<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/" xmlns:blogger="http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0" version="2.0"><channel><atom:id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291</atom:id><lastBuildDate>Fri, 01 Nov 2024 08:37:16 +0000</lastBuildDate><category>l</category><category>u</category><title>MARRIAGE GOD&#39;S WAY MINISTRIES</title><description>by Bishop Larry &amp;amp; Brenda Scott, Marriage Counselors,Evangelists</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/</link><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</managingEditor><generator>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>165</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-8126946026067411203</guid><pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:30:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-28T08:01:40.950-07:00</atom:updated><title>Get Ready, get ready, get ready. . .</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwGZQG7FI2MoDYQM0Q_1bjNBseylOGUEhpj5xJuthHxnXoL3BnvQWoblqKk8Cu2I1kFOwSysqRo4qjdyKdb-JNyNCM5VgZRvyRvImWb1XXBtyMHcu62wRRnpqbD-r1TIdWHq1dPf2s4wy/s1600-h/128_wallpaper280.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 210px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwGZQG7FI2MoDYQM0Q_1bjNBseylOGUEhpj5xJuthHxnXoL3BnvQWoblqKk8Cu2I1kFOwSysqRo4qjdyKdb-JNyNCM5VgZRvyRvImWb1XXBtyMHcu62wRRnpqbD-r1TIdWHq1dPf2s4wy/s320/128_wallpaper280.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329749930805455842&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Get ready, get ready is probably the best advise one could give to those who are contemplating marriage; however, it seems to loose it&#39;s interpretation by the time of this significant event. In today&#39;s segment we see why!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Holy scriptures warns us to make sure we are &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&quot;ready&quot;&lt;/span&gt; for the task ahead: &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Luke 14:28  &lt;br /&gt;For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? &lt;/span&gt; As you can see it is so very important make sure that we have considered the cost of this endeavor. &lt;br /&gt;Marriage is sacred, and it is life-long if you prepare correctly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many marriages fail simply because one or the other planned for only one. . . .let me say that again! &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;YOU ONLY PLANNED FOR YOURSELF AND NOT YOUR PARTNER! &lt;/span&gt;Astonishing isn&#39;t it. That&#39;s right, you did not prepare to submit to the union of &quot;oneness&quot;. &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Matthew 19:6  &lt;br /&gt;Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;Getting ready&lt;/span&gt; my precious readers involves so much more than the exterior thrills and frills. It is the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;meeting of the minds&lt;/span&gt; to make that total commitment to each other for the rest of your lives. Sound scary. . .it&#39;s not.&lt;br /&gt;There are still those that have made it work for hundreds of years. It will work for you too; if you just follow the simple rule. . . .get ready, get ready,  . . . to sit down and finding out who it is you&#39;re getting ready for!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What&#39;s the message today? &quot;Get Ready, get ready&quot; of course! May the Lord richly bless you today and always remember. . .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;You are Blessed!&lt;/span&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2009/04/get-ready-get-ready-get-ready.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwGZQG7FI2MoDYQM0Q_1bjNBseylOGUEhpj5xJuthHxnXoL3BnvQWoblqKk8Cu2I1kFOwSysqRo4qjdyKdb-JNyNCM5VgZRvyRvImWb1XXBtyMHcu62wRRnpqbD-r1TIdWHq1dPf2s4wy/s72-c/128_wallpaper280.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-8580097878465758866</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2009 05:09:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-07T22:59:32.967-07:00</atom:updated><title>Together we stand. . .divided we FAIL!</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxt5i-TcQkgze3rAwfKhYc0t5Wckj_AdrkrPzKbqborBh2XqoROXMXcRZx3pADhvSiEMUblVZKs3q0PeDw4vGyLKI2X7G18ivIkU1bUe1mAXAEstymPjtRcM6xyajCvKeFxxmgGsioZZUb/s1600-h/ME+AND+MY+BROTHERS.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 290px; height: 320px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxt5i-TcQkgze3rAwfKhYc0t5Wckj_AdrkrPzKbqborBh2XqoROXMXcRZx3pADhvSiEMUblVZKs3q0PeDw4vGyLKI2X7G18ivIkU1bUe1mAXAEstymPjtRcM6xyajCvKeFxxmgGsioZZUb/s320/ME+AND+MY+BROTHERS.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322184077196179506&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;Greek methology&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;as well as the &lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;Holy scriptures &lt;/span&gt;teaches us that &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;&quot;I am my brother&#39;s keeper&quot;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Well, if that&#39;s true, then what about our spouses?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yes my precious readers, todays segment highlights just that; the responsibility of the &quot;keeper&quot;. That&#39;s right, it&#39;s you, it&#39;s me, it&#39;s all who have entered into that institution called &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&quot;marriage&quot;.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let&#39;s really take a good look at this institution of marriage. The Apostle Paul charactorized it as a &lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;mystery&lt;/span&gt;. Our &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Lord&lt;/span&gt; says that it is the only cause for a man or woman to leave mother and father and cleave to each other to become &quot;one&quot;; &lt;br /&gt;but &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Jesus&lt;/span&gt; also said this:&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt; Matthew 12:25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: &lt;/span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;I believe that a marriage union is like a kingdom within itself; &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;together we stand&lt;/span&gt;, and &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt; divided we will definately fail!&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So. . .are we our spouses keeper? &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;  Of course we are. &lt;/span&gt;In fact if you look at the word keeper, it comes from the word &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&quot;keep&quot;&lt;/span&gt;. When you keep something, you never let it go!&lt;br /&gt;Get it?. . .&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;marriage was designed by God for keeps.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Ha! ha! and Halelujah!!&lt;/span&gt; When you stand together as one, it means you are&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt; keeping each other.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Wow,&lt;/span&gt; what a revelation. That&#39;s right, no division and &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;no divorce.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;It&#39;s O.K. to get mad at me for now;(smiles) just allow these principles to sink into your spirit. It is a fountain of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;living water; &lt;/span&gt;and will cause your marriages to spring forth as the noon day. Don&#39;t believe it, I dare you to try it.&lt;br /&gt;Well. . .Enough said. . . . do have a wonderful day and always remember:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;You are Blessed!&lt;/span&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2009/04/together-we-stand-divided-we-fail.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxt5i-TcQkgze3rAwfKhYc0t5Wckj_AdrkrPzKbqborBh2XqoROXMXcRZx3pADhvSiEMUblVZKs3q0PeDw4vGyLKI2X7G18ivIkU1bUe1mAXAEstymPjtRcM6xyajCvKeFxxmgGsioZZUb/s72-c/ME+AND+MY+BROTHERS.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-6828966320505755562</guid><pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:26:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-07T00:14:50.976-07:00</atom:updated><title>The Strong Man</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcPtUjsh0UMxHMYJS3HKsIYB_YmGlsuvaSPOF8l-pENTUMQk8XHngGzmO33wQf5uoN55v1G0nWGgRLfNCUng85aa_UN7Bm9vtwNdHBTw6wlSEnW5THHbhzk4vbk_0A2a6kJkpds4rIGI-/s1600-h/Water+lilies.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcPtUjsh0UMxHMYJS3HKsIYB_YmGlsuvaSPOF8l-pENTUMQk8XHngGzmO33wQf5uoN55v1G0nWGgRLfNCUng85aa_UN7Bm9vtwNdHBTw6wlSEnW5THHbhzk4vbk_0A2a6kJkpds4rIGI-/s320/Water+lilies.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321832412764070226&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In today&#39;s segment, we are talking about the &quot;strong man&quot;. What or who is exactly &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&quot;the strong man&quot;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Mark 3:27 No man can enter into a strong man&#39;s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt; As you can see, the key here is to &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;bind the strong man&lt;/span&gt;. &lt;br /&gt;Metaphorically speaking, the strong man could actually be your relationship, the head of the household, even the principals &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;(the Word of God)&lt;/span&gt;, etc.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What am I getting at: you see my dear readers, many times we allow outside influences to interrupt our peace, our standards, yes. . . .and our marriages.&lt;br /&gt;If you notice however, the Holy scriptures let us know that this interruption can only happen &lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;if we are bound.&lt;/span&gt; Hmmm, interesting isn&#39;t it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Ephesians 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;. . . or they two shall be &lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;&quot;the strong man&quot;&lt;/span&gt;. . . get my drift?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How very important is to make sure that nothing disturbs that &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&quot;strong man&quot;,&lt;/span&gt;. . .  not mama, not daddy, not friends, not money, not hard times, good times, sickness, and so forth.&lt;br /&gt;Here&#39;s the message:&lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt; the chain is only as strong as it&#39;s weakest link, &lt;/span&gt;just as the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&quot;church&quot; &lt;/span&gt;is only as strong as &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;it&#39;s marriages&lt;/span&gt;, as it&#39;s marriages are only as strong as  their relationship, and their relationship is only as strong as &lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;the principles it stands on&lt;/span&gt;. Of course I&#39;m speaking of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;God&#39;s Holy word!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wow!. . . see. . . .it&#39;s all relevant.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Question:&lt;/span&gt; is your marriage relationship &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;free,&lt;/span&gt; or has the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;strong man been bound?&lt;/span&gt; Something to think about eh?&lt;br /&gt;Let&#39;s grow on that thought and always remember, &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;You are Blessed.&lt;/span&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2009/04/strong-man.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcPtUjsh0UMxHMYJS3HKsIYB_YmGlsuvaSPOF8l-pENTUMQk8XHngGzmO33wQf5uoN55v1G0nWGgRLfNCUng85aa_UN7Bm9vtwNdHBTw6wlSEnW5THHbhzk4vbk_0A2a6kJkpds4rIGI-/s72-c/Water+lilies.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-4622463617384133012</guid><pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2008 01:22:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-12-06T18:36:31.380-08:00</atom:updated><title>Marriage. . . .Sacred or Safe?</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsswGq7kVPMot4sUs5QAr5vq5DkjmlRJbJngMk2funEK2BiU1XHukfEqPn7tN7PuMxmpewdwbV1I7vUeVl7Wb48IMSVLj6GOKJpglMq_tmGKj4PDtmG2eOJmgbh5peyGU0ZXD-P35fcJOa/s1600-h/128_wallpaper280.