IIInnnssspppiiirrreee

IIIssssssuuueee ###222111 JJJuuulllyyy 222000111333

TTTooo LLLooovvveee AAAgggaaaiiinnn MMMiiinnniiissstttrrriiieeesss

Content The Kingdom Within 4 Kissing Frogs 6 A Golden Marriage 8

Teachable Moments 1 0 Sharpening Your Ax 12

Credits

Writers Debra Lilly Sarah Williamson Holly Rhody Kimberly Borst Beverly Huffman

Editing Alan Porter

Photography Cover by Samlim (Photographers are named if available)

Design Kimberly Borst

Copyright © To Love Again

Ministries 2012, Photos © very

maureen lunn

To Love Again Ministries

Pick of the month

This month we are highlighting a prophetic word By John Kilpatrick on You Tub. God is about to

move like we have never seen.

A Prophetic Message for Today

Febuary 9th 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=B-OebFwelVI

The Kingdom Within Debra Lilly

And when he was demanded of the

Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20-21- KJV

God often shows us what we don’t want

in order to reveal to us what we do want – and to draw us to Himself. We live in a fallen world where we see the effects of the fall such as corruption, darkness, decay, pain, entropy, hatred, chaos and brokenness. We would all agree that the world is getting worse!

You can’t actually see the Kingdom of

God because it is of the spiritual realm. However, we see the affects of the Kingdom of God in people through their words, their works, their love, their character, their wisdom and their understanding. We are transformed from within - out of darkness into light. (1 Pet 2:9) The Kingdom of God springs out of our being more and more as we are conformed into the image of Christ. One day it will be fully manifested.

For now, the seed has been placed in

every man - the seed of truth, the seed of faith, the seed of righteousness, of eternal life and of knowing God. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds; being conformed into the image of Christ. (Rom. 12:2, Rom. 8:29)

How do we know the Kingdom of God

is coming and continues to come in our personal lives? By being able to see the effects of it by our fruit and our character and how we love and treat other people – especially our growing love for the Lord, His word and our obedience to Him!

The Kingdom of God is a progression in

our lives. “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day” Prov. 4:18 – NAS. We must not get discouraged and give up. We need to encourage one another (and ourselves) daily lest we be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb. 3:13). Simple obedience to God’s word is the surest way to attaining more of His Kingdom in our lives.

All blossoms start out as invisible little

places on the stem of a plant where a bud forms. The bud grows larger and one day it begins to open. When it is fully opened, you can see it in its fullness and beauty! Don’t you think God sometimes looks on us as a little bud getting ready to open and display His marvelous work in us?

“And let us not be weary in well

doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” Gal. 6:9 - KJV

“The Kingdom of God is not meat and

drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” Rom. 14:17 - KJV

We don’t know how it will happen or

how long it will take before God’s Kingdom is fully manifested on the earth; we just know that it will happen as God’s word says it will. For now, God is continually revealing it to a lost and dying world in and through His saints! Let us be about His business of proclaiming the Good News and keeping ourselves unspotted from the world!

We are the children of the living God!

Ben Salter

In an ideal world we would find the

person we were supposed to be with, marry that person, and then begin our lives with the satisfaction of knowing that this is the right decision. I have a couple of friends who didn’t have to kiss any frogs to find their spouse. To that I say “good for you!” with a hint of concealed jealousy. The road to finding my knight in shining armor was dusted with quite a few Mr. Wrongs, Mr. I don’t think so’s, and in one extreme case, a Mr. What-was-I-thinking. I could shock you to death with the amount of red flag warnings I blatantly ignored, or I could instead tell you what I learned.

It’s downright fascinating watching

friends, or people you know fairly well date someone that is so wrong for them. It’s one of those ‘hindsight is twenty-twenty’ conundrums. While you’re in the relationship (especially in the beginning) everything feels good and fun. If you’re me, you childishly doodle your name with his last name ad nauseam. You feel as if that person could do no wrong, and this sense of invincibility seems to permeate through your whole relationship. This is an incredibly addicting feeling. It’s the butterfly sensation that people describe. However long-lasting that wonderful feeling is, eventually the red flags start to arise.

