On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ² Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. ³ And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

⁴ Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

⁶ Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. ⁷ Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸ And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. ⁹ When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. ¹⁰ And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

¹¹ This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

¹² After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days. John 2:1-11

The First Sign

The first miraculous sign by Jesus is set at a marriage ceremony in Cana of Galilee. It is the hometown of Nathaniel, one of Jesus’s disciples (John 21:2). Cana was a small town and of little significance. Jesus and His disciples―at that time there were five; Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael, and John― were invited to the ceremony, and Jesus thought it necessary to honor the invitation. Mary the mother of Jesus was also present at the feast.

At some point during the feast, they ran out of wine, and Mary brought the attention of Jesus to that fact. It could be that Mary was a friend of the family or a relation to one of the parties involved. It is understood in Jewish culture that it is a huge embarrassment for wine to run out at such a feast. Jesus response to Mary’s gesture was not quite welcoming. Not that He was rude, but He was highlighting that the fullness of time had not yet come for Him to manifest. Nonetheless Mary instructed that the servants carry out whatever command Jesus issued.

One would think that from Mary’s gesture she knew by experience that Jesus was capable of producing results at such difficult times. It must have been common practice for Jesus to offer counsel that confounded natural logic in the midst of seemingly impossible situations which produced outstanding results “for the wisdom of God is foolishness to man” (1 Cor.1:25)

The Holy Spirit thought it necessary to state that there were six waterpots reserved to hold water for the Jewish rights of purification, each one large enough to hold between twenty and thirty gallons. This is a picture of the Old Order. Jesus instructed that these waterpots be filled with water. After this He asked that the servants draw “some” out to be served to the master of the feast. Notice He didn’t say “draw some water out…” He was careful with His words. When the master of the feast tasted the drink, he was amazed at the quality of the wine and said “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

The turning of the water into wine was the first sign; the expression of His divine powers in a public setting. In this story we see a picture of the Old and New Covenant. The old way of thinking is that you put up your best front and when people have been deceived and convinced of the phoniness, and then you begin to bring out the subpar.

God’s way is to save the best for the last. We see the Old covenant here passing away. The rituals and rights of purification are to be no more―represented by the empty water pots―and on the other hand, the joy associated with the New Covenant as it is being poured out. In the New Covenant is the sweetness of the gospel.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
The mountains shall drip with sweet wine,
And all the hills shall flow with it.

Amos 9:13

Before this joy can be experienced, one must obey the simplicity and irrationality of the command “fill the waterpots…take some to the master of the feast”. The gospel is a simple message, and it is foolishness to human logic, but with obedience comes the sweet experience of salvation.

The quality of the wine was said to be the best wine. It was a taste that had never been experienced before. Legalism and moral fortitude is no match for the experience of salvation. Along with salvation comes the glory, satisfaction, sufficiency, and lavishness of the grace of God.

Sonship refers to the state of being an heir to the Father’s resources. When a person receives Christ, that person receives the right to be a son in the kingdom of God. This means by right of sonship the person can lay claim to all of heaven’s resources. The 13th verse of John 1 reveals that this sonship is not of blood, of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, in essence this right of sonship is not a  physical experience. It is by adoption. God’s word represents God’s will. When Scripture says that the one who receives Christ is born of the will of God, it refers to being born of God’s Word. By God’s word, sonship becomes a right and nothing can change it. Your past experiences and what anyone else thinks about you will not change the will of God for you as a son because it is settled!

The Book of John:

A continuation of my study on the Book of John. Sharing my thoughts, and revelations by the Holy Spirit.

John 1:6-11, 29-34

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. ⁸ He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. ⁹ That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ³¹ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”³² And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. ³³ I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

John the Baptist was a man of purpose. He understood his purpose as a forerunner of Christ, and he did his job effectively. Israel had been without any prophet for over 300 years since Malachi. The word of God was lacking for centuries, and there rises a fiery preacher, anointed of God, proclaiming the word of God concerning the coming Messiah. It was obvious to all that John was anointed of God because if he were a false prophet, the judgment according to the law was that he be stoned to death (Deuteronomy 18:22). John’s purpose was to bear witness to the true Light (Jesus), despite the fact that he had a huge following, he made it clear to all that he was not the Messiah.

Research shows that light is required for all things to live for without light plants would die, animals would not be able to feed, and through the food chain all life begins to die. This parallel is true concerning things of the spirit. Without illumination of God, there can be no life. This was why in the beginning the very first thing that God spoke into being was “light” (Genesis 1:3), consistent with John 1:10 “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him”. Likewise to restore the life that had been lost in the heart of men, God had to re-introduce light to the world in the form of Christ. That’s why it is said in verse 9 that Jesus is”the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world”.

