Philippians 4:19

the familiar King James Version reads: "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus"

last tuesday, 11/18, my dad spoke on this verse during the EL-TS chapel hour. he had been contemplating the current economic crisis in the world and how that would affect EL International Church's ministries and the support that we receive for the work here in Cebu.

here are the notes i took from my dad's meditation:

• God will FILL your every need -- this is a promise to all believers.


• the word "need" in Greek is "kreia," meaning "that which is necessary to live" (to operate/to minister)


• Therefore, God WILL fill ALL that is necessary for each believer


• the source of this filling is GOD Himself


• the Apostle Paul's use of "my God" speaks of his personal experience of God supplying all his needs


• consequently, Paul's God will also supply our needs


• How will God do this? 1) according to the riches of His glory and He has a supply that will never run out!! and, 2) according to His sovereign will


• God will also supply our needs through (by) Christ Jesus. "Christou" is in the dative inflection in Greek and this means certainty!!

CONCLUSION: for any ministry that is involved in proclaiming Christ, in winning souls, this verse definitively states that their needs WILL BE met. so, despite the economic upheaval that the world is experiencing today, we can rest secure in God's promise found in Philippians 4:19. PRAISE GOD!!

these are great reminders...

• Don't date because you are desperate.
• Don't marry because you are miserable.
• Don't have kids because you think your genes are superior.
• Don't philander because you think you are irresistible.
• Don't associate with people you can't trust.
• Don't cheat.
• Don't lie.
• Don't pretend.
• Don't dictate because you are smarter.
• Don't demand because you are stronger.
• Don't sleep around because you think you are old enough & know better.
• Don't hurt your kids because loving them is harder.
• Don't sell yourself, your family, or your ideals.
• Don't stagnate!
• Don't regress.
• Don't live in the past. Time can't bring anything or anyone back.
• Don't put your life on hold for possibly Mr. Right.
• Don't throw your life away on absolutely Mr. Wrong because your biological clock is ticking.
• Learn a new skill.
• Find a new friend.
• Start a new career.
• Sometimes, there is no race to be won, only a price to be paid for some of life's more hasty decisions.
• To terminate your loneliness, reach out to the homeless.
• To feed your nurturing instincts, care for the needy.
• To fulfill your parenting fantasies, get a puppy.
• Don't bring another life into this world for all the wrong reasons.
• To make yourself happy, pursue your passions & be the best of what you can be.
• Simplify your life.
• Take away the clutter.
• Get rid of destructive elements: abusive friends, nasty habits and dangerous liaisons.
• Don't abandon your responsibilities but don't overdose on duty.
• Don't live life recklessly without thought and feeling for your family.
• Be true to yourself.
• Don't commit when you are not ready.
• Don't keep others waiting needlessly.
• Go on that trip. Don't postpone it.
• Say those words. Don't let the moment pass.
• Do what you have to, even at society's scorn.
• Write poetry.
• Love Deeply.
• Walk barefoot.
• Dance with wild abandon.
• Cry at the movies.
• Take care of yourself. Don't wait for someone to take care of you.
• You light up your life.
• You drive yourself to your destination.
• No one completes you -except YOU.
• It isn't true that life does not get easier with age. It only gets more challenging.
• Don't be afraid.
• Don't lose your capacity to love.
• Pursue your passions.
• Live your dreams.
• Don't lose faith in God.
• Don't grow old. Just grow YOU!

ALWAYS REMEMBER: God is good all the time!

[from Rick Warren, author of Purpose Driven Life]

one last posting before voting begins...

whatever happens in a few hours on the 4th in the States (because it is now 11/4 here in the Philippines), i rest in the assurance that God is still on the throne. He will allow what He wills and has ordained since the beginning of time for the US. but, as Christians, we need to be aware of the forces of the enemy that are working against us. we must be vigilant and spiritually alert which is why i appreciate corie for forwarding this message and i hope you will forward this on to others. thanks for letting me share and may God continue to be merciful to the US!!

This was written by a friend which I thought is a worthy read foreverybody in FAD even tho' it was intended to address the electionissue here in the U.S. The issue is universal and subtle beggingus to be wise as serpents. ~ Corie


Dear Friends,
My parents are sharp people, but when they named me Gregory many years ago, it probably didn't occur to them that my name originated in the biblical Greek word, "gregoreo"; meaning, "to watch, to bevigilant, to be spiritually alert." In ancient times, watchmen served as sentries on the city walls to alert the residents of approaching danger so they could rise up and defend themselves.

In the Bible, Ezekiel 33:1-9 describes the responsibility of the watchman:
Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: 'When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.'

Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for hissin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself."

