7 Ways to Make Your Marriage Awesome!

Plan right away to attend our next marriage seminar at Tomoka Christian Church on March 23 & 24. This will be a Friday evening and Saturday morning event. Our seminar leaders are Clint and Penny Bragg, members here at Tomoka who travel the country as marriage missionaries. The date is set so mark your calendars for the good of your marriage and be watching the Email Express and Bulletin for more details..

Here are some motivating marriage tips that Perry Noble, pastor at NewSpring Church in South Carolina, posted on his blog this week:

#1 – Stop Fighting IN IT and Start Fighting For It – as long as you see your spouse as the enemy your home will always be a battlefield, and EVERYONE loses when you fight with each other and not for one another.

#2 – Stop Asking God To Fix Your Spouse And Ask Him To Fix You – no one in any marriage is perfect…and when we stop pointing out all of our spouse's perceived inadequacies it really does make us a much better person to be around. (Psalm 139:23-24 is a GREAT prayer to pray when asking God to show you your very own “opportunities for improvement.”)

#3 – Ask For Help – you are NOT the first married couple that has ever struggled, you WON’T be the last. The problem is that (especially in church) we are so obsessed with what people may say or think that we will allow our relationships to implode. We cannot allow our desire for appearance to distort the reality that we need help!

Click here for the rest of Perry's tips.

"Ten Reasons I Think Your Marriage is Going to 'Make It!'"

This week on his blog, Pastor Perry Noble of NewSpring Church in South Carolina posted an uplifting writing on why your marriage will succeed. Check it out to see what you can do to positively affect your marriage.

#1 - Because you are willing to swallow your pride and ask for help, understanding that you are NOT the first married couple that has ever had trials and struggles.

#2 - Because you are willing to stop pointing out all of the problems your spouse has and begin to beg God to reveal your shortcomings to you so that you can focus on the changes you need to make. (I will focus on my responsibilities and not my "rights!")

#3 Because you will stop investing tons of time in Facebook and reruns of movies you have already seen and actually begin talking to your spouse again, you know...like you did when you were dating.

To read the remaining reasons, go to Perry's blog here.

Life Can Be Really Shaky

The entire world seems to be moving with earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, Taiwan as well as tremors throughout the world. Our lives are shaky even without the earthquakes due to little issues related to marriage, money, broken health and grief. Our faith in Jesus and His unshakeable Kingdom is vital in surviving all of the quakes, small and large, in our lives.

See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:25-29

Here are a few more key verses for all of us to read to prepare us for what lies ahead.

1 Kings 19
Matthew 28:2
Acts 16:26
Matthew 24
Revelation 11
Revelation 16

The earth and our lives will continue to shake. The question is, do you have a firm foundation?

Increase Your Knowledge

The Almighty tells Daniel that the end times will be characterized by an increase of knowledge.

But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge. Daniel 12:4

While all of this knowledge causes pride that spreads sin at an unprecedented pace, there is a positive side. The church is able to:

• Share Jesus with unreached and closed people groups
• Grow in faith through an avalanche of Biblical material
• Provide private Biblical counsel to those in need

Here are a few websites that may be helpful to you, your family, or a friend:

E-Sword – free Bible program
Christian Classics Ethereal Library – Great Biblical Resources
Focus on the Family – marriage and parenting resources
Family Life – family resources
Exodus International – deliverance from homosexuality
XXXchurch– deliverance from pornography, sex addiction, masturbation addiction
World Prayer Team – submit prayer requests and pray for others
Celebrate Recovery – freedom from your hurts, habits, and hang-ups
Care Net - unplanned pregnancy
Abortion Recovery
Embraced by Grace - adoption agency
Bible Gateway – online Bible search
Resources for Women - South Daytona pregnancy center
St. Louis Cardinals

Paul penned these immortal words: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” – 1 Corinthians 15:57

On Marriage

A successful marriage may be one of the most difficult disciplines in life, yet one of the most fulfilling. Take a moment to pray for your marriage and then for someone else's marriage that you know could use some encouragement. We can choose to love at a higher level than we do currently. The long-term results will be worth all of our efforts.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7