I am so proud of myself! I bought a Christmas tree yesterday and set it up.
Guess what happened? I had gone out for the evening and when I got home (late), I realized that my dog ate at least one of the pine cones on the tree!!! My tree is no longer perfect - but that's OK. Now there's a dog fence around the tree...
For some reason, she thinks wood-like things are edible. Silly girl.
I went to a Christmas concert last Saturday with some friends. It was a really enjoyable night.
Tonight, I went to another Christmas concert - this time at my church. The music was outstanding. The musicians were very talented, and all of them from the Church!
I invited a lady friend but she didn't make it at the last minute. However, I sat with some nice people whom I happen to know, so that worked out really well.
Today, I volunteered at a Church event. It felt rewarding to bring a smile to people's faces. 1 person asked me how long I had been a member of my church. It was a pleasant surprise that someone took the trouble to ask.
I am really enjoying helping out at Church and joining various groups there, getting to know people, and appreciating them. It is encouraging to see so many put to practice what they are learning from Church.
Oh, tonight I was listening to Christian radio. It was a Gary Chapman talkshow about building better marriages. He said he teaches couples (at his conferences) to pray together. He said that we don't have to pray out loud. The couple can pray silently together every night, while holding hands. He stressed the power of praying together, even if silently. I think this is so true. If only more couples did this, their marriages would be so much stronger.
Gary Chapman said that his mariage was rocky during the first few years of their marriage. He questioned whether he married the right person. He said he's so glad that he stuck through the tough times, and said that in desperation (during the rocky time), he asked God what to do about his marriage. And he said God showed him what he needed to change in himself to help make the marriage work. And he said God did show him.
The talkshow also interviewed David Delk who co-authored (with by Patrick Morley) the book The Marriage Prayer: A Prescription to Change the Direction of Your Marriage . He introduces a simple prayer for the husband to pray, and another simple prayer for the wife to pray. He said that the husband/wife needs to put God first, and after that put their spouse above anyone else or anything else in their life.
What a wonderful evening at church PH. Thanks for sharing. I love that idea from Gary Chapman.
I do remember the pastor at the church I was going to had said it was rocky for awhile in his m in the early days. He too was questioning whether he m the right person.
He said he relied on God and got through those tough times. Now they are in their 60's still going strong. I love to hear these stories, since sometimes you think those in a pastoring role have it so together.
Makes them more real and you can relate.
Me 50 H 42 S 22 S 9 D 7 M 12 T 17 H moved out 8/2006 H moved home 1/2007 for 3 weeks H moved home 5/2011 for good
"Learn from yesterday ~ Live for today ~ And hope for tomorrow"
I am glad you are getting more involved in your church and meeting new people. I think this will allow you to meet new people and especially those you share similar beliefs with.
The Bomb: 08/05 H moves out: 06/2006 H moves back: 01/07 & Out again: 01/07 H moves back: 03/08 & Out again: 04/08 H moves back: 05/09 & Out again: 07/09 Divorced 08-12 Kids: 22, 20, 19
I do remember the pastor at the church I was going to had said it was rocky for awhile in his m in the early days. He too was questioning whether he m the right person.
He said he relied on God and got through those tough times. Now they are in their 60's still going strong. I love to hear these stories, since sometimes you think those in a pastoring role have it so together.
Makes them more real and you can relate.
GG, I am glad you resonate with what Gary Chapman said. Here is the link to his Q&A web page and question 3 relates to the topic of couples praying silently together - Gary's Q&A Link
The Bomb: 08/05 H moves out: 06/2006 H moves back: 01/07 & Out again: 01/07 H moves back: 03/08 & Out again: 04/08 H moves back: 05/09 & Out again: 07/09 Divorced 08-12 Kids: 22, 20, 19
I am glad you are getting more involved in your church and meeting new people. I think this will allow you to meet new people and especially those you share similar beliefs with.
MWG, Thank you. Yes, I am glad for this. It has shown me that there are lots of people out there who really do care, which is something that I didn't know before because I didn't give them a chance to show it.