My countrymen, today I am blowing the trumpet. The U.S.A. is in grave danger! We are in grave danger because the majority of Americans have rejected God as He is revealed in the Bible. Systematically, truth about the God of the Bible, and the truths about the Christian founding and heritage of this country are being suppressed in schools, government, businesses, courts, media and even in many churches. Since the majority of the population has, in essence, given God the middle finger, God is letting us have it our way. God has given us over to futile thinking and irrational, depraved minds that do not care about what is true, or right or wrong.

Romans 1:18-32 is describes the downhill slide into depravity that our nation is experiencing: Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts tosexual impurity ... They exchanged the truth of God for a lie....Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

As far as the sins mentioned in this passage, one is not worse than another. I'm sure each of us can find one sin in this list that weare guilty of, if not multiple sins. All of us are guilty. All of us, according to God, deserve death. The U.S.A. is deserving of God's judgment. God is calling us to turn from our sins before it is too late.

The suppression of the truth has not happened by accident. It has been carefully orchestrated and has been working out in our society for many years. The ideas sown by 18th and 19th century atheistic philosophers worked their way into 19th century Marxism and Darwinism, then into 20th century communism, socialism, "liberalism" and now, into 21st century "progressive-ism." Ideas haveconsequences! We are now reaping the fruit of what has been sown.

Before you laugh me off as a complete nut-job, consider these excerpts from the Congressional Record of 1963 and see how prophetic it was. The communist agenda for this country is being fulfilled before your very eyes today:
Communist Goals (1963) Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35 January 10, 1963 Current Communist Goals EXTENSION OF REMARKS OF HON. A. S. HERLONG, JR. OF FLORIDA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, January 10,1963 .
Mr. HERLONG. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land , Fla. , is an ardent and articulate opponent of communism, and until recently published the De Land Courier, which she dedicated to the purpose of alerting the public to the dangers of communism in America . At Mrs. Nordman's request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous consent, the following "Current Communist Goals," which she identifies as an excerpt from "The Naked Communist," by CleonSkousen:
[From "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen]
3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government withits own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing [in 1963] in the Congo .)
13. Do away with all loyalty oaths. [author's note: e.g. The Pledgeof Allegiance]
15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the UnitedStates.
16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
18. Gain control of all student newspapers.
19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.
20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policy-making positions.
21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.
22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."
23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is topromote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."
24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a "religious crutch."
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separationof church and state."
29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history.
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.
36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].
39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communistgoals.
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use "united force" to solve economic, political or social problems.
45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.

Read the entire document at http://www.rense.com/general32/americ.htm----------------------------------------------Microfilm: California State University at San Jose Clark Library,Government Floor Phone (408)924-2770 Microfilm Call Number: J 11.R5Congressional Record, Vol. 109 88th Congress, 1st Session AppendixPages A1-A2842 Jan. 9-May 7, 1963 Reel 12

That was 1963. Now in 45 years later Americans are on the brink of electing a man who is documented to be a Socialist and Marxist, and to give control of our legislative branches of government over elected officials who, by any other name, are communists.
Barak Obama was a member of the Illinois socialist New Party in the mid-1990s (http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/obamacrimescom/). TheNew Party was the creation of the quasi-Marxist Democratic Socialistsof America (DSA) and the radical community organization ACORN. The Communist Party splinter group Committees of Correspondence (CoC) was also involved.

For 20 years, Barak Obama was a member of Trinity United Church of Christ led by Jeremiah Wright, a man steeped in Liberation Theology which is an unbiblical, Marxist invention. Obama was mentored by communists (http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-communist-mentor/) and had close links with the unrepentant terrorist William Ayers, leader of the marxist Weather Underground. Accordingto Discoverthenetworks.org:
FBI files from 1976, recently made public under the Freedom ofInformation Act, confirm the connections between Weatherman, Havana, and Moscow. Weatherman leaders like Mark Rudd traveled illegally toHavana in 1968 to engage in terrorist training. There, camps set up by Soviet KGB Colonel Vadim Kotchergine were educating Westerners both in Marxist philosophy and urban warfare.

Obama lays a smoke screen by saying that William Ayers committed his crimes and murders when Obama was only 8 years old. And yet, has William Ayers renounced his activities? Has he reformed his views? No, Ayers still says he wishes he had done more. Now, why would William Ayers now be a professor of education at the University ofIllinois - Chicago ? To continue to spread his Marxism and generalhate for America . See Point 17 in the "Current Communist Goals"listed above.

Why would Obama (now an adult) hold his first campaign meetings in Ayers house? Why would Obama (now an adult) want to serve on educational committee with Ayers? Think! Do not be fooled by Barak Obama and the leftist, Marxist Democratic party. Look at Obama's connections. Look at his voting record. Obama has the most left-wing voting record in the Senate and Joe Biden has the third-most. Their past associations and voting records should, to thinking people, speak louder than his words. Are we really tobelieve that Obama, after adhering to these views for 20 years, suddenly has done a 180 (in the middle of an election year) and no longer holds them?