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 210px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsswGq7kVPMot4sUs5QAr5vq5DkjmlRJbJngMk2funEK2BiU1XHukfEqPn7tN7PuMxmpewdwbV1I7vUeVl7Wb48IMSVLj6GOKJpglMq_tmGKj4PDtmG2eOJmgbh5peyGU0ZXD-P35fcJOa/s320/128_wallpaper280.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276855275008986402&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In today&#39;s segment we discuss the essence and purpose of marriage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;God&#39;s plan for mankind &lt;/strong&gt;has always been the act of &lt;em&gt;&quot;fellowship&quot;. &lt;/em&gt;In marriage it is taken to the next level of fellowship known as &quot;a union&quot;. Based of course first on love, then the relationship that makes two one.&lt;br /&gt;Our foundations should generally be biblically based, as God intended; however, as the generations became more compromising, the marriages became points of refuge rather than the anticipated haven &lt;em&gt;(two become one). &lt;/em&gt;Instead of being a sacred joining, it became a moral obligation for reasons that are not even good reasons to even get married.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some marry just to get out of the house, some because of pregnancy, some for just lustful attractions, many for convenience, others for money, some for security, and a host of various intents that do not justify the act.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;God &lt;/strong&gt;has set a desire in each of us to have meaningful and fulfilled companionship. &lt;strong&gt;Genesis 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. &lt;/strong&gt; . . . and when pursued in the right manner, it becomes a sacred and &lt;em&gt;lasting&lt;/em&gt; event. After all, it is designed to be the most meaningful and trusting relationship; one that mirrors &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;God&#39;s relationship with mankind&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/strong&gt;(if accepted)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I submit to you today, take a closer look at your marriage. Take back the essence. Re establish your meaning, even from past mistakes. It&#39;s never too late. You can never change the past; but you can impact your future. &lt;strong&gt;Now &lt;/strong&gt;is the time to present your marriage Sacred!... and then present it &lt;strong&gt;God&lt;/strong&gt;. He&#39;ll make up what you think you&#39;re lacking.&lt;br /&gt;Live, love each other for who you are. . . and have a wonderful Christmas Holiday and always remember . . . . .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You are Blessed!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2008/12/marriage-sacred-or-safe.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsswGq7kVPMot4sUs5QAr5vq5DkjmlRJbJngMk2funEK2BiU1XHukfEqPn7tN7PuMxmpewdwbV1I7vUeVl7Wb48IMSVLj6GOKJpglMq_tmGKj4PDtmG2eOJmgbh5peyGU0ZXD-P35fcJOa/s72-c/128_wallpaper280.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-6578011938387615244</guid><pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2008 23:51:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-17T17:04:25.826-07:00</atom:updated><title>What we take for granted!</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWO0bjGd5VxxiuLWBxXrqC5tO7baGjQoE05HRMID8XlKaSGP7juUYOJ1Mie05JoAxEcIFoLqaUvEAADkK8_DWjdzJG-S83KUdm11rwL5jO-1WPiEkQTGo-4UyxxUSn2lS0i5sbYJjbeG7/s1600-h/71868_wallpaper280.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWO0bjGd5VxxiuLWBxXrqC5tO7baGjQoE05HRMID8XlKaSGP7juUYOJ1Mie05JoAxEcIFoLqaUvEAADkK8_DWjdzJG-S83KUdm11rwL5jO-1WPiEkQTGo-4UyxxUSn2lS0i5sbYJjbeG7/s320/71868_wallpaper280.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258276340765679954&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As you can see the scriptures clearly instruct us to prioritize in order that we don&#39;t just take things for granted.&lt;br /&gt;Our message today is a simple one. When we over look the small things of life, we tend to take those things for granted; and even though God has provided all things for us to enjoy, we still have a choice of what we consider to be valuable and what is not.&lt;br /&gt;The treasures that the scriptures speak of are the unseen things but most important thing that we usually take for granted. . .life, love, peace, health, opportunity, and most of all forgiveness.&lt;br /&gt;Take a second look at your own life, and I&#39;m sure you&#39;ll find a host of benefits; so what am saying today. . . .love life and appreciate it, because remember this: Time can never be saved, so make the very best of it by taking nothing for granted.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;May God richly bless you today!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-we-take-for-granted.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWO0bjGd5VxxiuLWBxXrqC5tO7baGjQoE05HRMID8XlKaSGP7juUYOJ1Mie05JoAxEcIFoLqaUvEAADkK8_DWjdzJG-S83KUdm11rwL5jO-1WPiEkQTGo-4UyxxUSn2lS0i5sbYJjbeG7/s72-c/71868_wallpaper280.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-5760021973161628895</guid><pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:14:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-15T07:56:44.057-07:00</atom:updated><title>FAITH TO SUSTAIN YOUR MARRIAGE!</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54tHZEGJgRUL40WZSfi5jlXlguwKATmxGHiImY87B1cy4kxqTE5GwatR1eTqeOaXUYg4stKfD6HGHjeffrzaex2u6D1PoNQZ8iE9_U6C_bvJH_3p9ImzsohPWjeIe0pEcHzN-JSs2-ERr/s1600-h/new+picture.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54tHZEGJgRUL40WZSfi5jlXlguwKATmxGHiImY87B1cy4kxqTE5GwatR1eTqeOaXUYg4stKfD6HGHjeffrzaex2u6D1PoNQZ8iE9_U6C_bvJH_3p9ImzsohPWjeIe0pEcHzN-JSs2-ERr/s320/new+picture.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257386139692100754&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today is a day of tests,trials, and integrity. In today&#39;s message we explore the sustaining factor of &lt;strong&gt;faith.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The scriptures gives us a very profound definition of faith as read in Hebrews, chapter 11. &lt;strong&gt; Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You see, it is the unseen things that really matter; and especially when it pertains to your marriage. It is actually the mindset that really sustains your marriage. What am I saying here? . . . simply this: if in your thinking you are determine that your marriage will not just survive, but also thrive and blossom, &lt;strong&gt;you will!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Regardless of the situations or the circumstances that may arise in your relationships, the will to do. . . . .let me say that again: &lt;strong&gt;The will to do.&lt;/strong&gt; . . . is the deciding factor that will determine your success. In other words, God expects you to actually think like &lt;strong&gt;He &lt;/strong&gt;thinks and subsequently act as &lt;strong&gt;He&lt;/strong&gt; would act. Listen to the scriptures: &lt;strong&gt;1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now even though this particular passage is speaking to believers, the principle is still the same. You can never be defeated if you have made up in your mind that you and your spouse is going through these situations &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;together as one!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Praise God!. . . .did you get that? As one!, that&#39;s the key my dear readers.&lt;br /&gt;The mindset of Faith is the mindset of two becoming one!; and with that kind of thinking, your marriage is unbreakable.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here&#39;s the &lt;em&gt;challenge.&lt;/em&gt; Take the time to establish whether your relationship will stand in faith or fall in defeat. The choice you know is actually yours. Yes, it&#39;s just that simple. That&#39;s why &lt;strong&gt;Marriage God&#39;s way &lt;/strong&gt;is so powerful. It is the winning solution that stands the test of time for marriages. &lt;br /&gt;Have a wonderful day and always remember. . . . &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YOU ARE BLESSED!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2008/10/faith-to-sustain-your-marriage.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54tHZEGJgRUL40WZSfi5jlXlguwKATmxGHiImY87B1cy4kxqTE5GwatR1eTqeOaXUYg4stKfD6HGHjeffrzaex2u6D1PoNQZ8iE9_U6C_bvJH_3p9ImzsohPWjeIe0pEcHzN-JSs2-ERr/s72-c/new+picture.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-363752557555221813</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:26:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-08-20T08:50:14.489-07:00</atom:updated><title>&quot;out of sight. . .out of mind&quot;. . .</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgU3HwcJpUV-grHvpMole4USqOVbTvfsaofVoJb2WTL7rDhIbp0asquBxWAmFQk4K0tQhEh78bIPMyKp0lA1LUYYia7zeGZwURyjLXI5D5FjNDcsRg1zv64iSVp7fyUWkCT5wRavdiEdf/s1600-h/MyScottFolder+129.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgU3HwcJpUV-grHvpMole4USqOVbTvfsaofVoJb2WTL7rDhIbp0asquBxWAmFQk4K0tQhEh78bIPMyKp0lA1LUYYia7zeGZwURyjLXI5D5FjNDcsRg1zv64iSVp7fyUWkCT5wRavdiEdf/s320/MyScottFolder+129.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236606984060108386&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Out of sight, out of mind &lt;/strong&gt;is not only just a saying, but it has been proven to have become a practice in the lives of many marriages; and not just marriages, in life in general; which is why our topic today is so very important.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Often in our adventure through life, including married life, we encounter situations that appear to be unconquerable which often makes you feel helpless and sometimes inadequit; never ever stopping to consider that we live in a world where there exists a &quot;greater power&quot; than ourselves. Sounds real religious doesn&#39;t it? Well it isn&#39;t, it&#39;s just a plain truth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We take the path of &lt;strong&gt;&quot;out of sight, out of mind&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; too often as an excuse to say: well there are just some things we aren&#39;t able to do, and you are exactly right! However; allow me to remind you of the written &lt;strong&gt;Word of God,&lt;/strong&gt; In &lt;strong&gt;Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The misunderstandings, the fears, the inadequacies that we experience in our relationships and in our lives are actually &lt;em&gt;thresholds&lt;/em&gt; for us to take &lt;strong&gt;another look!&lt;/strong&gt; By that I simply mean this: if really and truly in your heart and mind, you want a solution to any dilima, especially in your marriage, you surely &lt;strong&gt;can&lt;/strong&gt; find it by going one step further and seeking a higher authority. That&#39;s right my friends, you probably know where I&#39;m going with this: &lt;strong&gt;it&#39;s God!&lt;/strong&gt; want to really save that marriage?, seek an answer from the &lt;strong&gt;Lord Almighty.&lt;/strong&gt; Call it what you will, but you&#39;ll never know unless you&#39;ve tried. Don&#39;t just take my word, try it for yourself! After all, it&#39;s your marriage and your life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yes my dear friends, inside of you all is the real deciding factor and it is the link necessary to solve any situation in your life and relationship. It&#39;s called &lt;strong&gt;desire.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How often do we use the old famous &lt;strong&gt;&quot;out of sight, out of mind&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; clause to proclaim: well I guess there is no other way&quot;. Are you getting my point here?&lt;br /&gt;The real message today is: &lt;strong&gt;God&lt;/strong&gt; allows situations to occur in our marital relationships sometimes as a test, and sometimes to see where our heart really is, and sometimes just to give us an &lt;strong&gt;additional option!&lt;/strong&gt; WOW. . . &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;How great Thou art. . .&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once you recognize that life doesn&#39;t just revolve around you, but it is rather just the &lt;em&gt;reaching out &lt;/em&gt;and not necessarily the &lt;em&gt;putting out.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Marriages and lives are saved through someone just reaching out! Have you reached out for God&#39;s guidance. . . .you&#39;d be surprised at the results!&lt;br /&gt;Have a wonderful day and remember. . . &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You are Blessed!