From the Heart

Planned Parenthood Director Quits After Watching Abortion on Ultrasound - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

2009-11-03T08:50:00.002-06:00

I came across this incredible story this morning on Fox News where a Planned Parenthood director quit her job after viewing an abortion via ultrasound. She described the baby as "crumpling" when removed violently from its mother's womb. Crisis Pregnancy Centers have been saying that having ultrasound equipment helps them to help young women make the choice to keep their babies after seeing the baby on ultrasound. We are fearfully and wonderfully made!

Planned Parenthood Director Quits After Watching Abortion on Ultrasound - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

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2009-10-18T22:41:00.002-05:00

We are already Tour 6 in The Truth Project. This coming Sunday, October 25, we will be exploring History: Whose Story? The word "remember" is central to the message of episode 6. On this tour we will set up the fourth and final pillar in the Temple of Truth – History – and take a close look at the importance of maintaining a firm grip on the past. In the process, we will see that a proper appreciation of historical context – in other words, our place in God's "larger story" – is fundamental to an accurate understanding of almost every aspect of our lives. History provides us with indispensable insights into the meaning of existence, God's plan and purpose for the ages, man's responsibility toward the Creator, and his duty toward his fellow creatures.

The two weeks on Science has really been awesome. We have learned that neither the fossil record or molecular biology support the truth claims of evolution. We discovered that the issue is not a scientific question but a philosophical question about the origin of life. Hope you will join this Sunday evening at 5:30 pm.

Pastor Walter

The Truth Project

2009-09-10T09:40:00.003-05:00

Sunday night our church is beginning The Truth Project, a 13-week Christian worldview study from Focus on the Family. This has generated a lot of interest and excitement in our church. We are praying that it gets a lot of traction with our students, college-age students, and young adults.

In a post-modern world and culture there is a huge need for believers to understand and know what they believe and why they believe it. I have been reading Time for Truth: Living Free in a World of Lies, Hype, & Spin by Os Guinness. In this little book Guinness makes the case that objective truth can be known. I love his quote from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, former Soviet dissident, who said, "One word of truth outweighs the entire world." Truth is important, not just to believers, but to all of us.

I was shocked by Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina who shouted out, "You lie," during the President's speech before a joint gathering of Congress last night. It was a disrespectful outburst and I am glad that he made a formal apology to the President. However, the outburst perhaps reflects an underlying sense that all of us have, not just with the President, but with the whole political process and that is that the truth is hard to come by.

Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." That is what I am praying The Truth Project will do for our students, college students, and young adults. The Truth Project has a wonderful website with lots of info for you. Sign up as a participant and you will have access to lesson guides for each week and much more http://www.thetruthproject.org/.

I am anxious for us to generate some discussion and dialogue about The Truth Project and what we are learning from week-to-week.

Blessings,

Walter

Thoughts about Mildred Evelyn Mullican

2009-07-28T09:51:00.002-05:00

It has been a while since I have written on my blog. So much has happened since the last post in March. It was on March 2 that my mom, Mildred, had a stroke while out shopping with Kathy. She then suffered another stroke in the hospital and spend about three weeks in the hospital followed by about four weeks in skilled nursing and then about two weeks in Heritage Assisted Living. We moved her back to the house we had rented for her in Bethany on May 19. The people at Baptist Village Skilled Nursing and Heritage Assisted Living did everything they could to make my mom feel at home and took such good care of her, but she just wanted to "go home" as she said.