The Democrats are promising change and I can guarantee you they will keep their promise! Within the first 100 days of an Obama administration backed by a Democrat-controlled House and Senate, you will see a stream of anti-God, Socialist legislation conforming to all the above communist goals, such as was never imagined. The economy may or may not improve, but they will be certain to push their socialist, anti-God, pro-death agenda through.

Lenin and Stalin, if alive today, would be filled with glee. Nearly 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the "defeat" of Communism, America is poised to put the communists in power. You have to appreciate the irony of it! But again, what would one expect when the truth is suppressed by the "progressive" media. Soviet Premier Khrushchev once proclaimed, "We will bury you!" No... we are buryingourselves. Socialism is an abject failure in every country where it has been tried. How can we think it will help us? Like the Bible says, our thinking has become foolish, futile, depraved. Some say, "Who cares if Obama and the Democrats are Marxists? We just want change."

Ideas have their consequences. When the U.S. pulled its troops out of Vietnam in the mid-70's the communist North Vietnamese overran thesouth, put hundreds of thousands in "re-education" camps and murdered tens of thousands from the pro-democratic south. Next came the "boatpeople" who fled the communists in droves as refugees, many dying at sea in their attempt to escape. After the U.S. pullout from South East Asia , the communists murdered more than 2,2 million in the region. Now, Obama and the Democrats want to pull out of Iraq, leaving it to Al-Qaida and the Iranians. Haven't we learned anything from history? The blood of innocent, pro-democracy Iraqis will be on our our hands.

The U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam also led to the rise of the communist dictator Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and the infamous killing fields and torture houses. Millions were slaughtered. Everyone who opposed the communists, including Christians, were tortured and killed in the most brutal and horrific ways possible. I've personally stood on the killing fields in Cambodia. As I walked, I picked up human teeth out of the soil. I went inside the pagoda where 5,000 skulls were all that remained of those who opposed the communists. I stood next to trees where babies brains were smashed out after they were ripped from their pregnant mother's bellies. Similarly, Barak Obama is an advocate for partial-birth abortion and has voted four times against hospitals providing treatment for abortion victims born alive. This is the fruit of Atheism, Darwinism, Marxism, Communism and "Social Progressive-ism." You think similar atrocities can't happen here? These same types of people were saying that we could never suffer another financial collapse like the Great Depression. Think again!

Wake up, America, before it is too late. You have only a few days left to fight for your freedom before we lose it all. God is calling all of us to turn from our sins and acknowledge Him as the ruler of our lives. I call on all Americans to join me in repentance, fasting and prayer in the remaining days before the election. He may still yet have mercy and restore our sanity.
And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:24-26)

The trumpet has sounded.

Sincerely,Greg
PS For a good illustration of what will happen during an Obama administration backed by a Democratic controlled House and Senate and as documented by Obama's own voting record, please read "A ChillingLook at an Obama Presidency" athttp://focusfamaction.edgeboss.net/download/focusfamaction/pdfs/10-22-08_2012letter.pdf

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32)

this is the first presidential election in which i can vote since becoming a US citizen last year. i sometimes find myself waking up in the middle of the night thinking about the election and what would happen if obama were to win, especially since the media is already predicting that he will win by a landslide. my comfort and the reality of all this, however, is that GOD IS STILL ON HIS THRONE!! man may think that he (man) controls his destiny, but, in actuality, it is GOD who is STILL in control of what happens to humankind. whatever happens in these elections is what God chooses for America. and we are in no position to discern His mind as His ways are far above ours. we can only trust in His will for our lives and for America.

this was brought even more sharply to me this morning in my morning devotions. i've been reading through the book of jeremiah and i want to share with you what i read.

The background is how the false prophet Hananiah prophesied to the Israelites that the yoke under Nebuchadnezzar would be broken in 2 years and how the true prophet Jeremiah told Hananiah that the Lord did not send him (Hananiah) to prophecy and that this prophecy was a lie. Jeremiah 28:15-16 read: "Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, "Hear now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the Lord: 'Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall died, because you have taught rebellion against the Lord.'" Verse 17 of chapter 28 states: "So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month." All because he lied.

LISTEN TO THE TRUTH -- Jeremiah 27:16,17,21,22
Being careful to ascertain what is true and refusing to believe error is as important as simply believing the truth. In our lives, as in the lives of the people of Judah, untruths may sound far more appealing than the facts. Hope that is not based on truth is false hope and must be rejected. The temptation is great to believe lies, to receive false encouragement and act on it.

