Asking for Courtship Advice

Somewhat infrequently, as a married couple, my wife and I are asked for courtship advice. Some of the following questions usually come up:

• How do you know the person you’re attracted to is ‘the one’?
• Is there only one person in the world that God has picked out for me? What if I never find him/her?
• Is it easier to give courtship advice now that you are married and it is ‘all behind you’?
• Should I use an online dating service? What about a Christian online dating service?

There are no answers set in stone when it comes to giving courtship advice to prospective lovers. There are however some solid Bible truths and Biblical principles that should be followed by anyone looking to become romantically involved with someone of the opposite sex. These are the ones that have helped us and I hope are helpful to others out there surfing the web to find courtship advice.

• Parents, be praying for your children’s marriages as soon as they are born. God hears and answers prayer.
• Girls, give your heart to your father. Let him be a judge of the young man’s character and don’t give your heart to that young man until your father has released you to do so.
• Guys, guard your thoughts, your eyes and yes your hearts too. Seek out Godly mentors who can coach you in the game of life. Learn a marketable trade. Build up your mind in the Word of God. Associate with men of integrity. Follow on to know God in word and action.

In short, let God have preeminence in your life in all things, including relationships and before you know it, you’ll be giving courtship advice to others. Learn for your own life experience and then begin to share the wisdom with others. Don’t let knowledge puff you up either. Because, just when you think you’ve mastered something (pride for example) it will come back and surprise you.

Further Reading:

Boy Meets Girl  -  by Josh Harris (ya, the other Josh)  :)

I Kissed Dating Goodbye  -  also by Josh Harris

Her Hand in Marriage  -  by Doug Wilson

Here’s just a few reasons to choose this Christian Day Care in the Bronx:

• Delicious and nutritious home cooked meals
• Computer center with education computer programs for the kids
• Bilingual staff (Spanish/English)  Se Habla Español
• Fully licensed in-home group family day-care
• A history of over ten years of satisfied parents and children – ask them for references
• Conveniently located close to Van Cortlandt Park and only a block or two from the Major Deegan (87)
• Loving, caring Christian environment

Be sure to check out their Google Places Reviews. Do you use this day care? I’m sure they’d appreciate a 5 star review from you.

Search terms: day care, bronx day care, day care near bronx, christian child care in the bronx, christian day care.

Mis suegros ejecutar un gran cuidado en el hogar cristiano llamado Día de la Familia Santísimo Hogares de Cuidado Diario en el Bronx, Nueva York. No podría recomendar una guardería en el hogar mejor. Usted puede encontrar en línea en http://blesseddaycare.net

He aquí algunas de las razones para elegir esta guardería cristiana en el Bronx:

•      Deliciosos y nutritivos comidas caseras
•      Centro de cómputo con programas informáticos educativos para los niños
•      Personal bilingüe (Español / Inglés) Se Habla Español
•      Con licencia en el hogar del grupo familiar de cuidado de niños
•      Una historia de más de diez años de padres satisfechos y niños – que pedir referencias
•      Convenientemente ubicado cerca de Van Cortlandt Park y sólo una o dos cuadras de la Major Deegan (87)
•      Amar, cuidar el medio ambiente cristiana

Términos de búsqueda: guarderías, cuidado de día del Bronx, cerca de la guardería del Bronx, el cuidado infantil cristiano en el Bronx, cuidado de niños cristianos, una guardería cristiana.

But this was different. It was unabashedly a Christian film. And I’m glad I went.

October Baby follows the story of a young lady who has grown up unaware of her own birth story and the complicated issues surrounding her entrance to our world. Health problems stemming from her premature birth and other issues she encountered while still in the womb (no spoilers here) cause her to look for answers. The film grabs your attention from the start, pulling you through each emotion-filled moment as she discovers who she really is.

I was genuinely impressed by the raw emotion and true-to-life experiences faced by ‘Hannah’ who faces the reality of her past, a cruel rejection and the empowering freedom of forgiveness. This is a story that is relevant to our world. The themes in this film could have been taken from any one of the myriads of  heart-breaking, living, breathing, walking stories of real people in our cities today.

I laughed and ‘throat lumped’ (guys don’t cry in movies) along with everyone in the theater and found the following quote by the cathedral minister poignant and true. Apparently Hannah was worried he’d reject her too, because she was a ‘Baptist’ and he was some kind of more traditionalist Christian (perhaps Episcopalian? Maybe someone can clarify in the comments). He just smiled when she clarified her denominational position and sitting down next to her entered a dialog in which he stated:

Because we have been forgiven by God, we should forgive each other. In Christ you are forgiven, and because you are forgiven, you have the power to forgive, to choose to forgive. Let it go. Hatred is a burden you no longer need to carry. Only in forgiveness can you be free, Hannah—forgiveness that is well beyond your grasp, or mine, a forgiveness that you can’t find on a trip or even in this cathedral. But if the Son shall set you free, you will be free indeed.