You have to know something about my mom's younger years to understand why the hospital, skilled nursing, and assisted living were so hard for her and why she just hated it. From age 5 until she was 14 my mom lived at the St. Patrick's Indian School in Anadarko, OK. It was a hard time in her life. Her mom died in Phoenix, AZ when she was five and grandpa could not care for all the kids so mom and her brother, Jimmy, came back to Oklahoma to live with their grandmother, but when she died they went to live at the boarding school. All the girls had to dress in drab black dresses and all wore their hair in a short pageboy style which went again Indian custom of the girls having long hair. They were not allowed to speak their native tongue and life was very hard for a little five year old girl. The skilled nursing and the assisted living center seemed like boarding school to her again. Like so many in her generation she was independent, and didn't want help, she wanted to do it herself. She just kept pressuring my brother, Steve, and I to take her "home" so we finally relented and agreed to do so although we knew that it would be hard for all us. She was home for one week when she went "home" very suddently to be with the Lord on Tuesday, May 26 at the age of 86. On Thursday, May 28, I conducted her funeral service at the Dale Cemetery where she is buried next to my daddy who passed away in 1992. She just wanted a simple graveside service, but I think she would have been surprised by the number of people who attended her funeral. She touched a lot of lives. Her funeral service was held on my daddy's birthday, May 28. Someone said my dad got a great birthday present this year when momma joined him in heaven. I have to agree. They were married in Chickasha, OK in 1938 when momma was 15 and daddy was 20 although their marriage license says that she was 18 and he was 21!

Mom had told me numerous times what she wanted for her funeral. She had picked out the clothes she wanted to be buried in and she said she wanted a single red rose on top of a beautiful piece of crochet work she had done just for her casket. The folks at Mercer-Adams Funeral Home in Bethany are some of the most wonderful folks in the world! My friend, Tim Adams, helped my brother and I to select a perfect casket for mom. She looked beautiful and at peace! No more pain! No more bad hip. No more strokes. No more heart disease. No more diabetes.

I preached mom's funeral because I felt that I needed to even though, I must admit, it was difficult at times. God has given me the grace to preach both my mom and dad's funerals. You may wondering about the picture at the top of the blog. It was taken in November of 2002 at the Painted Desert in Arizona. I took mom on a big road trip that year to Phoenix so she could see her mother's grave in Mesa. Her mom's grave had been unmarked since her death in 1928 and mom wanted to place a marker in her memory so we bought a stone marker here and took it to Mesa seeing the Painted Desert, Petrified Forest, and Grand Canyon along the way. The Route 66 car jacket she is wearing in picture is something she made. She was a professional seamstress and dry cleaner. She talked the whole way to Phoenix! The trip to Mesa to see her mom's grave was a part of her life journey that mom had to do! I am so glad I took the time to make that trip because it helped me to understand my mom in a way that I never had before. That's why I needed to share at her service because I felt I needed to share some of this with my family.

I miss her especially at certain times like last week when my second grandson, Grayson Takoda, was born to Tony, my oldest son, and his wife Kim. In the midst of the excitement of the morning when Grayson was born I caught myself thinking, "I need to call mom and tell her about Grayson's birth." She would have loved his Indian middle name, Takoda, which means "friend to all."

One final thing about the picture. It was taken with a small Canon digital camera. There was not special setup. I just saw saw the pose and clicked the picture and it is priceless. I have gotten more compliments from that photograph, but one comment was quite humorous and mom loved it. One person looking at the photo said, "How did you get the old Indian woman to stand there." Well, the answer is pretty obvious isn't it?

2009-03-19T16:05:00.002-05:00

Andrew's 16th Birthday...

My youngest son just turned 16. Andrew reached this major milestone on March 2! He wanted a fishing trip for his 16th birthday so March 15-18 Andrew, his uncle Harold, and I went to Lake Tenkiller. We fly fished for trout in the Lower Illinois River, but didn't do very well, so on Wednesday we went over to Lake Eufaula where my good friend Mike Scifres lives. We fished from his boat dock and caught 31 crappie and some quite large as you can see from the picture. It was a great few days to get away from all we have been facing the past few weeks and Andrew had a great time and it was great having his uncle Harold along with us.

This morning my mom was moved from Mercy Hospital to Lackey Manor at Baptist Village where she will be in skilled nursing for a while. It was hard telling her we wouldn't be bringing her home, and she was upset with me, but I believe it is the right decision for now. She seems to be adjusting pretty good today. There she can wear regular clothing and not those awful hospital gowns. She liked the lunch they served! Please pray for her appetite to increase as we need to get some more calories in her. We do appreciate your thoughts and prayers during the time. God is good and each day He shows His favor and grace.