The people had been in darkness for so long that when they saw the light, they squinted. They had to shrink back and go back to where it was comfortable for them which is why they did not receive Christ as the light. From verse 19 of Chapter 1 of John, it seems that the local council was threatened by this  revival that was brewing through John the Baptist. They sent messengers to go inquire of John’s purpose (19-22). The Pharisees had legalized religion, it had now become a sectarian cult by which they controlled the people under Roman rule. It was no longer that they held the law in anticipation of the Messiah (Galatians 3:24).

God had spoken of the Messiah after the fall of man in Genesis 3:15- of the seed of the woman who wold crush the head of the serpent. It must have been passed on from generation to generation from Adam. Judaism was supposed to hold the people in anticipation of the Christ. Though they were at “school” waiting for the “Teacher of the Way”, they were not able to see when He (Jesus the light) came to reveal to them the way. They saw the true light and they did not recognize Him and neither did the receive Him because they loved the darkness more than the light.

John the Baptist identified himself to the messengers of the Pharisees as “‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:’Make straight the way of the Lord’” (John 1:23). This was spoken by the prophet Isaiah. As I meditate on this my eyes are open to the fact that this verse is prophetic. The One here refers to God almighty; John was the voice of God, he was God’s prophetic voice in the wilderness. The wilderness is an arid land with little vegetation and fruitfulness. This may be literal in that John was proclaiming these things in the wilderness, but this was in reference to the spiritual condition of Israel at that time. Their worship and lifestyle was not producing any fruit, but John the baptist message and baptism was to prepare men for the Messiah. He would give light to men and would the cause men to be fruitful again.

The sign of the Messiah according to John’s witness was given by God “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

Is your life experiencing any dryness today?  Get the word of God and declare it. As you expect God to manifest in your situation, be the voice of God in that wilderness of yours and proclaim His truth. As you do so, you are preparing the way for the Lord to intervene massively in your life!

The Bible reveals that at the beginning of this age that the world “was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:2). In the midst of confusion God’s first response was to speak words of life. Everything we see around us today is a result of the spoken word of God made alive. Hebrews 11:3 says that “by faith through the word of God the world was framed, so that the things which we see were made from things which we do not see”. Notice that the scripture didn’t say that the things we see were made from nothing, but they were unseen things.

Words are things (tangible realities) that are not visible to the naked eye. In the natural if you were to build a house you would consider what resources you have available to you: lumber, iron, nails, bricks etc. But the divine order of events is to start with words. Faith filled words are the building blocks of life. The words that you speak shape your heart’s beliefs, and the words that you speak from your heart form the world around you.

What’s the situation around you currently? Does it look dark? Are you confused? There is a solution; speak words of life. God’s word created all matter and rebuilt the world. His Words are filled with life. God has spoken His will concerning the different aspects of your life. You have a responsibility to seek out His will and appropriate it in your life. Do this by putting the words of God in your mouth. Speak them in faith and with conviction. The process of change in your life starts with you speaking the word of God.

Inspirational Scriptures to Meditate: Prov. 12:14; 18:21, Mark 11:23-24. Ps.141:3; 119:172

1 Timothy 4:8, NLT “

Godliness simply means to live like God. It is holy living, God commands that we be holy just as He is (1 Pet.1:16) and in another place He warns that without holiness, no man can see God (Heb.12:14). We know according to 1 Timothy 4:8, that just like the body requires physical training, which has its benefits, godliness is a form of spiritual exercise. Exercise requires nutrition, resistance, and rest of our muscles in order for them to grow strong and bigger. Likewise godliness requires the same. Nutrition is the feeding of your spirit by the Word of God. Jesus in Matthew 4:4 teaches that man shall live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. In order to live a godly life, a proper diet of God’s word is required daily.

Notice what 2 Pet.1:3-4 says “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

The ability to live the godly life comes through the word of God, as we partake of the knowledge of God’s word (the exceeding great and precious promises), the divine nature of the Spirit within is released to give strength for godly living.

