Wedding Anniversary Week - Reflection #6 Final

Marriage Takes More Than Two!

All this week you've heard me say a lot about Kim's and my marriage. However, if you go back and read all of the posts, you will find that my reflections are not only about Kim and I, but they are about a Mighty God that we serve! God has made all the difference in our marriage. He has made all the difference in our family. He has made all the difference in our livelihood. He has been the source of who we are.

Understanding that it will take more than two to make a successful marriage is coming into the knowledge that we need to have Christ Jesus. Where the scripture talks about a "three-fold cord is not easily broken", it is reminding us of our need for the Essence of Love, the Creator of Love and the Author of Love and again, that is Christ Jesus! I, on many occasions have had to remind myself, when I find myself, trying to do things by myself  that without Christ we're  not as strong as we think that we are. Additionally, we also must know that "If Christ stands before us then who can be against us"!

Marriages have sustainable energy; marriages are strong; and marriages are healthy when the marriage is between you, your spouse, and our Heavenly Father. Invite God into your marriage and enjoy the journey. In God's economy, when you Invest in Him, the Return is "Above all that you could ever think or imagine". Trust me in this, when a marriage has been ordained in Heaven, then you + your spouse + Jesus = Blessed and Highly Favored and your marriage has been sanctioned and protected by The Most High God!

Marriage - there's nothing greater that can be shared together on this side of eternity when Jesus is in the marriage!

I love you all and thank each of you for following all week as I reflected on marriage. God bless You!

Tomorrow, we'll be 28 years In the books. Hallelujah!!!

"It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps... Two in a bed warm each other. Alone, you shiver all night. By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped." (Ecclesiastes 4:9‭-‬12 MSG)

Wedding Anniversary Week - Reflection #5

Life Markers

There are many things in Kimberly's and my life together that make us who we are today.

I remember like yesterday, the very first time that I saw her walking down a stairwell in Bldg 1650, Kelly AFB, San Antonio, TX in January 1987.

I remember the first time that she first noticed me. I was blasting music in my dormitory room, drinking way too much and noticed Kim and a few of her coworkers going to the Bowling Alley. I jumped in front of them and shouted, "Hey you, YOU can come back and hang with me, but not the rest of you" hahaha...yep, not smooth at all, BUT she came back after a night of bowling! 😃

I remember our 1st apartment; our 1st breakup; and our 2nd apartment. I remember my proposal to Kim and her saying "Yes" after two years of dating.

I remember our wedding day, Lisa Boyles Thomas flying in from Florida to be Maid of Honor; Jay Keller giving Kim away; and Kim and I cooking all of the food for the reception, preparing the Clubhouse, helping the DJ get setup, greeting the Justice of The Peace and finally our wedding vows.

Four years later, our firstborn son, Keith Jr was born on June 19th and Father's Day that year was June 20th

Four years after Keith was born, we had our second child, Kyle on May 8th, four days before Mother's Day that year

I retired from the Air Force in January 2005

Our daughter Kaelyn was born in January 2006!

But THE MOST SIGNIFICANT Life Marker was on March 23, 2005. On this day, at a basketball banquet of a league that was affiliated with a Christian organization and the games where played in a local church, Kim and I received Jesus Christ as our LORD and as our SAVIOR!

Prior to this Life Marker, there was nothing truly significant about us, our lives or our lifestyle choices. BUT after this date, our world changed, our hearts were changed, our marriage changed, our love grew stronger, our decisions were made better, our pathways were made clearer and our names were written in The Lamb's Book of Life! On this day, my wife and I truly became one before God and we remain before His Throne as one to this day!

There are many Life Markers in our lives and I'm proud of each of them. However, the most significant event of Kimberly and myself was the day Christ became Lord in us and for us.

Thank You Lord for teaching us what true love is and for teaching us how to truly love each other. My Mom said this to me shortly afterwards..."Keith, you had love for Kim, but now, YOU KNOW LOVE & HOW TO LOVE!

