Quote from Forum Archives on July 20, 2000, 12:21 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

This week, I would like, once again, to pass along the latest edition
of "The Christian Connection Newsletter" because I really think it
hits the essential truth about relationships. The letter makes very
clear the importance of our relationship with God, and how that
relationship can have a profound effect on our relationship with our
spouse, and with anyone else, for that matter.

This message reminds me of the old Petra song, "First Love":

First love, my first love,
My soul longs after You.
First love, my first love,
I want my heart to be so true.

Because You first loved me,
Jesus, You will always be
You will always be my first love.

This song (a very mellow tune, by Petra standards, by the way),
captures the heart and mind of Jesus. It was Jesus who reminded
us, in His famous "Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7) to
seek God first (Matthew 6:33), not being overly concerned about
what might or might not happen in our lives.

(THIS MESSAGE GREW TODAY BECAUSE I GOT CARRIED AWAY. If you don't
have much time to read, please skim the scriptures and tuck this away
for a study time).

The apostle Paul clearly caught the message of Jesus. It was Paul
who said, "For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain". You see,
Paul understood that while living, everything he desired to do was
for the purpose of pleasing God. Paul understood that completely
denying his former, unfulfilling, controlling desires, and instead,
everywhere he went, sharing the ways of Jesus with others, fulfills
God's plan, not only for Paul, but for us as well. We are not all
traveling missionaries, but we can all share the love of God in real,
tangible ways, not simply in a false pretense of kindness, but in
appreciating people.

The second part of Paul's phrase, "To die is gain" is a recognition
that Paul's real satisfaction came when he left this world, to be with
God forever. Both Jesus and Paul knew that we live on this planet for
a while, as aliens, not really in our final home. Our home, for all
who really believe it, is with God. (Petra sings about this, too...
"We are strangers, we are aliens, we are not of this world..."

If any of these things are foreign to you, I really urge you to read the
Bible regularly, and begin to learn about our God. bible.gospelcom.net
is a way to do that online. I recommend it for research, especially if you
have a fast link to the Internet.

Matthew is a good book to read if you want to study about Jesus from the
perspective of the Jewish people. John is a good book to learn about the
love of Jesus, as is 1 John. Phillipians is a great book to understand
the mind and attitude of both the apostle Paul and the One he followed,
Jesus Christ. These are probably my favorite books to read often, but
I try to read them all. Once in a while, fit something in, like one of
the "Minor Prophets", such as Joel or Amos. If you want to really get
into prophesy, John the Baptist and Jesus Himself based much of their
ministry on the writings of Isaiah.

I've given you more than usual to think about. I pray you will find
something in it of lasting value.