Resistance refers to the things we come into contact with on a daily basis that challenge the word of God. Galatians 5:16 says “walk in the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”. This is where the resistance is. In resisting the desires of the flesh and walking in the reality of what the word says we can overcome the desires of the flesh. This is the part of spiritual exercise. It will be painful many times to act in accordance to what the Word of God says, but we have a responsibility to obey, so we can strengthen our muscles. This is why a proper diet of the Word of God is required. This is why we need to know what the Word of God says, and meditate on it intently, until the Word by itself begins to control our thinking. This is what Romans 12:2 calls the renewing of the mind.

Finally resting the muscles to allow for growth; there are times when we need to separate ourselves from the day to day hustle and bustle and spend time with God and His word, simply meditating. It is at this time we are strengthened and invigorated with life by the Spirit. Living a fasted life keeps your flesh under and allows your spirit-man find expression. James 4:4 says “friendship with the world is enmity with God”. We must from time to time separate from our daily lifestyle to refocus on our relationship with God.

See how 1 John 2:15-16 puts it:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

When we have committed ourselves to godly living as described, then we are sure we will see results. Results of exercise ought to be evident. Not just to yourself, but also to others around. Likewise in godly living there is the assurance of enviable results in the life now, and there is the reward in heaven for living a holy life.

Commit yourself to godly living, ask God to help you, and dedicate yourself to the reading and meditation of the Word. Pray, pray and pray some more! Be unrelenting in your prayer life, take time out to fast, and never give in to the desires of the flesh. Make a practice of disciplining the flesh and beating it down. I’ll leave you with 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified

The word multitasking is defined as the activity of doing more than one thing at the same time., To a certain degree our lives are dependent on some form or level of multitasking in our personal and professional lives. There are other levels of multitasking that researchers have found to be detrimental to healthy functioning of the human mind and body and may actually slow down your productivity. Multitasking is the buzz word of many corporate environments; resumes and interviews tend to not be complete without the phrase “my ability to effectively multitask”.

Many experts including business coach Dave Crenshaw argues that the usual types of multitasking that we are all used to engaging in  doesn’t boost productivity—it actually slows you down. In his new book, The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done, Crenshaw explains the difference between “background tasking”—like watching TV while exercising—and what he calls “switchtasking,” juggling two tasks by refocusing your attention back and forth between them, and losing time and progress in the switch. Crenshaw’s goal is to reduce stress, distractions, and burn-out while creating avenues that let individuals see through tasks with their full attention before moving onto the next thing.

It has become socially and culturally celebrated to multitask and most people really think it increases productivity. I invite you to think on these a little bit. Think about your typical day and the progression of each activity that you concurrently engaged in throughout the day.  How did you feel at the end of the day? If you felt extremely elated and accomplished then you probably thrive on the adrenaline high which is only temporary. If you felt stressed then the recommendation is to take control, Crenshaw offers a few tips for reducing switch tasking and  making better use of your time.

You have control over technology: Your cell phone ringer (even on vibrate) doesn’t need to be on all the time. You can turn off email notification on your computer as well. Become master over the nagging beeps and buzzes by creating some silence.

Schedule as much as possible :Set regular times in the day and week to check your voicemail and email. Inform people that you will be using that schedule so they know when to expect a reply.

Don’t lose sight of the person :When you switchtask when dealing with a computer, you simply lose efficiency. But if you switchtask on a human being, you additionally damage a relationship. Be present, listen carefully, and make sure everything has been taken care of before moving on.

Kemi Adegbite  2011

I wrote an article sometime ago on “should men listen to their wives” in the article I said men and women are equal before God and my friend Dr. Arowolaju wrote a rejoinder, saying that men and women are not equal. Since his rejoinder, I’ve been questioned at least three times (at conferences) on why I did not reply him. First, I’ve decided not to reply rejoinders (no matter how bad I want to – except I’m compelled), secondly, a rejoinder is the person’s opinion just like the original article is my opinion (it is wrong to condemn opinion, you might not agree with it – opinion is different from fact) and thirdly, I expect people reading anything (book or articles) to always overlap the writers view with their own principles and values.

I still believe that men and women are equal before God (see Galatians 3: 28-29). At creation God did not create the woman as a second rate creation or lower echelon than man like He created animals lower than humans. In Joel 2: 28, the bible promised that God’s spirit would be poured out on all flesh (women were not excluded) and this was fulfilled in Acts 2: 17-19. I was recently asked this question at a conference or maybe it is a statement “women are made from the man’s rib which means she is a spare part, and spare parts can be replaced”.