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2008/08/out-of-sight-out-of-mind.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgU3HwcJpUV-grHvpMole4USqOVbTvfsaofVoJb2WTL7rDhIbp0asquBxWAmFQk4K0tQhEh78bIPMyKp0lA1LUYYia7zeGZwURyjLXI5D5FjNDcsRg1zv64iSVp7fyUWkCT5wRavdiEdf/s72-c/MyScottFolder+129.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-649062112895614897</guid><pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:54:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-08-12T07:59:27.209-07:00</atom:updated><title>..you got...you got...what I want. . ..</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzvH4KcbWXfdvqhaLa48pUyeYl35eUJsZOHJ59xf63GE4O2K8Nq6sCBZP1I7yK3u1caxR6tBaRa7lz59xV-GEz2Yx5DaIp3WbwSavjRTNXYohnjTgY6v7HEAHwZEzRHgv2q62sGhzjJE7/s1600-h/MyScottFolder+088.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzvH4KcbWXfdvqhaLa48pUyeYl35eUJsZOHJ59xf63GE4O2K8Nq6sCBZP1I7yK3u1caxR6tBaRa7lz59xV-GEz2Yx5DaIp3WbwSavjRTNXYohnjTgY6v7HEAHwZEzRHgv2q62sGhzjJE7/s320/MyScottFolder+088.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233630257151543138&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well my dear readers, even though our topic today comes from an old Teddy Pendergrass pop album leric, it is the profoundness of it&#39;s meaning.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You got, you got what I want&lt;/strong&gt;   seems to be a common mindset of many marriages today. The new house, the new car, the prestigest job,and don&#39;t forget,plenty of money; (of course I understand that you need money to live in this world), and even sometimes the apparel. &lt;br /&gt;Now don&#39;t get me wrong, nothing is wrong with any of those things. It&#39;s just that they are not necessary to build a strong marriage relationship.&lt;br /&gt;Let&#39;s take a look at the &lt;strong&gt;Holy scriptures &lt;/strong&gt;and see what our &lt;strong&gt;Lord&lt;/strong&gt; has to say about that subject. &lt;strong&gt;Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man&#39;s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;br /&gt;Interesting isn&#39;t it? You see the key word here is &lt;em&gt;covetouness&lt;/em&gt; which comes along with some other baggage such as envy, jealousy, etc.; I&#39;m sure you understand.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So what am I saying here? Simply this. . . .your marriage is fulfilled with so many other wonderful attributes that gives you the sense of accomplishment that many other marriages never attain. . . such as: Love,trust,honesty,forgiveness,faithfulness,happiness,contentment,joy, peace. You will never be able to substitute these attributes with &lt;strong&gt;THINGS&lt;/strong&gt;!&lt;br /&gt;Let&#39;s be honest, how many couples do you know with new houses,cars and etc., and are still unhappy?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here&#39;s the perspective: &lt;strong&gt;Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: &lt;/strong&gt;. . .&lt;em&gt; that&#39;s the real truth!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do your friends, neighbors, or anything in this world really have what you want in place of your happiness in marriage? Think about it!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Contrary to popular belief, when you look at relationships as a whole, you find out that most people would love to have all those impressive things, but more importantly, they would rather have &lt;strong&gt;some one &lt;/strong&gt;to share them with.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The message today is: seek after the &lt;strong&gt;&quot;real thing&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; for your marriages and not those superficial things that only satisfy you but for a little while.&lt;br /&gt;Marriage God&#39;s way takes longer, but boy is it lasting!&lt;br /&gt;Have a wonderful day. . .and remember. . .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You are Blessed!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2008/08/you-gotyou-gotwhat-i-want.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzvH4KcbWXfdvqhaLa48pUyeYl35eUJsZOHJ59xf63GE4O2K8Nq6sCBZP1I7yK3u1caxR6tBaRa7lz59xV-GEz2Yx5DaIp3WbwSavjRTNXYohnjTgY6v7HEAHwZEzRHgv2q62sGhzjJE7/s72-c/MyScottFolder+088.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-7110368488711099995</guid><pubDate>Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:36:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-08-08T18:36:10.351-07:00</atom:updated><title>Does it really matter?</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKXd-Xf2s0IyBfNLr_5H8aU1rVaZz3H_w8cTbn_A2kHwEK71hye0M0HcEYBeBgzG6S4lhtqOZNHqGSxfke-NiyLx-S3LJMrnltxHKwEWgAdRscZHkibR3-zljIklrwakhTq4ErrAXHIai/s1600-h/2963780210037815130rNqekf_ph.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKXd-Xf2s0IyBfNLr_5H8aU1rVaZz3H_w8cTbn_A2kHwEK71hye0M0HcEYBeBgzG6S4lhtqOZNHqGSxfke-NiyLx-S3LJMrnltxHKwEWgAdRscZHkibR3-zljIklrwakhTq4ErrAXHIai/s320/2963780210037815130rNqekf_ph.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232310616409731618&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Does it really matter?. &lt;/strong&gt;. . .is the question in today&#39;s segment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In many marriages today, hidden agendas seem to be a common practice; or is it just not letting your right hand know what the left hand is doing. Nevertheless, both husband and wife should be accountable for their actions, especially when it comes to their marriage relationship, or stewardship if you will. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Holy scriptures tell us that the married couple possesses an ownership or has a control or power over the other. Let&#39;s check it out. . .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1 Corinthians 7:4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. &lt;/strong&gt;. . .so as you can see it is equal, (it is very important that you understand that)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now some believe that this power is not just physical, but it also deals with &lt;strong&gt;honesty,respect,loyalty,trust,and most of all integrity.&lt;/strong&gt; So wouldn&#39;t you say that what we do when no one is looking matters too? As you can see my faithful readers, all of the above characteristics are compiled into one word. . .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;L O V E!&lt;/strong&gt; . . and this Love is described in the Bible as a &lt;strong&gt;God type &lt;/strong&gt;love. . .meaning without conditions or secrets, or hidden agendas, or dishonesty, pretense of virtue, and etc.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Often in our relationships we say or do things that are one-sided or self centered,(if you know what I mean). &lt;strong&gt;Yes my friends, it does really matter!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;If you&#39;re going to play the game, you must abide by the rules&quot; an author once wrote;&lt;br /&gt;and if you want a healthy and lasting relationship, you should play by &lt;strong&gt;&quot;the Rule&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; in other words, &lt;strong&gt;God&#39;s rules for marriage.&lt;/strong&gt; You see, it only takes one small turn from the rule, or one slip of the tongue, or one hidden deed, that can destroy a destiny. Think about it. Does it matter. . .&lt;strong&gt;of course it does!&lt;/strong&gt; How we prioritize is just as important as what we prioritize!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Does your agenda include your partner or spouse. Will it please &lt;em&gt;him or her?&lt;/em&gt; Will it please &lt;strong&gt;God?&lt;/strong&gt; Ask yourself the question, &lt;strong&gt;does it really matter?&lt;/strong&gt; Just a little food for thought!&lt;br /&gt;Have a wonderful day and a happy and fulfilled marriage. . .God&#39;s way!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And as always,  &lt;strong&gt;You are Blessed!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2008/08/does-it-really-matter.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKXd-Xf2s0IyBfNLr_5H8aU1rVaZz3H_w8cTbn_A2kHwEK71hye0M0HcEYBeBgzG6S4lhtqOZNHqGSxfke-NiyLx-S3LJMrnltxHKwEWgAdRscZHkibR3-zljIklrwakhTq4ErrAXHIai/s72-c/2963780210037815130rNqekf_ph.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-5543271040256129313</guid><pubDate>Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:57:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-04-14T14:36:14.364-07:00</atom:updated><title>The Balance</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJI64YGsMJX9yFh_dIIc24HRISonkOkgzQfOV4BdHxttyXYKTSFN6bcSHxHPyPXta1wSgYbmoXpoboiiY26dVTnYEdGttj0FzAcbrubY5cxR0AZkGSWqTct5ZRfiK7uLx0i6y0vJCJCUmG/s1600-h/MyScottFolder+026.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJI64YGsMJX9yFh_dIIc24HRISonkOkgzQfOV4BdHxttyXYKTSFN6bcSHxHPyPXta1wSgYbmoXpoboiiY26dVTnYEdGttj0FzAcbrubY5cxR0AZkGSWqTct5ZRfiK7uLx0i6y0vJCJCUmG/s320/MyScottFolder+026.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5188744662890584114&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In today&#39;s article, we discuss the word &lt;strong&gt;balance.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Simply because it is the &lt;strong&gt;&quot;balance&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; that is necessary in you life, and in your relationships in marriage to keep you focused in allowing this element of balance have it&#39;s place in your emotional and physiological well being.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Often times, we find ourselves not allowing balance to become an ingredient of our lives, and more often in our marriages. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What exactly is &lt;strong&gt;balance?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Well, basically balance is the ability to allow equal portions of humanity to take it&#39;s place in our day to day life styles. Here&#39;s an example: How we deal with death is just as important as how we deal with life. That&#39;s right my friends it&#39;s OK to cry, it&#39;s OK to feel remorse, it&#39;s OK to forgive, yes it&#39;s OK to walk away, and it&#39;s even OK to feel overwhelmed.&lt;br /&gt;You see my friends it is the strong man or woman who can experience the realities of life; be it good or bad, and still be functional. With marriage, it is the same way. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The obstacles of marriage have never guaranteed a smooth sailing; which is why the phrase &lt;em&gt;&quot;for better or for worse&quot;&lt;/em&gt; was incorporated into the declaration of our wedding vows; and the only way you will have the &quot;balance&quot; in your life or in your marital relationships is to allow your self to react to these realities and encounters of life; and yes, sometimes we are overwhelmed. It&#39;s called being human!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Bible even informs us that there are times for every purpose: a time for everything. . .&lt;strong&gt;Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What&#39;s the message here?. . .simply this. . .it&#39;s not necessary to pre-occupy ourselves and pretend that life and it&#39;s realities don&#39;t affect us; because the truth of the matter is, they do affect us, and rightly so.&lt;br /&gt;It&#39;s how we choose to deal with these realities that releases the &quot;balance&quot; necessary to live and go on with life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Together with &lt;strong&gt;God and prayer &lt;/strong&gt;we stand and live, and have &lt;strong&gt;balance&lt;/strong&gt;. We are all a part of the human family that the &lt;strong&gt;Lord&lt;/strong&gt; has ordained. &lt;strong&gt;He &lt;/strong&gt;has given us the ability to even choose a helper, a lover, a friend, a companion, and most of all a supporter. That&#39;s what marriage is really all about.&lt;br /&gt;Am I saying that we all need someone, &lt;strong&gt;yes,&lt;/strong&gt; that is why balance is so important.&lt;br /&gt; Won&#39;t you decide today to share the load with someone. (and to the married, I say: share the load together)&lt;br /&gt; After all,&lt;strong&gt; your tomorrow counts on what you have decided to do today!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a wonderful week and remember &lt;strong&gt;&quot;Balance&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; is the key!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You are Blessed!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2008/04/balance.