The Christian Life is a Process of Becoming More Like Christ

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There are new things to look at on the site.

  1. The is a new trailer of the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” It is on the right side under the Amazon icon. Click on it to see what the book is all about.
  2. There is a new page forming called, “All About Writing.” That page will talk about publishing; have guest authors share, and discuss writing trends. It is in a baby stage, so bear with me as I slowly develop it to my and your liking.
  3. I have posted two 5 star reviews of my book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” on the “All About Writing” page. I will be add others as the days go by. Click on the All About Writing tab to also see all my other places you can connect with me.
  4. There is a new page called, “Publishing News.” This page will bring you news from around the world on trends, latest news on publishing, and any other things that may be interesting. Check it every time you come here. There is a new post there today that is very interesting. Just click on the “publishing,” tab above, to read the latest news on publishing.

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Another shocking announcement! ( That got your attention!) “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, ” is now out in eBook form. I You can acquire it at all the eBook outlets. It is only $4.99. Help it climb the www.amazon.com best selling list.

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I have a podcast here that I did with John Kremer, the marketing guru. He invited me to share unusual places to sell books. Take a listen and hit those street running: goo.gl/WGTF7

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Thoughts just for you…

The Christian life is a process of becoming more and more like Christ. (Romans 8:29)

We need to purify ourselves. What does purify mean? It means to keep morally straight, free from the corruption of sin. God also purifies us, but there is action we must take to remain morally fit. (I Timothy 5:12) (James 4:8) (Ipeter 1:22.)

We need to also know the difference in commiting a sin and continuing to sin. Even the most faithful sometimes commit sins, but they don’t cherish a particular sins and choose to commit it. A believer who commits a sin repents, confesses and finds forgiveness. A person who continues to sin, is not sorry for what they are doing. Thus this person never confesses and never receives forgiveness. Such a person is in opposition to God no matter what religious claims they make.

Three steps are necessary to find victory over sin:

  1. Seek the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s word.
  2. Stay away from tempting situations.
  3. Seek the help of the body of Christ. Be open to their willingness to hold you accountable and pray for you.

So, live your life in a way that you can feel peace with your heavenly Father. Obey His ways, and believe that He sent His only Son down to this earth to die for you and me.

Remember:

You are not alone.

You are not forsaken.

You are not unloved.

Above all… never, ever, give up!

 

 

 

I Need Help learning How to Pray

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Today I am going off the beaten path a little to discuss how to pray. I had a short page or two about in the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” I have some books I have read for a resource that will guide you in this subject.

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Where Do I Find Out How to Pray? 

            Prayer has to be the necessary foundation I talked about in the introduction for part one. With prayer you can talk to your heavenly Father, and He will guide you through your trials and daily routines.

            It seems like prayer is the easiest thing to set aside. You often think you don’t have time for it. In reality, prayer is the one thing you need to make time for. All other things should be after prayer.

            I have some books I have read that really have helped me understand prayer. They really taught me how to pray. Check these out and let me know if they have helped you. You can find my contact information in the appendix.

            The following books are all written by Stormie Omartian. You can find any of them by going to Amazon.com and putting in her name. These books were published by Harvest House Publishers:

Just Enough Light for the Step I’m On: Trusting God in the Tough Times. (Her first book; good background information on the life she had to go through to start leaning on prayer.)

The Power of a Praying Husband

The Power of a Praying Wife

The Power of a Praying Kid

The Power of a Praying Woman

The Power of Praying Through the Bible

Praying God’s Will for Your Life: Student’s Edition

The Prayer That Changes Everything (I highly recommend this one)

Break Through Prayer, Jim Cymbala, Zondervan,Grand Rapids,Michigan49530

When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer, Jerry Sittser, Zondervan,Grand Rapids,Michigan49530

Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? Philip Yancey, Zondervan,Grand Rapids,Michigan49530

Christian Prayer for Dummies, Richard J. Wagner, Wiley Publishing, Inc.,New York,New York10022 (for the beginner like me!)

 

 

I am Not the Enemy

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_______________________________________________                          Just A reminder that there are only 25 shopping days until Christmas. It was Cyber Monday two days ago and I still want you to have a quiet time of ordering right from your computer. No rush; no fuss. The book,             ” Signs of hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” is on a special Christmas sale. In the stores it is $19.99, but on this site it is only $15.99. The shipping has been cut in half as well. A total savings of over $6.00. You need to order by December 17th to make sure the book will get to in time for Christmas. Just go to the top of this page and click on “Bookstore.”

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The excerpt today is Chapter 9. It is about knowing that our spouses are not the enemy in our lives. We need to care and love them as they should us as well.

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Chapter 9

 

I Am Not the Enemy

 

The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife,

and likewise, the wife to her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:3

 

In our daily lives we go about trying to just make it through the day. And we spend much of our time worrying about tomorrow. We do not know where to turn for comfort.

I learned through my own troubled times that I have one place I can always turn besides prayer and meditating on God. It is someplace (someone) right in my home. My wife. I’ve learned that a spouse should be your special place of refuge.

And I’ve learned that my wife Charlotte is not the enemy. There were times when I wondered about this, and struck back. Through counseling, I realized that she is my strength—and my friend. In the past I always tried to blame her for many of my problems. If I was depressed, it was her fault. If I failed at something, it was her fault.

Our personal counselor made us think and really look at each other. Each of us had to decide if the other really was on our side. Or was my spouse the enemy? This, of course, was an easy choice.Charlottewas not the enemy. She wants the best for me, and I want the best for her. So why do we spend so much time blaming our spouses for our problems?

They are the ones we should be going to for help with our problems. If there is an unresolved issue that has come between the two of you, sitting in silence only fuels the problem.

We need to consider the feelings of our spouses, and stop putting ourselves ahead of them. We need to clean up our inner feelings before we can attempt to help others. If we do this and really try to stick with that formula, the regret we feel should be because we haven’t done what we feel we should have done to uplift our spouses.

Think of your spouse as your sounding board, your place of refuge. You need to consider your spouse a place for you to share hurt, and a place where you can feel free to “unload,” without judgment or punishment.

Talk to your spouse and let him or her know that you do not think of them as your enemy, and also let them know that you are on their side and want to help them in any way as they go through their daily lives.

Your heavenly Father is, of course, not your enemy. Neither is your spouse, who is your earthly companion that you should always feel free to share your hurts with—just like you would with God.

 

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives,

and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you

of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

1 Peter 3:7

 

However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself,

and the wife must respect her husband.

Ephesians 5:33

 

Further Adventures

Sit down and list the good things you know about your spouse. Now write the things that you consider bad things. Look at each of them, and then throw the bad things in the garbage. Keep the good things and concentrate on them. There is a saying, “Write your hurts in the sand and your happiness in cement.” This way your hurts will wash away, and you can always see your happiness. This is the step toward a happier marriage. Don’t keep score of the bad feelings. Only count the good.

 

Something to Ponder

Wouldn’t it be funny if Adam said to Eve, “Watch it; I have plenty of ribs where you came from”?