Women's world day of prayer..

Today the women's world day of prayer is prepared by Christian women of Egypt. In the Mid-trent team, we will celebrate it in Stowe-by-Chartley. Egypt is one of the oldest civilisations in the world and it was populated soon after the flood by Mizraim, grandson of Noah. His name gives the Arabic for Egypt, Misr.

The literacy rate in 2010 was 72% 80% for males but only 63% for females. Many rural adolescent girls are discouraged from completing school, facing lives of early marriage, illiteracy and domestic abuse.The church in Egypt is doing all it can to counteract this. 

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that at least eight Egyptian Christians from the Minya province have been abducted since January 25, 2014. The abductions, thought to be carried out by members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), are just a handful among the hundreds of similar cases in the last few years.
On January 25, a “Muslim mob” abducted a 17-year-old Christian boy named Marcos Zakaria, Ezzat Ibrahim, the director of the World Center for Human Rights in Minya and Assiut, told ICC. Zakaria lived in Upper Egypt in Dier Mawas city in Minya province and is a student in his final year of secondary school. The kidnappers“contacted his family demanding a ransom of million Egyptian pounds for his return,”said Ibrahim.

To find out more, click on the link above (International Christian Concern).

Please join us tonight in prayers so that the persecution of our Christian brothers, sisters and leaders stop.

Sex, Marriage, Fairytales

Jefferson Bethke - Sex, Marriage, Fairytales || Spoken Word – Lyrics

Sex Marriage and Fairytales Words: When a video like this comes out many people will want to be able to read and evaluate the words. Here are the words to Jefferson Bethke’s new spoken word poem called, Sex, Marriage, &  Fairytales.

Disney Movies and Chick Flicks they put us in a weird position,
They’ve distorted our reality because we forget they are actually fiction.

Because in marriage we either get better or bitter, either joy or remorses,
What we’re doing isn’t working just look at the rate of the divorces.

So how’s your marriage? I mean common let’s be honest,
It seams more like a prison than the paradise they were promised.

We thought marriage was supposed to fulfil us and make us happy not lonely,
But the truth is God’s main purpose is making you holy.

You say, no one told me, it feels so odd,
Where dating feels like a vacation, while marriage feels like a job.

Yet the secret of joy if we just pull back the façade,
is realising most problems arise when we elevate our spouse to God.

Without knowing it we’ve fulfilled Romans 1:25,
By our actions exchanging truth about God for a lie.

We exchanged God for lesser created things,
It’s like a husband trading his wife for a 2D image on a screen.

Hoping it will set us free just to find out in the fumes we’re chocking,
Because if your marriage rests on anything but Jesus it’s resting on something broken.

Yet guys continually sacrifice their marriage on the alter of sex and lust,
I mean if our dollars were honest they’d say “In Pleasure We Trust”.

So men grow up, put down the controller,
How bout you lead her with grace instead of trying to control her.

Now I’ve never been married but I’m a product of one that was non existent,
So don’t tell me I don’t understand the pain, Don’t tell me I don’t get it.

So to the singles, become friends first before you ever become lovers,
Peruse Jesus as your foundation, before you get under the covers.

Because believe me a strong friendship before marriage will make a good marriage after,
Marriage isn’t just sex, it’s converstation and laughter.

I mean some spouses barely even like each other and the marriage seams like a dead end,
You might share a check-book and house but are you actually friends?

I mean if marriage isn’t a commitment then what’s the point of the vows we say,
Till death do us part really means until the feelings go away.

Like I’ll stay with him, but only until it gets tough and my love shifts,
But I say imagine if a parent took that perspective with their kids.

Can’t you see it, the minute the kid spills something on the floor,
the mom saying forget it, I don’t even love you any-more.

No it’s just like marriage to last you need the strength from above,
Because it’s not the love that sustains the promise, it’s the promise that sustains the love.

I mean think about it, out of anyone who has actually had the right to leave,
God had every reason in the world but he came for you and me.

And on the cross he paid it all took our shame and set us free,
when He could have called down legions of angels, He chose to stay on that tree.

From the cross he looks at you in the eye and says I’m taking this for my bride,
When you trust in Me, you no longer have to hide.

Because of Me it is finished, you have been made new,
You’re spotless you’re blameless there’s no sin in you.

Because His death was a proposal he wanted you no matter the cost,
Where some guys propose on a knee, Jesus proposed on a cross.

So read Ephesians 5 whether husband or wife,
wife honor your husbands, husbands give up your life.

Just like Jesus gave Himself up for His bride the church,
So men lead by serving, by putting her first.

So die to self put your flesh on a life sentence,
Because you don’t fall out of love, as much as you fall out of Repentance.

Friday: best read in my blogroll!