What is different between the man and the woman is our role and this should never be confused with a woman being less of a being than the man. The role of the man is to be the head of his house (headship by position, not to boss her- The man is the first amongst equals) and for the woman to submit herself to the man’s leadership in the marriage institution (I’ve written two articles on the role of men and women – please refer to them for details). The confusion between the roles and being a second class creation has messed up the world for centuries. Many cultures of the world have taken the man’s role as being that of the superior to a subordinate (not leader among equals), payment of exorbitant dowries in many cultures have not helped either and the domination of the man over the woman was maintained because women were largely uneducated.

Education of women brought out the injustice done to the women in the name of culture and sometimes in the name of the Bible. In the name of culture, women were denied basic God given rights and freedom. Let us take the marriage of a man to more than one wife, we all know that was not the intention of God at creation, He said “therefore a man shall join with his wife and they will become one”, the person who started polygamy is Lamech (Genesis 4) and it was done as an act of disobedience to God. Subsequent marrying of more than one wife was a sin and it is still a sin (it also supports the man’s dominance), In Matthew 19, Jesus repeated “for this reason a man shall join with a woman and they will become one”. Treating a woman as a second class creation is a sin, not given a woman the right to vote, drive, express her opinion especially in a marriage, are all not right.

I know that the women’s liberation movements in western countries have gone overboard with their seeking “freedom” for women by claiming that God is Patriarchal for making man the head of the marriage institution, by saying that women should not submit to the authority of the man in the marriage institution, and by saying that they don’t need men once they are professionals (that has proven to be a lie).

In many cultures of the world, the leadership of the man is tied to his ability to provide financially for his family and in some other places the leadership is maintained through physical beating of the women (to put them in their place)  or other demeaning things  done through verbal or emotional abuse. When the woman makes more money, or the woman can physically harm the husband or the woman does more of the abuse either verbally or emotionally, then man’s leadership of the home is threatened or even usurped.

Leadership of the home is much more than finance or physical strength (they are part of it), the man should lead the home in every aspect possible, spiritually – leading devotion or prayer times, leading going to church (my 11 year old just came back from camp with 8 questions about God that I gladly and proudly answered), emotionally – should listen to every member of your family, if you are blessed with more girls than boys, then you need prayer for more grace (I have 2 boys and our 6 year old niece is spending a good portion of the summer with us, now I pray for people with girls). You need to take the time and listen to your wife as well, that’s how God made her. Leading is also socially, while as the man you might not determine or even care about where to visit, but based on the family budget you can determine how much the family have to spend on vacation that year and let your wife and kids determine the place. Social leadership also include taken the initiative to attending the kids school functions (try as much as possible not to miss piano recital, soccer games, ballet, swimming competition, S.M.A.R.T. meet, spelling bee etc).

Intellectual leadership is involving your wife and children in current affairs discussions, worldview discussion, their academics, and other brain tasking events. My family loves, the game channel (who wants to be a millionaire specifically) and discovery channel, especially the animal trivial (It’s a good learning channel), by the way my wife and 11 year old are both crossword puzzle junkie and he recently taught mom how to play “sudoku” puzzle, which he is proud of. For most of the above leadership roles you don’t have to make the most money in your home to be the leader.

Let me share from my personal experience, I met my wife at the University of Ife (Terra Choral Group) she soon returned to the US to continue her education. After graduation and youth corps, I got a job in the transportation industry and before I left Nigeria in 1992 my income then was more than what a physician in Nigeria earned. Upon coming to America my first inclination of how much a doctor make was at a reception given in our honor by my in-laws church, I remember clearly the reverend woman approaching me and saying “she’s going to be making a lot of money now you know” (she was a first year medical student then). It was later that I realized that doctors make more money than most professional people, especially myself as a first degree holder.

Before that encounter (with the reverend) Ola and I had started a joint account. She ran the account for the first two years. I took over the family account because we both determined that I was better with keeping to strict payment schedule. There was never a time that our finance was ever my money or your money.

We had several arguments on the budget, on what to give one family verses the other, on excess spending, long distance calling, etc but I don’t remember the argument ever being you are spending your money or don’t touch my money. We saw each other’s income as one (which is what the bible says). In residency, she earned more than I did for a couple of months, then I changed company twice in 18 months and this put my income on top again till she started to work as an attending, when she doubled my income. Things became complicated when I resigned to move to Omaha, I earned half of what I was earning in NJ and then in another year I earned zero, resigning to go into full time ministry. Today, God is blessing the ministry, but it is still far from being the primary income for our household. In the past five years of the ministry existence and six of my wife earning more money, I’m still the leader of our home like I was when my income was the only one. My leadership was never based on my income but on what I believe the bible wants me to do.