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJI64YGsMJX9yFh_dIIc24HRISonkOkgzQfOV4BdHxttyXYKTSFN6bcSHxHPyPXta1wSgYbmoXpoboiiY26dVTnYEdGttj0FzAcbrubY5cxR0AZkGSWqTct5ZRfiK7uLx0i6y0vJCJCUmG/s72-c/MyScottFolder+026.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>2</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-7872449026249116305</guid><pubDate>Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:56:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-04-07T04:06:20.535-07:00</atom:updated><title>The One-Sided Marriage</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxCJYoa3eYiYLlxoIVDIVGZoxXN-MOm2Kp_uFhk2Qormv2YJSdginSH0U056BgJvuRc-NnMiRrJjtQyFVdB9yPPyZuMxSoiHGMgg6rQ0Uz0zRJQ3q7pZVPSnkOqZmtPIic8XnYRpNKN2i/s1600-h/MyScottFolder+051.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxCJYoa3eYiYLlxoIVDIVGZoxXN-MOm2Kp_uFhk2Qormv2YJSdginSH0U056BgJvuRc-NnMiRrJjtQyFVdB9yPPyZuMxSoiHGMgg6rQ0Uz0zRJQ3q7pZVPSnkOqZmtPIic8XnYRpNKN2i/s320/MyScottFolder+051.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186100257179573506&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In today&#39;s segment,we are discussing &lt;strong&gt;&quot;the one-sided marriage&quot;. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Generally in these types of scenarios, married couples barely survive; simply because those relationships are always lopsided. Let me explain:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Although God type marital relationships are based on giving and receiving, the one-sided relationship boils down to one always giving and the other always receiving.&lt;br /&gt;In many many cases the &quot;giver&quot; usually reaches a point of no return and then has no other alternative but to give, that is if he or she wants to keep the relationship going. How sad is that?&lt;br /&gt;On the other hand, the &quot;receiver&quot; is usually the dominating force of that marriage and ultimately becomes sort of a dictator. You know: &quot;my way or the highway&quot;. These are commonly known as threat tactics that the dominating spouse be it he or she uses for leverage to manipulate the other; and in most cases, that person will go to any lengths to keep that control; which brings me to my next point.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Holy Scripture tells us this: &lt;strong&gt;Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.&lt;/strong&gt; which is referring to the blatant sins of this world. Yes that&#39;s right, including &lt;strong&gt;&quot;manipulation&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The true love story of a married couple should possess the attributes of the &lt;strong&gt;Spirit:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;love ,joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, which the Bible says: against such things, there is no law. Isn&#39;t that poweful. However, if you have manipulation in your relationship, it falls under the category of &quot;the works of the flesh&quot;. . . Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, withchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,murders, drinkenness,revelligns,and envyings, which the Bible says that they which do these things will not inherit the kingdom of God, no matter how many times you go to church or how much money you give to charity, YOU WILL NOT ENTER INTO GOD&#39;S KINGDOM. . .&lt;strong&gt;GALATIANS 5:19&lt;/strong&gt; You know who you are!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here&#39;s my point; manipulation is not a tangible thing; it is a concept and intent of the heart which can only be seen by it&#39;s devastating results. ( the partner who is being manipulated typicaly is unhappy but afraid to challenge the manipulator for fear of the destruction of the marriage.) &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My dear friends, it is &lt;strong&gt;God&#39;s &lt;/strong&gt;will that your marriage be void of this type of practice but rather be filled with&lt;strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;His words of life&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;health, love, and longevity.&lt;br /&gt;Here&#39;s what I&#39;m saying: It&#39;s never too late to change; and in Christ, you can make that change. God has given us a road map to guide us to the true essence of our marriage relationships as we follow the Holy scriptures.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Galatians 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. &lt;/strong&gt;. You see,&lt;strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;real love&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; doesn&#39;t manipulate, it&lt;em&gt; rejuvinates.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Put your marriage in the balances of God&#39;s Holy Word and see if there&#39;s anything that needs to be corrected. You just might be surprised at what you find.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a wonderful day and always remember:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;YOU ARE BLESSED!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2008/04/one-sided-marriage.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxCJYoa3eYiYLlxoIVDIVGZoxXN-MOm2Kp_uFhk2Qormv2YJSdginSH0U056BgJvuRc-NnMiRrJjtQyFVdB9yPPyZuMxSoiHGMgg6rQ0Uz0zRJQ3q7pZVPSnkOqZmtPIic8XnYRpNKN2i/s72-c/MyScottFolder+051.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-8014250689624212417</guid><pubDate>Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:07:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-03-21T09:30:31.099-07:00</atom:updated><title>Marriage. . the ultimate challenge?</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsa5eIlfP1z3y52E4ngdXRqOyfHaDV4vTTTmI-tVpM9v5wNktHji2VyrchxCN2babu7PnIytDGPtK1jrOO4L1v3Vk1Jp9C1Jif2W48b5sYcIF5LqGCl6LP4NYVra6FkPrYM2fol9G8HBOs/s1600-h/MyScottFolder+128.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsa5eIlfP1z3y52E4ngdXRqOyfHaDV4vTTTmI-tVpM9v5wNktHji2VyrchxCN2babu7PnIytDGPtK1jrOO4L1v3Vk1Jp9C1Jif2W48b5sYcIF5LqGCl6LP4NYVra6FkPrYM2fol9G8HBOs/s320/MyScottFolder+128.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180228156417645810&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is Marriage, the ultimate challenge. . .&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In today’s article, our question is: why is marriage such an ultimate challenge rather than becoming the ultimate solution to companionship.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In our world today,with 21st century technology, we now have created and present to the world, the convenience of councilors, books, blogs, and even websites to help us research and offer the male and female the opportunity to choose the most compatible person for our lives who may share the same goals, ideologies, hobbies, recreations, passions, family values, sex drives, educational preferences, and many times the same religion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We have even developed laws as I refer to as the &lt;strong&gt;“just in case laws”, &lt;/strong&gt;that actually provides the marriages to excuse the &lt;em&gt;“till death do you part” &lt;/em&gt;and grant equal shares of the gatherings during the relationship; be it a short time or with many years and siblings attached. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So why then are we still struggling with reluctance and fear that marriage some how is still the &lt;strong&gt;ultimate challenge&lt;/strong&gt;. Well, if I may be so bold as to point out the missing piece to the puzzle is its &lt;em&gt;sacredness&lt;/em&gt;. That’s right, when you talk about marriage you are talking about something sacred and spiritual that should never be taken lightly or with mediocrity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Marriage&lt;/strong&gt; is however, the ultimate commitment; it is the ultimate surrender, and most of all it is the ultimate union and I might add the ultimate security only backed by &lt;strong&gt;God ‘s promise &lt;/strong&gt;that it will last a life time if embarked upon using the right support systems. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yes my dear friends, these support systems are all found in the &lt;em&gt;Holy Scriptures &lt;/em&gt;of course.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As you can see, dear hearts, &lt;strong&gt;God&lt;/strong&gt; always relates success with obedience to His instructions; and with out a doubt, He is definitely including marriage. Our marital longevity and success is incumbent upon our willingness and our obedience to God’s word. It is the true foundation for marriage. It is the quintessential relationship if you will, a match made in heaven some might say.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, the real &lt;em&gt;“Ultimate Challenge”. &lt;/em&gt;. . . Is including &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;God’s word &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;in your marriage; and the best part about it is: it’s never too late to start. Rocky marriages, failing marriages, inconsistent marriages, weak marriages; you name it; God’s got the antidote for it. It’s all up to you to take the “ultimate challenge” and give your marriage an injection of hope, love, security, and most of all happiness. It’s in the &lt;strong&gt;Word of God &lt;/strong&gt;folks!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, let’s see if you can remember this: with God’s Word. . . . .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You Are Blessed! &lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2008/03/marriage-ultimate-challenge.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsa5eIlfP1z3y52E4ngdXRqOyfHaDV4vTTTmI-tVpM9v5wNktHji2VyrchxCN2babu7PnIytDGPtK1jrOO4L1v3Vk1Jp9C1Jif2W48b5sYcIF5LqGCl6LP4NYVra6FkPrYM2fol9G8HBOs/s72-c/MyScottFolder+128.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-4558114496659618578</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:04:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-03-20T06:43:30.296-07:00</atom:updated><title>A Reply to a comment!</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh156TCtGMXD2vDVYXIH9O5pvO_M5j6uBG9hTPJ3wwBnlFKpgHIlht8zjbvBc-An6VSTwP9j8yZ2KaxCxeQcwJaK6YNLQGYAKIjhch33CqMkjC6Ttsy5BHq8RVuTXMEK2ITlNDczXN_KOop/s1600-h/MyScottFolder+072.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh156TCtGMXD2vDVYXIH9O5pvO_M5j6uBG9hTPJ3wwBnlFKpgHIlht8zjbvBc-An6VSTwP9j8yZ2KaxCxeQcwJaK6YNLQGYAKIjhch33CqMkjC6Ttsy5BHq8RVuTXMEK2ITlNDczXN_KOop/s320/MyScottFolder+072.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179793741950491874&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My dear precious reader who commented on my previous article:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;First and foremost, I believe that you may have totally misunderstood my article. I never suggested that the participation of the old testament Levite&#39;s was mandatory as it relates to the New testament believers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bible scholar or not, your conviction of giving to the church is only relevant to your personal relationship with God. ( perhaps you missed that part) &lt;br /&gt;Secondly, the example that was mentioned in the new testament and old had absolutely &lt;strong&gt;nothing to do with tithing!!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nevertheless my dear friend our ability to commit to the leading of the Spirit should be the driving force of our christian walk with God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I do however agree that the teaching of how a person should give to the church is in fact wrong. Still the entire scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation should be taught in relation to &lt;strong&gt;Rightly dividing the Word of Truth&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Since it is the Lord&#39;s job is to &lt;strong&gt;judge&lt;/strong&gt; and ours as Christians is to &lt;strong&gt;love&lt;/strong&gt;, it makes more sense to me that we approach every difference of opinion and topics of controversy in a more peaceful and loving manner.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After saying that, please let me say this: if my article has offended you in any way, please accept my sincere apologies, that was not my intention. The article was written to answer one individual&#39;s question and &lt;em&gt;does not reflect the ideology of the church and it&#39;s giving policies. &lt;/em&gt;I do hope however you continue to read my writings in Marriage God&#39;s Way as they are my passions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Marriage God&#39;s way is an exciting way of life. Married or not, it&#39;s concepts are fulfilling and life-changing as they pertain to God&#39;s Holy Word. