ABORTION: The proposal keeps the abortion provision in the Senate bill. Abortion opponents disagree on whether restrictions on taxpayer funding go far enough. The bill tries to maintain a strict separation between taxpayer dollars and private premiums that would pay for abortion coverage. No health plan would be required to offer coverage for abortion. In plans that do cover abortion, policyholders would have to pay for it separately, and that money would have to be kept in a separate account from taxpayer money. States could ban abortion coverage in plans offered through the exchange. Exceptions would be made for cases of rape, incest and danger to the life of the mother.

My interpretation: this new bill is no better because abortions are going to remain legal. The killing of innocent, little human beings will continue to be allowed, although there will be a stricter separation of the funding of these murders. The funding of these murders should not be an issue because abortion should not be an issue. It is murder and in no way, shape or form should it be allowed. When will America realize this? I pray that the eyes of our country be opened to this matter and that we would realize that our legalization of over a million murders each year is ridiculous and wrong before millions more of innocent babies are denied the opportunity to live.

Louie delivered a message from Psalm 84, focusing mostly on verse 10 that says:

“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

Doorkeeper? Really? Yup! I’ve never thought of the task of a doorkeeper to be such a great job. New outlook on an often-time overlooked mediator. I want to be a doorkeeper!

There is a certain stereotype that our culture places on a person’s 21st birthday. It is typical for a person to go out on their 21st birthday and celebrate the new freedom that they have to purchase and consume alcohol legally. I am not judging people who celebrate their birthday in that fashion, but it’s not for me. Alcohol is a touchy subject that I’d like to address on here in the near future because I am not completely against it. But as for my birthday… you won’t see me running down to the bars and getting smashed to the point that I am incapable of having any recollection of the night; just a personal choice.

Thanks to everyone who has wished me a happy birthday today and thank you to all of the people who have been in my life to make these past couple of decades extremely special.

On a completely unrelated note… please check out one of my best friend’s new blog. He’s the smartest guy I know and has already started posting some crazy, amazing thoughts. You can find it here: http://sdneal.wordpress.com/

In this same sermon it gave the following enemies of commitment:

3 Enemies of Commitment

#1. Expectations

• Sometimes we grow impatient and settle for less or we do the opposite and have expectations that are way too high. God will bring you who you need. Remember that Mr/Mrs Right is not going to be perfect, but they will be who God knows you need.

#2. Selfishness

• Often times we are preoccupied with ourselves being in control more than God being in control; this paralyzes us because it causes us to be preoccupied with our own inadequacies more than God’s sufficiency. In marriage we all will be getting someone who is inadequate; we just have to remember that God is sufficient.

#3. Option-itis

• “If you keep all your options open, then you won’t miss anything.” This is completely not true!

My challenge to you and to myself is to gain a better understanding of commitment as soon as possible. We can begin practicing it now. Remember that our ultimate example is God. He is committed to you and I no matter what. Sometimes I get myself in a mess and I wonder how God could still love me. But I just have to remind myself that He is committed to me no matter what. I “cheat” on God so often but I am so thankful that He is committed to me even though I stumble. His love and his commitment to us is a perfect representation of the type of love and commitment that we should proclaim in our relationships/marriage.

#1 Open the Drawers

We all come with baggage, some much more than others. Baggage exists in many forms whether it be generational sin (family problems), abandonment, starvation, abuse (wounds and words), unresolved past relationships, false expectations, selfish pride, etc. This list could probably go on forever. But we all have it. Before we begin to move into any relationship, especially marriage, we must take all of our baggage and dump it at the foot of the cross AND understand the power of the cross. No baggage is too big or too much for Jesus Christ. The cross is the most powerful place in the world. It is the place where all of our sins were forgiven and we were given new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think of how He loves us. So…baggage…drop it at the cross. In Christ we are a new creation. Enter relationships with the cross instead of baggage. Open the drawers.