Can't wait to fry some of that crappie!

Bro. Walter

2009-03-12T23:04:00.002-05:00

A Cold and Snowy Thursday...

Just when we thought spring was here, we are greeted by ice, snow, and cold today. But it won't last long giving way to temps in the 70s next week.

Kathy and I went by the hospital this morning to check on mom. It is still hard to understand much of what she is saying. It takes great concentration to make out what she wants. It's almost like playing charades! We are still concerned with her eating. She is just not taking in a lot of food. She wasn't eating much at home, but I believe hospital food would take away anyone's appetite! We keep bringing in different things we think she might like to eat. Pray we can get her to eat more. Kathy and I weren't at the hospital as much today as we both had some things we had to get done today and I needed to spend some time in the office. I went back this evening and visited with her for a little while. Her friend, Susie, had been by to see her. Wednesday night, my brother Steve, and Kathy were there with her. She seems to be resting okay and seemed to be quite interested in tv this evening.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.

Walter

2009-03-11T10:30:00.003-05:00

A little more progress...

My secretary, Teddy Graham, emailed me this thought this morning from The Daily Bread...

God’s whisper of comfort quiets the noise of our trials.

It's Wednesday and day ten of mom's stay in ICU. Tuesday she tried to talk more, but it was still hard to understand everything she said. We tried writing, and although her penmanship is quite nice, the messages and words just weren't coming through. Speech therapy is working with her each day and I see a little progress each day, but we are a long way from being back to normal.

This morning the doctor said that he consulted with the docs who do the arteriograms and advice is not to proceed with any other procedures at this point as it would just be too risky. The anuerysm appears to be small and might not respond well to the type of treatment they were proposing. We need her to eat more, but the food choices here are not always very appetizing, so I have been bringing her other food in an attempt to eat more. Sometimes it is more successful than at other times.

They are going to move her sometime today to what is called intermediate care. It is the step between ICU and being on main floor. There they will try to do more in terms of therapy, etc.

Mom is still sharp. She wants to know what is going on and I am being very honest with her although that upsets her at times. I want her to be a part of decisions that are being made. She keeps asking about going home and I am honest with her about it in that I don't know or if she will be able to go home. Right now that would be most impossible.

Pray for her not to get too frustrated as we work through her speech problem and pray for my patience as well. I was quite exhausted after being here a whole day yesterday. It was very hard trying to decode her messages without causing her too much frustration.

Thank you for praying.

Walter

2009-03-09T20:11:00.002-05:00

One Week in the Hospital...

It was last Monday afternoon that my mom was brought into Mercy Hospital with a stroke. She remains in ICU. They did another MRI on her today and gave her some light sedative so it wouldn't hurt so much when they moved her to the MRI table, but the sedative seems to have really caused her to be sleepy this evening.

Earlier the day she did eat! And she ate some this evening! Her speech is still slurred and she gets frustrated trying to tell us things. She wrote on some things yesterday and her handwriting was remarkably good, but we could not make out what she was saying in her writing as some of thet words didn't make sense.

We are praying that her speech returns in time. It is Monday evening and I have left for the day, and still don't have a lot of answers, but her regular nurses are back on duty and we feel good about that. Don, a male nurse, has been particularly caring and helpful.

It looks like it will be a day-by-day affair. We are praying that tomorrow might yield more improvement in speech and perhaps more direction from the doctor. Dr. Mikawa is a good doctor, but not a talker, so we have received limited info from him.

Thank you again for prayer support. We would all be undone without it. I am also grateful to my family who have been stepping in and helping. You know who you are and you are greatly appreciated not only by Kathy and I but by mom.

More tomorrow perhaps,

Walter

2009-03-07T10:19:00.002-06:00

Saturday morning update...

