Oprah Winfrey did a show back in 2007 called “Extreme Love Stories” sharing where couples had dated when they were teenagers, went their separate ways only to be reunited twenty years later. I remember thinking as I watched these couples declare that the love they experienced for each other had never died, it is amazing how we as humans can bury our true feelings while still “carrying” on with life! Little did I know that I would have the opportunity to see a couple reunited just like that.
I have a very good friend, Angie that I met three years ago. We have several things in common, we love the Lord with all our hearts, we are both ministers and we are both single! As our friendship developed into a close one Angie and I trusted each other to share subjects that were close to our hearts. Of course being single Christian women the topic of “MEN” would come up. I could always bounce off of her challenges that I had experienced with my relationships and she would pray for me. We both declared that we wanted a husband that truly loved the Lord, which truly loved us as well as have a man that made a decision to live celibate until they married! Even though in the “natural’ that seemed to be an impossible task Angie and I believed that the Lord could bring that type of man to us!
One Sunday Angie received a call from her mother telling her that one of her classmates was trying to get in touch with her. Even though her mother knew who the person was calling she didn’t tell Angie so that Angie could be surprised. When she called this person, it was her “first love” Chucky! When Chucky told her who he was, Angie screamed! Angie and Chucky met when they were 14 years old. Chucky was allowed to date Angie when she turned 16. They were inseparable. They were together for over four years until a big disagreement caused them to separate. Now over 30 years later, they have been reunited. The Lord has given Angie the desires of her heart. Chucky loves the Lord with all of his heart, he made a commitment to live celibate a few years ago and the love that he felt for Angie at 14 is stronger today! In fact during the years that they were separated, Chucky prayed for Angie. He also prepared himself and made changes to be a husband to Angie.
This reunion caused me to see that when we are praying that the Lord is working behind the scenes. When the time is right, the Lord brings to the forefront what He has been doing behind those scenes. The Lord had encouraged Angie that He had a husband for her and all the time that Jesus Christ was telling Angie that, He was working on it! I encourage you that if you are standing and believing the Lord for someone or something, He is working on it and at the right time, He will show you His work!
When Angie and Chucky saw each other for the first time after 20 years, they were surrounded by family members. I was blessed to be there. Words can’t describe how awesome it was to see the love that they have for each other. Most of all, I was so happy for my friend because now the Lord has given her the desires of her heart.
I put together for them a little video telling their story. I showed it to Angie & Chucky minutes after they had that first look with one another! Angie and Chucky gave me their permission to share it with you! Oh yes, the song that plays was “their song” when they first met and is still “their song” now! Enjoy!
Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:4
Share and Enjoy:
5 comments - What do you think? Posted by
Theresa Croft -
July 22, 2010 at 9:59 pm
http://MinistryMarketingProductions.com/ Ministry Marketing Productions introduces the Friday Night Prophetic Ministry of the Vinings Worship Center under direction of Harriet Bradley.
Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday. People are busy preparing food and etc for the big game. This game is viewed live not only in the United State but all over the world.
For some women, this game is just “another” game that their husband or significant other will focus all their attention on another sporting event!
Last year I ran across a blog written by Teresa Neumann that made a quality decision concerning her attitude about watching the Super Bowl with her husband. Here is a portion of her blog.
A Wife’s Super Bowl Resolution: I WILL Bless My Husband
by Not Just Watching the game with Him, but Enjoying the Experience
by Teresa Neumann Op-Ed
It is possible to break the shackles of ingrained routines to bond with, and bless our husbands in such simple ways. Life is short, after all; seize the moment.
Super Bowl Sunday will find me, as always, racing home from church to perform the standard services for my football loving husband; hosting a party replete with pizza and/or barbecued chicken wings, sugar-laden drinks and snacks, and any number of other various artery clogging chips and dips.
There was a time, long ago, when watching football with my husband was actually fun. But, since the Bronco’s won their last Super Bowl game in 1999 I have had little interest in football. One must, I reason, either live in close proximity to a professional team or hail from a locale that supports one; the more rabidly loyal, the better. Like Green Bay, or Chicago, or Denver. I fail on both counts, having grown up in Iowa and then moved, after a three-year stint in Colorado, to the primeval backwoods of Oregon.
I think—I know—my husband misses my enthusiasm. I could say I’ve tried to at least appear interested in football, but I haven’t. Over the course of the last 20 years, I have found other distractions far preferable. I’m not a shopper, not one to spend a Sunday at the mall, but give me a book, a newspaper, a computer screen, anything but a chair in front of the television set where I have to sit watching two testosterone-driven teams throw a football back-and-forth for three hours.
Which brings me to Super Bowl Sunday this year, and the resolution I’ve made to take my own advice and actually sit down and watch the game. Not just watch it with my computer screen in front of me, glancing up whenever my husband hollers, or with my nose buried in a book. But actually try to engage in the game and share in my husband’s excitement.
I’m not expecting tit-for-tat mind you, but dare I hope my husband might bless me in return by spending a weekend watching chick-flicks with me? LOL.
I really enjoy watching sports. I could definitely identify with Teresa husband’s position. We as sports fans like to have someone share in our joy of the game and not just sit there completely bored! Here is the email that I wrote to Teresa in response to her blog!