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please have a wonderful day and always remember. . . &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YOU ARE BLESSED!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2008/03/reply-to-comment.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh156TCtGMXD2vDVYXIH9O5pvO_M5j6uBG9hTPJ3wwBnlFKpgHIlht8zjbvBc-An6VSTwP9j8yZ2KaxCxeQcwJaK6YNLQGYAKIjhch33CqMkjC6Ttsy5BHq8RVuTXMEK2ITlNDczXN_KOop/s72-c/MyScottFolder+072.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-3003102479099635589</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:32:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-03-16T18:57:20.800-07:00</atom:updated><title>THE CONVICTION OF TITHING</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqHJpORtbGgQQLRWvnqZAv_odvI_TKAlAQRJ4wRQOhe8ifqSKnFTsFFzQ2IjVsJAGmUEkacqFKaaIb64iFw0ugMpb6ETe0LhTjuiRLY4MMJ80lCD6LHHIcQBWxL4gZ1nOjG-7jRhQLbJJ/s1600-h/MyScottFolder+101.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqHJpORtbGgQQLRWvnqZAv_odvI_TKAlAQRJ4wRQOhe8ifqSKnFTsFFzQ2IjVsJAGmUEkacqFKaaIb64iFw0ugMpb6ETe0LhTjuiRLY4MMJ80lCD6LHHIcQBWxL4gZ1nOjG-7jRhQLbJJ/s320/MyScottFolder+101.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178518346036428642&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A reader wrote in about tithing; to ask whether it was right to tithe an entire paycheck.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well let’s begin with a scriptural reference of tithing : &lt;strong&gt;Malachi 3:10 bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course tithing has always been a basic &lt;em&gt;Bible principal&lt;/em&gt;, since the beginning of time. However, let’s look at what actually is a tithe. The Bible says that it is 10% of what you have received. Nevertheless, we must take a closer look at the principal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The wonderful and undeniable thing about &lt;strong&gt;God&lt;/strong&gt; is this: each of us as human beings is individually unique in our being and in our relationship with God. As unfair as it may appear, every individual may have different requirements of the Master.  Example:&lt;br /&gt;When &lt;strong&gt;Jesus&lt;/strong&gt; was speaking to the rich man in the book of  St. Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. . . .He was simply testing that man’s &lt;em&gt;loyalty&lt;/em&gt; to see what was more important; faithfulness to the Lord’s principals or his money. After all, God has no use for money; it was merely a test of character.&lt;br /&gt;In the old testament, a similar incident took place in the book of &lt;strong&gt;Genesis 22:2 &lt;br /&gt;And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.&lt;/strong&gt; . . .As you can see, here is another example of a test of obedience and a test of faith for that father Abraham. Surely God didn’t really want Abraham to kill Issac, his only son and by the way; (his promised by God son). As you read further in the chapter you will find God’s real reason for such an unreasonable request.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Genesis 22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. Genesis 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now to address the initial question:&lt;/strong&gt; it should be perfectly clear that each of us have a personal accountability to our selves in whether or not we choose to establish a relationship with the &lt;strong&gt;Lord.&lt;/strong&gt; At that point it is what’s in our heart that determines the criteria that God requires of us. We are all not the same. What it may take for one will not even apply to another. Perhaps tithing an entire paycheck is what &lt;strong&gt;God &lt;/strong&gt;requires of one individual, and from another He requires only the tithe. It is now important to know  the leading of the Spirit concerning your individual convictions and relationship with God, and what is required of &lt;strong&gt;YOU&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The question now is Conviction. What’s yours?&lt;strong&gt; Will it take all, or just a tithe? Time to look inside your self.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Always remember, YOU ARE BLESSED!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2008/03/conviction-of-tithing.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqHJpORtbGgQQLRWvnqZAv_odvI_TKAlAQRJ4wRQOhe8ifqSKnFTsFFzQ2IjVsJAGmUEkacqFKaaIb64iFw0ugMpb6ETe0LhTjuiRLY4MMJ80lCD6LHHIcQBWxL4gZ1nOjG-7jRhQLbJJ/s72-c/MyScottFolder+101.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-4586562873546912948</guid><pubDate>Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:49:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-03-11T04:49:56.884-07:00</atom:updated><title>Unconditional Love. . . .</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhegz677VXyzcrtsn-982vS9_5a3h7QZipzZcnoo-JPr7wpBAUZm4Zm8FjCwlXcdvCz0cKmsBmvzsRxsb1pZR_N0isVD2ROrgAOp4kJ8yGkwKz3pSRQy_4VGhABKtcWIyzLNydK9j8QRU2/s1600-h/MyScottFolder+105.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhegz677VXyzcrtsn-982vS9_5a3h7QZipzZcnoo-JPr7wpBAUZm4Zm8FjCwlXcdvCz0cKmsBmvzsRxsb1pZR_N0isVD2ROrgAOp4kJ8yGkwKz3pSRQy_4VGhABKtcWIyzLNydK9j8QRU2/s320/MyScottFolder+105.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176435437221723986&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UNCONDITONAL LOVE:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;The bridge that connects all life!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My dear faithful readers; as I am recovering from my life threatening illness, I have decided to begin a segment with a most profound topic: &lt;strong&gt;&quot;Unconditional Love&quot;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In marriage, or in fact, in any relationship that requires love and commitment; should it be based on a criteria, or should it be unconditional? Good question eh? &lt;br /&gt;Well let&#39;s examine it a little closer.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many relationships have stood the test of time and survived but only to find out that there were clauses. Let me explain. Marriages are much like contracts. Contracts of course have specific guidelines, that if breached or in the case of unforeseen conditions arising, there becomes reason to end the relationship or in other words, make the contract void.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let&#39;s see what &lt;strong&gt;God&lt;/strong&gt; says about that? First of all, I can say this: There has &lt;strong&gt;never&lt;/strong&gt; been a contract that has ever been broken by God. Why. . . &quot;Unconditional Love&quot;. Listen to the scriptures: &lt;strong&gt;Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. &lt;/strong&gt; Wow!. . what a commitment. How wonderful would our marriages be if our commitments were that strong!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How important it is my dear friends to establish your marriage or relationship on the unconditional love that God speaks about in the Holy Scriptures.&lt;br /&gt;It is the foundation of life, &lt;strong&gt;&quot;Unconditional Love&quot;. &lt;/strong&gt;It is the fountain of your existence.&lt;br /&gt;My dear readers, don&#39;t fool yourselves, you have purpose and destiny, it&#39;s not by chance. Think about it! Unconditional love is why you are even here. &lt;strong&gt;John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That&#39;s right, It is what God expects your principles to rely upon. After all, since we are made after His own image; shouldn&#39;t we posses some of His attributes?&lt;br /&gt;Herein lays the &lt;strong&gt;common denominator&lt;/strong&gt;, your ability to display &lt;em&gt;unconditional love!&lt;/em&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Without it, our relationships are merely episodes of time that have no substance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In short, I say: examine your base, search out your heart, and see if the ingredient of &quot;unconditional love&quot; is present. It&#39;ll make all the difference in how you deal with life as well as how the destiny of your relationship will impact others as well as you environment, &lt;em&gt;believe it or not!&lt;/em&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There will always be many challenges of life and love; but the greatest testimony you could ever have is that of &lt;strong&gt;&quot;Unconditional Love&quot;.&lt;/strong&gt; Try it, it&#39;ll bless your entire life. It sure has blessed mine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Always remember: &lt;strong&gt;You are Blessed!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2008/03/unconditional-love.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhegz677VXyzcrtsn-982vS9_5a3h7QZipzZcnoo-JPr7wpBAUZm4Zm8FjCwlXcdvCz0cKmsBmvzsRxsb1pZR_N0isVD2ROrgAOp4kJ8yGkwKz3pSRQy_4VGhABKtcWIyzLNydK9j8QRU2/s72-c/MyScottFolder+105.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-1001817259930165570</guid><pubDate>Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:49:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-01-11T04:43:19.039-08:00</atom:updated><title>Behind Closed Doors. . .</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOo3PmVzG5UjZ9xUiemKC2xr1z3QFMdKeu6kUVtvkcw2F4x_JKIrXC38qRydkDIShQLMkgnpNV93hYlAqjN_hrnaU6-uKkM8mROM5U4_e68Mk5X_hunHI3YmVm7FxBInRrUoaNTzGW8LLz/s1600-h/175272445sJVqQP_fs.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOo3PmVzG5UjZ9xUiemKC2xr1z3QFMdKeu6kUVtvkcw2F4x_JKIrXC38qRydkDIShQLMkgnpNV93hYlAqjN_hrnaU6-uKkM8mROM5U4_e68Mk5X_hunHI3YmVm7FxBInRrUoaNTzGW8LLz/s320/175272445sJVqQP_fs.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154185233558308850&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Behind closed doors is the topic of discussion for today. It is the true habitat of the marriage; and it is also what God sees.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In today&#39;s segment, we look behind those closed doors. More often than not, people in general only allow you to see what they want you to see. The &quot;other you&quot; if you will. Nevertheless, the real you is what will determine the out come of your marriages. Let me explain.&lt;br /&gt;You see, God has given us (the marriage) a road map or a guideline to prevent falter and ensure us that marriage God&#39;s way is the safest way to succeed. We all have a tendency to put on our best behavior in front of the crowd, but what really counts is what goes on &quot;behind closed doors&quot;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The marriage union as God has described in His Holy word says this: &lt;strong&gt; 1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1 Corinthians 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1 Corinthians 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. &lt;/strong&gt;. . . .and in the same light, comes marriage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let&#39;s talk layman language. . . .unless we are following the guidelines for marriage that &lt;strong&gt;God&lt;/strong&gt; has layed out in His word, our outward display doesn&#39;t even count! Did you hear that? It doesn&#39;t even matter. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here&#39;s the point; now that we have embarked into a new year, let&#39;s put&lt;strong&gt; God&#39;s word &lt;/strong&gt;through the test. Let&#39;s see if marriage the Bible way really makes a difference. &lt;br /&gt;I can assure you, it does. Actually it&#39;s behind those closed doors that really count.&lt;br /&gt;It&#39;s not necessary to &quot;mudsling&quot; to know if what&#39;s taking place in your marriage is working. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Look at it this way. . . .if your house caught on fire from within, eventually it will destroy that which is within and ultimately destroy what&#39;s on the outside anyway. . . get my drift?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So let us take the challenge that the &lt;strong&gt;Lord&lt;/strong&gt; has set before us. . .and that is to take Him at His word and simply trust Him with your marriage! Allow the richnest of God&#39;s word iron out the rough places in your marriage, and submit to the life-changing liberty that you will experience just by following His wisdom. I do, why don&#39;t you!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HAPPY NEW YEAR &lt;/strong&gt; and as always. . . . .remember . . .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YOU ARE BLESSED!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2008/01/behind-closed-doors.