Archive for Relationships
Easy Pill February 25, 2009
This past Sunday we hit on the fact that marriage takes work! We began the service by running a “fake add” for the “Easy Pill.” I thought our media team did an incredible job putting it together.
Here is the link if you haven’t seen it…or if you have seen it and want to see it again.
This Sunday will be concluding our iwantanewmarriage series with, what I think, will be the best Sunday yet! Looking forward to it BIG TIME…hope to see you there.
Sunday Night Reflections February 22, 2009
A few thoughts on an incredible day…
- Today we baptized 93 people…that NEVER gets old!
- Florence campus had to switch from morning services to evening services for this weekend only…and still had over 300 people!!! WOO HOO!
- A marriage that will place an emphasis on communication and organization will never become dull.
- If you want your marriage to work…it takes WORK!
- Are you willing to do whatever it takes to make your marriage work?
- Couples do talk about their marriage…but not to one another, THAT is a problem!
- Next week will be one of the most unforgettable services we’ve ever had at NewSpring Church!
- I ALMOST preached a different message today…God completely rocked my world this morning in my quiet time…but I feel like He wants me to preach it this coming Sunday. I can’t wait!
- God’s Word is His COMMANDS to us…not His recommendations or suggestions.
- Honesty paves the way to intimacy…the reason many couples never experience intimacy is because they neglect honesty!
- You cannot hold your spouse accountable for unspoken expectations!
- Yes, Lucretia really did wash my ipod touch…I really miss it!
- If you pray with your wife every night…it is IMPOSSIBLE to go to bed mad at her. Trust me…been doing it for nearly nine years so far!
- Yes, I did say that a husband needs to be willing to do WHATEVER it takes to please his wife in the bedroom! :-)
- Husbands, your BEST adviser on what it will take to make your wife happy sexually is…YOUR WIFE! Men’s Health and your buddies at work are freakin’ clueless when it comes to taking care of her!!!
- If married couples are having frequent and intimate sex with one another then adultery will simply not be an option for either person!
- YES, I said all of that…I am sick and tired of pastors who will scream at their church about “not doing it” but then refuse to teach what Scripture says because they are embarrassed!
- Singles…the question is NOT “how close can I get to the line,” but rather, “how close can I get to Jesus?”
- If you are pursuing Jesus with all your heart…then you are not pursuing the possibility of taking her pants off!!!
- Unleash is less than two weeks away!
- Easter is less than two months away…dang!
- Our next series is entitled, “Where’s My Bailout?”
- I mentioned Andy Stanley’s book, “Choosing to Cheat” today, here is the link if you want to order it! (PLEASE GET IT…SERIOUSLY!)
- Marathon training is going well…almost to the really long run section of the training!
That’s about it…gotta go to bed! G’nite!
A Very Wise Investment February 16, 2009
I spoke about this a little yesterday…but wanted to hit it one more time.
If you are a couple who is planning on getting married in the next year or so…you REALLY should attend our premarital class beginning tomorrow night (Tuesday) at our Anderson campus!
(If you attend our Greenville campus the class will begin on March 3rd…and for our Florence campus, keep your eyes open for when the class may be offered in that location!)
BTW…here is the link where you can sign up!!! (For either Greenville or Anderson)
And you should!!! One of the problems I have seen when it comes to marriage today is couples wrecklessly spend thousands and thousands of dollars and numerous hours planning a ceremony…but never spend any time or money actually planning for the marriage that is to follow!
The result (at least 50% of the time) is a really nice evening with lots of weird food and maybe some dancing and lots of smiles that eventually turns into custody battles and attorney’s fees!
AND that is SO uneccessary!
SO…here at NewSpring we want to do something to help…and we feel this class is a good step in the right direction!!! Jake Beaty will be teaching it at our Anderson campus…and the dude can straight bring it when it comes to teaching on marriage! (And Alden Ellis will be teaching it when we launch it in Greenville!)
BTW…in every class that we’ve had there has been at least one couple that has realized that they do not need to get married and called off the wedding. Just wanted you to know that…and if that scares you…then you ESPECIALLY need to be at the class. Better a little embarrassment now than a bitter divorce in a few years!!!
The class costs $25…and please SHUT UP about it costing “that much!” You are going to spend WAY more than that on flowers and fru fru food that doesn’t actually fill anyone up!!!
One more thing…I HIGHLY advise that BOTH people come to this class. If you are planning on coming and your future spouse isn’t…uh…that just isn’t a good sign. Trust me…you cannot teach them what Jake is going to be teaching…I HIGHLY recommend that you learn together.
AND…gotta say this…if the marriage IS important enough…then your significant other will find a way to be there! You are only doing this marriage thing one time (hopefully) and preparing for it is WORTH rearranging a schedule for!!!