Dear Teresa,
I loved your story in Breaking News. I am the exact opposite of you. I have been watching football all of my life. I am the youngest in my family. My siblings were teenagers when I was born. I asked my brother when I started watching football because I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t watching football! He told me “When you were in Mom’s womb.” It’s been a minute!
I am single. Not only am I believing for a husband that is totally committed to Jesus Christ and loves the Lord more than he loves me but he also has to love sports!
I understand fully how your husband feels. We sport fans want a person that can enjoy the game with us!
I know that your husband is going to enjoy your undivided attention while he is enjoying the Super Bowl. Then on the spiritual side, the Lord will honor you because of your “sacrfice” and just give you a huge blessing just because He can!
Well, the Lord didn’t disappoint Teresa. Here is her response to my email!
Dear Harriet:
Teresa Neumann here, the reporter who wrote the op/ed on my resolution to watch Super Bowl with my husband. Thank you SO much for your letter! You have no idea how much it blessed both myself and my husband.
A little addendum to the story: I did indeed watch the entire game with him and thoroughly enjoyed it. At half-time I quickly checked my e-mail and found I had received a very nasty, judgmental response to my article from a BCN reader. The gist of it was that watching television was idolatrous — watching sports even moreso, and that I was only encouraging my husband in idolatry by watching it with him. I ignored it, and watched the second half of the game with absolutely no guilt whatsoever .
Meanwhile, my husband hadn’t read the article, but had heard about it in a round-about way from a friend. On Monday, at work, he read it and was really blessed by it. “Teresa,” he said, “you really DID what you said you were going to do!” He so appreciated it.
So for all you “not so crazy about sports” people, why don’t you try like Teresa and watch the Super Bowl with your own personal sports’ fan giving your undivided attention. I believe when you plant that seed, the Lord will provide a great harvest for you!
Enjoy the game!
Share and Enjoy:
Be the first to comment - What do you think? Posted by
Theresa Croft -
February 6, 2010 at 12:32 pm
My family heritage has many talents. One of the talents from my mother’s side of the family is that we are fabulous cookers. My brother is an Executive Chef as well as an instructor! Fortunately, I learned how to cook starting when I was about five years old. One of the favorite things that people like for me to prepare is my homemade rolls! I must admit they are REALLY good! I am a great baker. So, I thought that I would “debut” my skills for baking cakes. Since it is the Christmas season, I chose to make from scratch my “Red Velvet Cake” for my church’s Christmas Party. I was so excited!
I put all the ingredients together and poured the mixture into the cake pans. When I took the pans out of the oven and after letting them cool I attempted to take the cake out of the pans! That is when the problem began. The cake wouldn’t come out of the pan very easily. It was starting to crumble! Oh, my goodness, I thought “I am going to have to throw this away. This won’t work.”
Well, I cried out to the Lord “Please, help me.” I suddenly remembered when my mother would make a cake and it would crumble, my mother would piece it back together and put the icing on the cake.
My pastor was in the kitchen with me and she encouraged me all the way! I pieced each layer and used the icing to “paste” it back together. My pastor kept saying to me “This cake is going to be good.”
Since the cake was “pieced” together, I couldn’t use a knife to spread the icing, so I just poured it over top of the cake and let it drip! I then took a knife and smoothed it as much as possible. My pastor suggested that we put some decorations on it. So, we put some candy canes on it. With the cake being in a glass plate cover, it looked pretty good. Even though the caked looked funny and totally an unconventional Red Velvet Cake, I knew that the cake would taste good!
Well, the cake was a HUGE hit. Even though it didn’t look like a Red Velvet Cake, once a person put a piece of the cake in their mouth, they immediately knew that it was TRULY a Red Velvet Cake.
During this whole cake process, the Lord began to speak to me. I discovered that I didn’t put enough flour in the pan so that is what caused the cake to stick to the pan. When I was putting the flour in the pan I was trying not to put too much flour on it! Even though the cake was broken, the Lord showed me how to put it back together again. Even though the cake looked different, the Lord used me to make it anew! The newer version of the cake still accomplished the original intention.
Jeremiah 18:3-6 says, Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
The Lord looks at us and sees that we are marred in some way. He puts us on the potter’s wheel and makes us anew again! Even though we may have been marred by situations and circumstances in our life, He puts us on the Potter’s wheel and makes us anew! Just like the “renewed” Red Velvet Cake, the Lord will present you in His favor and the original purpose that He has designed for you will still come to pass. Just like there was a second that I thought I had would have to throw the cake away, I suddenly had a plan to salvage the cake. The Lord always has a plan to salvage your life!
When Adam sinned which caused us to be separated from the Lord, the Lord could have looked at us and said “I have to throw them away.” Instead, He sent his son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us back to Him. That is what Christmas is all about. We are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The birth of Jesus Christ was the beginning of the plan of redemption for us. What a precious Gift for Mankind.
During this Christmas holiday as you share gifts, meals and fellowship with family and friends, take time to be thankful for the gift of Jesus Christ!
Share and Enjoy:
2 comments - What do you think? Posted by
Theresa Croft -
December 22, 2009 at 4:11 pm
http://MarketPlanMinistry.com/ Six Market Plan Steps to Ministry Marketing Success Online promo for the new book and video series to help you with Christian promotion online.
.
