Faithful Friends

A friend closer than a brother,
A friend like no other.
A friend in which to confide,
A friend that nothing can hide.

A friend that is a friend without thinking,
A friend to you when others are shrinking.
A friend from long ago and still now,
A friend when all is lost, and you have won somehow.

A friend that came to help you carry on,
A friend that tells you that you are never alone.
A friend that can repair and mend,
A friend that is there till the very end.

-Wade Jinright

Beautiful Beyond Measure

We have all heard the adage of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." When God saw us in our sin there was no beauty to behold. We so many times look for beauty on the surface, but according to Proverbs 31:30, "Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." So many girls and women have been deceived by the world that there is only beauty in the outward appearance. It was God's unconditional love that showed us the way to have true beauty through salvation. Through Christ's compassion and sacrifice; we have a picture of true beauty.

Days will come when you don't have the strength
And all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart
They'd see so much
(Encouragement is something that everybody needs. It causes us to wonder about our worth when we are constantly barraged by hurtful words. The contents of our heart tell the hidden secrets. These are things that we do not share with just anybody.)


You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful
(We have nothing without God, but God chose to take those of us who have accepted Him and use us to reflect the beauty of His Son's sacrifice. Our worth and beauty are in Christ.)

Praying that you have the heart to fight
Cuz you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
But they are nothing in the shadow of the cross
(The hurt that we feel can be overbearing, so much that we cannot move forward. All the contents of the heart can be covered by the blood of Christ, and hurts can be healed.)

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful

You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful

Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to die!
(Before we were on the mind of God, He knew that there was something that would be far greater than anything else that He would create. Jesus gave us our lives back when He laid down His life on the cross.)


You're beautiful, You're beautiful
In His eyes

You're beautiful!
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful!
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful!
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful!
You are treasured
You are sacred
You are His
(Beautiful- Mercy Me)

Find beauty in the cross.

The Fight For Love

I wish that love was an easy thing, but unfortunately we make it difficult sometimes. It is when one or the other of us fails to remember how our love came to be that we began dancing in a minefield. I think what Andrew Peterson is trying to put forth in his song Dancing in a Minefield is that we all make mistakes, but the One that saved us never did and that is Who we try to model our love after. Christ loved us unconditionally. So many marriages have ended because they have chosen to let there problems destroy them. I have been there too, and through those times I have come to love my wife even more. Don't let the problems that life throws at you destroy your marital union. I urge all of you out there to talk to your spouse when problems arise, and figure things out. Don't walk away from something because it is just too hard. Fight for the love that you fought for so long ago. Christ fought for us and is still doing so on a daily basis. Prepare yourself the days ahead and know that both the love of your spouse and of Christ will see you through.

I was nineteen, you were twenty-one
The year we got engaged
Everyone said we were much too young
But we did it anyway 
(I was 27, and she was 26, the year that we got engaged.)

We bought our rings for forty each
From a pawn shop down the road
We made our vows and took the leap
Now fifteen years ago 
(We did not get our rings from a pawn shop, but we got married later that year, and that has been six years ago.)

We went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storm
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for

"I do" are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I've heard
Is a good place to begin
(I would not consider the last words that I ever utter as "I do". It is not the beginning of the end; it is the start of something new, and most of the time it is uncharted territory for the two individuals that have joined themselves in holy matrimony. It is the dating period before these two people even think about getting married that prepares them for a more serious relationship. I would lay my life down for my wife and kids with no questions asked.)

'Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it's an easy price
For the life that we have found
(The harder price to pay is only thinking of yourself in the marriage. Marriage is a union between two people. You are no longer single, and you cannot live like it. It is easier to work together as a team; than it is to go solo. I have seen so many marriages in shambles, because one of the parties involved only thought of themselves, and did not care for the needs of the other.)

And we're dancing in the minefields
We're sailing in the storm
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for
(We have been through difficult times like the minefields and storms mentioned here. Christ did not say that life would be easy, but He did say that He would be there for us during those difficult times. We have made a commitment to our spouse to be there for them at all costs and in any situation. The Lord will bless those that have chosen to honor His way by getting married.)

So when I lose my way, find me
When I loose love's chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith, till the end of all my days
When I forget my name, remind me 
(Christ is there to guide us and if we get lost, He knows where to find us. I would rather bound together with my wife and Christ, and never be loosed from those chains. I want the reminder of who I am in Christ to be ever constant.)

'Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man
So there's nothing left to fear
So I'll walk with you in the shadowlands
Till the shadows disappear
(It is the presence of Christ that removes all fear, and the Holy Spirit that indwells us. There are scary places that we may not want to venture into throughout our lives, but we know that we do not go it alone.)

'Cause he promised not to leave us
And his promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos, baby,
I can dance with you
(Dancing in a Minefield-Andrew Peterson)
( "...for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."{Hebrew 13:5b) This is a wonderful promise from God. When life is so chaotic; remember that you have someone that loves you that will dance with you whatever the circumstances may be.)

Remembering Radiance

Memories are things that linger, and they are personal to everyone. I know that we encounter memories that we would rather forget, but God made us that way for a reason. I enjoy remembering the times of the past years with my wife and children, and the many great memories that we have had and will continue to have. What will you remember about your family? What will you remember about the beginning years of your marriage? I want to remember the radiant times; those bright points that make life worth living.