The only safeguard against this is the truth, accepting and acting on it. God's truth, now complete, was delivered through such true prophets as Jeremiah. Only as it is accepted as our only direction will we be safe and bring honor to Him. Truth is always available, and must be followed in the presence of error, even when the truth is harsh and error is what we want to hear.

as we come down to the wire, this is too important NOT to share...

NOTE: This article has been confirmed as TRUE by snopes.com. If you need confirmation, please go to www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/huntleybrown.asp.

Why I Can't Vote For Obama By Huntley Brown

Dear Friends,
A few months ago I was asked for my perspective on Obama, I sent out an e-mail with a few points. With the election just around the corner I decided to complete my perspective. Those of you on my e-list have seen some of this before but its worth repeating..

First, I must say, who ever wins the election will have my prayer support. Obama needs to be commended for his accomplishments but I need to explain why I will not be voting for him.

Many of my friends process their identity through their blackness. I process my identity through Christ. Being a Christian (a Christ follower) means he leads I follow. I can't dictate the terms he does because he is the leader. I can't vote black because I am black. I have to vote Christian because that's who I am. Christian first black second. Neither should anyone from the other ethnic groups vote because of ethnicity. 200 years from now I won't be asked if I was black or white. I will be asked if I know Jesus and accepted him as Lord and savior.

In an election, there are many issues to consider but when a society gets abortion, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning, to name a few, wrong economic concerns will soon not matter. We need to follow Martin Luther King's words don't judge someone by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I don't know Obama so all I can go off is his voting record. His voting record earned him the title of the most liberal senator in the US Senate in 2007.

NATIONAL JOURNAL: Obama: Most Liberal Senator in 2007 (01/31/2008) To beat Ted Kennedy and Hilary Clinton as the most liberal senator, takes some doing. Obama accomplished this feat in 2 short years. I wonder what would happen to America if he had four years to work with.

There is a reason Planned Parenthood gives him a 100 % ratings.
There is a reason the homosexual community supports him.
There is a reason Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, Hamas etc loves him.
There is a reason he said he would nominate liberal judges to the Supreme Court.
There is a reason he voted against the infanticide bill.
There is a reason he voted No on the constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.
There is a reason he voted no on partial birth abortion.
There is a reason he voted no on confirming Justices Roberts and Alito. These two judges are conservatives and they have since overturned partial birth abortion, the same practice Obama wanted to continue.

Let's take a look at the practice he wanted to continue.
The 5 Step Partial Birth Abortion procedure:
A. Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's leg with forceps. (Remember this is a live baby)
B. The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.
C. The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.
D. The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole.
E. The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.
God help him.

There is a reason Obama opposed the parent notification law. Think about this: you can't give a kid an aspirin without parental notification but that same kid can have an abortion without parental notification. This is insane.

There is a reason he went to Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years. Obama tells us he has good judgment but he sat under Jeremiah Wright teaching for 20 years. Now he is condemning Wrights sermons. I wonder why now?

Obama said Jeremiah Wright led him to the Lord and discipled him. A disciple is one in training. Jesus told us in Matthew 28 v 19 – 20: "Go and make disciples of all nations." This means reproduce your self. Teach people to think like you, walk like you, talk like you believe what you believe, etc.

The question I have is what did Jeremiah Wright teach him?
Would you support a White President who went to a church which has tenants that said they have a
1. Commitment to the White Community
2. Commitment to the White Family
3. Adherence to the White Work Ethic
4. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the White Community.
5. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions
6. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System
7. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System."

Would you support a President who went to a church like that?

Just change the word from white to black and you have the tenents of Obama's former church.

If President Bush was a member of a church like this, he would be called a racist. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton would have been marching outside. This kind of church is a racist church. Obama did not wake up after 20 years and just discovered he went to a racist church. The church can't be about race. Jesus did not come for any particular race. He came for the whole world.

A church can't have a value system based on race. The churches value system has to be based on biblical mandate. It does not matter if it's a white church or a black church its still wrong. Anyone from either race that attends a church like this would never get my vote.

Obama's former Pastor Jeremiah Wright is a disciple of liberal theologian James Cone, author of the 1970 book, "A Black Theology of Liberation." Cone once wrote: "Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him." Cone is the man Obama's mentor looks up to. Does Obama believe this?

So what does all this mean for the nation? In the past when the Lord brought someone with the beliefs of Obama to lead a nation it meant one thing judgment. Read 1st Samuel 1 8 when Israel asked for a king.
9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.'

Then God says: 1st Samuel 1
18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.'
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. 'No!' they said. 'We want a king over us.
20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.'
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD.
22 The LORD answered, 'Listen to them and give them a king.'