Kissing Frogs Sarah Williamson

Kasia

Some of the big warning signs I have ignored in past relationships were things like: emotional instability, clingy-suffocating behavior, controlling, and no sense of humor. Most of us like to think that we know ourselves well enough to decide what kind of behavior warrants a second glance. Some of my huge no-no’s are only minor offenses in other peoples book. Too often we treat warning signs like a mythical unicorn; insignificant and probably non-existent. We should be examining each concern with the utmost discretion. Women’s intuition isn’t just an old wives tale; God gives us discernment and wisdom so that we don’t get trapped in a relationship that is doomed to fail. Based on the level of emotional or physical involvement with someone, occasionally we don’t register that gut feeling. In a lot of the bad relationships I participated in, I was so blinded by my feelings of attraction that God had to send close friends and family into my life to tell me that I was wasting my time in a destructive relationship. So lesson number one; that uneasy feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you think about the future of the relationship, don’t write that off.

The most eye-opening advice I have

ever received about the world of dating, courting, and relationships came from a very special youth leader who told me “Don’t worry about being in a relationship. Take time to

develop your walk with God. Get to know yourself, establish your likes, dislikes, talents and hobbies. When you’re out there pursuing your passions and loving on God, you’ll look over and find someone who cherishes the same things you do, and loves God the way you love God. You’ll know to pursue a relationship with that person because you’re both headed in the same direction in life.” I don’t know if you can have half a paragraph as a life mantra, but this has always stuck with me. This very advice has occasionally been the only reason I have ended a relationship. You can’t be headed in two completely opposite directions or callings, and still make the relationship work. I had a guy I was pretty into for awhile that was absolutely 100% convinced that his calling was to be a researcher in Antarctica. When he asked me out, I knew I would be wasting my time, because I knew absolutely 100 percent that parkas and penguins were not in my calling. Frogs are a part of life, but I think if we really listen to God and the people he has placed in our lives, frogs could become an avoidable part of life.

A Golden Marriage Holly Rhody

My husband and I, along with our

two young sons, recently took a weekend vacation with my parents. I had brought an anniversary card along, to give to my parents, since they are soon to celebrate 47 years of marriage. During our vacation time together, we even discussed future plans for a big celebration of their “Golden Anniversary”—50 Years!

Since I have been home from our

vacation, I have been reflecting on the long-term marriage relationship between my mother and father. What traits, have I observed, that have made their successful marriage go the distance? Which of those traits can I apply to my own marriage, so that my husband and I will someday be able to celebrate our “Golden Anniversary”?

Following are ten practical ways my

parents have modeled a loving, Christ-centered marriage. These are things I would like to implement or maintain in my marriage of 17 years.

My parents…

1. still touch one another—hold hands, rub a shoulder while walking by, sit close enough to touch, link arms, etc. 2. listen intently to one another with uninterrupted eye contact. They are not caught up in the Smart phones, i-pads, lap tops, etc. that our generation seems to give so much attention toward. 3. make time to pray together. They often pray for their (adult) children. 4. have supported one another’s life choices—career changes, moves, dreams. 5. have accepted and actively loved their in-laws despite the challenges of aging parents and how very different their two family sides are from one another. 6. take a walk together several times a week. 7. have respected the differences in their hobby or leisure time interests. My mom will go with my dad to do what he likes to do. In turn, my dad will go and support my mom in some of the things she likes to do.

8. never use sarcasm or bad attitude tones when they talk to one another. They are courteous and honor one another in tone and word choice.

To Love Again Ministries

Sing up to receive our

monthly online magazine

Inspire

Just go to our website at toloveagainministries.org

9. are intentionally creative to plan and surprise one another on birthdays, anniversaries, or other special days that are cause for celebration.

10. have been faithful to uphold their wedding vows and have stayed committed in times of sickness and in health and for richer and for poorer.

And Finally…..my mom still laughs at my dad’s old jokes or silly comments!

These are just a few quick observations

that come to mind when I think about the marriage between my parents. Which reminded me… our marriages are being observed! Our marriages are being watched by our children, friends, neighbors, family, etc. May the Lord be at the center of our marriages, helping us to love one another and be role models to all that are looking on.

