Covered by Love!

From Boaz Ministries

It works something like this:

When we access the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer and study of the Word of God, the practice of preferring one another over ourselves becomes a habit. The principle of LOVE begins to kick in and where our partners fall short, we're there to take up the slack (and vice versa). This is why we would never, ever speak ill of our mates to outsiders - knowing our only recourse is to take our concerns directly to the Lord and to our loved one. Under the guidance of sound, Godly counsel the problem is resolved, the wound is healed - and no one is the wiser. You're covered. God's way is awesome! And He means for us to share this selflessness with the rest of the body of believers. Our relationships/marriages should bear the image of Christ; shining His light to everyone we encounter along this journey.

Let's cover one another - fiercely!

Finding Love

From Boaz Ministries

"For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it."

~Ivan Penin~

There is no shortage of quality men; there is no shortage of quality women. There is only time, circumstance and complete enthusiastic faith that God will put you in the right circumstance at the right time to meet and be in love with the right person feeling the same for you. And BTW, when you both know it’s God; it’s God.

Bruce Edwards

A word of caution to single and married folks, alike..

 From Boaz Ministries https://www.facebook.com/theboazministries

One of our single readers asked if we would be speaking to some of the challenges unmarried people face, especially those who are trying to live Godly. Bruce and I agree that while the focus at Boaz is largely on the folks who are already coupled, there's still food for thought that transfers easily across the divide into the single lane. That is, single people can also benefit from the counsel we present to the married/committed folks, because as they observe potential mates, the eye of discernment is sharpened. We want to provide sustenance for all readers, therefore, we are open to topic suggestions, questions, and the like.

Here's something I believe is important to share on the topic of single-hood: Some years ago, one of my male co-workers told me something I'll never forget. He was divorced and not dating at the time, after having had a tumultuous marriage and three teen-aged children. We'd been talking about relationships, and this man looked me square in the face and said, "The only thing worse than being alone, is wishing you were..."

Don't sleep! And guard your singleness jealously; be selective in your choices. LOVE.YOURSELF. FIERCELY!

 

 

Before you say, "I Do"...

From Boaz Ministries https://www.facebook.com/theboazministries

Folks can always get together to pose for the perfect family pic, correct? Well, today I must share something that needs to be at the top of the "ESSENTIAL THINGS TO DO LIST" for all single/dating individuals:

1. OBSERVE THE FAMILY!

I cannot stress this enough, beloved. And if you don't think it's important because your loved one is so amazingly wonderful, you're already in trouble! What you don't know WILL hurt you sooner than later, I guarantee it.

Ladies, we've heard the advice about watching how he treats his mother. This counsel is deeply rooted in age-old, time-tested experience. Men, it's equally important to check how your lady regards her father. And in the absence of parents, what's the relationship/interaction with other family members? I have witnessed too many "surprises" after marriage due to the lack of attention to details that were red flags all over the place during the dating period. Folks went ahead and got married; now they're "stuck".

If you've made your selection - please be informed. When you've decided that this person is THE ONE - then you should already know, as much as possible, about any congenital and heredity issues. These important conversations need to be had well before you say, "I do". You're playing for keeps and there's nothing wrong with equipping each other with the whole truth so the final decision is truly guided by LOVE.

I will say it again - with emphasis: OBSERVE THE FAMILY! Spend time with them, learn about idiosyncrasies, watch how problems are solved (or not), listen carefully to what people say (and don't say). This will be YOUR family one day. (Please don't think that you only marry the individual - wrong!)

It is much better and more honorable to throw up deuces before going to the alter, based on careful and prayerful consideration, than wishing you had.

From the Real Life Files - God is in control!

I've recently relocated to the Maryland/DC area from southern California. Bruce and I are making our home here on the east coast, and it's a very exciting time for us.

I was just on the phone with my mother, who lives in California. Now that I'm all the way over here, we are keeping in touch much more often - she's as excited for me as I am! We'd been talking about the gatherings we had recently, when Bruce went to California and met all of my people a couple of months ago. It was such a good time, and he was welcomed warmly by my closest friends and family (including my 3 adult children). It was especially wonderful because my eldest daughter and her hubby who live in South Korea had timed it so they would be in the States to meet him. (before that, Skype was the way we kept in touch!) Well, here on the east coast, there's more family. And this is so significant because they are my in-laws from my late husband's side! From the time I informed my mother-in-law and all my sisters-in-law that I was courting Bruce, the response was positive and supportive. My mother-in-law had been in California when Bruce was there, so she'd already met him. She absolutely loves him! Her endorsement made it even more wonderful when he came to Maryland last week to meet the rest of Bro.Wynn's family! (I must note here, that Bruce had been invited by Bro. Wynn to join us in our online Bible study, back in 2010, before he passed away. Bruce accepted the invitation, and is now a regular member/contributor to our studies every Sunday morning! Look at God!)

