3 Things I feel Strongly About

1. Faith in Jesus Christ being the only way into heaven.

2. Marriage: without divorce

3. Don't Lie

Now, surly there are more things than just these 3 that I feel strongly about. Usually my passion flares up in a middle of a conversation, but for times sake I will stick to only discussing these three things. And mostly I want to talk about marriage.

Marriage, I believe is a sanctified union between man and woman, and blessed by God. Blessed so much so that the Bible says: what God has joined together let man not separate (Matthew 19:16). When I read this verse, I take man to mean "me" or my "husband;" not just some outside 3rd party. If is was only speaking of a 3rd party, it'd be to easy to place blame on someone else for your failed marriage, divorce and carry on. But what kind of carrying on is there after divorce. It's a lot of heartache for everyone involved (especially children). That and a piece of you will always live with another person. Do you know a single mother? There is too much work raising a family to put all that stress on just one person. My sister is my hero, because she has raised 3 kids on her own while working and/or going to school. I've watched my parents go through divorce and my sister. It's messy. So let's avoid it people. No one likes to clean up messes anyhow. 

When you get married, agree to leave the word "divorce" out of your vocabulary. Never say it in your house; never say it to each other. Make it your goal to be married 50 years, and if you live longer then make it 60. My grandparents are my other heros because they've been married for more than 60 years!

(If your reading this and you've already been through a divorce, know that I'm not judging you but sounding a wake up call for all married couples or soon to be married couples. God is gracious, forgiving, and loving. There's nothing that He can not do.)

Love,

Rhonda

Married for Life :)

Consider Job

What is "pain?" French bread.
What's fatigue? Army clothes.

That familiar chant is not only in the movie Remember the Titans, but is also a real army chant used in boot camp.

Do you ever feel like God is on your back? Have you been unsure if He is on your side or against you? Maybe you picture God as a commanding officer, uncaring, not concerned with your hurts. If this is you, I urge you to consider the following:

REMEMBER Job. He lost everything; his family, friends and all of his worldly possessions.
REMEMBER Job's final outcome. He had twice as much as what the devil took away.
REMEMBER we have an enemy. "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." It's not God being mean to you, it's the results of living in a fallen world.
REMEMBER Jesus. He sympathizes with our weaknesses; he went through all these things too. God loved you so much that He gave you His son Jesus, that whoever believes in Him wouldn't die but would have eternal life.
And finally
REMEMBER that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Phil. 4:13).

In the face of temptation, of battles, or sadness; stay strong in faith, remember God's love. Job spoke rightly of God, and the Lord restored him. God is just, and loves you just more than we will ever comprehend.

Scripture References:
^{Job 42:10 & 12} And the Lord restored Job’s losses^[f] when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning...

1 Peter 5:8
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lionlooking for someone to devour. 

Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Ephesians 3:17...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— ¹⁹ to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The Good Man: Devo.

The Good Man

'Jesus once told the story of an injured man. Three people saw the man. The first two people did not stop. The third person got off his donkey and helped the man. "Be like the good man. Always treat other people the way you would like to be treated," Jesus told his followers.'

This story is humbly taken from Lexi's children's Bible. I like the simplicity of the story. It has a clear commandment from the good Samaritan (good man) story; "be like the good man; treat others the way you want to be treated." In my house we called this the golden rule. I knew it like this "do onto others as you would have them do unto you." And many times when my sisters and I would argue, my parents told us to remember the golden rule.

Lord, please help us remember that you love everyone; you created all humans in your image and likeness. Help us to love others like we love ourselves; to treat others kindly and to help them in times of need. Thank you Lord for sending Jesus to help us in our time of need. That we are no longer separated from you, but we have access to you through Jesus.

Ephesians 3: 11-12: This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,  in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

Devo. Count Down: The secret to Life

The Secret to Life

Yep I know it already at just a mere 29 years old. I learned it from a birthday card. I love reading cards, making cards, giving and receiving cards. Here it is, ready, hold your breath. The secret to life is: "Breath IN, Breath OUT, and REPEAT."