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOo3PmVzG5UjZ9xUiemKC2xr1z3QFMdKeu6kUVtvkcw2F4x_JKIrXC38qRydkDIShQLMkgnpNV93hYlAqjN_hrnaU6-uKkM8mROM5U4_e68Mk5X_hunHI3YmVm7FxBInRrUoaNTzGW8LLz/s72-c/175272445sJVqQP_fs.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-6708843905660528054</guid><pubDate>Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:59:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2007-12-27T04:26:27.410-08:00</atom:updated><title>&quot;Reconciliation&quot;</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLDc9LBn3KjXLFfU1sv3LNgb23IW1kpcWzd84FSfpjDEOafZWrV5G4nuD9HHEAjK-nov5UUKxM70oLLx5i9OQRs7G-ysrAcCfpSxU4zv-rekISp6ENy6uVS3Zzn3vvznFcuseuvmZk0t3/s1600-h/2352819500000199551OlsgiI_fs.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLDc9LBn3KjXLFfU1sv3LNgb23IW1kpcWzd84FSfpjDEOafZWrV5G4nuD9HHEAjK-nov5UUKxM70oLLx5i9OQRs7G-ysrAcCfpSxU4zv-rekISp6ENy6uVS3Zzn3vvznFcuseuvmZk0t3/s320/2352819500000199551OlsgiI_fs.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148606148350216162&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hello there readers! I hope you&#39;ve enjoyed a wonderful Christmas holiday!&lt;br /&gt;In today&#39;s segment, we discuss the word, &quot;reconciliation&quot;. Reconciliation is a most important part of the marriage union.&lt;br /&gt;It&#39;s important not only because it&#39;s necessary for unestablished relationships, but also it is the glue if you will that allows the marriage to grow. Let me explain. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When the apostle Paul was preaching and teaching the gospel to the Romans; he specifically noted this: &lt;strong&gt;Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. &lt;/strong&gt;. . .as it is the same in marriage. Without reconciliation, you really don&#39;t have a relationship. Why. . .because it is the giving up of one&#39;s own ways to adopt the ways of a union of one. Get it? I say this in almost all of my blogs! The Bible declares that: &lt;strong&gt;Matthew 19:6 &lt;br /&gt;Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Mark 10:8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You see my friends, true marriages are built on not only love, real love that is... but on the ability to survive through adverse situations,the ability to weather the storms of life in your relationships, the ability to be &lt;strong&gt;WILLING&lt;/strong&gt; to be reconciled when there is a leak, or a breach in your union. &lt;br /&gt;Do I say that it&#39;s easy. . . .of course not, it&#39;s very hard to do that, especially once trust has been lost. . . .but here&#39;s the good part! It&#39;s what &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;God has done for us.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; That&#39;s right, with all of our mess, and I do mean mess!, He&#39;s allowed us to be reconciled back to Him by his son &lt;strong&gt;Jesus Christ&lt;/strong&gt;, the righteous. We all have that opportunity, no matter what we&#39;ve done or where we are right now, we have that opportunity to be reconciled back to &lt;strong&gt;God &lt;/strong&gt;where we take our rightful place in life and in the Kingdom.&lt;strong&gt; Hallelujah!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I do understand that marriages can go sower, I do understand that situations do arise that are unbearable and sometimes impossible, but I also understand that there are some things that &quot;mankind&quot; can&#39;t handle, and that gives &lt;strong&gt;God&lt;/strong&gt; the perfect opportunity to intervene, get my drift??? &lt;strong&gt;Yes He cares about your situation too!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My prayer every day is for the marriages that are having difficulty to find the open door of &lt;strong&gt;&quot;reconciliation&quot;. &lt;/strong&gt;We did it and I know you can too!&lt;br /&gt;Choose the path of reconciliation my dear friends; it will comfort you in more ways than you can imagine. Time to go. . . .and always remember. . . &lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YOU ARE BLESSED!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007/12/reconciliation.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLDc9LBn3KjXLFfU1sv3LNgb23IW1kpcWzd84FSfpjDEOafZWrV5G4nuD9HHEAjK-nov5UUKxM70oLLx5i9OQRs7G-ysrAcCfpSxU4zv-rekISp6ENy6uVS3Zzn3vvznFcuseuvmZk0t3/s72-c/2352819500000199551OlsgiI_fs.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-1713856986430493561</guid><pubDate>Sun, 16 Dec 2007 13:20:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2007-12-17T02:45:44.091-08:00</atom:updated><title>A Special Christmas Gift. . .</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqQfMErT_f8p8TwZT4-4LzXvRwMHbvTiTk8adKR-wnuIqBDIoKILFNFm0VMfBa-IQyS2E0HF63sAI8QAcSr0gfMEFw7enXzb3MscDW_4GSuPIa4nS6sFQVb3cYROTyiJi98Tb_LvIp-CB/s1600-h/502660449RgcAYT_fs.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqQfMErT_f8p8TwZT4-4LzXvRwMHbvTiTk8adKR-wnuIqBDIoKILFNFm0VMfBa-IQyS2E0HF63sAI8QAcSr0gfMEFw7enXzb3MscDW_4GSuPIa4nS6sFQVb3cYROTyiJi98Tb_LvIp-CB/s320/502660449RgcAYT_fs.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144565409923169810&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So many times in ministry, we get prayer requests for all sorts of reasons. We thought that since you precious readers are so kind enough to read our segment blogs, we would like to take the time to offer one of the prayer answers that was sent to a &lt;strong&gt;dear sister in Christ.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;We have however,taken out her name for privacy, but I believe that some of you may need the same type of prayer, or perhaps a love one, or a friend or neighbor. Nevertheless, I want you to know that &lt;strong&gt;Jesus &lt;/strong&gt;didn&#39;t just preach to the people; he fed them, he taught them, and he prayed for them.&lt;br /&gt;Believe it or not, married or not, &lt;strong&gt;God still cares about the total you!&lt;/strong&gt; . . so here&#39;s a Christmas prayer for you or who ever will grab a hold of faith and believe &lt;strong&gt;God&lt;/strong&gt;.......and I guarantee it&#39;ll make a difference. . . so here&#39;s the answer prayer we wrote:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;God Bless you (put your name or love one or who ever here)  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I hope that this email finds you and your family doing well. My wife has shared with me some things that seem to be going on in your body that are of concern and asked me to offer a prayer of healing and deliverance. So before I do that, I&#39;d like you to hear this testimony of a few years back.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;On a cold wintery night, my wife and I had just closed out a Revival in Philadelphia and were caught in a terrible snow storm; so bad that we were not able to leave the city and were stranded. Miraculously an elderly lady (evangelist) just happened to stop by the church and offer to put us up for the night. She lived not far away and proceeded to take us to her home. She prepared a special room for us for the night and said that she would have breakfast for us in the morning. &lt;br /&gt;The next morning as she said, breakfast was prepared. I told her how Sis Scott and I really appreciated her hospitality and told her that we didn&#39;t have money to pay her, but if she had a prayer request, we would honor it. She immediately told us about her brother who lived up stairs had had the hickups for fifteen years and no doctor could cure him., so we asked if we could meet him and pray for him ; she agreed and called the brother downstairs. &lt;br /&gt;We introduced ourselves as evangelist and asked if he believed in the Power of God. He nodded and agreed to a faith prayer. Even as we were talking the man was still continuing to hick up. We immediately took some regular olive oil and touched his forhead lightly and began to pray a short prayer of healing. As we lifted our hands from him, his hick up stopped. The man jumped up and began to praise God for this miracle. Amen!&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;I believe that God wants to do the same for you today, so as I was praying in my prayer closet,just this morning, I saw your face come before me, and I heard the Spirit say : give her this testimony and pray this prayer:&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HEAVENLY FATHER, IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS, I PRAY THAT MY DEAR SIS/BRO HAS BELIEVED YOUR REPORT, AND I PRAY NOW FOR HER BODY. TOUCH RIGHT NOW THIS WOMAN IN JESUS NAME, FROM THE TOP OF HER HEAD TO THE SOUL OF HER FEET, CANCEL OUT THE LUMPS AND DESOLVE ANY INFIRMITY  IN HER BODY IS MY PRAYER TODAY IN JESUS NAME.. . AND I THANK YOU AND PRAISE YOU FOR IT. . . . .AMEN!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;I don&#39;t know about you, but I believe that while we were praying, God was touching your body. I praise God for that and I praise God for you. &lt;br /&gt;Have a wonderful day and remember, &lt;strong&gt;you are blessed!&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;love in Christ,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bishop Larry and Brenda Scott&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007/12/special-christmas-gift.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqQfMErT_f8p8TwZT4-4LzXvRwMHbvTiTk8adKR-wnuIqBDIoKILFNFm0VMfBa-IQyS2E0HF63sAI8QAcSr0gfMEFw7enXzb3MscDW_4GSuPIa4nS6sFQVb3cYROTyiJi98Tb_LvIp-CB/s72-c/502660449RgcAYT_fs.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-7906467629563401692</guid><pubDate>Sun, 16 Dec 2007 10:44:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2007-12-16T03:37:28.619-08:00</atom:updated><title>Marriage. . .also a gift from God!</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCacUYAbBO8XeMKh29I7Xjibni5F0mOM_JuNrXatrcnpbyFEIdnlUNC2qjlcYCaKqJ1ySdeoGAsUHD-FX_8deB7wUxGWv3-iNoQER1tnRgr-adPBACwQGkdINqBskHjV_bS5KbodKta90m/s1600-h/433304395UrfInC_ph.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCacUYAbBO8XeMKh29I7Xjibni5F0mOM_JuNrXatrcnpbyFEIdnlUNC2qjlcYCaKqJ1ySdeoGAsUHD-FX_8deB7wUxGWv3-iNoQER1tnRgr-adPBACwQGkdINqBskHjV_bS5KbodKta90m/s320/433304395UrfInC_ph.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144530693702516210&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SEASON&#39;S GREETINGS &lt;/strong&gt;everyone, and I pray that this holiday will be a blessed one for you all. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As we enter into this holiday and the closing of the year, let us not forget the real &quot;reason for the season&quot;, which is &lt;strong&gt;God&#39;&lt;/strong&gt;s gift to this world Christ Jesus. Although humanity has adopted the act of giving during this time, it&#39;s also important to remember that Christ&#39;s gift was not only Salvation of the soul, but He gave us &quot;Marriage&quot; to those who choose, and to everyone else He gave us &quot;fellowship&quot;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The important thing to gleam here is that our marriages are precious. You see there are some things that money can&#39;t buy; and marriage is one of them. Even the scriptures tell us:&lt;strong&gt; 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. &lt;/strong&gt;. . .and if there ever was a time for us to hold fast, it&#39;s now. Hold fast meaning cherish, appreciate, never letting go, clinging to, that act of love and faith in each other, to set the world on notice, that you and your spouse have become &quot;no more twain but one flesh&quot; as noted in Matthews :19.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Marriage is like a season that never ends&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. Wow! isn&#39;t that powerful. . . and as we give of our selves to each other in the marriage bond, we become stronger together. It&#39;s the giving part that God has instructed us to do; and when we have put aside selfishness and self centeredness and realize that it&#39;s about the two of you and not just you, you then take on that attributes of our heavenly Father, &lt;strong&gt;giving.&lt;/strong&gt; After all: &lt;strong&gt;John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In my closing today, I am reminded of the holy scripture that reads:&lt;strong&gt;Matthew 13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. &lt;/strong&gt; . . .and marriage is that one pearl. Cherish it, hold to it, thank &lt;strong&gt;God &lt;/strong&gt;for it, and appreciate it. &lt;br /&gt;Marriage God&#39;s way will make all your&lt;em&gt; Christmas&#39; be bright!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a Happy Holiday and remember:   &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;YOU ARE BLESSED!