Spirit Fire

I hope your first youth meeting went well! :)

2011-08-22T09:40:22.910-04:00

I hope your first youth meeting went well! :)

I honestly have NO idea what happened. When I saw ...

2011-08-20T19:59:28.167-04:00

I honestly have NO idea what happened. When I saw that you had added me as an author, I went to the page last night and saw there was no picture.

=(

:) ps what happened to the header picture?

2011-08-20T19:58:06.425-04:00

:)

ps what happened to the header picture?

Sadness :( No youth group... I'm going to be b...

2011-03-29T09:41:44.514-04:00

Sadness :( No youth group... I'm going to be bored next Sunday... I'll just make all the Monroe people come to my house :)

GO LUCY!!! <3

2011-01-20T17:35:46.332-05:00

GO LUCY!!! <3

I wish you great success with your fundraiser. Ano...

2010-10-17T01:03:57.890-04:00

I wish you great success with your fundraiser. Another thing we have done to raise funds for our Bible quizzing is to sell grocery store coupon books. They are very popular and easy to explain the benefits of.

Very nicely written post! I loved the way Kevin de...

2010-04-09T18:17:21.307-04:00

Very nicely written post! I loved the way Kevin described the guys side of the relationship, helps me understand how a Godly guy thinks. Keep up the good work for Christ. :)

Mel idk bout the rest of the guys but im in favor ...

2010-03-29T07:26:22.319-04:00

Mel idk bout the rest of the guys but im in favor of the hebrew one

First and foremost, I think dating (and marriage f...

2010-03-22T07:57:36.109-04:00

First and foremost, I think dating (and marriage for that matter) involves endless prayer. If you are not bathing your relationship in prayer then it is impossible to know what decisions God would have you make. Be willing to just listen to him. There were many times I was afraid to listen...afraid His answers would be different than my desires. But I forced myself to be quiet and hear His will for me.

Being in love is definitely multi-dimensional. It involves a deep commitment. You must believe that no matter what the other person says or does (good or bad) you will be faithful to them for always. This makes love a CHOICE. So before you get to this point when you're asking yourself, "Do I want to stand by this person no matter what?" you should see if these are true:
1. Do both of you challenge one another to grow and mature (relationally, spiritually, emotionally, intellectually)? If neither (or only one of you) is seeing growth then it's not worth committing to for a lifetime. To sharpen and encourage one another is sometimes painful, but oh so necessary. And the alternative is being stagnant (seeing no change) or even "lukewarm" which is just not an option.

2. My second point relates closely to the first. The most important aspect of growth is spiritually--in communion with God. If your relationship does not make you MORE EFFECTIVE as a minister of the Gospel then it is time to say goodbye. This is why Paul taught us that it is better to stay single--for the sake of the Gospel. But if the two of you become an unstoppable force for Christ, then by all means come together as husband and wife!

3. Do you continually learn more and WANT to learn more about the other person? Do they always hold your attention and interest? This is not just physical. Do you never tire of talking with them, hearing their ideas, their dreams, their philosophies, their frustrations, and their successes? Then you've probably got something good.

4. Time. Though I don't think it is essential to date for eleventy billion years before you know you're ready to marry, I do think there is wisdom found in a longer-term dating relationship. You can't possibly know and experience everything with this person that you will see in 50 years of marriage, but the longer you date the more chances there are to see one another sick, cranky, angry, excited, weird, emotional, passionate, etc. You each have SO many dimensions and the longer you spend getting to know one another, the more educated decision you will be able to make.

And after you experience much of the good and the bad that comes with the package deal you have to ask yourself, "Would I rather spend a terrible day with this person than a fantastic day with anyone else?" If the answer is yes, then you may be looking at your forever Love.

4. As a girl, I must say that a woman must be certain that she trusts this man with everything she has. Trust that he has her best in mind even if she gets hurt by something he said at times (knowing he wasn't INTENDING on hurting her.) Trust that he will provide for her and their future family. Trust that he will be forever faithful. Trust him with her inmost thoughts. Trust him to be the spiritual leader of their future home.

