Good Books DVD’s – The Welcome Home

The Love Dare

I’d like to share another sort of journey with you. Wes bought me The Love Dare book. And so, I thought it would be sort of neat to share observations along the way as I go on the journey through the Love Dare book. I’ve read the preface, introduction and Day 1. Tomorrow I’ll write about “Day 1 – Love is Patient” and I will entitle each blog entry with the day and the heading. I know I won’t be able to communicate all that happens on this journey and will likely not share specifics – but I’d like to write about this journey in hopes that I will encourage at least one woman to invest love, loyalty, effort and desire to improve or restore her marriage – to intentionally invest in her marriage. I desire to improve my happy marriage — I desire to reinforce my strong marriage — I desire to learn more about my husband and my Heavenly Father’s desire for us as a couple. I desire more opportunities to help others in marriage.

You know why this is important to me? Because marriage matters. Because God’s Word matters. Because Faith matters. Because children need an example to emulate, a pattern to follow and path to walk. Because family matters. Because history matters. Because children need a godly heritage to pass on to their own children’s children. Because God’s design matters.

Marriage matters to me. Because I have seen the enemy attempt to thwart God’s design and godly seed. Because first it was an attack on the children — destroy the faithful line – then an attack on the marriages — destroy the fruitful vine; now it’s all-out war on the family — destroy God’s design.

Another couple is facing divorce… another man has left his wife… another woman has left her husband… another family has been torn apart… another marriage has become a shipwreck.

Marriage matters. Because God designed marriage to be (among other things) a picture of Christ and the church – His bride.

Get the Love Dare book… Fireproof your marriage! Take the dare with me.

I ♥ marriage

I love it. I love my own and I love others’ marriages as well. I love God’s beautiful plan for marriage – His picture and His design. I love the imagery of marriage and am thankful that God, in His gracious wisdom and mercy, created marriage and called it a picture of Christ and the church — the Lord and His bride… that’s an incredible picture — an incredible gift. What a loving and merciful God — to show us Himself by what He creates, what He designs and what He establishes.

So, yeah…I ♥ marriage. I’ve seen a lot of great marriages. I’ve seen more not-so-great marriages and still more really bad marriages — that is if I use the term “marriage” synonymously with the term “relationship.” In reality – marriage and relationship are not the synonymous. But for the sake of this conversation and for the sake of understanding, I’ll use it that way when talking about a covenent relationship between a man and a woman — bcz that’s what marriage really is. It’s not just a paper declaring an event has occured and it’s not just a ceremony witnessed by at least two others. It’s a covenent established by God signifying the joining of two lives – the blending of two halves the making of twain, one flesh. That’s a beautiful picture – but so lost on so many who are married but don’t live it, don’t understand it, don’t treasure it and don’t worry about the dire consequences for being careless about marriage and the message that gives the watching Word and, especially what it says about the Lord, the bishop and overseer of our souls.

I loved the movie: Fireproof. O, I said that, didn’t I. Well, may I say again: I loved the movie Fireproof.

There are so many marvelous helps, methods of encouragement — things to do to turn a relationship around that the Lord can take your mess and make into the marriage *He* designed and created it to be. But you’ve got to be willing to do whatever it takes.Life Innovation’s Prepare-Enrich has and interesting marriage quiz you and your spouse can take: Here. And… if at all possible, please go see the movie: Fireproof. You will be so blessed and your marriage will be helped – no matter where you’re at in marriage – good, bad, great, terrible, agonized or elated… you will take something away from this movie that will deepen your relationship with your spouse – but more importantly, with the Lord.

Fireproof your Marriage

Fireproof – the movie – Please go see it!

I very rarely make a bold movie recommendation and I don’t think I’ve ever suggested that there’s a movie *every* married couple must see. Until now. Now, I’m not caught up in the afterglow of a tremendous movie or in a bunch of emotional hype that seems to be the order of the day when a person comes out with a guaranteed to change the purpose of your best life now sort of book and I’m not doing a 40 day program with my church and I am not even saying this movie will change your life, your marriage or your future. But I am saying that if couples (married especially, but engaged couples as well) would go see the movie Fireproof, I believe God would most surely use it to open blind eyes and soften hard hearts and change directions, habits, decisions and futures of marriages – any marriage – current or future.

Wes and I went to see Fireproof last night. I’m telling you it was a powerful, God honouring, insightful and inspiring movie. The message was that powerful. And it wasn’t bcz it was a message about something I’m passionate about – though it is – it’s bcz the underlying message of the Good News of Jesus Christ was the central theme woven in the message that marriage is a covenant and no one/no marriage is beyond hope. I would go see it again today. I will buy it and I would, if I could, buy a copy of the movie for every couple I know (couples from engagement beyond golden anniversary). I would, if I could today, buy The Love Dare Journal for every couple I know (see a sample chapter here); No kidding.

The power of the Gospel – the power of God to save, restore, rekindle love, secure commitment to the covenant of marriage, to power of God to work in lives of husbands and wives… to honour, respect, forgive, love and cherish one another… this is the theme of the movie. This is the powerful message Fireproof presents.

Now, I know there are critics mocking this movie and punching gaping hole in whatever flaws they perceive the movie to have. And there are those who, for seared consciences, are mocking the “religious” answers, approach or reaction to life’s trials and temptations – as if to be disappointed that the movie didn’t go the direction most marriages on the brink of divorce go or the direction physical or emotional affairs go. It’s pretty incredible that a movie of the caliber of Fireproof is even playing in mainstream theaters.

I suppose there’s probably some ~~shock~~ disappointment, by those same sarcastic, hollywood plastic faces and movie critics, and they’re probably incensed that the movie contained no nudity, no gratuitous sex, no philandering, no swearing, no omg’s, no crude language, no drinking, no drugs, no gambling, none of their favourite ‘stars’ and nothing to bolster Barak Obama’s standing in the polls.

My prayer is that this will not become just another hyped up, trinkets and trash, mega’church’ gizmo to attract masses – 40 days of whatever and the marvelous intrinsic value, message and intent is lost to much making of merchandise. (Ezekiel 26.12 & 2Peter 2.2-3)

♥ Go see it!!

How Great Is Our God

O, how great our God.

We watched a terrific dvd last night — I hope we’ll watch it over again tonight — it was that great! It’s How Great Is Our God with Louie Giglio teaching/preaching. In addition to the mind boggling information about the size of the universe, he talks about the intricacy and complexity of the human body and then ends his presentation describing the marvel of the cell adhesion protein molecule “laminin.” Laminin is what holds us together — it’s the “glue” that holds our cells together. I don’t know whether it’s his infectious enthusiasm or the shear volume of information, but his riveting presentation is wonderful. With each image displayed on the enormous screen, the astonished crowd cheers with great applause. In a dramatic climactic closing he quotes Colossians 1.17 “He (Christ) is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” [In the kjv: “And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.”]

What a phenomenal marvel that the protein molecule that holds all our cells together — the glue that holds us together — is in the shape of a cross. Big bang? Chance? Evolution? I don’t think so.

O, how GREAT our God. The Matchless, Marvelous, Ineffable God.