It has been a tough couple of days. Mom had a cerebral arteriogram on Thursday morning and since then she has not been able to talk clearly and has not been eating. I had hoped that by this morning, Saturday, that if the medicines they gave her for pain prior to the procedure were cauisng this problem that they would have had time to clear her system. I am beginning to wonder if the arteriorgram did not cause this. They said there was a 6-7% chance this could happen. Last night she had lots of family to see her which made her happy. My niece came and spent the afternoon with her and took good care of her while I was at the Beast Feast. Again, I am grateful for your prayers and all your concern. It has been a tough week, but God is good, and God is in control. We continue to trust in Him each day.

Walter

2009-03-05T09:28:00.003-06:00

Good morning...

Let me begin by thanking everyone for their continued prayers and support of our family during this difficult week. As you know by now, Maddox did not have his surgery on Wednesday as scheduled. Dr. Honeycutt, his surgeon, saw some things in the physical exam of Maddox on Tuesday that prompted him to postpone the surgery until further testing could be done. We were all ready for the surgery, but so grateful to God for providing such a skilled doctor who detected that more testing needed be to done. We do not know when the surgery will take place as of right now.

Kathy took my mom to Shawnee for her regular lab work and doctor's visit on Monday, March 2. They returned to Bethany and were going through the Rink Gallery when my mother became unresponsive. 911 was called and mom was brought to Mercy Hospital where she was met by the Stroke Evaluation Team from Mercy. They are very thorough and it was determined by MRI that mom had suffered a stroke on the left side of her brain. It has affected her speech some, but not her motor skills thus far. PTL!

She is resting pretty well in the ICU unit at Mercy. She will probably be in the unit for a couple more days and maybe into a room this weekend. This morning, Thursday, they are doing a Cerebral Arteriogram to look at couple of small anuerisms the doctor spotted on the MRI. It is possible that something called a "coil" can be placed in these areas to prevent future strokes at least in those areas.

She had a CT scan with dye contrast yesterday afternoon to determine if she might have the beginning of pnuemonia in the left lung. Since she has a history of lung cancer, they wanted to look to make sure there was nothing going on in that way also.

I know most of the chaplains here at Mercy as I went to OBU with several of them, and they have been a great comfort to me and to mom. My family has been coming in the evening to visit with mom and stay with her. I have been staying during the day, and Kathy has been relieving me in the evening so I can get some rest. I am reminded of how exhausting being the care giver of someone in the hospital can be!

Yesterday, Kathy was reading the Daily Bread at the breakfast table with the kids. I have included the devotion below. This devotion spoke of knowing the depth of God's love for us. Kathy was telling the kids how true that was with Maddox and the doctor wanting to do more tests and with mom and her care. God had been revealing His love to all of us. She said something to the effect of that they should "march forth" with that true. Kristy said, "Mom, today is March 4th."

We pray that you could "March 4th" in this truth today. Read the devotion below and be blessed!

We love and apprecite all of you!

Bro. Walter and Kathy

The following is from The Daily Bread for Tuesday, March 4, 2009

To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge. —Ephesians 3:19

The words of the hymn “The Love of God” capture in word pictures the breathtaking magnitude of divine love:

Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skiesof parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry,
Nor could the scrollcontain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky.

These marvelous lyrics echo Paul’s response to the love of God. The apostle prayed that believers might “be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” (Eph. 3:18-19). In reflecting on these verses about God’s love, some Bible scholars believe “width” refers to its worldwide embrace (John 3:16); “length,” its existence through all ages (Eph. 3:21); “depth,” its profound wisdom (Rom. 11:33); and “height,” its victory over sin opening the way to heaven (Eph. 4:8).
We are admonished to appreciate this amazing love. Yet as we expand our awareness of God’s love, we soon realize that its full measure is beyond our understanding. Even if the ocean were filled with ink, using it to write about the love of God would drain it dry. — Dennis Fisher

God’s love cannot be explained—it can only be experienced.

2009-01-01T11:14:00.002-06:00

I always look forward to a New Year. There is a chance to begin again in certain areas of our lives and there are new opportunities ahead. Of course, none of us, know the future, but we do know the Oone who holds the future. One goal I accomplished in 2008 was reading through the Bible in my quiet time. I did it! I read through in the New Living Translation and it was great. I also kept a journal throughout 2008 and that was a real blessing.