Brother Brian

--- [email protected] wrote:
> From: [email protected]
> Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2000 17:43:50 EDT
> Subject: The Christian Connection Newsletter
> To: [email protected]
>
> THE CHRISTIAN CONNECTION NEWSLETTER
> July 19, 2000
>
> <A
> HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/mgpapril2000/TheChristianConnection.html">The
> Christian Connection Newsletter
> Statement of Purpose: <A
> HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/morninglorypubl/MorninGlory.html">Mornin' Glory
>
> Publications
> [Unable to display image]
> Jesus Christ ~ The Bridegroom
>
> This past weekend, we traveled to Tennessee to witness the marriage
> between our daughter and our new son-in-law. It was a time of rejoicing and
> celebration ~ two young hearts brought together.
>
> Song of Solomon is a beautiful example of the way a husband and wife
> should be toward each other. It also typifies the deep love between Jesus
> Christ and His Bride, the Church.
>
> "Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb."
> Revelation 19:9
>
> A few years ago, I had occasion to observe a young couple who were
> engaged. They acted as though there was no one else in the world except the
> two of them. There was nothing the young man would have denied his fiancee
> and she acted as if he were the very best thing that ever happened to her but
>
> I was also filled with a certain amount of sadness because very few couples
> continue feeling that way about each other after only a few short months of
> marriage.
>
> The Lord led me to Revelation 2:4. In context, this passage concerns the
> church at Ephesus. The Lord had a message for them that although they had
> done great things in His name and even though they were filled with patience
> and endurance (commendable qualities) He said, "Yet there is one thing
> wrong: you don't love me as at first."
>
> In order to keep undying love going between a married couple, it's
> absolutely necessary to rekindle the "beginnings" of our relationship. It's
> also necessary to remain in the love of God. He's to be the first love of
> our lives. As we experience the love of God, through Jesus, we will realize
> a marriage beyond anything imaginable ~ one filled with respect, sensitivity,
> sexual satisfaction and thanksgiving. The more intimate our relationship
> with our Lord, the more intimate our relationship will be with one another.
>
> Is your marriage exciting? Is it necessary to return to your first love?
>
> God wants you to experience a wonderful marriage ~ one that's filled with
> His blessings.
>
> Jesus said,
>
> "Abide in My love... These things have I spoken unto you
> that My joy may be in your and that your joy may be made full."
> John 15:1-4
>
> Joy in Jesus!
> Gloria J. Moore
>
> This article was taken, in part, from <A
> HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/morninglorypubl/TheBestOfThemAll.html">The Best
>
> of Them All!
>
> [Unable to display image]
> PRAYER REQUESTS GO OUT EVERY SINGLE DAY TO OUR PRAYER WARRIORS
>
> TO SUBMIT PRAYER REQUESTS, UPDATES, AND/OR PRAISES: Click REPLY and type in
> your request. If you would like contact from the Christian Connection's
> Prayer Warrior Community, please include your e-mail address, otherwise
> include first name or initials only. If you would like to become a Prayer
> Warrior, click REPLY and type in PRAYER WARRIOR.
>
> [Unable to display image]
>
> [Unable to display image]
> Please visit our web site at
> "Jesus Loves Me" Dolls
>
> by Goldy
> [Unable to display image]
> YTHE PERFECT GIFT FOR GIRLS OF ALL AGESY
>
> These luxuriously soft and very beautiful "tube" dolls are hand-crafted,
> professionally embroidered, hypoallergenic, machine washable, and definitely
> a must for babies and girls of all ages. Babies love them! Little girls
> love them! Teenagers love them! College students love them! And yes, even
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> Click REPLY and type in "Jesus Loves Me" Made exclusively for (and only
> offered through) Mornin' Glory Publications.
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> [Unable to display image]
>
> Does anybody have a reply to this inquiry or can you help me trace it
> down? What has happened with the Pastor accused of manslaughter in a foreign
>
> country? Was it South America or Africa? God bless you. Reply to:
> JOsavio@ao
> l.com
>
> [Unable to display image]
> "The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is
> the distance between your knees and the floor.
> The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything."
> Submitted by Lisa
> .....................Y....................
> TRADING HEARTS
> by
> Margaret Carpenter
>
> If we were all given a heart and our job was to fill it with love, peace,
> and joy, than take out every dark place where evil could find to hide, hate,
> anger, jealously, and the like, how good of a job could we do? We would have
> to water the seeds of love that had been planted, and pull out all the weeds
> that will strangle out the tender young plants as the light fills the heart
> and the seeds of right open up to the warmth found deep in the tears of
> life... You must live your life, and find and keep your happy at the same
> time. Worry is all right, but must be pruned right along with fear, for a
> little of these will keep you safe at times, but they will grow like weeds if
> they go untrimmed...
>
> Once you get your heart right, seeds, water, and the light from above,
> than you must prove your love! Knowing how long it took you to get your heart
> in just the right shape, and that time belongs to God, from this there is no
> escape... Could you tell God, "My heart is good, it is whole and right, I
> will take another's in it's place, of someone who doesn't know where to
> start, yes, God, I will trade hearts!"
>
> Sending someone else to heaven in your place may seem foolish to some,
> when all you have is love and faith, that God will not take you before the
> job is done, before your new heart is as right as your own! But, you did it
> before and you know that you can do it again, given the time and right
> tools... With hope, you must believe that you will see your heart again, with
> a heart that needed your help, and you did all of this just to save a person,
> who "maybe" in the end, will call you "My Friend!" Jesus took this chance!
>
> I did want to add a note about, "Trading Hearts," this applies to many
> things, but not much has been said about what Jesus said to the Man on the
> other cross beside him, Jesus told this Man that he would be in heaven today!
>
> Now this is something to think about, it says that Jesus would have died for
> one person, but that He died for us all, and opened the gates of heaven! I
> was given this, with "Trading Hearts."
>
> A Word from Margaret: "I love to write, I am Holy Spirit filled, and God
> helps me to write, I am disabled and writing about "God things" keeps me
> happy, I know that I have been given this gift, and so I pass it along as the
> gift that it is, from God! As long as the glory goes to God, you are more
> than welcome to use what I send to you... I was given it and I give it, with
> a prayer that it will get into the right hands, I ask God to do this, and
> trust that He will..."
>
> The Christian Connection Cookbook
>
> As you may know, we never ask for contributions from our readers. We are
>
> attempting to put together a Christian Connection Cookbook made up of recipes
>
> and anecdotes, from our Christian Connection Community which will then be
> offered through Mornin' Glory Publications in order to bring in funding. If
> you are interested in submitting a special (diet or non-diet) recipe, click
> REPLY and type in RECIPE in SUBJECT LINE. The recipe must include your name
> and state ~ unless you wish to remain anonymous. Otherwise, please be sure
> to include your initials and state. Thank you.
>
>
> Slim
>
> and Trim in Him
>
> "...may your spirit and soul and body be
> kept strong and blameless..."
> 1 Thessalonians 5:23
>

> SIGNS AT CHURCH
> Submitted by Praz1Lord
>
> "No God-No Peace. Know God-Know Peace"
> "Free Trip to heaven. Details Inside!"
> "Try our Sundays. They are better than Baskin-Robbins."
> "Searching for a new look? Have your faith lifted here!"
> "People are like tea bags-you have to put them in hot water before you know
> how strong they are."
> "When down in the mouth, remember Jonah. He came out all right."
> "Fight truth decay-study the Bible daily."
> "How will you spend eternity-Smoking or Nonsmoking?"
> "Dusty Bibles lead to Dirty Lives."
> "Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long and the pay is
> low. But the retirement benefits are out of this world."
> "It is unlikely there'll be a reduction in the wages of sin."
> "Do not wait for the hearse to take you to church."
> "If you're headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns."
> "If you don't like the way you were born, try being born again."
> "Looking at the way some people live, they ought to obtain eternal fire
> insurance soon."
> "This is a ch_ _ ch. What is missing?" "U" "R"
> "Forbidden fruit creates many jams."
> "In the dark? Follow the Son."
> "Running low on faith? Stop in for a fill-up."
> "If you can't sleep, don't count sheep. Talk to the Shepherd."
>

> HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/morninglorypubl/Scriptures-MGP.html">SCRIPTURES
~ Mornin' Glory Publications
>

> TO ORDER BIBLE STUDIES:
Mornin'
Glory
Publications Click REPLY and type in ORDER FORM.

> THE CHRISTIAN CONNECTION NEWSLETTER
> is a publication of Mornin' Glory Publications <A
> HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/morninglorypubl/MorninGlory.html">Mornin' Glory
>
> Publications
> a registered mailer with America Online
>
>

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:[email protected]
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/
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