#2 Connect the Dots

Marriage starts now. Your partner will be a product of the current process. Become the person whom you want to marry. Understand the effects of what you are doing now has on your future marriage. Sexually, do you want a future spouse who has been impure with multiple partners? Then refrain from doing that yourself. Do you want a future spouse who is selfish? Start becoming selfless yourself. Start connecting the dots.

#3 Prepare the Way

You can’t just sit back passively and expect God to deliver your future spouse to your front door. You must begin dealing with all of your baggage. You must seek Christ above all things. You must allow God to fix you. But you cannot stay confined to your room at all times and expect a spouse to come knocking on your door. Begin the process, get out, see and be active! Prepare the way.

#4 See the Clues

God will give you clues if you are off the path, but you must see the clues. “Love” blinds us. Listen to the people around you that God has placed in your life. Talk to God and find out what He wants. We often let romantic feelings overwhelm us and base decisions soley on that. But God will guide you to where He wants you to be. But you have to do your part. See the clues.

#5 Resist the Lie

Culture tells us that sex is the way to ensure relationships will be stronger, more committed, more intimate, and closer. God’s Word tells us quite the opposite; the way to wreck a good relationship quick is…sexual impurity (not limited to just sex). Resist the lie.

These are just five steps that you can begin to take to have a better marriage, long before marriage happens. Remember to look big picture. Start off healthy now.

Yep. I bet you’ve probably never thought about that, have you? At least I never had until I heard that statement. God is trying to preserve and protect your marriage right now. He deeply cares about this matter.

Going back to the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis we must see that God is the central figure in the garden, as He must be in your life. The key to having a successful relationship starts by having an intimate relationship with Christ. By having a relationship with Christ you can enter other relationships knowing that you are: GUILT-FREE, ACCEPTED, FREE, LOVED, VALUED, and EMPOWERED!!!

Wow.

Foremost your core value has to be Jesus Christ.

Regarding marriage and God’s plan for your marriage, there is the idea of who your spouse will be. I think most people spend way too much time focused on this matter. But I’ve found two specific cases for you to avoid. Firstly, God tells us that you cannot join a believer with a nonbeliever. You are not missionary dating. Many believers enter relationships with nonbelievers with the idea that they can lead them to Jesus one day. Bad idea. Secondly, you probably should not date anybody that you could not see marrying initially. This one seems really difficult and confusing and can be a little controversial. You may ask why not? Well, I say what is the point of dating someone if you cannot see them as a marriage contender? Please tell me. Or, I’ll tell you: There isn’t one! Simple as that. Dating with no idea for marriage almost always is based around sexual impurity. Why put yourself in a situation with this temptation? Eliminate attempting relationships with these two types of people and you’re coming closer to the type of person that God has in mind for you.

So now going away from who God isn’t thinking about you marrying and going into who He is thinking about you marrying. We should know that God is thinking about your future spouse as someone who you can kneel down and pray with, someone who would open their Bible and say, “Check this out!”, someone who would say, “I know it’s far fetched and crazy but let’s go for it knowing that God is with us.” Don’t settle for less. God has great expectations for your marriage. After all, your marriage is for His glory.

And remember, be patient in your pursuit of relationships and marriage. Remember that God is enough. He is sufficient. It is God’s responsibility to bring us the woman or man; it is our responsibility to run after Him.

Yes, God is thinking about your marriage right now.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

God knows the plan. That idea should bring us peace in every aspect of our lives, and even so in our marriage. See, we have may have no way of telling who our future spouse is going to be, but guess what… God knows. God knows the plan. Things are going to be okay. I may not know the plan, but I know the God that does know the plan. That’s just as good as knowing the plan, right? Right. Plus, I think I’ll trust that God’s plan is much more grand that anything I could come up with.

See…I told you that God is thinking about your marriage right now.