Leaving details to the imagination, I will say that both my wife and I found many correlations to realities near and dear to our hearts. Little pieces of the puzzle like: 1991, Jonathan, and ‘failed abortion’. It left a resonating impression in both our minds that we will not soon forget.

Every life is indeed beautiful

Go ahead. See it. And write your opinions and thoughts in the comments below.

Oh, don’t be in a hurry to jump up and leave as soon as the credits roll. Powerful back story from the actress, Shari Rigby.

Favorite Quotes from the movie October Baby:

Behold!
What a piece of junk
It’s vintage class
It’s vintage junk

This is your cousins?
What does he look like?
Not nearly as good as the car.

It’s now or never!
Come on!
Who’s that?
Sir, this is a library.

Who are you?
Bmac, his cousin.

Dude, what’s that guy’s problem, man?
It’s your beard, you look like the unibomber.

I wouldn’t go ten feet in that thing, if I were you.
She can HEAR YOU!

You should go on one of those reality shows
Nah, I don’t think so, those things are rigged I think
Tow Truck!
Sir, step away from the vehicle.

He’s the owner and the driver

Who came up with the idea to take a bean and turn it into something that tastes like a hamburger… REMOTELY!

This is literally the worst hotel I’ve ever seen
It looked better on the internet
Where? At normanbates.com?
hotelmonkey.biz

You can just go to New Orleans with everyone else and your posse.

Look, I’m leaving… don’t follow me!

Dude, her dad’s going to kill you man, he’s scary man.

I don’t need your charity, Jason.
Ya, you do.

I wasn’t hitchhiking, I was walking
Right, and that’s equally smart

The cheapest we have is 110, unless you are triple A
Oh, we are. We have all three a’s

Well, this is awkward
Ya…. definitely only one bed…

Are you asleep?
I literally just layed down
Are you ok down there?
Well, I usually prefer the king sized floor but this is all they had

Goodnight…
Goodnight…
I can feel you down there judging me
Like I’m some kind of Christian home-schooled freak or something
I have a wild side… you’ve seen me play scrabble… I’m WILD!

There’s no refund… no matter where you umm… sleep

I can’t believe you just broke in.
I didn’t break in, the door was open
It was the back door! And you PRIED it open…

My dad’s gonna kill me…
Oh… my dad’s gonna kill me…
He’s gonna kill you too!

My wife has this thing she says To be Human is to be

beautifully flawed

Life isn’t always black and white… so, hate the

crime, not the criminal…

I’m the one who took her in the back and prepped her

for the procedure…
The abortion?
Yes… the abortion

For some of the girls, I was their only friend

I didn’t see non-viable tissue… I saw the face of a

child

I’m gonna go… sleep in the ice machine or something

Hate is a burden you don’t need to carry

do you believe in bridges

I was born October 7th, 1991 at Mobile General

Hospital… I gues I came here because I thought that

meant something to you…

Oh, I’m sorry, uh, who’s this?
I uh, I have no idea… I don’t know
I’m Hannah…
Hi Hannah
I don’t know where you got your information from… I

don’t know what you’re referring to…
Perhaps Raymond down the hall can help you with your

civil dispute… I’m sorry.

You have no idea how I feel about this and you can’t

know until you have a daughter of your own

You know, if you had been here I wouldn’t have had the

audacity to drink something called … hand grenade

I don’t remember anything… nothing… not the

argument.. not the fight… not this guy… this

little shiner… oh, and look it comes with a court

date… for free… disorderly conduct

I have a criminal record Jason… I want to go home

I’m actually… a Baptist… I guess you should know that.

I need to know what your intentions are towards my daughter
I love her
You need to call her

What? A date? Like… me and you?
What about my dad?

I dressed for dinner… five times actually

 October Baby Music Playlist – iTunes is the exclusive seller of these tracks

It seems the spammers and scammers of the world know something about human tendencies. Right around a holiday, they begin various spamming campaigns related to that particular day. Here’s the latest one I discovered this morning on Facebook. They’ve already managed to ‘hook’ over 69,000 unsuspecting FB users with this alleged Victoria’s Secret marketing campaign.

As Saint Valentine is coming up, Victoria Secret has decided to give away 260,000 Gift Cards for free shopping at our stores. Each Voucher ranges from $100 to $1000.

How does this work? Follow these steps :

Step 1 : Click on “Join” at the top of the page.

Step 2 : Click ” Invite Friends” at the top of the page and select your friends and click SUBMIT. Gift voucher you receive depends upon amount of friends you invite.

Invite 50 Friends = $100 Voucher
Invite 100 Friends = $250 Voucher
Invite 200 Friends = $500 Voucher
Invite 500 Friends = $1000 Voucher

[NOTE : To select friends faster, press TAB and SPACE repeatedly.]

Step 3: http://victoriasecretsgiftcards.blogspot.com/ <- Go here after completing above two steps to redeem your card.

