexuality. 

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do (1 Peter 1:13-15). 

Viewing pornography opens the door of our soul and spirit to spiritual oppression, confusion, hopelessness, hurt, control, and domination in evil ways. Men and women feel betrayed by spouses who use porn. Women feel as though they cannot compete with the images their husbands are viewing. It is an illusion that says women will do anything to please their man; no woman in real life lives within that kind of fantasy world. It brings insecurities to her and can destroy her esteem. She will question her attractiveness and her adequacy as a lover. She can eventually think and believe that porn is more important to her husband than she is to him, an ultimate sexual betrayal. 

Men often view pornography as innocent, a fix for loneliness or not having a sexual partner who agrees with his desires. Men rationalize and justify their behavior by attempting to call it “normal behavior” of a man who is simply visual. The act of viewing pornography is highly addictive and some psychologists state that it is similar to crack cocaine addiction. Over time it does not diminish, but tends to intensify. It can interfere with a man’s ability to function at home with his family, at work, and, of course, in the bedroom. 

Many women are now viewing porn. Six of ten girls see their first pornography before age eighteen. This practice has become far more acceptable among teen girls. For some, they are attempting to find out what boys desire, and for others they are involving themselves out of loneliness. Little do they know that viewing pornography creates an even higher rate of loneliness among its users. 

Ladies and men, by viewing pornography you are supporting the industry and helping it to grow. You are contributing to the sexual exploitation of the victims caught in that world. You are adding to the sin of human trafficking. You are saying “yes” to an industry that feeds and preys on innocent men, women, and children and can even lead to their abduction, abuse, and death. You are learning to see and treat people as a sex object. You are destroying your marriage, your family, and yourself, and you are keeping victims trapped (which today includes more teenage girls and boys than ever). 

Lastly, pornography will make you into a liar. You will have to constantly lie about your use to your loved ones and perhaps your employer. I love these verses that Paul writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord…. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:13,18). 

Taken from Staying Together, Marriage: A Lifelong Affair by Steve and Mary Prokopchak

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