Many thanks to Warren Baldwin for the following post about children

Children at the Center #1
“My Children are my world. They are the center of my universe.”
But, I still cringe when I hear parents say, “My Children are my world. They are the center of my universe,” especially when the children have gotten older. Here’s why. Bonnie had her first child when she was an older teenager. She missed out on having a first year of college, dorm parties with classmates, and spending long weekends at the homes of her girlfriends. When her high school friends left for college, she stayed home to care for her daughter, and soon after other kids.
That is ok! Even most of her friends who went off for school eventually married and had children. They just waited a few more years to start. For Bonnie, though, the loss of missing out on those older teen experiences was hard to accept But, for awhile she could forget the pain because she had something new to celebrate: the center of her universe, her precious baby daughter.
Bonnie worked hard to be a good parent. She was, except that it was hard for her to allow her daughter to grow and transition from one stage to another. It became especially difficult when her daughter was in high school and had her friends over. When they stayed up to watch late movies, Bonnie joined in, trying to function more as a teen friend than as an adult parent. It was probably unconscious, but through her daughter Bonnie was actually trying to create some of the teenage experiences she had missed out on years before. Bonnie’s daughter was her best friend, her pal, her center.
Then the daughter graduated, went to college, and never returned home again...Read more, click here

And many thanks to the owner of Simply helping him for the following post about marriage

In my childhood dreams, I watched my marriage play out beautifully.
Laughter, devotions, alone time together, kisses and cuddles all abounded.
Conflict and differences were seen, but didn’t need to be addressed.
We were perfect together, our differences didn’t cause issues.
In my life…………..boy do I see things otherwise.
Opposite personalities, different upbringings, age differences, and conflict seem to abound at times. Throughout the last 9 years, we’ve learned to discuss things much better than in the past thankfully.
Yet our marriage is nothing like my childhood dreams.
He likes tennis, I prefer basketball.
He likes alone time, I want us time.
I like having friends over, he wants the couch and remote.
I love trying new recipes, he likes the same meals.
We are like night and day different.      Read more, click here

Saturday best pick: should young Christians be encouraged to get married earlier?

SHOULD YOUNG CHRISTIANS BE ENCOURAGED TO GET MARRIED EARLIER?

Early marriage might not be a problem; instead, it might just be a solution. In Young and in Love (David C Cook), Pastor Ted Cunningham boldly suggests that early marriage is not as harmful as many believe and even offers the solution to staying sexually pure. He guides young adults through the arguments against early marriage and then reveals the secrets to creating a healthy, successful, and life-long relationship in early adulthood.

Young men and women fall in love. They develop intense desires to be with one another emotionally, relationally, and, yes, sexually. Cunningham validates this budding relationship and chases the foxes that seek to delay or destroy the bud before it can turn into a blossoming marriage (Song of Solomon 2:15). He praises this budding love, calling family and friends to recognize it with a wedding, and challenges all unnecessary delays to marrying in one’s early twenties.

Developing a Godly relationship can be hard when you fall in love at a young age. Few people offer support. Many doubt your love is real. It seems almost everyone — your friends, your parents, even your church — thinks you are much too young for marriage. You’re not ready. But maybe that’s not true. Cunningham explains where the arguments against young marriage often go wrong. Then he offers wisdom on how to know if you are making the right choice including the Four C’s: 

Character, Chemistry, Competency, and Calling. 

He’ll help readers understand what it takes to be ready for marriage. And along the way he’ll show that the answer to staying pure might be to prepare for marriage. Because it’s often easier to say, “Let’s wait” when “I do” isn’t so far away.

According to Cunningham, “Ultimately, Young and in Love honors marriage and encourages marriages in the making. This is not another purity book teaching you how to suppress any and all feelings of love. I want you to express your love and then enjoy marriage. So if you kissed dating goodbye, it’s time to say hello! If you have kept true love waiting, I tell you now, wait no more. Get married!”

For more information on Ted Cunningham visit www.tedcunningham.com

Friday: best encouraging posts in my blogroll hat!

Are you  1 - victorious, 2 -  thankful and 3 -  loving ? For a bit of a change, I have selected what I consider the 3 best encouraging posts written by inspirational bloggers listed in my blogroll. If you'd rather go directly to their pages click the link on the first words of the 3 selections.

    1 -   Hello Victorious Friends! Today, I assure you that God, who is our Alpha and Omega, has been with you and has seen your situation from the beginning. Because of this, according to HIS WORD, you have already come out on top. Your mission has already been completed. You have already reached the finish line - by faith. Therefore, as you are going through, understand that where you are right now is temporary. The Psalmist said, "yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." Notice the phrase, "walk through".
Not stuck in -
Not abiding -
Not dwelling -
"Walk through" assures us that we are moving. How are we moving? We are moving and walking by faith and not by sight.
For, it is in HIM that we live, we move and we have our being! (Acts 17:28)My victorious friends, I encourage you to keep living and moving by faith. Although the blows may be coming at you - from the left and from the right, DO NOT give up! Remember, God has great plans for you! (Jeremiah 29:11)

