Dad Again

I'm A Dad again for the 5th time. It was pretty scary, but Mama and baby are doing great.

Cheyenne Kae Taylor

Born 22November, 2006

5lb 5oz.

18 1/2" long

My wife had full placenta privia, and we had been worried about her safety for some time. God Bless Dr. Atlas and the whole team of doctors at Mercy hospital for bringing my wife and baby through alright. And most of all, thank you God.

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee... Jeremiah 1:5

Slow to Anger

A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil devices is hated. (Proverbs 14:17)
Imagine a world where no matter the circumstance, you never got mad, frustrated, or lost your cool. Yeah, that's why I said imagine, Chances are if your anything like me, this is closer to Fantasy land than reality. However, that in no way negates the meaning, or truth of Gods word. We must be, "must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger (James 1:19)". And this applies especially where the family is concerned. Remember, You are to be for your wife what Christ is for the Church, and no where in this equation is there room for a "foolish man of evil devices." Act as Christ did, with gentleness, and love for your lady.

"And Be Thou Ravished Always With Her Love"

Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times;and be thou ravished always with her love. (Proverbs 5:18-19)

Webster says Ravish is to overwhelm with emotion; give pleasure to or be pleasing to. The thesaurus gives words like enchant, enrapture, enthral, transport, delight, and please as alternates for the word ravish. And the Bible says we are to "be ravished with her love." Genesis 2:24 says, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Webster defines the word cleave as to adhere, cling, or stick fast.
Let her know today how her beauty, and love draws you to her, see her love today as you have not seen it before. Be ravished by it. Make sure she knows that she is #1, and that there is nothing that could separate you. If by chance her love has not been all that ravishing of late, cleave to her, show her the love of Christ, and let her know that she"satisfies thee at all times." There is a good chance that your Christ like love could bring out her ravishing love. The wife of your youth has a love, and beauty unlike any you will ever know. She is yours, love and cherish her always, and make sure she knows it.

Not For the Wives

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. (Proverbs 31:10-12)

No, I haven't decided to tell the women what to do this time. I have though decided to point out to the Men who read this just how much God expects from your woman. Proverbs 31:10-31 is an example of a Godly wife, one whom our Godly wives should strive to be. But that is none of your business whether or not she's succeeding, or even trying. You have a charge from God regardless of what she does. However, It is your responsibility to give her every chance to succeed in this goal. You must lift her up, praise what she does, and try to find ways to praise her if she doesn't. Give her a reason to want to be the Proverbs 31 wife.(This doesn't mean telling her she needs to be the Proverbs 31 wife) The World is telling her that she doesn't have to be this for you. The world is telling her that to be this, she would become a doormat, or a slave. We have alot to overcome, your life will be infinitely blessed if the woman you love has her heart set on being the Proverbs 31 wife. Your encouragement can be what she needs to begin her journey, or to continue to grow. Your lack of encouragement will be what causes you to miss out on a great and wonderful marital blessing.
Read Proverbs 31:10-31 and try to understand the challenge your wife will have in obtaining this goal. And then do all that can be done to help, and encourage her. The whole world is telling her not to even try, it's up to you to help her see truth, and guide her along the way.

No Greater Joy

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 4)

As a man, and a husband, there are many responsibilities we have committed ourselves to. None being much more important than our role as fathers. As a Dad, we are responsible for the Physical, emotional, and spiritual well being of our children. The most important factor of training our kids to walk in the Lord will be the example they get from us. Not how many church services they attend, nor the number of Bible classes they sit through. The "Christ" they see in you will be their greatest teacher. the bible says in Deu 11:19-20, "And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates" I take this to mean all the time. Christ needs to be your life all the time, for the sake of your family. They can smell hypocrisy from a long way off. Love the Lord with all you heart, and with all your mind, and your family will follow you.

"Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

Sacrifice

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it..." (Ephesians 5:25)

In the spirit of being Christ for our wives, we must remember to put her above ourselves. "What do I want" should not be a question asked until the effect it will have on her is duly thought out. "What can I do for her?" This is what we should ask ourselves on a regular basis. Many husbands tend to put their own wants and desires above what she wants, or what needs to be done. This is one of the reasons wives "rule the roost" in America today. Men have too many "fun" activities to indulge in, and more often than not, responsibilities get left to the lady at home to tend to. And what's sadder than that is, many men have let it happen without a second thought. What men must keep in mind is that we are to cherish her, this doesn't mean going off to the races and leaving her with all the kids. God has given us the woman and it is up to us to protect and take care of her. This includes her feelings, wants, and desires too. Sacrifice your wants to allow her happiness to grow, Christ sacrificed his life for us, the least we can do is sacrifice a football game for her.