Teachable moments in our children’s

lives are so important. There are opportunities that come that teach moral values and life lessons so much better than a lecture ever will. I try to be watchful for these little windows. One of these opportunities is when my children have taken something that is not theirs. Inevitably, little ones will walk out of a store with something they did not buy. I could have gotten embarrassed and done nothing, which I must confess crossed my mind the first time. I am so grateful God allowed me to see it as a great chance to teach my kids the value of honesty and not to steal.

Whether it was a pencil, a pack of

gum, or something of greater value we headed back to the store it was taken from and ask for the manager.

The child then got to give the item back and apologize. This may sound unkind or severe but the lasting effects are so worth it. The embarrassment of apologizing at 4 or 5 is far less than that of being arrested at 15. It has only happened once for each of our kids. The managers have been very kind and affirm the value of being honest and the seriousness of stealing, of which I am very grateful. I affirm the child afterwards telling them that I am proud of them for doing the right thing.

Another great teaching moment is when

we are given too much change or an item we did not pay for. Our children are ever watching our responses to situations and building values by what we do, not just by what we say. It may be a big inconvenience to take not only the item back into the store but a pack of kids too. Doing the right thing really does matter for our heart and our kids. Let your kids know what has happened and include them in the return. They will admire your integrity and hopefully take it on as their own.

During the loss of a dearly loved pet we

can teach our children to honor those we lose. We also have the chance

Marc Milligan

Teachable Moments Kimberly Borst

to expand their understanding of heaven. We can talk about being in heaven with Jesus where there is no more sorrow or death and that our loved one (possibly even pets) will be there to spend forever with us. Having a funeral lets them acknowledge the sadness they are feeling and look to God for comfort. A little box, shovel and a few kind words will do. When the death of a close relative happens they will be better prepared.

Someday our children will decide for

themselves what kind of person they want to be, but while they are young it is our responsibility to teach them the way they should go.

“Train up a child in the way he

should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

Suzette Pauwels

Munir Hamdan

Sharpen Your Ax Beverly Huffman

Briel Borst

Life had become so busy. Where had the

time gone? Why hadn’t I had opportunities to do the things I most wanted to do with my life?

As I sat on the small sofa in my

apartment, I began to question God. Where was HE? Why hadn’t HE helped me with the list of things I wanted to do. After all, a lot of them were “for Him!”

When I stopped mumbling, God nudged

me and said, “Simplify.” Simplify? How can I simplify? I have a lot to do. I have responsibilities for family, work, church, and well-meaning friends who seem to expect me to be at their beckon call when they need someone to listen. Simplify? Right!

Holy Spirit brought a story to my mind

about a young woodcutter. He came to the job with vigor. As he watched an older man taking a break, he became angry, feeling he was doing all of the work. The younger man challenged the old man to a cutting race. The old man smiled with a slight bend to the side of his mouth. “Fine,” he slowly said.

The young man cut as fast as he could.

He stacked and moved wood and ran back to cut more. However, the older man sat silently for break after break.

At the end of the day, the old man had out chopped the young man by several logs. “How did you do that?” the young man asked. The old gent grinned and explained that he sharpened his ax as he rested and the ax did the work for him.

God grinned and so did I. Ok, I will

simplify. I will stop, rest, and “sharpen my ax.” I will take time to read my Bible, be quiet and listen to the Holy Spirit even when my to-do list seems to be growing.

As I began cleaning the garden of my

life, throwing out things I did not need in the kitchen cabinet, the closet, and in my emotions, life became easier. I did not get everything done on my goal sheet, but I didn’t need to.

I literally began to relax better, sleep

sounder and experience deeper joy as I tossed out the excess that had been weighing me down. I now have more energy and know that it is time to sit down and “sharpen my ax” when I begin to get upset, hold grudges, or become angry. I know that the closets I have are more than enough and that a “sale” is not a good deal if I don’t need it.

A simple change can have a great

impact!

Kasia

Do you know Me? Have you seen Me?

Do you know My voice? Then trust in me! Stay centered, stay the course. I am with you. I am awake. I see you. You are mine. I have not gone far away. My Kingdom is coming to the earth. Watch - things are about to change. Heaven’s army is at your door. Stand strong. The great awakening is about to happen. Throw off the filthy rags of sin. Go and sin no more. You are My precious daughter, My beautiful one, live! 5/31/13 Kimberly Borst

A Word from the Lord