The bright points that sparkle like the night sky,

Things that make your heart to fly,

What dreams that you thought would never come true;

Are there standing right in front of you.

I was waiting for the love of my life,

And eventually I would ask her to be my wife.

Her radiant beauty is a light in my life,

And now I share her warmth as my wife. 

Waiting for my son to come,

Was one of those that defined our home.

My little girl, she stole my heart,

And she did it right from the start.

Remember radiance keeps the heart warm,

And finding it is not what the world would consider the norm.

For the radiance that we remember is Christ alone;

And this in love and glory is made known.

I don't want the idea that love is temporary to dominate the world, but I know from experience that it has a plot for global domination. Far greater than mortal love is the love of Jesus. Satan has tried to chill the hearts of men through deception, hate, envy, and covetousness. The unconditional love of Christ, once you know it will not disappoint and leave you feeling unloved.

Joseph Loved Mary

Mary loved Joseph even before they were given the job of taking care of God's Son, Jesus. The thing that might have hurt their relationship was viewed by the people of the Nazareth as somewhat of a scandal, and even their parents were surprised by the news. It took the intervention of the angels to tell both of them that everything would be alright. What God chose to do to bring His Son into the world was planned according to His Will. Joseph did like any self-respecting man would do when encountering something like this; he would put her away until he could figure out what was going on. God was on top of all the details of Christ's birth, and nothing would hinder His coming to earth in the form of a baby. Both the love of Mary and Joseph and the love of God were present in the greatest story ever told, but it is not just a story; it is a reality.

The Wonderful Life of Marriage

I am not saying there are not times that the married life has it's problems, but it is during those times that we learn what we need to work on in our marriages. Marriage is a life-long commitment to the person that you have chosen to love. So many people make their marriages dependent on if it will work out with the person that they think that they are in love with. Marriage is not short-term. I would suggest that if you are interested in someone that you take time to get to know them in every aspect of their lives, so that when you do reach the point of marriage that there are no doubts. The life together is definitely different from the single life, but it is a wonderful life. I think that Hollywood has tarnished marriage, and made it something undesirable. I have seen the other side of life with divorce, separation, and abuse. I have not seen it on a first hand basis, but I have seen it in other peoples lives. These things make life more complicated (referring to divorce, separation, and abuse), and those things are undesirable. Many of these things could be avoided, if people would wait and get to know these people. Love is blind. It is an emotion that can get out of control, if you are not following the principles of I Corinthians 13. There also those people that thought they were marrying the right person, and once the commitment was made everything went south. It is in the home that things are kept from the world's view, and unless someone says something; they stay a secret. So many people are trapped in these situations. It is God that knows everything about us and has chosen to love us unconditionally, and yet we have chosen to be unfaithful. There are many things that destroy marriages, and here are just a few infidelity, adultery, pornography, alcohol, drugs, and dishonesty. A few of these things could go hand in hand, but the simple fact is that all of these are sin. We have been so blinded by our sinful desires that we cannot call it what it really is. We have all considered the idea of "What if?", but this question has mislead a lot of people and has created broken homes. Don't let all these things cloud your vision. God created marriage and He knew what it could be if done by His book. Many people have treated marriage like a professional sport, and if the team member does not work out then they look for a trade or replacement. This is not easily done, because money becomes involved and creates even more problems. Sin creates so many problems, and until we recognize sin for what it is we will have problems.

I have gotten through those things that are detriment to marriage, but now let us move onto those things that are wonderful about marriage. Marriage makes a dwelling place a home. When children come along they add blessing to the marriage. It opens the heart to give more love to all those that are part of the family. Vows of centuries ago, if not kept there was a hefty price to pay. Vows are made to be kept and are not as easily broken like so many people do nowadays. I will stand by my wife and children, and I will not let anything tear this home apart. I will be the guardian of what God has entrusted me with, and I will be a good steward of what He has given me. I recently watched Veggie Tale's It's A Meaningful Life, and it talks about being happy with the circumstances that you have been placed in. Stewie (Larry the Cucumber) thought that if he had the game-winning catch at the football game that life's circumstances would have been different. He recognized through the different events that he was shown what would have happened to his family if his circumstances were different. God's blessing would have been ignored if all the world had to offer were at his disposal. It is in our time of need that we really see the Lord's provision.

Life alone what will I do?

How will I make it through?

You are not alone, Jesus said.

I will save you and make you new.

I have come to know You now,

And with my life I make a vow,

My life is worth more than gold,

From Your Word I have been told.

Had I not found You, where would I be?

I would be in darkness not able to see.

Your life was given for mine,

I will reflect Your light and make it shine.

Now that I found one with which to share my love,

With Your blessing, the love that came from above.

I will cleave to my wife in every situation and her alone,

And You are my family's cornerstone.

Love Out-poured

Where did love flow freely,
So rich and pure?
My Savior gave His life,
Because He knew it would save mine.

He was broken and bleeding,
He died for those of us needing,
His sacrifice to cover our sins,
Because He know how it ends.

I know that I could not withstand,
What Christ suffered at the Roman's hand.
He gained our salvation on that cross,
So that our souls would not suffer loss.

This love is out-poured for all,
This our hand up from the fall,
For He held nothing back,
So let us give Him our all.