When you make more as the woman

I thank God for education and the scripture regarding the woman’s standing as a creation and biblical role.

I do not believe that as a woman that you are a second class creation I however believe that the woman’s role at home is to submit the leadership of that home to the man (regardless of your position or title outside the home). I know many at this point would say wait a minute, you don’t know my husband? The question you should be asking is how can I submit to my husband even with his personality (aggressive husband, passive husband or a passive-aggressive husband).

Submitting to your husband does not make you a doormat you are being obedient to God. Submission is also not what we’ve been told it is, it is not being told to sit down there without any opinion, and it is not being put under a glass ceiling. Submission is having an opinion, sharing the opinion and willingly deferring your opinion (sometime facts) to your husband’s authority and praying that he makes the right choice with the help of God.

Whatever you are going through right now does not change the above principle. As a counselor, I’ve been privileged to be part of many circumstances that sometimes my personal opinion is different from what I know the Bible says, but I know without a doubt that circumstances don’t change Gods eternal principles.  If you are married to a man who procrastinates, and who doesn’t have any ambition and holds you back etc, remember you cannot change him with your mouth but with your character in conjunction with the Holy Spirit.

One important thing that I’ll like to share with you as a godly  woman is, if you have a good suggestion for your husband, it is very vital to note that how you deliver your good suggestion is more important than the suggestion itself. Many husbands (me included) will not take our wife’s opinion into consideration if we feel she was disrespectful with the delivery (it’s an ego thing). So part of your submitting skills is to learn when and how to get your message across to your husband without him feeling berated (you might think it is trivial but it will save you and your marriage many headaches).

The Bible is all about obedience and reward, when a woman against all odds submits to the husbands leading, there are rewards, it might come in form of obedient kids, blessings in your own life and definitely crown in heaven.

P.S. There are times when tough love needs to be applied in a marriage, I’ll suggest you work with a counselor, your pastor or faith based professionals to determine when this is to be applied (tough love does not mean disrespect).

When you make less as the man

A couple friend of my family recently decided that the man should stay home with the kids while she works because they just had multiple births (a good daycare would cost too much) and she earns a lot more money than him. While chatting with my wife I told her that I see their reason economically, but I would still advise the man to do something that brings home “something” or “anything” Ola could not understand me, she said taking care of the kids is already a lot, which I agree with (I was the primary caretaker of our son for years), but to me there is something about the man earning something.

Many of us men believe that the care of kids is the woman’s job and bringing home the bacon is the man’s job, things are now upside down because that belief is now being challenged in many homes all around the world. I believe it is time that we start to evaluate societal roles of the husband or wife (not clearly defined by the bible).

As I have stated above your leadership of the home should not be tied to you making more or your wife making more money, your leadership should never be abandoned because she makes more money, it is always difficult to resume leading your home if you have been complacent or absent for a long time as the leader (many women find it difficult to let go of leading if they have done it for years).

The ideal situation would be for both of you to have a joint account from the day you get married and with time build trust based on negotiation (it took Ola and I about 3-4 years to get the budget and joint account thing down without argument). Also, if there is ever a time that you make more money, don’t treat your wife like she is a maid, counting food money into her palms or letting her run after you for her toiletries money. The money coming into the household should always be our money not yours or mine.

When decisions have to be made in your home, I will advise that you consult with your wife first, contrary to what many of us grew up with, it does not make you less of a man. Asking for your wife’s opinion makes you a smart man, because you are weighing your options and even the bible says plan succeed with many counsel. God has given your wife a unique ability to see things differently from how you see it, and a combination of both your points of view is always a home-run for your family. When you ignore her opinion either because you think it is stupid or based on how she brought it up to you, then you are left with just one point of view – yours and may I suggest that it might not be the best in some circumstances.

Never give up leading your home even when you don’t earn the most money and please note that you can maintain your leadership in other ways (see what Christ did in John 13) rather than through any form of abuse.

What the couple needs to do

A godly woman understands that when there is a stalemate on any issue in the home and decisions have to be made, then she defers authority to him (and prays that he makes the right decision). At the same time a godly man understands that a smart man seeks the wife’s opinion on issues because two heads are better than one, and if you have sounded things by your wife like I have (and most of the time does) – it will save you a lot of money or time (you won’t have to repeat any task or get lost).

Sit down and set goals or vision for your family together (see article on setting a family vision), carefully weave your individual visions into one family vision with both of you being selfless (God first, Others second and I’m third).