Christ IS love and without Him in your marriage, we will only go through the motions.

Wedding Anniversary Week Reflection #4

Keeping It Real Works for Us!

To Keep it Real...There's nothing out there that can hold my heart, that will hold my hand and that holds me closer than the love of my wife.

To Keep it Real...I use to like to go to "The Club". I use to like hanging out until three o'clock in the morning. I use to like the attention (drama most times) that could be found by making yourself available to everyone and everything. But those things really drained me, drained my enthusiasm and stole my identity and security.

See, to Keep it Real...I had to come to the understanding that a strong and healthy marriage trumps "The Club"; trumps casual acquaintances: and trumps the paranoia and fake/false/phony nightmarish masquerade mask that I once wore to be part of the crowd.

What has worked for us is our realization that Life, Love and Memories are Made at Home and with those you love and who love you; and not the random strangers that we meet in the streets or clubs.

This is Real...Kimberly gives me my identity as being her protector, her best friend, her confidant, her husband, the father of our children and priest of our home.

This is Real...Kimberly is my security in that she keeps me grounded, protects me from negativity by showering me with confidence and affirming my position in our lives and by shielding me from even my own self doubt.

To Be Real...Kimberly and I aren't perfect and we don't profess to have the perfect marriage, but:

Keeping it Real REALLY Works for Us!

Wedding Anniversary Week Reflection #3

TOGETHER!

My wife and I have been together for over half of our lives. We grew up together as young adults, made a family together and established our home together. Everything that we have, we obtained together. Everything that we lost, we endured together. For everything that's come at us, we've prayed together and there were times that we've cried together. Whatever life has dealt us, we survived together and through it all we strived together.

By now, you've got the key to our marriage that is quickly approaching 28 years and the key is: TOGETHER!

• Together, the two have become one
• Together, nothing can divide us
• Together, life is made and love endures

Thank you Kimberly for making me your priority. Together and with God's blessing, we shall continue in life and love, enjoying it all, TOGETHER!

Wedding Anniversary Week Reflection #2

Love doesn't always agree with all of our wants, but stands firmly beside us, pushing us, praying for us and championing for what is needed rather than what we may have wanted. Love knows what the goal is and will not settle for a shortcut or a cheap escape.  Love makes whatever it achieves worth the wait and worth the effort.

Love in marriage is worth everything that we have left, lost and accomplished together.

Kimberly, thanks for loving me the way that only you can!

Wedding Anniversary Week

This is Kimberly's and my Wedding Anniversary Week. On Saturday, July 1st, we will be celebrating 28 years of marriage!  During this week, I'll be reflecting on our marriage.

Every successful marriage has endured life's challenges. The secret to success is simply that TRUE LOVE ALWAYS survives and ALWAYS conquers!

Here's my first share concerning OUR marriage that has and continues to work for us:

"We didn't fall in love, we committed to love!"

Kimberly and I didn't "fall" for each other, but we COMMITED to each other:

• Until death do we part
• Through sickness and in health
• In spite of the opinions of others
• During times of more than enough and during times when there wasn't enough

Commitment works for us and we remain just as committed today as we were in 1989.

To God be the glory!

Help Somebody

Finishing Strong Friday: Wow, wow and wow...what a week this has been! BUT GOD! Yes and I'll say it again...BUT GOD!  

Well we made it again and we must rejoice and be thankful. However, think about those who may be still going through. Instead of dwelling on our own issues, I want to ask each of us to pray for those still going through something! Speak God's Word in their life right now and right where you are! Let them know what Nehemiah says, that "the joy of The Lord is my strength". Speak into someone's life that they are "fearfully and wonderfully made" and if need be, encourage them with an old hymn of the church that reminds us all that  "My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand." 

You see, finishing strong isn't always about self! You'll really FINISH STRONG once you've helped someone else find the "Solid Rock" that is Christ Jesus. We'll help someone else FINISH STRONG when we tell them to stop believing the words of the world which is their "Sinking Sand"! 