Here is what we know for sure: God is not schizophrenic. He would not tell one person to vote for Obama and one to vote for McCain. As the scripture, says a city divided against itself cannot stand, so obviously many people are not hearing from God. Maybe I am the one not hearing, but I know God does not change and Obama contradicts many things I read in scripture, so, I doubt it.

For all my friends who are voting for Obama, can you really look God in the face and say, "Father based on your word, I am voting for Obama even though I know he will continue the genocidal practice of partial birth abortion. He might have to nominate three or four Supreme Court justices, and I am sure he will be nominating liberal judges who will be making laws that are against you. I also know he will continue to push for homosexual rights, even though you destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this. I know I can look the other way because of the economy."

I could not see Jesus agreeing with many of Obama's positions.

Finally I have two questions for all my liberal friends. Since we know someone's value system has to be placed on the nation;
1 Whose value system should be placed on the nation?
2 Who should determine that this is the right value system for the nation?

Blessings, Huntley Brown

Follow-up...

just an update on Saturday's meeting with the Baptist women... there were a total of 15 who came, including me. half were guests of the regular church members. they were very attentive, but didn't ask a lot of follow-up ??? but then, filipino women tend to be like that. they keep their thoughts to themselves, unless they really know you. i was fine with that. i'm just thankful that i was able to share what i had learned from reading Gary Chapman's book, "5 Love Languages." i pray that these women will use the information that they heard to make their marriages even stronger, more loving, and more successful.

i'm thankful for the opportunity to share and make new friends and actually look forward to getting to know some of these women a little bit more since several of them have husbands who are currently studying at EL-TS.

so, thanks to everyone who remembered to pray for me and this presentation. God IS good!!

The Five Love Languages

The following is what I will be sharing with the women from Ptr Henry Trocino's church tomorrow afternoon (Saturday, October 25).

This is especially for Darla Ebert who asked to see my notes for this talk... Thanks for your prayers, Darla!!

INTRODUCTION
First of all, I would like to express my appreciation for this privilege to share with you what I’ve learned from my study of the Five Love Languages. It is my prayer that what will be discussed here today will be useful and helpful to you as you travel this road called marriage and as you try to be the wife that God intended you to be.

HAVE SEVERAL WOMEN READ I CORINTHIANS 13
I’m sure all of us know that I Corinthians 13 is called the LOVE chapter. The characteristics of love mentioned in this chapter are what ALL of us should attempt to achieve in all our relationships.

Love, as we are all deeply aware, is essential to our emotional, physical & spiritual well-being. At the heart of our existence is the desire to be intimate and loved by someone. In marriage, the relationship should be defined by love and intimacy which is God’s original intent when He created the institution of marriage in the garden of Eden. To be loved by one’s spouse is of utmost importance in marriage. That emotional need for love is our deepest emotional need. And when that need is being met, we tend to respond positively to the person who is meeting that need.

Because we are so different from each other, after only a very short period of time into our marriage, we find out that there are things about our husband that we don’t like. There might be characteristics that he displayed when you were courting that he rarely, if ever, shows or which seem to have vanished entirely. Maybe before marriage, he was always bringing you gifts – tokens of his love – but now, you have to remind him to remember your birthday or anniversary.

Maybe he used to like to sit and listen to you talk about what’s happening in your life and it didn’t matter how inconsequential it was, he would sit there and take it all in, maybe hold your hand, and you loved that he was such a great listener! It made you fall even more deeply in love with him. But now, he barely responds when you ask him a question or shares with you what’s happening in the deepest part of his soul. Or if he does respond, it’s maybe just a grunt…! Slowly, you find yourself wondering if this is the same man you fell in love with… You wonder where that lovely, loving man who swept you off your feet has gone to and you despair that he may never come back!!

Dr Gary Chapman, the author of “Five Love Languages,” says that all these concerns can be dealt with and resolved if we learn each other’s love language. Dr Chapman believes that the love you have for each other that was there at the start of your marriage hasn’t necessarily disappeared. You just have to find out how to resurrect it! Dr Chapman says that what will help restore a marriage is learning how to fill each other’s love tank.

Let’s take a quick test and see if any of this applies to your marriage right now or in the past:
1. Our love is gone
2. For all intents and purposes, our relationship is dead
3. We live in the same house but we’re more like roommates, not husband and wife
4. I don’t enjoy being with him anymore
5. We don’t meet each other’s needs.
If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, your love tank is probably running on empty right now.

From his more than 30 years of research and counseling, Dr Chapman came up with the 5 LL. Once you learn your husband’s primary LL and he learns yours, you will be able to fill each other’s emotional love tank so that your marriage can be restored and reborn. Dr Chapman is confident that choosing to love your spouse and expressing love in your spouse’s primary LL can drastically change your marriage for the better.
So, let’s dive right in to the 5LL!!