This year I plan to read through the Bible in the Holman Christian Standard translation. I have also started another journal. I gave a journal to each member of my family and have encouraged each of them to read through the Bible in 2009.

In my new devotional journal there are thoughts from various writers on each page. On the first page the journal were these great thoughts from Gary Smalley and John Trent.

Loving God, loving others and finding value in ourselves--without a doubt, these three aspects of love are the most effective weapons against the destructive power of low self-worth. Genuine love is a gift we give others. It isn't purchased by their actions or contingent upon our emotions at the moment. It may carry with it strong emotional feelings, but it isn't supported by them. Rather, it is a decision we make on a daily basis that someone is special and valuable to us.

It is my prayer that you have a blessed New Year. Get in the Word and get the Word in you!

New Year's Day 2009, Bethany, Oklahoma

2008-11-22T09:59:00.003-06:00

I received a Dave Ramsey email newsletter yesterday and he had some great tips related to spending at Christmas. In these current economic times we all need to practice greater wisdom in how we spend our hard earned cash! So I have included Dave's tips below. I have always appreciated the practical nature of his teaching. These are ideas you can put right into practice...

Here are the top 10 Christmas shopping mistakes and how you can act differently:

1. Not prioritizing.Instead of getting stressed out with all the parties, baking and shopping, in addition to your normal daily life, set some priorities before you’re bombarded with a million requests. Think about which things are “must do” and which are “would be nice to do.” It’s all right to say no to keep yourself sane. Shopping for gifts is more fun when you’re not completely stressed out.

2. Not using a budget.Before you make a gift list and head to the mall, set aside a reasonable amount of money for gifts. Make a commitment that you won’t add $20 to the fund every week just because you saw something cute that your niece would love. Get budgeting advice here.

3. Using credit cards.Once you have your budget finalized, stay away from credit cards! You will still spend 12-18% more if you use plastic, and you’ll be paying it off come 2009! Doesn’t paying with cash sound more freeing than having a credit card balance looming over your head? You bet.

4. Buying for everyone.Do you really need to buy gifts for every family member and friend you have? That can get overwhelming and expensive for everyone. Talk with them and work toward an agreement to draw names for gifts or donate money to a common cause.

5. Not listening.Listen to the hints your loved ones drop about what they need or want this year. Maybe your Aunt Sally mentioned that she would love someone to help her in the garden, or Cousin Bob keeps losing guitar picks. A thoughtful gift like this will mean a lot.

6. Not having a thought-out list on paper. If you think you can spend time in “Christmas retail world” without getting distracted by all the shiny toys, you’re in for a big surprise! You’ll be more likely to buy impulsively if you do it that way. Write down what each person you’re buying for would like and stick to the list. Stay focused!

7. Not shopping around.“Shopping around” doesn’t mean you have to spend 24 extra hours running from store to store to save 10 cents. Take a look at your gift list and do some comparative price-checking online before you head out into the retail and traffic madness. This will save you money, time and stress!

8. Waiting until the last minute.Procrastination is not the most appealing gift out there. Don’t find yourself stressed out on Christmas Eve just because you didn’t invest a little bit of time to plan.

9. Forgetting to plan for next year.Throughout the next year, look for outrageous sales on things your loved ones will need. If you time the sales just right and clip some coupons, you could land a major discount on something you were going to buy in a few months for a birthday or wedding gift. Remember to have a list and budget for this, too.

10. Forgetting why we celebrate.If this season becomes all about shopping and gifts, you’ve missed the whole point. People—not things—matter. The miraculous birth of a baby who changed the world is what matters.

(from Dave Ramsey's November 2008 enewsletter) Go to daveramsey.com

My favorite Christmas line every year is: Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Going to the OU vs. Texas Tech game tonight in Norman with two of my sons. I am pumped up about that. Go Sooners!