* Note: Only Available to United States users

Now hold on a minute. This is from Victoria’s Secret right? And they are giving away 500 to each of the first 260,000 attendees to this Facebook event? Right. Do the math. The average Facebooker has 200 friends. 260,000 x $500 = $130 MILLION big ones. I don’t think VS would spend 130 mil on a social media ad campaign. Their ROI would be abysmally below that price point.

Anyway, Happy Valentine’s Day all and avoid the scammers out there.

Cheers! 

My sister shared this video with me on Facebook today. Here is a quote:

Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves, from our recklessness or our greed. God sent into the world a unique person, neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are; but a Savior with the power to forgive. Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian Faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships, and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God’s love.  — HM Queen Elizabeth II

To my American friends, bear with my love of Canada, my love of Great Britain and my admiration of the leader of the 53 nations that comprise the British Commonwealth. Her message poignant and heart-touching speaks truth in the airwaves of the world filled with Americanized political correctness and an ambivalent view of our common and great Judeo-Christian heritage.  And most of all (for this I show no hesitation) I love the One who came to a broken world full of pain, hatred, and fear to show the power of forgiveness. The One who audibly forgave those who sought to eradicate his very existence in the cruelest way possible on the Cross.

Here are five videos on manhood and ministry from some of our conference speakers:

1. Discipling Men in the Local Church (Doug Wilson)
2. The Resurgence of Complementarianism (John Piper)
3. Dads, Your Leadership Role Is Inescapable (Doug Wilson)
4. A Culture of Hope for the Men of the Church (Darrin Patrick)
5. Masculinity Is the Glad Assumption of Responsibility (Doug Wilson)

January 1st of this year, I’ve started up a local computer repair company here in Lancaster, PA. Onsite Mobile Computer Services is now open for business. I’m looking forward to serving the residents and local businesses here in Lancaster County.

- Josh

Nobody likes it. Most people get it at some point in their life. So what  is it?

“Sinusitis is a condition consisting of infection or inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, which may or may not be as a result of infection, from bacterial, fungal, viral, allergic or autoimmune issues. Newer classifications of sinusitis refer to it as rhinosinusitis, taking into account the thought that inflammation of the sinuses cannot occur without some inflammation of the nose as well (rhinitis). It is highly contagious. Sinusitis may be passed from person to person by direct contact with an infected surface. Or it may be transmitted through the air. There is no cure.”
–Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinus_infection

So there are many causes and the one most people are familiar with is the viral, bacterial or fungal infection we get in the winter time usually following a bout with the common cold or the flu. Just when you think you’re done with all that nose blowing and aches and pains, along comes a sinus infection to gross you out with its thick multicolored discharge and accompanying pounding headache. So what’s the cure? Is there a cure? Wikipedia doesn’t think so.

Here are the ways I have successfully beat sinus infections:

• Visit the doctor and get a seven day dose of Amoxicillin.  3 days to wellness and4 day for good measure and to avoid antibiotic resistance issues in the future. Then deal with the side-effects of antibiotics.
• Visit the doctor and get a three day dose of Azithromycin a cocktail of antibiotics that’ll really kick down that bacterial infection.  Then deal with the side-effects of antibiotics.

So what about if you want to go the natural route and avoid those nasty side effects of antibiotic drugs (not to mention the doctor’s bill)? Here are a few things that have worked for me usually in combination with each other:

• Garlic: Chew raw garlic three times a day (garlic is a natural antibiotic of sorts). Just don’t go to any social events or try to kiss anyone
• Neti Pot: Irrigate your nasal passages with a lukewarm saline solution using a Neti Pot. I bought one for $8 on Amazon HERE and by the purified refined salt HERE.  I use Amazon Prime, so I get free shipping, also.  At first this method seems a little disgusting pouring water in one nostril and letting it run through and out the other, but the almost immediate relief you get from this method is well worth the slight discomfort.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Put 2 Tablespoons full of organic raw apple cider vinegar in 8 ounces of water and drink it at the first sign of a cold or flu. You can find it online HERE. What it does is simply thin the mucous in your nasal passageways which helps to keep the flow going as your body’s natural defense system eliminates the germs. This goes almost without saying, “drink LOTS of water” when you have a cold or flu. Your body needs that extra H2O to cleanse your system.
• Grapefruit Seed Extract: Who knew? The fluid from crushed grapefruit seeds is also a natural antibiotic (without all those side effects of course). You can find it online HERE. When I feel a cold coming on, I mix 20 drops in about 6 ounces of orange juice and gulp it down three times a day. The flavor is pungently… well, unfavorable.  But, I’ve found orange juice to provide the most flavor ‘cover-up’, reducing the shock to your palate.

There are a handful of other ‘fixes’ for sinusitis such as cayenne snorting, oregano oil, steam inhalation etc., but I find the foursome listed above to have the best results in my experience.  What have you found helpful?  Feel free to add your comments below.

Here’s a LINK to what one of my favorite authors, Clives Staples Lewis had to say on Christmas…

And with that, I bid you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful start to a new year… 2012!