YOUNG LOVE

Thursday, July 21, 2011

YOUNG AND IN LOVE
Challenging the Unnecessary Delay of Marriage
By Ted Cunningham

OVERVIEW: Pastor Ted Cunningham reveals the secrets to creating a healthy, successful, and lifelong relationship in early adulthood. He explains where the arguments against young marriage often go wrong. Then he offers wisdom on how to know if you are making the right choice and helps you understand what it takes to be ready for marriage.And along the way, he shows you that, far from kissing dating good-bye, the answer to staying pure might be to prepare for marriage. Because it's often easier to say, "Let's wait," when "I do" isn't far away.

AUTHOR: Pastor Ted Cunningham founded Woodland Hills Family Church in Branson, Missouri, where he lives with his wife and two children. A graduate of Liberty University and Dallas Theological Seminary, he has coauthored several books with Dr. Gary Smalley, including The Language of Sex and Great Parents, Lousy Lovers.

MY REVIEW: I agree with Dr. Gary Smalley who said, "Young and in Love is a wake-up call for every generation to honor marriage. This book will inspire you to get married, stay married, and enjoy life together. If you have been raised to fear love or marriage, then read this book for a whole new picture of what marriage should be."  When I first read that Cunningham was encouraging young marriage I thought the reference was to those still in their teens. My wife and I got married when she was 21 and I was 23. That is young but we never considered it young for marriage. But of course that was in 1958. Today men and women are waiting until much later to get married and that is what this book is all about. This is a great book and I recommend it with enthusiasm. That doesn't mean that I agree with everything that Cunningham has to say on this subject. For example he believes that maturity, not age, is the better basis for marriage. And I agree with that also. But he is more ready than I am  to believe that those coming to him wanting to get married and saying they are mature—really are mature. Maybe I am pessimistic when I feel that our culture today doesn't produce a whole host of mature people. But of course, the bottom line is, the two people getting married will have to make this decision. 

Dr. Tim Clinton, president of the American Association of Christian Counselors wrote: "The most important decision you will make apart from your relationship with God is who you marry. I love Ted Cunningham's passion for marriage and making sure that young people are choosing to marry—but also choosing wisely. He is an emerging and strong voice encouraging the church to fight for marriage in the next generation." I strongly agree with this.

(I was provided a copy of this book by The B & B Media Group, Inc. for this review.)

INTO THE STORM

Saturday, July 16, 2011

"What was meant to be a six-week reprieve from Haiti for missionaries Pritchard and Dana Adams, resulted in a 52 day standoff with the forces of darkness. Pritchard, after suffering a brain aneurysm while ministering in Didsbury, Alberta (Canada), hemorrhaged a second time and was given very little hope of recovery...if he survived at all. Locked in a deadly battle for her husband's life, Dana engaged in a spiritual combat that surpassed anything she had ever known. Knowing that Pritchard's life was in the balance with so much at stake, she and a faithful cast of intercessors chose to advance Into the Storm instead of retreating from it." 

Pritchard and Dana Adams have been serving in Haiti since January 1983, first as directors of Victory Christian Academy in Port-au-Prince, a multinational, English-speaking day school (1-12), then in a teaching capacity with the Pentecostal Holiness Bible school and with various independent churches in crusades and seminars.

As an independent book reviewer I have all the books I need to review. I usually do not accept the job of reviewing a book I know nothing about. However, when Dana asked me to review her book on my blog I agreed to do so simply out of respect for her work as a missionary. I told her it would be awhile before I could find time for it. But when her small book arrived yesterday I opened it and began to read and didn't put it down until I had finished reading the entire book. I knew then I wanted to make this book known to those of you who read and write for Spiritual Sundays.

In the midst of her storm, Dana longed to hear someone's story of not only fighting for their loved one, but winning! Daring to fight for a miracle and receiving it. After receiving her miracle she knew she wanted to write her book for others, to offer them hope, and to assure them that God is truly a God of miracles.

(Into the Storm  is available online at these websites: barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com. Copies may be obtained from their home office address: Rehoboth Ministries, Inc., 333 Hilliard Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28311

for $10.00. )

STANDING ON THE PROMISES

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

There was a brief time in my life when I suffered from panic attacks.

One of the most frightening things about those attacks was the loneliness. The feeling of being absolutely alone.

In my sane moments I would recognize how silly that fear was. But when I was beside myself with anxiety I wasn't thinking rationally.

Thinking rationally and clearly I remember with joy:

It is the Lord who goes before you.

he will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you.

Do not fear or be dismayed.

                                                                                   Deuteronomy 31:8 

And I like the words of the old hymn, Standing on the Promises: "Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, By the living Word of God I shall prevail..."