2008-11-20T08:26:00.003-06:00

One of the great joys I have in ministry is baptizing people who have come to faith in Jesus Christ. Last Sunday I baptized five kids and it was awesome! Most of them had just finished a nine-week new Christian's study led by some great senior adults in our church. I baptized one brother and sister which was neat to see them together in the baptistry. One little girl had a bit of fear of the water so she got a "death grip" on my robe, but we made it just fine. One girl was from our student ministry and one young lady drew a picture during the service of her baptism. I didn't know I looked like that when I baptized! One of these day I think I will write a book about my experiences as a pastor with baptisms and weddings, and the such! The joy is always in the journey! I can't wait to see what is around the bend!

2008-10-19T08:03:00.004-05:00

Traditions! Tevye the milkman from "Fidler on the Roof" lamented the loss of tradition in his culture and time. Traditions can be important to families. Have you established any traditions as a family? One of our favorite Fall traditions is carving pumpkins as a family. Each year as long as I can remember and the kids can remember we have carved pumpkins as a family. Why? Because it's fun! We clear the kitchen table off, cover it with newspaper, get out the favorite carving tools and everybody goes to work. When the kids were little they would get to sit in middle of the table so they could handle all the gook out of the pumpkins. This year, Maddox, our grandson got to experience that. Hope handling all that gook doesn't affect him too much, but if so we are saving up for his counseling! It is fun to see the different designs everyone comes up with. Dad, that's me, gets the job of cutting the top out of each pumpkin. Why? Because I am an experienced pumpkin top cutter outer! If ever I need a second career, I have one ready made as I know there must be a great demand for those who cut the top out of pumpkins. Sometimes our kids both big and small don't seem to get into the tradition until the pumpkins are on the table and the knives begin to fly. Then the stories of pumpkins of the past begin to emerge and soon laughter fills the room. My wife is the queen of tradition. She loves it. And I am so glad she keeps all of us moving in that direction, otherwise, we would just be a bunch of couch potatoes wasting another Saturday afternoon. As the holidays approach I hope you will take a look at your family traditions. If you have some keep them going, if you don't consider establishing some fun things to do together as a family. Need ideas? See Kathy as she has a wealth of ideas when it comes to fun things like this. Here are a couple of pics of Pumpkin Fest 2008 at the Mullican house!

Fireproof Your Marriage

2008-10-13T09:44:00.003-05:00

I am a bad blogger. As you can tell my intentions at the beginning of the new year were to blog on a regular basis. I posted one blog! Didn't exactly reach my goal, did I?

Today, I am basking in the blessing of our Vow Renewal Service which came at the end of a six-week sermon series called "Fireproof Your Marriage." It has been a powerful six-weeks and it culminated last night with 33 couples renewing their vows in a beautiful, powerful service followed by a beautiful reception.

One of dear brothers from church wrote the following piece in his daily email devotion he sends out and he did such a beautiful job I want to include his whole devotion here. Thanks for putting the past six weeks into such a beautiful perspective Don Williams!

Our Marriage Covenant

I have to tell you that this morning I am busting with joy as I think back on the events of the past few weeks. It started a couple months ago when a young couple asked Debbie and I to mentor them in their marriage relationship. Then six weeks ago our Pastor began a sermon series entitled “Fireproof Your Marriage,” which concluded yesterday morning. On opening night for the new movie "Fireproof," our church had about 100 people who bought early discount tickets and went to the movie together. There were others from our church that went that same night but were unable to get one of the discount tickets, and others who have gone other nights, so that means that well over 100 people represented by our church, wanted to see a movie that helped them focus on how to make their marriages stronger.

Last week our pastor started another six week study series on Sunday night and another one on Monday nights for those who are committed to other things on Sunday night. The study is designed to disciple married couples in their marriage commitments to each other called “I Promise, Enrich Your Marriage!” by Dr. Gary Smalley and facilitated by Pastor Mullican and his bride Kathy. We had 21 people attend the session on Sunday night and 27 attended on Monday night.