-   What types of house are we going to buy and where?

-   What school are the kids going – private of public?

-   How much should we send home to each family?

-   When do we start building at home (country of origin)? Who should help – family or non-family members?

-   College fund? When and How?

-   What church should we attend?

It might take your family sometime to blend your visions but please never give up, the benefit of getting it right far outweigh giving up in the later part of your life and marriage.

Remain Blessed

The mind plays a big role in the making of successful people. As we have said, man is a tripartite being― he is primarily a spirit being, possessing a soul and he lives in a body. The soul of a man comprises of his mind (reason), will (resolve) and emotions (feelings). The success of a man is born by the spirit of a man, but the spirit of a man acts as a gate keeper, the mind. Remember I said that we function as a result of the harmonious relationship between the inner-man (your spirit) and the mind. The impressions of the mind eventually photographed on the spirit of a man which eventually begins to produce fruit of the same kind.

James Allen in his book The Making of a Man said “the mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance.”In essence we can trace the roots of our circumstances and behavior to the thoughts that dominant our minds. If you have learned to control your thought life, you will begin to experience control of your life.

Saturate your mind with thoughts on success by exposing yourself to stimuli that will write success in your spirit-man. Talk success, taste success, see success, hear success, feel success and smell success. As you receive this stimuli think about success. Don’t talk about failures and inadequacies because such speaking continues to write the same in you.

“Summing it all up, friends  I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” (Philippians 4:8, MSG)

Scriptures to Meditate: Prov. 4:18; 27:19, Jer.29:11-13, Matt.7:20-23, Josh.1:8, Ps.7712, Ps.119:11

PS: This is a good article on meditation

Others on #Success:

Be Forward Looking

Diligently Mine the Treasure Within #Success

Be Disciplined #Success

For centuries people have searched for ways of expressing their faith through the arts and tapestry is one method of providing a vehicle for their religious inspiration. The passion for art, entwined with the spirituality of religion has ensured these works have retained their popularity from the middle ages to the present day.

The giving of gifts is the act of transferring something, with the gift-giver asking nothing in return for the gesture. The act does not require compensation from the receiver, it does not ask for anything in return, and while there may be a social expectation of reciprocity in the form of gratitude in any given form, a gift is, essentially, meant to be free. In various human societies, collectives both widespread and concentrated, the giving of gifts is attributed to the construction and proliferation of social cohesion and when it’s religious it owes its motif as of religious inspiration.

When one acknowledges the tremendous ways in which spiritual matters test faith and affect the heart and soul, the drama and vividness of the work is realized. The beauty of a religious tapestry gives a glimpse of what life beyond that on earth might be and has delivered hope in uncertain times when belief in religion may have been tested. Adorning the altar area of the rebuilt cathedral the tapestry was intended to inspire those citizens of the city who experienced some of the most destructive bombings in World War 2 and is now the focus of a Peace center.

Gift-giving is seen as something appreciated but wholly unneeded. The notion of giving material gifts pale in comparison to the love Jesus Christ has already given each and every Christian, and to the brimming compassion and goodwill it has sparked in all Christian groups and individuals. Of course, gift-giving is still very much welcomed and understood and will not soon be disavowed or refused and seen as religious inspiration.

Most Christian individuals opt for giving a gift that does not simply satisfy the materialistic indulgence of people, but will also state their spiritual beliefs and will inspire others. These faith-inspired gifts often contain kernels of truth and wisdom from the Bible as their main vehicle for imparting inspiration and insight. Usually, occasions for giving gifts in the Christian world contribute to the holistic growth of believers and for the building of meaningful social relationships.

Social media networks have been of great help to a lot of people worldwide in terms of improving communication and expanding the “social realm”. Christians are asked to mingle with people who are of the same faith and beliefs, but sometimes, because for the “lack of choices” they are forced to have relationships with those who are not Christians like themselves.

Now it is easier than ever before to meet Christian singles online and I will not write about all the wonderful Christian dating websites. It is obvious that many singles are looking for something more than dating. They are interested in increasing lasting friendships. After all, most solid marriages are built between 2 peoples that see each other as best friends, not just romantic partners.

However, Christian dating websites have been made in order to solve that kind of problem. Christians will be able to network with other Christians not only in the same geographical location but also across the islands. They will also be able to interact with one another the “Christian way”. These kinds of websites have been popular because it makes Christians get to know each other through the innovations of social media and the Internet.

]]> http://www.edenlifemag.com/2012/05/christian-dating-website/feed/ 1