I'm also encouraged by the words of another old song I recall from memory but can't find in my song books: "No never alone..., No never alone, never ever to leave me, never to leave me alone."

Others may leave us--forsake us, but God---NEVER!

                                                                                                      

A WIFE OF NOBLE CHARACTER

Monday, July 11, 2011

 "Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?

She is worth more than precious rubies.

Her husband can trust her, and she will 

greatly enrich his life. She will not hinder

him but help him all her life." 

Proverbs 31:10

 Fifty-three years ago in Norwalk, California, Charlotte and I said our wedding vows and promised to be faithful to each other until death should part us. Fifty-three years is a long time but for us it has gone by fast.

Charlotte and I were in full time ministry with the church for almost fifty years. In those years I performed many, many wedding ceremonies. Most of them that I know about have lasted. Some have not. Couples break up and fail to be faithful to their vows for many different reasons. Others stay together and are faithful for various reasons.

How about the two of us? Why have we stayed together?

Well of course there are the vows we took before God. That always looms large for us. That's first and foremost. But putting that aside for a moment. What, on a practical level, has kept us together?

The answer is: CHARLOTTE!

Charlotte is a good woman. She is. She always has been. I met her when she was just a young girl. She was good then and now in her seventies--she is still good. Charlotte always wants to do what is right--what is good.

You can't live as long as we have without having many trying days. We have been up on the mountain and we have been down in the valley. In all of this, God's grace has been amazing.

"Thru many dangers, toils and snares, (we) have already come; 'Tis grace hath brought (us) safe thus far, And grace will lead (us) home."

JUDGING THE JURY

Thursday, July 07, 2011

The man on trial for murder was black and if convicted he would receive the death penalty. I am a Christian white man and in favor of the death penalty for those convicted of first degree murder. There was no way the lawyers were going to let me be on that jury. But they did.

The man was convicted and sentenced to death. A few months later, while still in prison, he hung himself.

I didn't want to be on that jury but I felt it was my duty to serve. I didn't want to convict him of murder but I felt he was guilty. I didn't want him to be sentenced to death but that was the penalty for his crime. I'm sorry he took his life but that was a decision he made.

That was over thirty years ago. Back then I believed the jury system worked. Today, because of liberalism and everything having to be politically correct, I believe it is almost impossible to convict someone of a crime. Two examples of people getting away with crime is O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony.  In my opinion, they both were as guilty as sin but were considered not guilty. One jurist in the Casey Anthony case said, "Not guilty doesn't mean innocent." But I say that for all practical purposes it does. When that jury said, "Not guilty" they knew they would also be saying, "She is innocent of these charges." You can't have it both ways.

Is it wrong to judge the jury? I don't think so. The old saying, "Stupid is as stupid does" applies here. Get twelve people together today and your chances of getting one or two who are unable or unwilling to make wise, rational decisions are great.

Our Lord got twelve people together to carry out a monumental task and some of them bumbled and stumbled along. Did Jesus do a good thing in giving responsibility to these twelve men? Yes, I think he did. Is it a good thing, then for us to select twelve people to make decisions about a persons guilt or innocence? Yes, I think it is. But we must---absolutely must, do a better job of instructing them concerning how to make decisions and reach verdicts.


If we cannot use common sense and circumstantial evidence we will continue to let the guilty go free and there will be no justice!

BREAKING FREE FROM THE FOUR EMOTIONS THAT CONTROL YOU

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Pastor Andy Stanley has written a book that will help you break free from the destructive power of guilt, anger, greed, and jealousy.

He writes that the difficult circumstances you are dealing with today are likely being fed by one of these four emotional forces that compels you to act in undesirable ways, sometimes even against your will. Each of these destructive forces--guilt, anger, greed, and jealousy can infiltrate your life and damage your relationships. Left unchallenged, they have the power to destroy your home, your career, and your friendships.

In Enemies of the Heart, Andy offers practical, biblical direction to help you fight back, to take charge of those feelings that mysteriously control you, and to restore your broken relationships.

Andy Stanley is a pastor, communicator, author, and the founder of North Point Ministries Inc. (NPM). Since its inception in 1995, North Point Ministries has grown from one campus to five in the Atlanta area and has helped plant more than thirty strategic partner churches globally. Each Sunday, more than twenty-five thousand people attend worship services at one of North Point Ministries' five campuses.

Dave Ramsey, New York Times best-selling author wrote: "Andy Stanley is a master teacher for a generation that loves to be taught. Here is yet more proof of Andy's ability to take us deep in a way that makes us want to go there.This is a great book." I agree and recommend this book without reservation.

(I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.)