The World is Just Awesome!

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

How to Win a Woman’s Heart by Joshua Rogers

How to Win a Woman’s Heart by Joshua Rogers

This is excellent. Pass this along. 

The Adoption Revolution

Years ago, walking the streets of Jerusalem, I asked a friend what he thought signs of true revival were. He replied, “We will know revival is real in the church, when adoption is very common.” That sentence struck me with deep poignancy. Certainly, this is true. To truly comprehend and live in perfect love like God, one would adopt, just as He adopted us.

This video is a powerful vignette of one family’s journey. I encourage you to share the link far and wide so other families might feel inspired to adopt a child. There should be NO orphans. We have the power to end that. Let’s let love rule.

I applaud and thank every family who has adopted a child. Those people are heroes of love. If you know someone who has adopted a child, be encouraged to support and help them however you can. It’s an involved and unique journey. Plus, simple encouragement via notes or small acts of kindness go a very long way.

 

There’s also, this one.

 

 

A Song to Restore Marriage(s)

A lot of people NEED to hear this song TODAY because their marriage feels like it is beyond repair. If you are that person, close your eyes and invite God to speak to you through the song. If you know that person, please share this.

Restore

Chris August

Nobody’s growing old together,
we’ve made it easy just to quit
Love has become a negative percentage,
Why do we bother to commit
We’ve got a long list of excuses,
Ways we try to justify
Well, I propose to you the truth is,
Marriage does not have to die

CHORUS
I know you’re feeling like it’s falling apart and it can’t go on anymore
But God is a God who knows how to heal so just give it up to the Lord
And He will restore

He said with this ring I promise, and with I do she said forever
But right now if they’re being honest they don’t know if they’ll stay together
Let’s fast forward to the future after struggling on their own
They finally figured out they needed Jesus in the middle
Now I’m watching God rebuild their home

CHORUS

The enemy tries to come and divide
Trying to get us to give up the fight
But darkness will always lose out to light
‘Cause we’ve got the power of Christ on our side

I see you growing old together
I pray I find a love like yours

So if you’re feeling like it’s falling apart and it can’t go on anymore
God is a God who knows how to heal so just give it up to the Lord
And He will restore

Like it was before
You may have strayed off course
But He will restore

Publishing: © 2012 Word Music, LLC (ASCAP) / Wordspring Music, LLC, Early Service Music (SESAC) (All rights obo itself and Early Service Music adm. by Wordspring Music, LLC)

Writer(s): Chris August / Ian Eskelin

 

 

Henna heart in His hand

About five years ago, when I was living in the Palestinian Territories, a Palestinian friend was preparing for her wedding. She invited me to the henna party. I’d been invited to hennas before, but I’d never gone or thought much about it. I began to think about how thoroughly I loved henna. I didn’t end up going to her henna, but I did decide that one day, when I married, I would have a henna party.

I didn’t know then that I would marry someone of Indian heritage, who also had henna (or mehndi as it’s called) as part of the wedding traditions. Thus, when his mom recounted her wedding preparation stories, there would be henna involved. Moreover, when I would eventually tell my future husband’s mom about my own henna plans, she would appear as if near tears, light and joy shooting out of her very being.

God is smart. He can out-think any box. And He has a knack for fulfilling promises in very amazing ways.

He’s worthy of being handed your heart.

A quote to ruin your life by (in the very best way)

“My message, unchanged for more than fifty years, is this: God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be.” Further, he writes, “My life is a witness to grace that amazes as it offends. A grace that pays the eager beaver who works all day the same wages as the grinning drunk who shows up at ten till five. A grace that hikes up the robe and runs breakneck toward the prodigal reeking of sin and wraps him up and decides to throw a party no ifs, ands, or buts. A grace that raises bloodshot eyes to a dying thief’s request – ‘Please, remember me” – and assures him, ‘You bet!’ A grace that is the pleasure of the Father, fleshed out in the carpenter Messiah, Jesus the Christ, who left His Father’s side not for heaven’s sake but for our sakes, yours and mine. His grace is indiscriminate compassion. It works without asking anything of us. It’s not cheap. It’s free and as such will always be a banana peel for the orthodox foot and a fairy tale for the grown-up sensibility. Grace is sufficient even though we huff and puff with all our might to try to find something or someone it cannot cover. Grace is enough. He is enough. Jesus is enough.”

- Brennan Manning, “All Is Grace”

“A Man’s Promise” – This is stunning.

I am blessed to be marrying a man who lives this brand of integrity, power, and belief daily. I’ve been hurt a lot through the actions of men – especially because I spent three years in the Middle East, where men’s condescension and objectification of me was often palpable. I’m not bitter. I have no interest in blaming all men for the behavior of some. On the contrary, I want every man on earth to shine and fulfill his God-given destiny. Moreover, I want to work, love, and transform the world side-by-side with men. Men are awesome.

And men who love women well are inspirational.

 

A HUGE thank you to those men.

3 Months until Marriage! HOORAY!

Exactly THREE MONTHS from this minute, our wedding will be beginning! I am a wildly blessed woman! Hallelujah!

Step into the story. . .

Arabic at the Airport – one woman’s story (This is gorgeous!)

This is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read! (Holy Spirit, you are welcome to give me these Arabic-opportunities! Let the world be unified!) Please send this story along to friends! It is sure to bring delight and smiles to hearts and homes. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After learning my flight was detained 4 hours,
I heard the announcement:
If anyone in the vicinity of gate 4-A understands any Arabic,
Please come to the gate immediately.

Well—one pauses these days. Gate 4-A was my own gate. I went there.
An older woman in full traditional Palestinian dress,
Just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing loudly.
Help, said the flight service person. Talk to her. What is her
Problem? we told her the flight was going to be four hours late and she
Did this.

I put my arm around her and spoke to her haltingly.
Shu dow-a, shu- biduck habibti, stani stani schway, min fadlick,
Sho bit se-wee?

The minute she heard any words she knew—however poorly used—
She stopped crying.

She thought our flight had been canceled entirely.
She needed to be in El Paso for some major medical treatment the
Following day. I said no, no, we’re fine, you’ll get there, just late,

Who is picking you up? Let’s call him and tell him.
We called her son and I spoke with him in English.
I told him I would stay with his mother till we got on the plane and
Would ride next to her—Southwest.

She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just for the fun of it.

Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for a while in Arabic and
Found out of course they had ten shared friends.

Then I thought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian
Poets I know and let them chat with her. This all took up about 2 hours.

She was laughing a lot by then. Telling about her life. Answering
Questions.

She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool cookies—little powdered
Sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and nuts—out of her bag—
And was offering them to all the women at the gate.

To my amazement, not a single woman declined one. It was like a
Sacrament. The traveler from Argentina, the traveler from California,
The lovely woman from Laredo—we were all covered with the same
Powdered sugar. And smiling. There are no better cookies.

And then the airline broke out the free beverages from huge coolers—
Non-alcoholic—and the two little girls for our flight, one African
American, one Mexican American—ran around serving us all apple juice
And lemonade and they were covered with powdered sugar too.

And I noticed my new best friend—by now we were holding hands—
Had a potted plant poking out of her bag, some medicinal thing,

With green furry leaves. Such an old country traveling tradition. Always
Carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere.

And I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and thought,
This is the world I want to live in. The shared world.

Not a single person in this gate—once the crying of confusion stopped
—has seemed apprehensive about any other person.

They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women too.
This can still happen anywhere.

Not everything is lost.

Naomi Shihab Nye (b. 1952), “Wandering Around an Albuquerque Airport Terminal.” 

 

 

 

From here

 

 

A Glittery Life’s Number ONE Beauty Tip