     2    -    A thought by John C Maxwell (2012-10-02) from his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential (p. 75). Center Street. Kindle Edition.Now I, personally, start my day in the Bible. Today I read Psalm 106. It showed the importance of following Him and what happens if we don’t and what happens when we do. It ended with “Praise the Lord.” Good reminder to start the day. Then I read the last part of Acts 22 and of how God was moving Paul to His desired destination. It showed how each incident had a part in moving Paul to Rome where He wrote a big part of the New Testament. Each incident in the day is important to God. 
John Maxwell also says, “And the small steps you take today will lead to the bigger steps you take someday.” Let’s say you start your day with griping and complaining. Psalm 106:25-27 tells what God thinks of that. He doesn’t like it. Don’t do it. Start your day as Psalm 106.1-2 does with giving thanks to the Lord because He is good; and His love is eternal. Remind yourself of all the good things He has done in your life. And then Verse 3 says, “Happy are those who obey His commands, who always do what is right.”

3    -     Ever heard of Daniel Frederick and Susan Bateman? No? That’s okay. They aren’t movie stars or government leaders. Their lives are significant, however. They were married on August 29, 1772, till death did they part, 91 years and 12 days later. Daniel and Susan represent history’s longest recorded marriage.
Now you have something to shoot for, if you want to shoot for it, that is. For some marriages, 91 years would be a gift – a gracious extension to a blessed union. For others, it may be like the curse of immortality for the suffering.
Time can be a marriage’s worst enemy.
How so?
When there is little love and no romance.
When a marriage goes months or even years without sexual intimacy.
When husbands and wives choose to hold onto resentment.
When we keep secrets and protect turf.
When we never say, “I love you,” or “I’m sorry,” or “I appreciate you.”
Time has a means of sealing in our bitterness like moss in the crack of a sidewalk. Hearts that have hardened only get harder with time.
Time can be a marriage’s best friend.
On the other hand, time can also be a marriage’s best friend, if we choose to allow it. You can grow a mushroom overnight but an oak tree takes decades. When it comes to our marriage we need to decide to be oak trees.
The road of marriage has plenty of bumps and bruises. We let each other down. We hold each other up. We rest in times of peace and we weather storms together. And over time, through thick and thin, sickness and health, better and worse our marriage grows into a beautiful oak tree if we are willing to stick it out.

Have a blessed week-end. N.

Created to be his Help Meet

I bought this book Created to be his Help Meet written by Debi Pearl about three months ago along with another one that I started to read first. Two weeks ago, I went back to our house to get a few more books as we are not sure how long we will have to stay in our temporary home. The author claims that 'it is possible today to have a marriage so good and so fulfilling that it can only be explained as a miracle'.

So, I have started to read this book, about fourty pages and I realise that it deals not only with serious matters but also controversial issues, such as gender equality.
No wonder there are also some groups of Christians who wanted to discuss  its content. It is written in an unexpected light-hearted and lively manner so you can explore it at your leisure.

It comes with one warning: once you start, you may not want to stop reading it.

"If you are a wife, you were created to fill a need, and in that capacity you are a "good thing," a helper suited to the needs of a man. This is how God created you and it is your purpose for existing. You are, by nature, equipped in every way to be your man's helper. ... You were created to make him complete, not to seek personal fulfillment parallel to him. " (p.21)

You may want to read another review of this book written by Elizabeth. The topic is presented in such a controversial way that there has been blog discussion against or for! Are you up to the challenge? Read it and let me know what you think. If you have already read it, we are ready to hear your comments.

Created to be his Help Meet

Marriage ...

An alliance of religious leaders has also warned in a letter that same-sex marriage will “devalue the meaning of marriage”. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist leaders, including Bishop Michael Hill, the Anglican Bishop of Bristol, and Sir Iqbal Sacranie, a former head of the Muslim Council of Britain, all urged Mr Cameron to rethink the legislation.

Same-sex marriage sets a "dangerous precedent" which could lead to sibling marriage or polygamy, says Lord Carey.

Ahead of the Lords debate on the bill next week, the former archbishop of Canterbury argued there could be "unintended consequences".

He has previously courted controversy by likening critics of gay marriage to persecuted Jews in Nazi Germany. Gay rights group Stonewall said the comments were "regrettable" and accused the peer of "hyperbolic shroud waving".
Lord Carey has been a vocal opponent of the government's Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill for England and Wales, which will be debated by peers on Monday

Fears about the Bill will also be raised by a warning from Lord Mackay of Clashfern, a former lord chancellor, over the Queen’s involvement in enacting new legislation.

Lord Mackay was asked at an event hosted by the Theos think tank whether, in light of the Church of England’s opposition, signing the Bill might put the Queen in breach of her Coronation Oath. Lord Mackay, who opposes same-sex marriage, said that ministers should ensure any legislation was consistent with the Queen’s promise.
He said: “The Queen under our constitutional arrangements is expected to act in accordance with the advice of her ministers, given ultimately through the Prime Minister.
"The idea of the Coronation Oath was that it would never be in conflict with that advice and therefore it is the responsibility of the ministers of the Crown to see that whatever advice they give is consistent with the proper construction of the Coronation Oath.”