5. And finally, don't be afraid to seek godly advice--from mature friends, godly mentors, parents, grandparents. If there are red flags thrown by these people then you might want to take a second look at your relationship. But if everyone is overjoyed with the love you have found and is whole-heartedly rooting for you, then the future of your relationship is most likely going to be blessed.

I know that's A LOT but it's what I've learned.

This question requires a different answer from Mel...

2010-03-22T05:26:23.739-04:00

This question requires a different answer from Mel and I...so I guess I'll give my half first while I wait for a job call this morning.

For a guy, Love is self-sacrifice for someone you admire. It has nothing to do with how cute you think they are (although it helps). When you realize that you'd do anything to brighten their day (like when I go on a walk with Mel) even if you don't get anything out of it...that's Love.

Even more than that, I think that Love is a commitment even more than that. I didn't want to tell a girl I loved her until I was ready to go buy a ring and pick her till I died. For me, love means that for better or worse, richer or poorer, cuter or mid-40's when you're gaining weight...you're going to be there.

The guy's job (in my opinion) is to make the money, take care of the provision, love the wife, make her feel valued, and keep her from any harm while giving her the world.

When you find a girl that you've known long enough to see her at her worst...when she yells at you and says stuff that cuts your heart out...when you've seen the worst and still think she's the best and you can't imagine life without her...you're almost in love. The only thing left is to take the plunge and decide that no matter how you feel about it 20 years from now, you'll be as dedicated to her then as you are in that moment.

That's Love.

So I'm wondering what is love to you guys? Don...

2010-03-21T21:29:36.580-04:00

So I'm wondering what is love to you guys? Don't just give me the 'Bible' awenser either. And how do you know that you've found someone you think your in love with? Is there a way to know for certin or is it all just guess work?

Just happened upon your blog. I heard today at our...

2009-11-14T20:12:22.223-05:00

Just happened upon your blog. I heard today at our local Christian station that Operation Christmas Child is now the number 1 charity internationally around Christmas!

Megan, Chris, and I are in. (Well... If you haven&...

2009-10-28T16:20:19.100-04:00

Megan, Chris, and I are in. (Well... If you haven't guess that. haha)
Do You know of anybody else yet?

I am deff. going to the concert. :)

2009-09-08T15:19:57.171-04:00

I am deff. going to the concert. :)

I personally think we should go to the one we went...

2009-09-03T19:07:14.171-04:00

I personally think we should go to the one we went to last year. That was AWE-SOME! haha.. but yeah thats my input

=)

2009-06-15T12:15:04.013-04:00

You got me hooked to it. lol

2009-06-14T20:42:53.732-04:00

You got me hooked to it. lol

Good song. I like it.

2009-06-13T09:12:19.066-04:00

Good song. I like it.

haha yes helping!!

2009-06-10T19:23:31.621-04:00

haha yes helping!!

yay helping!

2009-06-09T20:50:25.676-04:00

yay helping!

I think i'm helping too. Not quite sure yet......

2009-06-09T20:27:17.655-04:00

I think i'm helping too. Not quite sure yet...

Hahhh... Megan beat me to the punch line... oh wel...

2009-05-15T18:29:00.000-04:00

Hahhh... Megan beat me to the punch line... oh well. but yaaa... what she said! :) And I'm free pretty much all of summer... unless my friends want to take me somewhere... haha. but other than that I should be :)

Katie and I will be out of town June 20-sometime.....

2009-05-15T07:23:00.000-04:00

Katie and I will be out of town June 20-sometime...we're not sure. It's our grandfather's memorial service in Tennessee. But everything else sounds great! I don't know when I'll be able to do stuff though...I'm working over the summer at the bakery and possibly at the school...

Psalms is the winner for me! :) haha. thanks. I'll...

2009-05-07T15:13:00.000-04:00

Psalms is the winner for me! :) haha. thanks. I'll get started tonight!

Katie, thanks for your question. I'm adding that ...

2009-05-07T07:20:00.000-04:00

Katie, thanks for your question. I'm adding that info to this post.