May God bless you all and I pray that you all FINISH STRONG!

Be Encouraged

Don't be Discouraged. No, you have not been forgotten. Your ministry has not been overlooked.  Your prayers are relevant and heard. Every effort has been recognized. The love that you have shown towards others is known. 

Remain encouraged! This world and those in it will leave you feeling as if you don't matter.  Keep doing what you are doing, even though you may not get the worldly recognition or rewards; even though folks talk about you, laugh at you and ridicule your efforts...Keep on going!  Don't be discouraged when it appears that things that you are involved in aren't growing, but remember that there is a season for planting, a season for watering, a season for tending and then comes the season of harvest.  Ministry Colleagues, whatever you do, DON'T QUIT & DON'T GIVE UP!! Let God's love for you and His intimate knowledge of your service for Him encourage you as you face disappointment and rejection here on earth.

"God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them." (Hebrews 6:10 NIV)

Amen!

I'm Up!

I'm Up - for today's Blessings
I'm Up - for today's Favor
I'm Up - for today's Opportunities
I'm Up - for today's Challenges
I'm Up - for today's Victories
I'm Up - for today's Call to witness yet again THIS GREAT LOVE that The Lord has lavished on His creation and to receive this love so that I may love others!

Who's UP with me?

I Hope that HOPE Remains

Many of us are going through some life challenges, some of us are uncertain about tomorrow and some of us has given up our hope of better, restoration and reconciliation. I'm here today to tell you to hold on to faith, hold on to love. Hold on to Hope!! You’re not alone. Don’t lose sight. HOPE remains and our Hope is in Christ Jesus!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials" (I Peter 1:3‭-‬6 NKJV)

FIRST the APPOINTING and then the ANOINTING

Have we allowed the business of the day and the busyness of church life and ministry to take us away from our initial appointment? The foundation and bare essentials of who we are can only be found in Jesus.

Before He sent you to preach, teach and reach HE CALLED YOU UNTO HIMSELF SO THAT YOU MAY BE WITH HIM! Jesus wants, needs, requires, mandates, instructs and expects us to be with Him before He sends us out to others. Not just upon your initial calling, but everyday: before every bible study, before every hospital visit, before every preached Word, before we lay down at night and before we start our day.

Have you spent time with Jesus before spending time in your ministry calling?

And He (Jesus) went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, THAT THEY MAY BE WITH HIM and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons (Mark 3:13‭-‬15 NKJV)

To Do List

Pray ✔
Trust God ✔
Love one another ✔
Forgive and be forgiven ✔
Live the abundant life Jesus provides ✔

You're Invited

Studying God's Word not only motivates us to do the right thing, but it also demotivates us from doing the wrong thing!

C'mon out tonight and join us in Bible Study @ 7 p.m. 

The Journey of Faith Church
2900 Smallwood Drive W
Waldorf MD

or

Find a church near you and join in their study of God's Word.

You'll be glad that you decided to come!!

Get Out of the Way!

Church folk are Called to be Spiritual Guides, NOT spiritual guards. Get out of the way... blocking God's plans with your rules and ideologies. Hey, you can guard your religion all day if you like, but get out of the way of those seeking a RELATIONSHIP with Christ!

"This people honors Me with  their  lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching  as  doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men" (Read Mark 7:1‭-‬23 NKJV for the full account of this passage)

Successors!

Men of Faith, are we raising up a  modern-day Joshua? Are we speaking into the lives of our sons, equipping them and establishing them for their roles in life to be protector, provider, and prayerful over their households. Are we allowing them to see us pray, to join us in prayer and to see us in service to The Lord; allowing them to have a more intimate relationship with Jesus as they witness the same in us? Who are we making ready to lead when our time has come to step aside? Will there be faithful and mighty men of valor in the church after you've finished?

Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. (Deuteronomy 34:9 NKJV)