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007/12/marriage-also-gift-from-god.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCacUYAbBO8XeMKh29I7Xjibni5F0mOM_JuNrXatrcnpbyFEIdnlUNC2qjlcYCaKqJ1ySdeoGAsUHD-FX_8deB7wUxGWv3-iNoQER1tnRgr-adPBACwQGkdINqBskHjV_bS5KbodKta90m/s72-c/433304395UrfInC_ph.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-3944893253462601677</guid><pubDate>Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:03:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2007-12-11T06:29:37.053-08:00</atom:updated><title>When will we ever learn. . . .?</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83fE902Kjf864v2kCbA7xkzXkliynyVx1e9L-uWLMuT4rYD91pYVlrHPcQ6OQRhnD_PhYUyzyzIJCYs1srp1Wx_sp0wm4Kyc9UAKTXggTMFVmmCo8icz-a6P0AiGsveFhVvoSjaulBceg/s1600-h/2789345480064897191JImQZG_fs.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83fE902Kjf864v2kCbA7xkzXkliynyVx1e9L-uWLMuT4rYD91pYVlrHPcQ6OQRhnD_PhYUyzyzIJCYs1srp1Wx_sp0wm4Kyc9UAKTXggTMFVmmCo8icz-a6P0AiGsveFhVvoSjaulBceg/s320/2789345480064897191JImQZG_fs.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142685068759063218&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hello again readers&lt;/strong&gt;. After glancing through the newspapers and watching the news, I am saddened to read of so many women&#39;s children are being molested by men, just because they &quot;needed someone&quot;. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Listen ladies,I am truly an advocate of marriage, but not to the extent of endangering your life and the lives of your children. That&#39;s crazy! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Truly the scriptures say:&lt;strong&gt; 1 Corinthians 7:9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. &lt;/strong&gt;. . . . and if you think you have found someone who is willing to make that commitment; then get married; but to just to have a partner to fulfill some lonely feeling or just to have sex, I tell you, &lt;strong&gt;it&#39;s no good.&lt;/strong&gt; There is a better way. &lt;br /&gt;With all types of perverted lust spirits in the air, you need to know who you are bringing into your home, especially if you have children.&lt;br /&gt;That&#39;s right my dear hearts, even in the old biblical days there were perverted lust demons and spirits. So much so until they even attempted to have sex with angels. &lt;br /&gt;Now if these spirits had no respect or regard for heavenly beings, do you think for one minute that they will regard your innocent child?&lt;br /&gt;It&#39;s not a trade off. You need to know about these things. Stop telling your self that you are desperate and so alone that you can&#39;t help it. That&#39;s not true. It is a trick of the devil, &lt;em&gt;whether you believe it or not.&lt;/em&gt;Don&#39;t get caught up in a relationship that is going no where just for the thrill.&lt;br /&gt;You can be single &lt;strong&gt;God&#39;s way &lt;/strong&gt;as well as married &lt;strong&gt;God&#39;s way!&lt;/strong&gt; He is able to sustain you in either situation. &lt;br /&gt;Let your inner man instruct you, not your emotions. They can deceive you. The scriptures tell us: &lt;strong&gt;Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: &lt;/strong&gt; Remember this: you are loved by &lt;strong&gt;God always&lt;/strong&gt;; and there is that some one who will also love you, the right way. Bed partners are a dime a dozen, but a real love mate awaits you with a commitment for life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don&#39;t get caught up in the &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&quot;lonely hearts club&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. It&#39;s really for suckers, and besides it only leads to perversion and many times unnecessary murders.&lt;br /&gt;So if you think this is a joke, read the newspapers. It&#39;s for real. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A WORD TO THE WISE IS SUFFICIENT! &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;God Bless you and be sure to have a wonderful day, and remember:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YOU ARE BLESSED!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007/12/when-will-we-ever-learn.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83fE902Kjf864v2kCbA7xkzXkliynyVx1e9L-uWLMuT4rYD91pYVlrHPcQ6OQRhnD_PhYUyzyzIJCYs1srp1Wx_sp0wm4Kyc9UAKTXggTMFVmmCo8icz-a6P0AiGsveFhVvoSjaulBceg/s72-c/2789345480064897191JImQZG_fs.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>3</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-2762025543304573985</guid><pubDate>Sun, 09 Dec 2007 12:03:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2007-12-09T04:20:29.960-08:00</atom:updated><title>We Are Blessed!</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4x1xTFbWsboi5AROWGfC8liMi8jQ3XVwu5DjUzx-kp46t4ceokASk3cZJ0W4E_gQDRgOWavIdsgJsNmlUyUxrEbWgF62ouxcCpwAMfUE6EEdwghSCGFnfQWq84ZtDJmO6wOVsmIKPQvi/s1600-h/2897144630093170372jraict_fs.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4x1xTFbWsboi5AROWGfC8liMi8jQ3XVwu5DjUzx-kp46t4ceokASk3cZJ0W4E_gQDRgOWavIdsgJsNmlUyUxrEbWgF62ouxcCpwAMfUE6EEdwghSCGFnfQWq84ZtDJmO6wOVsmIKPQvi/s320/2897144630093170372jraict_fs.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141942992899594914&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hi there readers! &lt;strong&gt;SOMETIMES&lt;/strong&gt; we need to take retrospect and look back at our marriages and our lives, just to see how blessed we really are: it bears repeating!. . . . .&lt;strong&gt;we are Blessed!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It all happened one summer in the metropolous area of Philadelphia. &lt;strong&gt;This man and wife along with four small children &lt;/strong&gt;lived in a rented row house in a very poor neighborhood. &lt;br /&gt;In those days, mothers actually stayed at home to raise the children, while the father worked sometimes two jobs to make sure that the family could eat. Only this particular summer was very different. The father lost his job and was not able to find work for three months. Obviously money had run out and they were getting desperate and was forced to seek for outside help. Unfortunately, family wasn&#39;t able to help and they had only acquaintances not friends. &lt;br /&gt;Finally, their back was against the wall. They had no other alternative but to apply for public assistance. &lt;br /&gt;To their surprise, a letter came to their door from the Assistance Office to inform them that they had been turned down for public assistance. With no where to turn, together, they stood their ground on the fact that their marriage was ordained by God and if in fact it was, they knew that God would never leave them , nor forsake them.. . . &lt;strong&gt;Hebrews 13:5 &lt;/strong&gt;By the end of August, the 28th in fact, ( it was the father&#39;s birthday). They had completely run out of provision for the family and the only thing left was a bottle of water and one small box of macaroni.&lt;br /&gt;The father then immediately called a family forum. He apologized to the children for not having any food to eat and showed them the one box of macaroni and said to his wife and children: &quot; I still don&#39;t believe that God has forsaken us, so I refuse to charge God foolishly; so we will go to bed tonight hungry and eat our last box of macaroni tomorrow and then die. Of course with great confidence in their parents, the children ran off to play. The husband and wife retired to the bedroom and began to pray. The husband assured his wife that God sees our children and will not let them starve.&lt;br /&gt;Approximately one half hour later, all four of the children came running and rejoicing saying: Look! look!. They had found 8 pennies. Immediately they all starting rejoicing as the husband declared: you see, God&#39;s not going to see the children go to bed hungry. The father then instructed the children to go to the corner store to purchase some cookies and divide them among themselves. Afterwards, the married couple remained in their bedroom rejoicing for the kids. Another half hour transpired, and suddenly the children came running and screaming. At first, the parents thought that one of the children had gotten hurt, only to find out that they had found more pennies, this time, even more, $0.11 cents.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Standing on not what they could see, but what they believed, the story continues. . . .&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Needless to say the father once again instructed the children to go back to the corner store and get more cookies and perhaps even some candy. The two parents remained in their bedroom rejoicing. One more half hour transpired and once again the four children were back, this time dancing and rejoicing. You see they really never left the house. Instead they all played happily and contently in their living room. This time however, when the children presented what they had found ( in the house), they handed the parents (9) brand new $50.00 bills, totaling $450.00. Praise God! Halleluah! Yes, that&#39;s right, it was a miracle. The Lord had heard their cry and answered their call. It was their faith!&lt;br /&gt;Of course the message is :&lt;strong&gt; Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.&lt;/strong&gt; Yes, the faith to take God at his word, for you, for your situation, for your family and finally, for your marriage. &lt;strong&gt;Marriage God&#39;s Way &lt;/strong&gt;is really the only real way to bring fulfilment and the kind of miraculous results that you have just read about. There are many things we can change and do for our marriages, and we should do them., but there are some things we cannot change and some things we just cannot do. That&#39;s where God steps in to complete the task. Victory belongs to the believer! &lt;strong&gt;Amen!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now I guess you&#39;re wondering why I am so inspired to tell you this story again, and why it is so urgent to stress to you the importance of&lt;strong&gt; having faith in God &lt;/strong&gt;for your marriages. Well, simply because it works!. . .I know, because the father in that story was me! . . . .and I looked around and found out that:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WE ARE BLESSED!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007/12/we-are-blessed.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4x1xTFbWsboi5AROWGfC8liMi8jQ3XVwu5DjUzx-kp46t4ceokASk3cZJ0W4E_gQDRgOWavIdsgJsNmlUyUxrEbWgF62ouxcCpwAMfUE6EEdwghSCGFnfQWq84ZtDJmO6wOVsmIKPQvi/s72-c/2897144630093170372jraict_fs.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-5870184658813194633</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:42:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2007-12-04T18:15:42.562-08:00</atom:updated><title>What if I choose not to get married?</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oJWc9H4C0VAQXB1SKKtBL9YlvHlmfqg4t5tgKejWEA61aU178s7aF39EAuIocZlb3Hs1yZIHd31xtWnWoeVGgVhlT67L01dHJsDW_hVzA0ye7hl1piphmtchGF3qWyDj2Gt2_jVm0hao/s1600-r/2241949040052197924BJrLJz_fs.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxCipV3be4QDEOckLfJ8iM3dZ8OhOOi8AEQmR8Vsuk2fjAP4Zmj0JZOaTZjFV1iqgUn3_Mn7ry2OQAujM8jnZSoZiXk48ohodH-v7R5XWoYgGN2Xbo8CVeZefJATDeCgWZl5sYBDhWyNh/s320/2241949040052197924BJrLJz_fs.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139711104554293906&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In today&#39;s segment, we discuss those who prefer not to marry. It&#39;s certainly not uncommon. However, it does create more challenges than most life styles. Let&#39;s see how the Holy scriptures sees it.1 Corinthians 6:18-20 &amp; 1 Corinthians 7:1-2 &lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&quot;Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God&#39;s. Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;. . . still, we have the choice of not joining with the opposite sex, for reason that you have a right to stand on.&lt;br /&gt;Nevertheless, it presents such an enormous challenge, simply because we creations of interaction. We are made to interact, to fellowship, to associate; and ultimately, we are accountable for our own actions, first to ourselves, and then to &lt;strong&gt;God!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Believe me dear hearts, after seeing so many injustices in life; men not taking care of there responsibilities, wife abuse, child melestation, cheating husbands and wifes,marriages gone sower, and many other reasons that warrant you staying single, &lt;strong&gt;I understand!