Not to serious tonight. A well balanced life is a good life! Humor is good. God is good.

Why all the Devo's before turning 30???

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS:

Sometime last winter I started a bucket list of all the things I wanted to do before I turned thirty. Why? Because, to me 30 is a big deal. I need to finish everything I want to in my 20's, because I'll never be twenty-nine again. Even if I say I'm 29 and holding, we all know it's not true. Unfortunately I didn't get very far with my list before I started to say, "but I've already done that."

Not bragging, just saying: I am very blessed to already have such a full life, and have been on so many adventures. I just couldn't think of 30 new (FREE) things to do before I turned 30. For example, I'm already married, have my first child, went skydiving, para-sailing,  white water rafting, seen a volcano, hiked in a rainforest, been to several other countries, finished all the school I care to attend, and have had enough ME focused adventures for awhile :)   I have to admit, that I've even cheated on this list, many of the things I already did during the year before I created the list (like serve at a soup kitchen).

So I turned it into a 30 ways to bless others list instead. One of the items on that list is to write devos. (I think I said 30 before 30, buttttt I'm already behind. So, I'll give myself grace if you'll give me grace and not count the number of devos.)

If you want to see the entire list, you can CLICK HERE. Perhaps you'd like to start your own list for the next month and do one thing a day to bless someone else. Or a list for the entire year and just do one thing to bless someone each month. Random acts of kindness can mean so much!

20 Days till 30: Devo. Pray without Ceasing

Pray. How much? Without ceasing.

I imagine this as a conversation. We are telling our friend about a problem. Their solution is that we should pray. Then we want to know the cost, exactly how much do we have to pray, is it going to be hard, can I fit it into my packed schedule.  I come from a background of grace, meaning I know that it is by GRACE that I am saved. I believe and love a God who is full of mercy and GRACE. I should give myself MORE GRACE in this area of praying without ceasing. I generally say a prayer whenever something comes to mind that is disturbing, or that causes concern. When I pray, I unburden my heart. When your heart is unburdened, then it is easier to rejoice and give thanks. The passage from 1 Thessalonians mentions three things that are God's will for us:1.) rejoice always, 2.) pray continually, and 3.) give thanks in all circumstances.

When we pray, it lowers anxiety. When we are less anxious, we are healthier and happier. Thinking about yourself too much, or having pity parties only leads to depression. So, when we pray, be sure to pray for others (not just yourself), include thanksgiving (again focusing on God's goodness and not your own circumstances), and then rejoice because you know you have what you asked for in PRAYER! And have a great day.

1Thess. 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

This marks the end of day four after our arrival here in Moscow, Russia!  My boss and his wife from ISpeak have been exceptionally kind in helping us get on our feet here.  They even had a kitchen full of groceries waiting for us when we arrived.  When we laid eyes our apartment for the first time I was very pleased.  It's small, but clean and came furnished.  It even has a washing machine- which means we don't have to wash clothes in the sink (which I was originally expecting to have to do.)  Lexi is just happy being with mommy and daddy and is beside herself crawling around everywhere on the wood floors.  It's already cold here.  I haven't gone anywhere outside without my fleece on and apparently every Russian child that draws breath MUST wear a hat at all times.  I'm sure the babushkas think we're bad parents having Lexi's strawberry-blonde locks blowing freely in the breeze.  We spent a full day at IKEA picking up things for the apartment that were lacking.  We managed to score a pretty nice bed for a good price and Lexi got a new toy to keep her occupied.  Oh, and we got threatened by a trolley-bus driver while sitting in traffic.  Apparently we didn't move our car fast enough out of his way or something.

I won't actually start teaching until the 17th because the office has been terribly behind with most of the staff having been gone over the summer.  However, we're having a meet and greet tomorrow on Saturday so I will hopefully be able to meet some of my future students  then.  Exciting times!

Blessings.

--Matthew