An email I received a few days ago

26 Oct 2014

HOW TO BUILD A GREAT MARRIAGE

'Wives, understand and support your husbands...Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives.' Ephesians 5:22, 25

If you want a great marriage, you've got to work at it every day. The Bible gives us God's blueprint for one: 'Be courteously reverent to one another. Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife in the way Christ does to His church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as He exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands. Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church--a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything He does and says is designed to bring the best out in her...And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They're really doing themselves a favour--since they're already 'one' in marriage. No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That's how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of His body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become "one flesh". This is a huge mystery, and I don't pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honour her husband' (vv. 21-33 TM). That's how to build a great marriage! ... If only both people in a marriage could commit to these simple things!

Better Late Than Never

I am finally taking confirmation classes... Luckily I am not the oldest person attending.  Over the next few weeks I will be adding prayers, feelings and thoughts that I feel are relevant to my learning and understanding of God The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I would like to share my journey on this my Faith Memo blog, which I use to store information, which I can revert back to when I needed.

The first thing I would like to share is a section from the opening prayer from the first session.

Loving God, open my eyes to see Jesus
and to know His purpose for my life. Amen

This very simple prayer gets right to the point for me and is a very useful and good prayer to start my journey with. I do not yet know what my purpose is, but hopefully it will present itself in time, as I am feeling very much like a lost sheep in the universe.

"There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent" - Ghandi

HOPE

Here are some notes about HOPE.

Hope is some extraordinary spiritual grace that God gives us to control our fears, not to oust them. - Vincent McNabb

Hope never abandons you, you abandon it. - George Weinberg.


Poem:

Hope is loving and caring.

Happiness and smiles everywhere.

Wherever you go they will be hope in your heart and soul

Believe in yourself

believe in your heart 

join us with the chain of hope.

Love and care is the same as love in your heart 

and hope in the out.

A Reading From The Holy Gospel According To Matthew

After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said 'Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay until I tell you, because Herod intended to search for the child and do away with him,'  So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead.  

This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: I called my son out of Egypt.  After Herod's death, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said 'Get up, take the child and his mother with you and go back to the land of Israel, for those who wanted to kill the child are dead.'  So Joseph got up, taking the child and his mother with him, went back to the land of Israel.  

But when he learnt that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as the ruler of Judaea he was afraid to got there, and being warned in a dream he left for the region of Galilee.  There he settled in a town called Nazareth.  In this way the words spoken throughout the prophets were to be fulfilled: He will be called a Nazarene.

The Gospel of the Lord.

When the Father was talking through church, he spoke about "Saint Joseph" and the fact that Joseph never actually says a single work in the Bible, but he takes many actions for the sake of God.  The Father made me realise that what ever Joseph was asked to do, he did without question. One more than one occasion he was instructed to do things form God.  He was told by the prophet to "Get up, take the child and his mother with you" and so Joseph "Got up, taking the child and mother with him."

In life we all know that we must GET UP for God and do what is right.  We don't have to fight it, argue about it or even tell the world about it.  We just need to do as Joseph did and "Get up" and do what is necessary.  It could be something as simple as saying a pray for someone to as inspirational as joining ministry.  

Just "Get Up" and do something positive for God.

Prayers From A Christingle Service (which you may find useful)

Lord Jesus, who came to a world in darkness, we lift to you all who are scared, lonely, sad or unwell - particularly those we know and those who are children.  We thank you that you see everyone, no matter how dark their situation might seem.  Comfort them, protect them and surround them with people who will love and help them.  

Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, who is the light of the world, we lift to you all those who seek to lead children in the way of love -  particularly teachers, parents and those who work with young people in churches, or communities.  We thank you that they do this no matter how busy or complicated their lives are.  Give them wisdom, energy, patience and above all love.  

Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, who gives good gifts through creation, we lift to you everyone who cannot share in these gifts, the joy of home, the love of families, the company of friends.  We pray especially for children who have run away and are alone and unsafe at this time.  Have mercy on them generous God and stir us up so that we might be generous too.

Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, who loves us so much he gave us his life to save us, we lift to all who work so hard to help children in our country who are desperately in need -  particularly those who work for the Children's Society's projects.  Help them practically, emotionally and spiritually so they can continue to do this important work. 

Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ to whom this world and its its history belong, we give you thanks for the wrk of the Children's Society, a faithful witness to your command that not one of your little ones should be lost. Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Advent 4 - Name him Immanuel

The Lord himself will give you a sign.  The young woman shall bear a son and name him Immanuel.

Thank you, loving God, that you know my name, that you know me and love me for who I am.

Amen

Reflection of the week

In the Hebrew Bible, children were often given names to reflect current events.  The sign of Immanuel is not simply about peace and security.  The sign of 'God-with-us' is also a sign of warning about what can happen when God really is present.

Live in faith

Each evening, pray for everyone you have met during the day.  Remember their names and thank God for them.