Then last night was the topper of my joyful heart. Last night my wife and I joined in and became a part of a “Marriage Vow Renewal Service.” There were 33 couples who joined in the service and renewed their wedding vows and commitments to each other. The couples ranged from being married from just one year to couples who have been married 60 + years. Debbie and I come somewhere in the middle with this year being our 35th wedding anniversary. It was very exciting with the activities of 33 couples making such wonderful pledges and vows to each other.

But there were four couples that touched my heart as I observed the ceremony and the reception that followed. I observed a very old couple that when they walked down the isle to the front of the church, he was pushing her in a wheelchair and she was wearing oxygen. Another one of our older couples walked the isle with her on his arm and then when they got to the front of the church, she had to stand there leaning against her walker. To me, this shows dedication to one another that reaches what most couples in today’s society have a very hard time grasping, commitment. These couples looked at one another and said to each other. “Honey, I don’t care how sick you get, or how bad life’s troubles come, I am committed to you, In sickness and in heath.” And of course Debbie and I had joy as we watched the young couple whom we have been mentoring walk down that isle to rededicate their lives to each other once again. And last but not lease, the very most meaning to me was when I walked my bride of 35 years down that isle once again to recommit myself to her. During the whole service I kept smiling (and crying) at her, and she at me with the same, with joy in our heart.

I am so proud of my wife and my dedication to her is unshakeable. Why did yesterday’s “Vow Renewal Service” mean so much to me? Because, the two of us have been together and over the past 35 years my wife has been very sick most of that time. She has had two Kidney transplants and I have almost lost her twice to death, as deaths door came knocking for her. But God be the glory because He has given her back to me each time. You see, I appreciate every moment that the Lord has given me with her. She is my completion. She is the very reason that I get up in the morning and face life’s difficulties with a smile on my face. She has shown me love that can only come from God. And she has taught me how to love her and others with the kind of love that comes only from our Father which is in Heaven. And mainly because I see how easily she could be taken away from me.

Our church has become dedicated in building strong marriages and families. Why is this so important to me? Because I believe that the attacks of Satan are leveled strong against the marriage relationship and the family. If he can destroy our marriage relationship, which by the way is a picture of the Lord’s relationship to us, the church. Then he can destroy our witness and service toward God. If Satan could destroy the very thing that is a representation to the world of the Lord’s relationship that He has with us. Then the world would see no need to have such a relationship. It would be no better than anything that they the world, has to offer others. So they then would think, what is the point of seeking to have a relationship with God? So it is important that we see how precious our marriage relationship is to God. The marriage commitment is a physical symbol of a spiritual truth of our relationship to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:21-32
21submitting to one another in the fear of God.
22Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
24Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
26that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
27that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
28So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
30For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
31“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
32This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Here is what Jesus said about the marriage relationship and divorce.
Matthew 19:3-6
3The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
4And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ A marriage is between one man and one woman.
5“and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? No longer dependant on mom and dad, but to each other. They shall become one flesh and they are therefore bonded together as one flesh.
6“So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” God has joined the two of you together, not as two, but now as one flesh. Therefore, let no one tear you apart. It hurts everyone involved, when that which is one is now torn into two parts. Marriage is a life long commitment to each other and to God.

Let me share with you the Marriage Vows as a remind of our commitment to God and to each other, as we make these promises, we need to remember that God does not take them lightly as we make these vows.

In the presence of God, And these witnesses, and by a holy covenant. I, Donald Williams Joyfully receive you as God’s perfect gift for me, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love you, to cherish you and to protect you, forsaking all others as long as we both shall live.

If you are married, then your marriage is a representation of a relationship and His convenant that the Lord has with us, the church. Don’t take that lightly. Fight the devil every time that he attacks your marriage. If you are single, then as you look for a life mate. Choose wisely and let God direct you to your soon to be spouse. He wants to show the world what it is like being a part of his family, his bride.

Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honorable among all,……

God Bless and have a wonderful day in the Lord.

Love Ya
In Christ,
Don Williams "Jesus Christ Is Lord"

Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Don’s webpage
http://www.myspace.com/jesus_the_guiding_light