Bruce told me that the family's open-arms-acceptance of him is a testament of how much they love me. My mother said the same just now, and she added something else: my Maryland family appreciate my devotion to their son/brother through thick and thin, and they can be genuinely happy for my new life. I will add something publicly that the Lord revealed to me privately:

The Lord allowed me to dot my i's and cross my t's in my first marriage - and brought me to a place of absolute restoration and peace. He had perfected His work in my late husband, and said "well done." Though death parted us, my ministry would continue, and there is indeed so much more to do. My children and I will carry on the legacy of love that was begun - and through all the trials we've experienced, and those to come - God's will shall be done and His name shall be glorified. My husband, Bruce, has been called to play an important role in this part of the journey... and I am pleased to say he's accepted that call, as well.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Bruce's daughter and her fiance' and a few other family members. I am happy to welcome new family as we move forward and get settled. I think of what my grandmother, Motherdear, used to say - "Life is full of new experiences! Enjoy them all!" I agree, and I am, with all my might!

Where some skeptics from the outside see all this as either impossible, unusual and even unbelievable, I submit they have no idea of the power and reality of God's infinite love! Make no mistake, my dears, God is in control!!

My Return to Facebook - a blessing

At the end of 2011, I made this big fat announcement that I had said my goodbyes to FB. Well, that lasted about 30 days. I can explain. When a close cousin of mine couldn't find my page after I'd deactivated it, she emailed me and pretty much read me the riot act about it. Even though we lived in the same state, we were 100 miles apart, and only saw each other twice a year. Her argument was - Facebook is her way of keeping in touch with family - and I needed to return. (I knew there must have been a reason I "deactivated" rather than "deleted" my account - there's a huge difference)

So I went back. And I must say it's been a blessing because, like anything else, the social network IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT.  In the months following my big announcement about leaving FB, my life changed in a wonderful way and I married my dear friend, Bruce. I then joined him in Boaz Ministries  geared for couples seeking Godly counsel, and it has its own FB presence. It has truly been beneficial to us as a couple; we've both been there, done that - and have no problem writing about it. Our readership has grown significantly and they've been responding favorably. Since going back to Facebook  I've "met" more family members and we're now planning a long-awaited family reunion after 19 years of being out of touch with one another.

As a believer, one of my main goals is to serve others - and FB is giving me the opportunity to intercede for others in prayer and share uplifting words of encouragement. I've been "friended" by folks who have read what I've posted on my pages via mutual friends, so my circle is widening. It's all God's doing and it's marvelous!  My mind has been changed about this social network - I realize I was being selfish when I wanted to shut my page down. There are people who need a Word - and the only word that I have is LOVE! There is no foolishness or drama on my page.  I'm very sure that those who don't subscribe to spiritual things - Christian messages and Bible references - stay away.

God is leading and guiding. I'm ok with it because I told Him a while back that I only want to do His will. Sometimes it's something I already want to do - which makes it easy. Sometimes it's the most difficult thing to do because it's uncomfortable and doesn't make (human/common) sense. But what I've learned about God as I've begun to walk in His way is this- whatever He calls me to do has everything to do with my own growth and relationship with Him, as well as whoever else He's wooing through our ministries.

So whether it's easy or difficult, makes perfect sense (to me) or not - I'm committed to obeying the Lord and trusting Him implicitly. I'm not all the way there yet - but this return to Facebook has already shown me the blessings I would have missed if I had not reactivated my account. There are others on Facebook who are glorifying God on their pages - it's so gratifying to read from people of like-minded Faith. When I first went back on the page, I just waited and watched for several days. No one even knew I had returned (and may not have known I had left!).  Gradually, the Lord worked me back into the "conversation". I am confident He will show me when it is time to exit, and I'll know my mission there was accomplished.

It is and has always been all about spreading love and edifying one another. Praise His Name!!

Blessings!

Things a Man Never Gets Tired of Hearing from His Woman

Boaz Ministries

“You are so wonderful to me."
“I love you.”
“How do you feel about that, baby?”
“What do you think about this, baby?” (Big difference between the two)

“I appreciate you doing that.”
“I love who you are.”
“Baby, would you mind …”
“Whatever way you think is best.” (When it really doesn’t matter which way)
“You know, you’re really good at…”
“I’m blessed to have you in my life.”

At signings for my book of romance poetry, "Loving Lovely Ladies", there's normally a discussion about love and romance. At a signing in Orangeburg, South Carolina, an elderly woman told the audience of mostly younger women, “The key to making your man happy is to stroke his ego and help him feel good about his self. They delicate like that. If he loves you, ain’t nothing wrong with it.”

Men want to feel needed and they want to feel appreciated for what they do. “Want” is the key word here because most men are not “needy”, but we are “wantful” or desirous of certain things. Yes Ma’am, we are delicate like that. And to all the Mr. Man’s out there, of which I am one, don’t get delicate and wantful twisted with being weak!

Bruce

*See the August 3 post: “Things a Woman Never Gets Tired of Hearing from Her Man”