Beginning With Him – May, 2008

BEGINNING WITH HIM … MAY, 2008

A note from doug:
From time to time, at the beginning of the month, I like to send out a compilation message of various items I…ve accumulated over time. So, here goes…

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ROAD TO SUCCESS

The road to success is not straight.
There is a CURVE called FAILURE
A LOOP called CONFUSION
SPEED BUMPS called FRIENDS
RED LIGHTS called ENEMIES
CAUTION LIGHTS called FAMILY
You will have FLATS called JOBS
BUT
If you have a SPARE called DETERMINATION
An ENGINE called PERSEVERANCE
INSURANCE called FAITH
A DRIVER called JESUS
YOU WILL MAKE IT TO A PLACE CALLED SUCCESS.

— Author Unknown

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LIFE SPAN EXPLAINED

On the first day, God created the dog and said:
‘Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.’
The dog said: ‘That’s a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I’ll give you back the other ten?’
So God agreed..
On the second day, God created the monkey and said:
‘Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I’ll give you a twenty-year life span.’
The monkey said: ‘Monkey tricks for twenty years? That’s a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?’
And God agreed.
On the third day, God created the cow and said:
‘You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer’s family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.’
The cow said: ‘That’s kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I’ll give back the other forty?’
And God agreed again.
On the fourth day, God created man and said:
‘Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I’ll give you twenty years.’
But man said: ‘Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?’
‘Okay,’ said God, ‘You asked for it.’
So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
Life has now been explained to you.
There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I’m doing it as a public service

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CHURCH CHOIR

This is a group of people who decided to do something incredibly creative at their church, and they have on white gloves and are performing in front of a black light … enjoy! Turn your sound on before clicking the link
http://www.mychurch.org/blog/30635

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GOD…S YELLOW PAGES

This is a wonderful reference to save in a file, only for those interested in walking with our loving and living Lord and Savior, JESUS CHRIST.
http://web2.airmail.net/dpelc/yellow/

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E-MAIL MINISTRY WEB SITE SERVICES

Besides the three times a week messages that E-Mail Ministry sends out to its subscribers, there is also an E-Mail Ministry website which provides message archives along with other services.
You can go to the E-Mail Ministry website (https://www.emailministry.org) and select from the list on the left hand menu. You can add to the web site by following the information on the top of each respective page.
* Prayer Request – One of the more popular features of the E-Mail Ministry web site is the Prayer Request web page
* Christian Web Sites – Web links are grouped by category to make it easier for you to find something of interest.
* Guestbook … Post your comments about E-Mail Ministry and how God has touched your life through it.
* Message Archives … Read any message that you missed. Messages are grouped by category. You can also e-mail any message to yourself.
* Favorite Verses … List of favorite Bible verses and how they impacted your life.
* Testimonials … How has God touched your life

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SUPPORT E-MAIL MINISTRY
I would like to thank all of you who have sent in donations. If you have been blessed by this ministry, please ask God how He would have you support it. There are three key ways this ministry needs your support:

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RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR SPOUCE

Here are some interesting tips to build up excellent Relationships with your Spouse. A ready and handy checklist for practice. Please read and practice. Knowing is knowing – Doing is doing. Knowing and doing are two different things.