&lt;/strong&gt; but please keep this in mind: &lt;strong&gt;Romans 14:22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before &lt;strong&gt;God.&lt;/strong&gt; Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;The choice of course is still yours. Can you still be happy? Of course you can. Inevitability has a way of finding us all; so life is good, and so is God!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So be of good cheer, my single readers, it&#39;s all in the game called life!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If that day would ever come that you embark upon marriage however, embrace it! It will open a new door for you that could not even imagine.&lt;br /&gt;God Bless you and have a wonderful and prosperous day. . . .and remember:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YOU ARE BLESSED!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007/12/what-if-i-choose-not-to-get-married.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxCipV3be4QDEOckLfJ8iM3dZ8OhOOi8AEQmR8Vsuk2fjAP4Zmj0JZOaTZjFV1iqgUn3_Mn7ry2OQAujM8jnZSoZiXk48ohodH-v7R5XWoYgGN2Xbo8CVeZefJATDeCgWZl5sYBDhWyNh/s72-c/2241949040052197924BJrLJz_fs.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-2245810561682892571</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:13:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2007-12-03T08:56:24.529-08:00</atom:updated><title>Marriage. . . .A good thing!</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglRkhIqLc73GsxSRw0XKLWXhLJul3RtCuWp_R9ZswdkA3kGPLVHJpWSbg4w4pW1OPnyiSyHmZM_jg99oLfyeM1r8EGSOpWlhyphenhyphenoN-TB68lIy20cw2k12PqhtDgHKYOwbuD6lFJHsKr8I-fp/s1600-r/2951593210013866033OGMrzZ_ph.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXi2HsC1dTxQKTAiyUjRju4fwEGlEvE5hqBmYPlz-tLZmXt7lxkzORM1HylHiX0JfQukhxV5V3BLVvKJWIhGGG_PF7DQamnLILmG-kd1wSmURzVFDsdmT3mQJNOrYoiXzSMhVQPgXaSgvq/s320/2951593210013866033OGMrzZ_ph.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139703824584727170&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yes my dear readers, marriage is a good thing. Today&#39;s segment shows us the fruits of it&#39;s existance. &lt;br /&gt;Although marriages today are challenged by many outside forces, even to include perversion, through to power of the Holy scriptures, it stands alone in it&#39;s triumph.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Even scripture depicts a &quot;good thing&quot; when referring to a man choosing a mate. &lt;strong&gt;Proverbs 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. &lt;/strong&gt; why is that so important? Because when two, male and female become &quot;one&quot; as the scripture suggest, they together reflect or mirror God&#39;s plan for mankind. Don&#39;t be surprised, it&#39;s Bible. &lt;br /&gt;That&#39;s right my friend, it is God&#39;s will that we become one with Him.&lt;br /&gt;Marriages with God become stronger, marriages with out God end up many times very tragically; and ultamately divorce!&lt;br /&gt;Like it or not, it&#39;s marriage God&#39;s way or nothing. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Listen to this scripture: &lt;strong&gt;Matthew 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar&#39;s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar&#39;s; and unto God the things that are God&#39;s.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don&#39;t you see, marriage is not a man-made thing, it&#39;s a God thing. That&#39;s why throughout the scriptures, He leaves instructions.God already knew that marriages would face many challenges and obstacles through life; so He left us a guideline, a roadmap if you will, to make sure that we would be able to handle this awesome task called marriage. . . . . so He gave us a prerequisite . . &lt;strong&gt;Mark 10:8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. &lt;br /&gt;Matthew 19:6  &lt;br /&gt;Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Marriage is a &quot;good thing&quot;, it&#39;s a blessed way,it&#39;s a happy way,and of course, it&#39;s God&#39;s way. &lt;br /&gt;To those who are married, have a wonderful marriage and always remember:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YOU ARE BLESSED!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;NOTE: Be sure to follow our next segment where we will talk about those who choose not to marry. It&#39;s a good one!   Be Blessed!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007/12/marriage-good-thing.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXi2HsC1dTxQKTAiyUjRju4fwEGlEvE5hqBmYPlz-tLZmXt7lxkzORM1HylHiX0JfQukhxV5V3BLVvKJWIhGGG_PF7DQamnLILmG-kd1wSmURzVFDsdmT3mQJNOrYoiXzSMhVQPgXaSgvq/s72-c/2951593210013866033OGMrzZ_ph.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-5478242439964943372</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2007 08:52:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2007-12-03T01:50:11.847-08:00</atom:updated><title>Is it Love. . .or just will-power?</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSyVPizQXoCM58DghRr1koAYhl5AH1SHhXYJ9_cE0_mBCRUqPH7J-eJzmtklwHFHdJL11Sv19MYxQjvcJ87eP9sMjzzRR-2UYcVinQ-B9q8JmuxJtdLtVzSqmvZoJsmzzGmQWM22G3JiKU/s1600-r/asset-54209.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-SMX7rdowQ9gLKd4hweIsCxH4cNlEoK9k0wPHPcmeIwP6mxY9NQDy7JYL2CFlPyn9PNPam2pF26Hg4OgLdvDzB2urZYsVBgzqsl2KoSQ_A_p0F_HRR4lNNZ9-h21wRq8N3fcrdrGa0dW/s320/asset-54209.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139667364607351410&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&quot;TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE&quot;. &lt;/strong&gt;. .I&#39;m sure you&#39;ve heard that saying before. Well, my friends, in today&#39;s segment, we explore &quot;the reason for the season&quot; if you will. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Often in our walk through life and in our marriages, we as humans are capable through desire and persistance, to acquire or accomplish things we have pursued. Is it a good thing? Of course it is; however, in marriage, it&#39;s only good if the element of Love is present. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Genesis 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You see, only during creation were things set in order. After that, God gives every individual free choice.(THE ABILITY TO DO WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Interestingly enough, &quot;will-power&quot; is simply an individual doing what they will or can, ( NOTE:NO MOTIVE NEEDED.) On the other hand &lt;strong&gt;Love&lt;/strong&gt; is a motivation that causes an action. Such a thin line between the two.&lt;br /&gt;Sadly enough, many marriage exist on just will-power alone, but it&#39;s really not enough.Why? . . .because will-power &lt;strong&gt;can run out,&lt;/strong&gt; given the right timing, the right place, and the right opportunity, everything can change. &lt;br /&gt;There is no drastic change or variance in Love. Listen to the scriptures:&lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;1 Corinthians 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let&#39;s be real about the matter; when your relationship is soley based on will-power, &lt;strong&gt;there is no reason to sustain it&lt;/strong&gt; and when certain pressures arise, it is an easy escape to just quit! Listen closely to what we are saying here. &lt;br /&gt;Your sucess and happiness are on the line here. Take a good look in the mirror and tell yourself what you see.&lt;br /&gt;On the other hand, &lt;strong&gt;Love is the key.&lt;/strong&gt; Yes, my dear friends, Love will out weigh any storm of life, or any rocky relationship. Love makes the real difference, and besides, it makes you &lt;strong&gt;ONE!&lt;/strong&gt;Trust me on this one, &lt;em&gt;will-power &lt;/em&gt;eventually runs out. . .then what? Think about that!&lt;br /&gt;Love of course will stand the test.  Now where does it come from. . .you guessed it. . . &lt;strong&gt;it comes from God.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;to thine own self be true&quot; kind of make you the judge eh? Love or will-power. . .what do the scales say for your marriage?&lt;br /&gt;This is your day to be free. . .take advantage of it and always remember. . . . &lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YOU ARE BLESSED!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007/12/is-it-love-or-just-will-power.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-SMX7rdowQ9gLKd4hweIsCxH4cNlEoK9k0wPHPcmeIwP6mxY9NQDy7JYL2CFlPyn9PNPam2pF26Hg4OgLdvDzB2urZYsVBgzqsl2KoSQ_A_p0F_HRR4lNNZ9-h21wRq8N3fcrdrGa0dW/s72-c/asset-54209.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988273693328221291.post-8882943824668690628</guid><pubDate>Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:47:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2007-11-30T10:43:28.417-08:00</atom:updated><title>Resolution or Resurrection. . .</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAud6As1_gDnWZrCT-UHjYiMWaMxFAPJoJLmZToOCqeYqn_q9oJwhAOWZOtK1aox-v130LiNa1a1pcErQAcUGobunWpIyjfX5UOac8iSKR4erF0FJfCAaiCJZ2edt3UNvSndhfDKhN6vq_/s1600-r/56738_wallpaper280.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEUrmGLGDupoB0sDENiRJggiC7_Ln3qNUAo1p8nhMfTCIYHh-hr6tnDSWEpt3F9_52j68-PyaRCnJlqNG2RnXccfwIIzgsyFON4kR_lhvGK8ato-9O8aVSHh3gx8jm309gfvjxB1yFe6w/s320/56738_wallpaper280.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138692209627256002&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In this week&#39;s segments and as the year comes to a close, it&#39;s important to focus on where your life and marriage is heading. &lt;strong&gt;Resolution or Resurrection &lt;/strong&gt;is the choice that is set before us today.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Typically, we all tend to decide on resolutions for the upcoming year, to of course do better, and possibly change some things. However, it is vital for us who are married to press much further than a resolution, which in many cases aren&#39;t adhered to any way. &lt;br /&gt;Resurrection on the other hand carries an authority and a new birth if you will, for the days ahead. Our marriage barometers should be set on a much closer walk with each other. Yes, even more intimate times together and fellowship along with communication. &lt;br /&gt;When the apostle Paul was admonishing the church become familiar with their ministry partners, he wrote: &lt;strong&gt;1 Thessalonians 5:12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It&#39;s so important to know each other, not outside of, but inside your relationship!&lt;br /&gt;What does that mean? I&#39;m glad you asked!&lt;br /&gt;Knowing your spouse inside your relationship takes the &quot;unknown&quot; out of your relationship. That&#39;s right! Did you know that 70% of divorces are due to a lack of communication between the two parties. They really didn&#39;t communicate, inside the relationship; subsequently, it left room for doubt, trust, and the fear of &quot;what if&quot;.&lt;br /&gt;You see precious readers, longevity is actually based on the quality of your foundation. Listen to this scripture: &lt;strong&gt;Luke 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;what is the foundation of your marriage built on? . . .money . . .automobiles. . .houses. . .sex. . prestige. . .pride. Something to really think about eh!&lt;br /&gt;Resurrection means to bring back to life. No doubt you may have had some rough times in 2007, but it does not eliminate the ability to resurrect you marriage relationship. In fact, resurrecting you marriage will teach you new ways to fall in love all over again.&lt;br /&gt;It&#39;s time for&lt;strong&gt; resurrections not resolutions&lt;/strong&gt;. . .decide before the year is out, that you&#39;re in it for the long haul. . . resurrect your marriage relationship; it&#39;s Godly, it&#39;s even heavenly, and besides, it&#39;s the right thing to do because it&#39;s &lt;strong&gt;Marriage God&#39;s Way! &lt;/strong&gt;I&#39;m praying that those who will read this message will be inspired to take a firm step to resurrect your marriage relationship. &lt;br /&gt;May God richly Bless you during this holiday season and always remember . . . .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YOU ARE BLESSED!&lt;/strong&gt;</description><link>http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007/11/resolution-or-resurrection.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Bishop Larry C.&amp;amp;; Sis Brenda Scott)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEUrmGLGDupoB0sDENiRJggiC7_Ln3qNUAo1p8nhMfTCIYHh-hr6tnDSWEpt3F9_52j68-PyaRCnJlqNG2RnXccfwIIzgsyFON4kR_lhvGK8ato-9O8aVSHh3gx8jm309gfvjxB1yFe6w/s72-c/56738_wallpaper280.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item></channel></rss>