LL #1: WORDS OF AFFIRMATION
When I completed the profile for wives that you took at the beginning of our meeting, my score in this LL was 6.

Mark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”

If this is your husband’s primary LL, loving him with words of affirmation is a powerful love indicator. Words of affirmation achieve the following:
1. Build up your spouse. This affirms his self-worth. For someone whose primary LL is WofA, when they receive affirming words, they are more likely to reciprocate and do something that you desire!
2. Creates intimacy
3. Heals wounds
4. Brings out your husband’s full potential

There are also Dialects for Words of Affirmation and they include:
1. Encouraging words. This will help your spouse overcome his insecurities.
2. Verbal compliments. Give these freely (and honestly!) when your husband is present and even when he’s not.
3. Empathy. This is seeing the world or his specific situation through HIS eyes.
4. Giving credit and praise
5. Kind words. Say “I love you” with tenderness. Remember, “a soft answer turns away wrath.”
6. Words of appreciation. For example, thank him for being a good provider, for paying the bills on time, for driving the kids to school and picking them up.
7. Humble words. These affirm his worth and abilities.

On the negative side, here are some things that you mustn’t do, if Words of Affirmation is your husband’s primary LL:
8. Don’t keep score of wrongs done to you.
9. Don’t bring up past failures. Learn to accept them as “the past” and move on.
10. Don’t demand! Demands diminish intimacy.

TIPS for LL#1:
1. To help you learn to speak this LL, start a notebook titled “Words of Affirmation” on which to record creative and awesome ways to build up your husband with Words of Affirmation.
2. For one week, keep a written record of all the words of affirmation you give your husband each day. At the end of the week, sit down with your husband and review your record and get his feedback.
3. Set a goal to give your husband a different compliment each day for one month. You may want to record these compliments, so you will not duplicate the statements!
4. Compliment your husband in the presence of his parents or friends. You will get double credit: Your husband will feel loved and his parents will feel lucky to have such a great daughter-in-law! 5. Look for your spouse’s strengths and tell him how much you appreciate those strengths. Chances are he will work hard to live up to his reputation.
6. If you find speaking “Words of Affirmation” is difficult for you, practice in front of a mirror. Use a cue card if you must. Remember: words are important to someone whose primary LL is Words of Affirmation!

LL #2: QUALITY TIME
On the profile, I scored 7 on this love language.

Spending quality time together communicates that we truly care for and enjoy each other. Giving undivided attention to your husband shows that you’re willing to give your life to him. Quality time is another powerful communicator of love. Someone with QT as his primary LL will not be secure if this LL is not spoken.

The central aspect of Quality Time is togetherness: doing something together and giving your husband your full attention when you’re together.

Another aspect of Quality Time is quality conversation – sharing experiences, thoughts and feelings. The common complaint from wives that “he doesn’t talk to me” means that the husband doesn’t take part in sympathetic dialogue. In other words, he is not revealing himself and for us wives, we NEED our husbands to reveal themselves to us!

Someone with Quality Time as his primary LL focuses on what he’s hearing from the wife, therefore, if Quality Time is your husband’s primary LL, you need to learn to listen.

Really listening involves: maintaining eye contact. It also means that you aren’t doing something else while he’s talking because that communicates to him that you don’t really care to hear what he’s saying. Really listening to your husband means that you need to listen for the feelings, you listen sympathetically, you must observe his body language and you DO NOT interrupt!!

Someone with Quality Time as his primary LL will appreciate it when you suggest activities that will help create memories for the 2 of you and for your family.

TIPS for LL#2:
1. Ask your husband for a list of 5 activities that he would enjoy doing with you. Make plans to do one of them each month for the next 5 months.
2. Think of an activity your husband enjoys but which brings little pleasure to you. Tell your husband that you are trying to broaden your horizons and would like to join him in this activity. Set a date and give it your best effort.
3. Make time each day to share with each other some of the events of the day.


LL#3: RECEIVING GIFTS
I was shocked to find out that I scored ZERO for this love language!! It’s not that I don’t like to receive gifts because I do, but ZERO? Maybe I’ll write Dr Chapman and ask him if this is normal…!!

Gift giving is fundamental to love. This is also one of the easiest love language to learn. In many respects, it’s a no brainer. You’re only limited by your creativity and possibly money…

Gifts are visual symbols of love, whether they are items you purchased or items that you personally made. Gifts demonstrate that you care. They represent the value that you place on your relationship. Gifts show your husband that you are thinking of him. Gifts can and should be given anytime. If this is your husband’s primary LL, don’t wait for a special occasion to give him a gift.

