Thoughts of Our Fathers (TOF)

Lifted by Grace

It's a life changing message you need to watch it to the end

Say a BIG AMEN

The great commission is a mandate given by Jesus Christ to His disciples and by extension all Believers, to reach the entire
globe with the gospel of salvation, bring nations to the knowledge of the truth through discipleship and consequently bring territorial and societal transformation.

As the entire world faces the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, states and municipalities are working to contain the virus, as best as possible, by discouraging (and otherwise doing everything to stop) gatherings of people

Our commitment to religious liberty is grounded in what Jesus taught us—that the spheres of the church and the state are different, and the one should not have authority over the other. The state has the “power of the sword,” for instance, to punish criminals and to maintain civic order (Rom. 13:1-7), while the church does not (1 Cor. 5:9-12). The church has the authority to proclaim the gospel and to define the boundaries of the fellowship within that gospel, the state does not. 

The current situation facing us is not a case of the state overstepping its bounds, but rather seeking to carry out its legitimate God-given authority. Nowhere, at this point, have we seen churches targeted because of their beliefs or mission.

At issue is a clear public objective—stopping the transmission of a dangerous virus by gatherings. This applies to the local plate jugglers association just as much to churches. Because the state must respect the consciences and souls of the people, consciences and souls over which it has no ultimate authority, any action involving religious bodies should have, in the words of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, a “compelling state interest” and must pursue the “least restrictive means” of achieving it.

Most churches that I know are completely in sync with the rest of society on this. They are voluntarily restricting their gatherings until the crisis is passed because they care about their members, and about non-members in their communities. In the vast majority of places, churches and governments are working in common purpose, and that’s good. 

After this crisis is over, we will have learned much about the fragility of life, and about our need for one another. The church will be called to bear the burdens of our neighbors as never before. There will be no shortage of debates over all sorts of religious liberty questions, as there were before. 

But, in the meantime, concern for public health is not a violation of religious liberty.

Let’s not only obey the laws of our states and cities, let’s seek to do even more than asked in order to shoulder our responsibilities. Let’s wash our hands, stay as far apart as necessary, pray for our medical personnel and our leaders, and let’s pray, like never before.

In so doing, we render what is due both to God and to Caesar. And that’s a good start. 

#thoughtsofourfathersisback

Real love is built on a rock.




If only loving someone was as easy as it seems in the movies.

Yet, real love takes work. A love that goes the distance, is possible when we first know ourselves and love ourselves.

It’s true that if you are not complete as a person, marriage will not help you. Looking to someone else to complete us is misguided.

A lasting relationship can exist when we are ready to do the emotional heavy lifting within ourselves.

Whether you are currently in a relationship, or hopeful about the future, remember these 3 tips for creating a love that lasts the test of time:





1. Know thyself.

A partner that comes to their relationship whole, with everything to offer, knows themselves. When we know ourselves, recognizing our patterns and triggers, we navigate our relationship with more grace and patience. Psychologists have found that knowing ourselves leads to greater self control, tolerance, understanding of others, vitality and pleasure, which all serve to strengthen your union.





2. Set up clear expectations.

Being a supportive partner starts with knowing your limits and expectations. When we are upfront with our partners about our expectations regarding family, friends, finances, etc. all of our cards are on the table. If this did not happen at the beginning, reset those expectations now.





3. Start with joy.

We can make it last forever by always finding ways to share joyful experiences with each other. Life hits us with so many challenges; it’s commonplace to vent to our partners, not even realizing the burden placed on their shoulders. The world is rough enough. At home, and when you are spending time together, always make sharing joy a top priority.





4. Be honest with each other.

Honesty is the key to any long-lasting relationship. To keep your relationship strong, you should be able to be open and honest with your special someone. You should be able to share your most intimate thoughts and feelings with your loved one, or you’re not really communicating.
Don’t be afraid to tell your loved one if he disappointed you. Being honest about your feelings will help you work through the problem, and is far better than being passive aggressive if you’re upset about something.
Share your feelings with your loved one. If you’re really upset about something that happened at work or something your mother said, then don’t keep it all inside.
Know when not to say something. Though honesty is almost always the best policy, you don’t have to share every little feeling with your loved one. For example, if you don’t like his new shirt or think one of his new friends is kind of annoying, you may want to keep it to yourself.
Time your honesty. If you want to open up about something important, make sure you do it when your loved one has time to talk and is relatively unstressed. Your news will be better received if he has time to listen.





5. Learn to compromise.

In any strong relationship, being happy should be more important than being right. If you want your relationship to last, then you should learn how to make decisions with your loved one, and to find a way for both of you to be happy with the decisions, or to take turns giving in to each other. Here’s how to do it:
When you’re making a decision, have your loved one rate how important it is to him on a scale of 1 to 10, and then state how important it is to you. Then talk about why it’s so important to both of you, and what you can do to make it matter less.
Be thoughtful. When the two of you are making a decision, take the time to discuss the pros and cons and what you can do to meet halfway.
Take turns giving in on small decisions. If you picked the restaurant for date night, let your girl pick the movie.
Make sure both people are compromising. It’s not a compromise if your girl is always giving in to what you want in the end because you’re more persistent.



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