You are Beautiful My Love

Behold, you are beautiful, my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is as a flock of goats, That descend from Mount Gilead.
Your teeth are like a newly shorn flock, Which have come up from the washing, Where every one of them has twins. None is bereaved among them.
Your lips are like scarlet thread. Your mouth is lovely. Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.
Your neck is like David's tower built for an armory, Whereon there hang a thousand shields, All the shields of the mighty men.
Your two breasts are like two fawns That are twins of a roe, Which feed among the lilies.
Until the day is cool, and the shadows flee away, I will go to the mountain of myrrh, To the hill of frankincense.
You are all beautiful, my love. There is no spot in you. (Song of Solomon 4:1-7)

How many times in the last week have you spoken to your wife like this? O.K., In the last month? The last year? Ever? If you ever doubt that your wife wants to hear stuff like this, go to Walmart, and just past the cash registers is the beauty section, walk up and down the 5 or 6 isles of beauty supplies and ask yourself, do women want to feel beautiful?
Flowers are good, candles are a nice touch, maybe chocolate makes your wife happy, But nothing will make her blush with that warm glow of love, and give her a feeling of comfort like staring her in the eyes and telling her how beautiful she is.
Part of giving your all to your woman is building her up. Her self confidence can directly reflect her impression of how you view her. And if she thinks your no longer attracted to her, her self esteem can be destroyed. Protecting your lady is more than being a bodyguard, you must protect her heart as well. Lift up your wife, as the song lyrics go " You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;You raise me up... To more than I can be." Christ raises us up, do likewise for her.

Promises, Promises

"I made a covenant with my eyes, How then should I look lustfully at a young woman?" (Job 31:1)

You have heard it said, "you can look, but don't touch", or "window shopping is O.K." Well Jesus says, "but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart."(Matt 5:28)
You have made a covenant just as Job did, you are not to gaze at anyone but your wife. Ever. For no reason. Never. Get my point? There are no exceptions, it is adultery. In the eyes of God, you have had an affair with another woman, you are no longer a faithful husband. And to take it one step farther, if the person you have gazed upon is under 18, according to Jesus' logic, you are a child molester as well as an adulterer. Kinda' harsh, but it's Gods word, and I think men need to hear it from time to time. You owe it to your wife to be faithful to her in all ways. Trust is the foundation on which relationships are built, and if you are untrustworthy, then no one will follow you. Kinda' makes it hard for you to lead if no one follows, huh?
Your wife is a beautiful angel that God has handpicked for you to love and cherish, devote your lusts and sexual desires towards her and her alone. Build your physical bond into a fortress that cannot be broken by images of other women. With this fortress built, not only will you sexual relationship be greatly enhanced, but the emotional, and spiritual bond will become unbreakable. And your days will be blessed.

"Trust Not in Yourself"

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Imagine a walk with the Lord in which you make all the decisions, not asking God for his input or guidance. Where prayer is not a daily event. The Bible is just a coffee table decoration, and his word is not in you. Sound crazy? Then why should your walk with your wife be any different than your walk with God? You have a hefty role as the head of your God centered house, God, being the center of your life, needs to be in the center of you marriage as well. Even Christ, who is the embodiment of God, prayed without ceasing. He spoke with God about everything, as well should we as men, and as husbands. The precious woman you have been given as your wife deserves to know that when she submits to your authority, your not going at it alone. So trust not in your understanding, cause you don't fully understand, let God guide you. You owe it to her.

(Next time you feel your temper getting hot with your little lady, stop, go away for a minute, and pray. When you come back, let God help you work it out.)

It all starts with Christ

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Most men don't know this scripture exists, much less apply it to their lives. But those that strive for the goal of giving our wives that seemingly unattainable love of Christ, know the blessings that this verse holds. Christ loved with a love mere humans cannot comprehend, nor duplicate. He gave us all of himself when he was here, and even more when he died. He was our teacher, and our protector, and ultimately our sacrifice, the greatest sacrifice. He gave us infinitely more than we deserve. And He only asked for our love in return. Now Christ has asked us men who have chosen to marry, to be this ultimate love for her. Wow, what an awesome charge. Are you up for the challenge? It will be forever, and it will be difficult. But the rewards will be great, on earth and in heaven. So what are you waiting for, Christ never said "maybe later". Your lady needs you now.