ANNIVERSARIES
Always celebrate! Whether it’s the 1st or the 50th, each year together is a triumph.
APPRECIATION
Let each other know how much you appreciate each other. You may already know but hearing it from each other is always better.
BEST FRIENDS
Be best friends preferably before being boyfriend-girlfriend. Take time to know each other so the relationship will be a deep one. Tell each other about your crushes, dreams and problems. Make sure he/she is your best friend before getting engaged. The strong bond of friendship will help you both survive tough times.
BOND
Make it a point to spend time together often but leave room for each other. Also spend time alone w/ each other, so that at the end of the day you could both share your experiences. This way, you stay interesting with your partner.
COMPLIMENTS
Always compliment each other. This will prevent feelings of resentment & thinking that one is being taken for granted.
DATE
Keep doings things that you both enjoy, do them together. Make time & continue to date to keep the romance – look good, smell good to maintain physical attraction
DIFFERENCES
Celebrate differences. Never force your ideologies down each other’s throat. Give up trying to turn your partner into you. Accept differences, appreciate them.
FIGHTS
Fight w/the aim to resolve the issue. Don’t outdo each other. The longer you extend the fight. The more chances that you’ll say something hurtful that you don’t really mean. As mad as you were w/ your partner, he/she is still the person who laughs at your jokes & thinks you’re hot. Hear each other out, don’t dig up old issues. Choose your battles. Make sure the fight will be worth it & that something will change in the relationship as a result of the fight.
FLAWS
Know that the perfect person does not exist. Know that just as there are things that you love about him/her, there will be things that will make you go crazy. We are only human with our own flaws.
FUN
Have fun together! This means keeping the fun & spontaneity that was there in the early days.Allow yourselves to get silly – shower together. Being able to make each other laugh & see the lighter, crazier, absurd side is the best way to get through all the differences in personalities, adjustments in lifestyle & opposing viewpoints.
GOALS
Make sure you have similar goals. It would be difficult to keep your bond intact if your views are complete opposite.
GRUDGES
Quit tabulating grudges. Let it off. Discuss it, then trash it, don’t recycle it.
KEEPING IT HOT
Keep it hot by traveling to diff. places together. A new setting will do wonders. Always have skin contact – be it holding hands, a massage or just plain leg rubbing.
HONESTY
Don’t lie or hide things. The problem will only get bigger.
KNOW EACH OTHER
Learn each other’s interest. It really keeps the conversation flowing!
HUG
A hug can be far better more intimate than a kiss.
IDENTITY
Don’t lose your personality – that’s why he/she fell in love w/you. Have separate interest & activities to keep your individual, & to be able to contribute more to the relationship.
INDEPENDENCE
Having your own income means you’re the boss in your life.
IN-LAWS
Make rooms for the in-laws.
INTENTIONS
Wish each other well. Don’t wish each other worst
ISSUES
Speak up about the awkward stuff now, like money & sex. The earlier, the better.
LISTEN
Listen, listen, listen. Hear each other out especially during arguments.
LOOK GOOD
Mind your appearance! Stay fit & healthy for each other.
LOVE
It all boils down to your love, chemistry & respect for each other.
MEMORIES
Remind each other of the old days. Do something that you used to do for each other before. It may even be corny but it made you two together. Experience new things together- from dining into a new restaurant to experiencing street food together to exploring to new places. It’s the little surprises that make great memories.
MIND READING
No matter how long you’ve been together, do not think that you can read each other’s mind.
NEEDS
Be good to yourself, then be good to your partner. That’s what love is all about. Think about your partner. Will it make him/her happy? Will she/he enjoy it? Consider each other’s feelings. Be very attentive & sensitive to each other’s needs, physically & emotionally, that way your partner learns to do the same for you. Never take your partner for granted.
PRIORITIES
If one says it’s important, then it is! Prioritize each other among other things!
SPACE
Give each other space. Have dates with your girlfriends, have your boy’s night out. If you can’t trust each other with this, then don’t get married.
SORRY
Say sorry when you’re wrong.
SURPRISES
No matter how long you’ve known each other, be open to surprises, both good or bad.
TEAMWORK
Think for two & always work as a team. Consult each other before making a decision because everything will always affect both of you. Strengthen couple power. In many ways, we have to decide based on what is best for the relationship in favor of our individual selves.
SUPPORT
Support each other’s dream. Be willing to follow your passions, support your partner in his/her decisions & create new ones together. Two heads are better than one.
TALK
Tell each other’s stories. Life goes by so fast & its easy to see how easily couple can grow apart. Whenever something funny, scary, exciting or juicy happened to you or to someone you know, tell each other about it & have your partner do the same. Keep each other in the loop of life

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MINISTRY and SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES

I respectfully request that you do NOT add me to your social networking site. I do not have the time to do the social networking thing. I appreciate you thinking of me, but please do not send me an invitation to join your network(s). Thank you.

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I hope you liked the selections!!

— doug

— The Staff of E-Mail Ministry
emailministry@emailministry.org
https://www.emailministry.org

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