Run With Horses

Family Friday: Happy family, submission and rebellious teens

Another Family Friday and this time we struggle with the after effects of Covid but manage to have a good conversation about what makes a happy family. The idea of submission to each other, in a marriage and in a family and the rebellion of teens also made an appearance.
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Marriage A to Z: Understanding a Marriage

A good marriage requires understanding.
First, understand yourself. Second, Understand your spouse. Then we both need to understand the temptations and trials that can destroy your marriage. And last, Understand what builds your marriage up.

Be an Encourager!

Quote of the Day:
Be an Encourager: When you encourage others, you boost their self-esteem, enhance their self-confidence, make them work harder, lift their spirits and make them successful in their endeavors. Encouragement goes straight to the heart and is always available. Be an encourager. Always.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
 
A key thought here, encouragement is always available. You can always find a way to be an encourager if you want to. Want to! Work at it! Grow in it.
News and Culture:
goodnewsnetwork.org;  www.positive.news; sunnyskyz.com
People are tired of depressing, distressing news!
A lot has been written about how too much bad news can lead to poor mental and physical health. Why does it have such an impact? It strongly influeces what you think about and how you think about it. 
 
Many people spend hours a day under the influence of social media, current news (mostly the negative news), and local gossip. It is no wonder that mental health is such a huge problem in America today. Take all of the negatives of SM and news and add in a large dose of the idealize life portrayed in movies and music and you too will soon be on your way to the funny farm! 
 
How do you maintain a healthy mental state?  Well, how about turning to the One who offers rest? Who offers peace that passes understanding?  The problem for us is that we have a knowledge of Jesus and the rest only He offers but we are too distracted by the burdens of this life to pursue Him beyond a fraction of our day on Sunday. 6 days filling your mind with garbage and expecting 1 hour of cleaning on Sunday to balance you out should seem a little strange. 
 
Fill your mind with His truth, His promises and His thoughts. Limit the influx of garbage and fight lies with truth.
 
Chloe's Corner: I Just Gotta Wonder
Living Theology: Encourage One Another
 
1 Thess. 5:11 - Therefore encourage one another and build up one another/
Heb.3:13 - But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today”
 
It is clearly a Biblical command that we encourage each other. What does that mean?
Encourage:  1. to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope 2. to spur on, stimulate
 
That gives us something to work with.
To Inspire, to spur on. When someone is dragging, to help them along the way.  I like that it includes the phrase "with courage, spirit, or hope" we all face times we lack the courage to go forward. Maybe in making changes in our personal life, maybe in reaching out in one of our relationships with the intention of bringing Jesus in. Fear can freeze us in place, encouragement spurs us onward. We have all face time when we lack hope that our current situation will ever end. Encouragement brings hope for the future.
 
How do you encourage others?
Words
From "you can do it" to "you are not alone"
From "I"m praying for you" to " how can I help?"
Tell others about needs and invite them to help. Maybe you can"t help but you know someone who can, be a go between and ask for the person who can't.
 
Actions
Jump in and serve when you see a need!
Pray (and let others know you are praying for them)
Be there
 
Some are gifted in this area, a real natural. Others of us have to work at it a bit harder but we are all commanded to do it! It is so important for the church to live out lives of encouragement.
 
The world is a hard place to be a Christian today. Make it a little easier for those who know you.

Family Friday: What makes us, us?

Norman and Susan are learning a lot about how their kids view the world through this podcast! Join us as we explore our family for another Family Friday.
Stay  up to date on Run With Horses podcast news as well as ask questions and make comments at www.facebook.com/RWHpodcast

Marriage A to Z: A Transformational Marriage

Marriage is one of the tools that God uses to transform us into the image of Jesus. It forces us to confront our sin and selfishness and gives us opportunities to help our spouse and children grow.

Marriage Laws in Japan and God’s Work is Perfect

Quote of the Day: "Theology is only thought applied to religion.” – The New Jerusalem , GK Chesterton
How often, how much do you think about your spiritual life? Why is the most important thing, eternity, such an afterthought? This life and it's worries choke out what really matters.
News and Culture: The Osaka court has upheld the Japanese law that defines marriage as between one man and one women. Three same-sex couples claimed that their rights to free union and equality were violated by Japan’s marriage law. Japan is the only member of the Group of Seven major industrial nations that doesn’t recognize same-sex unions. Group of Seven (G7)is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. My question has always been, marriage has always been between a man and a woman. If the world's governments are going to allow other types of relationships, give them a different name. These relationships can be officially recognized and given legal standing without calling them marriages. They are distinctly different in nature. Marriage should be clearly identified as different at it's core. Japan recognizes the role of the marriage in producing children and in being a stabilizing influence on society.
Chloe's Corner: "One"           For more of Chloe's music check out her website, chloejanelle.com,  or find her on itunes, amazon music, youtube music and most of the major streaming platforms,
Living Theology: Deut 32:4 - God's work is perfect. We may not understand what God is doing, but we can trust the One doing it. His intentions are good, His knowledge is complete, His purposes will be accomplished. Trust Him. Why do we doubt? Our knowledge is incomplete, our strength is limited, our purposes are usually selfish. We see God as a weak, selfish, immature being . . . like us. Having made God in our image - we don't trust Him. We need to know God as He describes Himself, and accept Him as He IS.

Family Friday: Coming to America (Part2)

Part 2 of the family discussion about our move to the USA for ' months of furlough.

Marriage A to Z: Sharing in Marriage

There are lots of things we share in our marriage. Experiences, joys, sorrows, ministry and all parts of life. This helps build a solid foundation for the future.

Identity Crisis and Growing in Patience

Quote of the Day: “He knew that in order for his mission to succeed, much would depend on the dedication, loyalty, courage, and faith of the men whom He had chosen and trained.” The Lost Art of Disciple Making, Leroy Eims
 
This is true for leaders in the church today. The future of your church will rest in the hands of those your chose and train to carry the work into the future. Pastors and deacons need to take their role as disciple makers seriously as they intentionally spend time with the younger men in the church.
 
News and Culture: Identity crisis
Broadly speaking it is questioning who your are how you fit into the world.
Depends a lot on how you view the world - good place, bad place?
How do you view people - people basically good, basically bad?
How do you view God? Distant and uninvolved? Personal and caring?
Includes life purpose, core beliefs, thoughts about yourself
Truth matters. Who do you trust? What do people say about you? What does God say about you? Which is more important to you?
How do you gain approval from God? work harder? What about Grace? Can you work hard enough.
 
Living Theology: Patience - Wait on the Lord
Right now generation. Fed by fast paced video games, mini commercials, instant access to information.
Availability of social media 24 hours a day in the palm of your hand.
Is this healthy? Ar you a better person because you don’t ever have to wait?
God seems to value patience and endurance. Long suffering and self control!
James 1 faith is tested and endurance grows.
Can you be a mature person without patience and self control?
Children are marked by impatience, they are the center of the world. Cute in a 2 year old. Not so much in a 30 year old.
Try hard things. Make efforts to live out Scripture. Practice the “one another’s” of the NT. It will take effort. Persist in it.
It will be worth it in the end.
 

Family Friday: Coming to America!

The Smith family is on the way to America! Seven months of traveling throughout the heartland of America visiting supporting churches and family. Here are our thoughts on the coming adventure.