You can also give the gift of your presence. Your physical presence during your husband’s time of crisis is the most powerful gift you can give him. The gift of yourself, however, means more than just your physical presence. It could actually be as simple as attempting for one week to share at least one important event or feeling in your day with your husband. Ask your husband to do the same with you.

To help you learn this LL, make a list of the gifts your husband has especially appreciated in the past. Also seek input from others who know his tastes. Then, decide to give one token of love, however small, each week for the next month, that is in line with those preferences.

MORE TIPS for LL#3:
1. Try a parade of gifts: have merienda delivered to him mid-morning and midafternoon, and in the evening, give him a new shirt or the latest copy of a magazine that he likes to read. When he asks you, “What’s going on?” respond with “Just trying to fill your love tank!”
2. Make a gift for your spouse. A handmade gift often becomes a family heirloom.
3. Keep a “Gift Idea” notebook. Every time you hear your husband say, “I really like that!” write it down in your notebook. Listen carefully and you will acquire a nice list that will serve as a guide the next time you get ready to select a gift.

LL#4: ACTS OF SERVICE
I had the highest score with this LL = a 9!! This is my primary LL and I really struggled with my husband over this because, for most of our married life, he refused to do things around the house that needed to be done. It became even more of a sore point with me when we moved to the States and I had no more maids to help keep things tidy. For many years, he rarely took out the garbage at night. He even more rarely washed dishes when I was too tired to do them. He always responded that washing dishes and cleaning house is women’s work. And yet, I was working full-time, taking care of the kids, driving them to and from school, running family errands, then I had to come home, cook dinner and clean house before falling into bed exhausted. Needless to say, for MANY years, my love tank was almost always on empty and I really resented him and came close to hating him many times during our marriage.

Fast forward to now and he’s totally different because he realizes that my LL is acts of service and when he helps me, I am able to respond with words of affirmation – his primary LL – which could lead to his secondary LL which is physical touch. But more on that later…

If your husband’s primary LL is Acts of service, doing what you don’t want to do because you know your husband will feel loved when you do it is the primary motivation with this LL. Here’s a hint: If you really want to serve your husband, you need to do things for him the way he would want it done, not the way you think it should be done.

It’s important to remember also that these acts of service should not be demanded. As mentioned earlier, demands tear apart and do not create intimacy.

To discover if Acts of Service is your husband’s or your primary LL, remember this: people tend to criticize their spouse most loudly in the area where they have the deepest emotional need. Criticism, however, is an ineffective way of pleading for love. We should also NOT manipulate by guilt – saying, “If you really love me, you’ll do such and such.” And, we should not coerce by fear – saying “You’ll do this or you’ll be sorry… Those are certainly not very loving words.

Dr Chapman believes that criticism of your spouse’s failure to do things for you may be a sure indication that acts of service is your primary LL. This was very true for me!

Remember also that for someone whose primary LL is acts of service, “little things” really DO mean a lot!

TIPS for LL#4:
1. Make a list of all the requests your husband has made of you over the past few weeks. Select one of these each week and do it as an expression of love. Surprise your husband by doing them without being asked.
2. If you struggle with stereotypes like my husband did when he refused to help around the house because it’s “women’s work,” be willing to discuss these ingrained attitudes with your husband to see where these ideas come from and look at your own expectations in this area.
3. Ask your spouse for a list of 10 things he would like for you to do during the next month. Then, ask your husband to prioritize them from 1 to 10, with 1 being the most important and 10 the least important. Use this list to plan your strategy for a month of love. Get ready to live with a happy husband!


LL#5: PHYSICAL TOUCH
For this LL, my score was 7 which tied with Quality Time.

Maybe you've heard the expression: “To touch my body is to touch me. To withdraw from my body is to distance yourself from me emotionally.”

Physical touch, as a gesture of love, reaches to the depths of our being. As a LL, it is a powerful form of communication from the smallest touch on the shoulder to the most passionate kiss. Physical touch means security to someone who has this as their primary LL.

If your husband has physical touch as his primary LL, he emotionally yearns for his wife to reach out and touch him physically because these are his emotional lifelines. It is important, however, to learn what kinds of touches convey love to him.

Explicit love touches include massage, sexual foreplay and sexual intercourse. Implicit love touches are the hand on his shoulder; rubbing up against him when you pass by; holding hands; kissing; hugs.

During times of crisis, touch is very important. Holding someone when they cry will be long remembered. But if you failed to be there for him during his time of need, it will never be forgotten.

Many men, when asked which of the 5 LL is their primary LL, will probably say “Physical Touch.” But, according to Dr Chapman, if a man only wants sexual intercourse but doesn’t enjoy physical touch at other times and in nonsexual ways, Physical Touch may not be his primary LL at all.

