Stay As Far As You Can From Infidelity

Today's Marriage Minute comes entirely from the book Marriage Minutes by Dr. Bob and Cheryl Moeller. Published by Moody Press, copyright 1998.

Now then, my son, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say. Keep to a path far from [the adultress], do not go near the door of her house . . .Proverbs 5:7-8

Charles Spurgeon, the great English preacher of the nineteenth century, used to tell the story of a man who wanted to hire a buggy driver. He asked each applicant the same question: "How close do you think you can drive my carriage to the edge of a cliff without falling off?"

Driver after driver boasted of his daring and driving prowess. Yet none of them was offered the position. Finally one applicant appeared who considered the question, then gave a very different answer. "Sir, as your carrige driver it would be my business to keep you as far away from the edge of the cliff as possible," he said. "I have no intention of seeing how close to the edge I can come." He was hired on the spot.

The question in a marriage relationship should not be "How close can I come to infidelity without crossing the line?" Instead it should be "How can I put safeguards in place that will prevent me from even coming close to adultery?" Enter into a covenant today that you will both live your lives as far from the edge as humanly possible.

THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT MARRIAGE MINUTE!!!

Picture Perfect Weight Loss

I was sharing with a friend my frustrations about eating after reading a book on sugars. Sugars are in the most unexpected foods. It seems like my eating habits are so unhealthy regardless of the efforts that I make to eat healthier foods. I started two months ago eating side salads as my main course when I go to a restaurant. And, I was eating soups, granola bars, 100 pack calories snacks, and drinking a lot of fruit juices assuming that I was getting it right. And, I come to find out that many of these choices were full of sugars.

Therefore, a book was suggested for me to examine called "Picture Perfect," by Dr. Shapiro to see if it would help. Dr. Shapiro uses pictures to illustrate your calorie intake.

Publisher Weekly's synopsis: "A New York-based physician specializing in weight control, Shapiro will no doubt startle many lifelong dieters and experts with his approach to eating. There are no "correct" portions and there are no bad foods. Instead, he insists that people must become aware of what they're consuming. To illustrate this principle, the book is filled with color photographs of different foods.

For example, one page shows a handful of mixed nuts, potato chips and vegetable crisps: these three portions have 400 calories each, but 10 cups of popcorn has the same number of calories as the rest. A one-cup serving of Quaker Natural Cereal has 540 calories, but that same number of calories is found in 16 low-cal Fudgsicles. Shapiro uses real-life examples of people with weight problems and includes practical advice, albeit in brief chapters, on exercise and the psychological reasons why people become overweight. However, the power of this book is clearly the illustrations showing the "right" and "wrong" food choices. Shapiro walks readers through ethnic menus (Chinese, Greek, etc.), explaining which choices make the most sense health wise. This is a smart approach to dieting from which everyone, regardless of their weight, will benefit. "

ONLINE DATING

Dr. Laura Berman discusses what to do and what not to do when looking for love on the Internet.

For Better, For Worse, For Keeps Marriage Seminar

Attending this seminar would be a great investment for couples!! Look here to see the schedule and information about the seminar. Taken from the website, here are some of the topics that will be discussed.

• Building Intimacy: The Accepting Heart.
• Communication and Conflict.
• Seven Secrets to a Great Sex Life
• How to Stay Together - For Better AND For Worse.

Revive Our Hearts: God Will Sustain You

A daily devotional from Nancy Leigh DeMoss inspired me the other day titled, "God Will Sustain You."

If God has placed you in a challenging situation, are you leaning on him to help you? God's Word says, "My grace is sufficient for you." That means he will never lead you anyplace where his grace will not sustain you. He will never place more on you than he will give you grace to bear. Therefore, when the path in front of you seems endless, remember, the day is coming when all suffering will be over. When you stand before him, the tears and sorrows of a lifetime will seem as nothing compared with his glory. That's when you will say, "His amazing grace has brought me safely home."

And I hope that many of you believe this because God will sustain his children. Believe and have faith in this period of time!

Get The Sugar Out: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar Out of Any Diet

What a wonderful book! It provides insight on sugar that I was unaware of. As I continue to read this book, I am realizing that my eating habits are horrible. I am feeding my body more sugar than I realized. Sugars are hidden in so many foods which are not even imaginable. And, to control my craving of sugar is not an easy task to accomplish. This is why this book is so wonderful to read. It discusses the most simple ways to cut sugar out of any diet. It provides the basic tips on low sugar shopping, cooking, and dining out, and brand-new information on the truth about artificial sweeteners. Here are a few of the tips in the book:

• Cereals are one of the top places you need to watch for sugars. Look for cereals that are whole-grain with 3 grams of sugars or less per serving if possible.
• In 1 cup of milk there's 11 grams of sugars, so go easy using it.
• Hold the salt for a couple of reasons. First, too much salt in the diet can cause sugar craving.
• Pass up the ketchup, a little something that seems so innocent but is really a sugar monger in disguise. In fact, ounce for ounce, ketchup has more sugar in it than ice cream!
• Avoid eating sweets between meals. Try instead more substantial mini-meals.
• Granola may seem like a health food, but its sugar content often puts it in the same league as many desserts.
• A cooked sweet potato is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Full of fiber and nutrients, sweet potatoes also have another unexpected advantage: They rank only 48 on the glycemic index.
• Eating your baked potato with a little butter, high-quality oil, sour cream, or low-fat cream cheese is better for your blood sugar than eating it plain. This is because it is a very high inducer of insulin. But, eating fat or protein with your potato will slow down the insulin response and keep your blood sugar steadier.
• Diet drinks are dangerous and definite no-nos even when you are trying to avoid sugar. Not only are aspartame-sweetened drinks believed to deplete the body of chromium, a mineral important for proper blood sugar functioning, but storing these drinks in hot places may cause the aspartame in them to break down into toxic chemicals that can cause a multitude of health problems.

Additionally, the book has holiday coping strategies, desserts made with fabulous fruits, satisfying cookies, soup basics, meaty matters, how to be menu savvy when eating out, and the top ten tips.

" THE BRIDGE"

This video depicts God's love for us. Let us not forget this and live our life in accord with his will. John 3:16

Thanks Eva for sharing!

For Women Only: What You Need To Know About The Inner Lives Of Men

I do not understand men EVEN after reading this book. The way they think is totally different from us. In fact, I have even questioned if they were created this way. But, there must be some truth to this book because it is based upon the opinions of MEN. And, my friends who are men agree with the information that I am sharing.

Therefore, I recommend this book to be added to your reading collection. Shaunti Feldhahn discovered the most profound things about men in my opinion and I want to share them with you. The following are:

• Sex is not just about sex. What does that mean? Well, if a man is having a satisfying sexual relationship with his mate, it helps him at work...in all areas of his life...giving him the confidence that he needs. But, the lack of it can also have a negative result as well. Also, a man take it really personal when his wife says NO. It's more than being rejected physically but he feels unloved and like he is not a good husband. But, I am sure that is not what we are thinking. When we are upset at our spouse, we just do not want to be touched. We want to talk about it before we reconnect in a sexually way, but men are different SEX is how they reconnect and then talking come last. So, SEX is more than just a PHYSICAL act to your husband.


• Looking is hard because of being visual beings. It does not matter if he is a godly man....a man will look.


• Men often feel disrespected and would rather feel unloved than disrespected. Respect is important to a man. They desire to be respected publicly and privately.


• The wife's appearance is important. Husbands want their wives to look nice. They do not have to have a supermodel. But, they want you to be healthy and fit. As you were interested in how you looked while dating, maintain that level of attractiveness in the marriage.

THERE ARE MANY MORE IN THE BOOK