“You’re always closer than we know

Always more involved and in control

We will trust our lives to You

The One who was and is and is to come”

God of Our Yesterdays – Matt Redman

• Marriage on earth is not simply about you and your spouse.
• Marriage on earth is a mirror that we hold up to the world to say, “This is who our God is and what He is like.”
• The world views marriage as something that two selfish people come into with a list of expectations and demands and if those are unmet they are unfaithful, mean, cheat, etc.. All things are non-covenantal.
• Relationships and marriages are successful when an awareness of God is foremost in our hearts.
• Unless your heart, your life, your whole being is full of an awareness of the God who made you, relationships and marriage are the last things you should be worried about.
• Marriage is not just for happiness, but holiness. Once you are married, your sin is magnified.
• “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” (Proverbs 18:22)
• “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness to his bones.” (Proverbs 12:4)
• Marriage is between two sinners.
• In marriage you are getting someone who is inadequate BUT God is all sufficient.
• You should focus on who you are becoming more than who/when/where you are going to marry. Focus on becoming more like Christ.
• We all have a lot of baggage that we bring into relationships and marriage. We must learn to lay that baggage at the foot of the cross permanently before we begin to worry about relationships and marriage.
• The marriage process has already started no matter what point in life you are at.
• God is thinking about your marriage right now, believe it or not.
• You must become the person who you want to marry in the future.
• God says sexuality = union.
• Commitment, commitment, commitment.

That list is a pretty good summary of the things that I found about relationships and marriage. This list may seem pretty random, but in my next few posts, we’ll jump further into some of the specific aspects of some of these statements.

When I initially started doing some research on marriage, here are I few things that I wrote down in my notebook that I labeled as “Initial Thoughts.” I wrote down the simplest things that at times seemed pretty obvious but since I was building from the ground up I felt no facts were worth skipping over. I started out looking in Genesis. (Words in bold are things that really stood out to me.)

• The first marriage was between Adam and Eve.
• God said that, “It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18)
• “a helper” helped me to realize one of God’s purposes for marriage early on in my research.
• “fit for him” seemed really interesting to me, especially because my marriage research was sparked by the question: “Does God have ‘the one’ designed for each of us?”.
• It was important to me that when God created someone to fill the alone-void for Adam, He created him a wife, not a best friend, child, or acquaintance. He could have easily made us asexual and gave Adam a child, right?
• “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) This verse gave me an idea about how the process is supposed to go. It is not as simple as it seems, but the steps are given to us here. This verse also tells us early on about the seriousness of entering into marriage, “they shall become ONE FLESH.”
• “And the man and his wife were both naked and unashamed” (Genesis 2:25) This made me think of what God intends for marriage, in that He desires us to enter into marriage sexually pure and when we do, we can be “both naked and unashamed” just like Adam and Eve.

So after studying hard the story of the first marriage in Genesis I began to dive much deeper. I read other passages in the Bible that spoke of marriage. I began downloading and listening to messages about marriage and relationships, specifically Louie Giglio’s series’ Boy Meets Girl and My Really Bad Date (which can be found at http://268store.com), as well as some messages by John Piper and Mark Driscoll. In my next post, I will share with you some of the things that really stuck out to me. I will share some deeper things that I found out about marriage, some of the questions that I kept struggling with, and some really good things that these Biblical scholars as well as what a few people close to me had to say about marriage and relationships.

#1. Spiritual Compatibility

This is obviously the most important factor. I’m not just concerned about her knowing who Jesus is, but is she actually on fire for Him with the same intensity that I am? Is she constantly challenging me to become more like Christ everyday? Is she someone that I can kneel down and pray with, someone who would open up her Bible and say, “check this out!”, someone who would say, “I know it’s far fetched and crazy but let’s go for it knowing God is with us”?

#2. Character Compatibility

Is she committed? Is she faithful? Those are the two most important character issues that stick out to me but are there any other things that I find objectionable in her character as well?

#3. Communicative Ability

Can I engage in authentic, soulful conversation with her?

#4. Physical Attraction

Pretty self-explanatory – not asking for a super model but I can’t be repulsed by her either.

#5. Knowing Each Other’s Story

In our relationship, have we both told our story – the darkest, depth of our pain and how God has healed us from whatever? Have we shared our most personal secrets with each other so that there are no surprises down the road?

If you had to write up a “marriage check-list” what would be on it?