For my husband, Words of Affirmation is his primary LL. And when I fill his need for love with Words of Affirmation, then it’s easy to move on to his 2nd LL, physical touch.

TIPS for LL#5:
1. Discuss with your husband what types of touching both of you find pleasurable.
2. Make a list of all the circumstances, locations and types of appropriate touch that will enhance your physical relationship. For example, how do you want/expect to be greeted at the end of the workday? What about touching in public? If you each feel differently, come to a compromise resolution.
3. You could try holding hands when you pray
4. Walk up to your husband and say, “Have I told you lately that I love you?” Hug him while you rub his back and say, “You’re the greatest!” If he asks why, say, “Just trying to fill your love tank!”
5. When family or friends are visiting, touch your husband in their presence. A hug, running your hand along his arm, putting your arm around his as you stand talking, or simply placing your hand on his shoulder can earn double emotional points. These gestures say, “Even with all these people around, I still see you.”

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Let’s talk about how you can discover YOUR primary LL. Your answers to the following questions will provide valuable clues on what your primary LL is:
1. What do you request the most from your husband?
2. What makes you feel the most loved?
3. What do you desire most of all?
4. What does your husband do or say or fail to do or say that hurts you deeply?
· If critical, judgmental words hurt, your primary LL is words of affirmation.
· If you are hurt because your husband doesn’t help with things around the house, your primary LL is acts of service.
· If you are hurt because your husband doesn’t give you gift, your primary LL is receiving gifts.
· If your deepest hurt is that your husband seldom spends time with you, then quality time is your primary LL.
· If you are hurt because your husband rarely hugs, holds your hand or kisses you, then physical touch is your primary LL.

Another way to discover your primary LL is to look back on your marriage and ask, “What have I most often requested of my husband?”

Still another way is to examine what you do or say to express love to your husband. Chances are what you are doing is what YOU wish your husband would do for you!

WWJD? ... LOVE IS A CHOICE
OK. You might be saying, “Well, this is all fine and dandy for those whose marriage can be salvaged. But my situation is really bad.” Maybe you’ve been physically and/or verbally abused. Maybe your husband has had an affair or is having an affair. What are you to do in this situation?
No matter how bad your personal situation is, there is always hope, as long as we are willing to rely on the Lord to help us love those who are unloving to us. We can decide to meet our husband’s emotional need because he's possibly acting in these unloving ways because his love tank is also empty. We can decide to do what we can to make our husband feel secure because that is what Jesus would have us do! We must be willing to be humble ourselves and serve the other, even in the midst of rejection.

So, if your marriage is in serious trouble right now. If you’re being mistreated or abused, it IS hard to express positive feelings toward your husband because you can only express pain.

However, positive actions are based on CHOICE, not feelings.

If this is your situation, Dr Chapman suggests doing the following:
1. Ask how you can be a better wife, and regardless of your husband’s attitude, act on what he tells you. Assure your husband that your motives are pure.
2. When you receive positive feedback from your husband, you will know that there is progress. Each month, make one non-threatening but specific request that is easy for your husband. Make sure, however, that that request relates to your primary LL so it will help replenish your empty love tank.
3. When your spouse responds and meets your need, you will be able to react more positively and therefore affirm your husband at these times.
4. As your marriage begins to truly heal, don’t stop speaking your husband’s LL. Continue to meet his daily needs so that he, in turn, will meet yours and thus fill your love tank.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask for prayer and help to stay the course and do what you can to save your marriage. That’s really what Jesus would want us to do.

CONCLUSION
We’ve covered A LOT of material today that I hope gives you the information necessary to have a wonderful, loving relationship with your husband. But, I don’t want you to be deluded into thinking that things are going to go smoothly from now on just because you’ve discovered YOUR LL and your husband’s. It can’t be smooth sailing because we’re only human. Even if we want to be loving 100% of the time, we can’t because of our sinful human nature.

If you’re a Christian, if you’re a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have help from the Lord Himself and the Holy Spirit to help you to be more loving, to love as Jesus loved.

The example of true love because we want to benefit the other person is illustrated in John 13:5, 12-17. This is the incident in the Bible where Jesus washed the feet of His disciples.
"In a culture where people wore sandals and walked on dirt streets, it was customary for the servant of the household to wash the feet of guests as they arrived. Jesus, who had instructed His disciples to love one another, gave them an example of how to express that love when He took a basin and a towel and proceeded to wash their feet. After that simple expression of love, Jesus encouraged His disciples to follow His example."

However, if you don’t have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, if you have not asked Him to be Lord of your life so that you can have that true spirit of loving your husband, it’s not too late to make that decision. You can do that right now.


(Ptr Henry Trocino to lead in closing prayer)