NewSpringers…We Are On The Verge… February 4, 2009
The sense of anticipation around here is awesome!
And this coming Sunday is going to be amazing as we begin the series, iwantanewmarriage
Let me share with you why this is such a HUGE deal…
Back in 2006 we did a series entitled, “Lord of the Rings” where we broke down marriage, sex and lots of other relational issues…and TONS of new people came to our church…
And stayed after the series…and during the next several months we saw hundreds of them come to faith in Christ.
Seriously, I would be having conversations in the lobby with people about how they came to know Christ and they would say, “Well, I began coming here during the Lord of the Rings series and…”
Honestly, if it happened once it happened one hundred times. People came to church for the marriage series…and kept on coming, heard the Gospel and surrendered to Christ.
Why is that? Simple–people really do want practical help with their lives…ESPECIALLY in the area of their marriages! (Singles are especially hungry for this as many of them have admitted to me that they do not wish to have what their parents have/had!)
AND so…when a church offers Biblical insight on ways to improve the marriage relationship…people are open! AND when they come they hear the Gospel…and Jesus changes them!
What I am saying is that this might be one of the most amazing opportunities that our church has given for everyone to invite someone to church.
People WANT help…they want to have hope…and that is what this series is going to be focused on.
Marriage doesn’t have to suck! Seriously…God designed it to be both beautiful and awesome…and THIS SUNDAY we are diving in head first to what Jesus had to say in the Sermon on the Mount about marriage.
SO…be here…and be sure to invite people! I can’t wait!!! God is going to do some amazing things through this series!!!
Advice For Single People!!! December 5, 2008
WOW, I was on twitter on Wednesday and read what Shane Duffey said to single people…here are some quotes from him…
- singles - have you ever considered praying that God would literally shape the eyes of your future mate to love exactly who you are?
- singles - have you ever asked Him to shape the mind of your future mate to complement and complete you instead of mimic you?
- singles - have you ever asked God to prepare your heart from the unexpected… instead of expected Him to give you what you think u want?
- single men - ball up and ask a girl out
- single men - treat all single ladies with respect (& as a friend once told me) lead her away from the curse instead of toward your bedroom
- single men - quit hanging with girls you have no intention of pursuing just to get your emotional jollies
- single men - ACT LIKE A MAN and not a middle schooler… they’ll be time enough for that once your married
- single ladies - quit thinking that just b/c a guy asked you out that he wants to marry you… just stop that!
- single ladies - stop rejecting date offers from guys just b/c God didn’t put a big sign over him that says “This is THE one”!
- single ladies - stop talking about a guy you may like with your other single friends b/c they’ll impose all their past hurt on him
- single people of all sexes - unless you want to live in arranged marriage countries… go on some dates … just act like you know Jesus
DANG!!!
Three Ways Wives Can Have More Sex With Their Husbands November 26, 2008
To be fair…I thought I should blog about the other aspect of this relationship/sex thing…here goes…
#1 - Check and see if he is awake!
#2 - If he is…simply tell him you would like to have sex.
#3 - If he isn’t just whisper the word “sex!” He will immediately wake up…when he does just tell him you would like to have sex.
That’s it!
Five Ways Husbands Can Have More Sex With Their Wives - Part Two November 26, 2008
Here’s the second part…
#4 - Spoil Her!!!
When was the last time you did something “over the top” for your wife…with NO STRINGS ATTACHED?
When was the last time you gave her a foot rub…and didn’t expect a “favor” in return?
When was the last time you let her sleep late and handled the responsibility of the kids all by yourself?
When was the last time you have her a backrub…with NO STRINGS ATTACHED?
Here’s the deal…if you are doing something “for her” with “selfish motivations,” SHE KNOWS! SHE’S SMART!
BUT…if we as husbands make it our PRIORITY to absolutely SPOIL our wives…that will naturally overflow into them wanting to spoil us!!! We’ve GOT to take the lead on this!!!
#5 - Treasure Her!!!
We can’t make the sexual experience ALL ABOUT US! We can’t reduce her to a sex object. We can’t ONLY show her attention when “we want it!”
It is our responsibility before God to VALUE her, to TREASURE her, to see her as a daughter of THE MOST HIGH GOD!
Does your wife feel TREASURED? (Ask her!)
Let me make you a promise…a wifes perceived value will most likely be determined by how much undivided attention she receives from YOU!!!
That means no freakin’ cell phone when you two are on a date!
Heck, that means actually getting a babysitter and GOING on a date!
Here’s a question to ask her (which will require you to listen to her answer!) What are some things that I do that make you feel valued and treasured? And…after you ask this question…SHUT UP AND LISTEN! Your wife has WAY MORE INSIGHT about what she needs than ANYONE else on the planet!
Whew…those are five things that I believe will help some of us guys out! Enjoy! :-)