COUPLES WHO PRAY …. the most intimate act between a man and a woman.

According to the book, Couples Who Pray, what are the most significant BENEFITS of couples praying together ….?

The quantity and quality of lovemaking escalates 20%.
Respect rises 19%.
Couples who pray frequently are 18% more likely to say “my spouse makes me feel important.”
30% more are apt to say “my spouse delights in me.”
21% more people “try to make their marriage better” when they pray a lot.
“My spouse is romantic,” goes up 21% through more prayer.
“My spouse is a skillful lover” benefits 17% when couples pray more.
19% are more likely to say they are “very happy with their marriage.”
Among couples who pray, the fear of divorce is 0% — virtually eliminated.

Irene drove herself to and from dialysis treatment and came home intensely nauseated, severely fatigued and dreadfully itchy …. especially the region of her upper and lower back.  The itchiness is becoming chronic and is yet another manifestation of her treatment protocol.  24/7 itchiness, on top of everything else, is certainly an ongoing frustration.  It keeps us on our knees and praying for her to get relief from such anguish!!

What do Irene and I personally believe are the benefits of praying together?

A firm foundation to build on
A unified and focused life purpose
Reaching agreement on decisions
Shared hearts and increasing intimacy
Experiencing the Presence of God in our midst

…. for where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.
Matthew 18:20

…. and the two will become one ….
Ephesians 5:31b

COUPLES WHO PRAY experience the most intimate act between a man and a woman …. and it doesn’t get any better than that.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

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Storytelling is a very powerful communication technique and there are four primary metaphors that God uses to challenge and help us understand his ways.

Farming

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Matthew 13:2b-9

Fishing

“…. the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

Matthew 13:47-51a

Athletics

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:24

Military

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’

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From The Valley of Vision

Puritan Prayers and Devotions

My Dear Lord,
I can but tell thee that thou knowest
I long for nothing but thyself,
Nothing but holiness,
Nothing but union with thy will.
Though has given me these desires,
And thou alone canst give me the thing desired.
My soul longs for communion with thee,
For mortification of indwelling corruption
Especially spiritual pride.
How precious it is
To have a tender sense and clear apprehension
Of the mystery of godliness,
Of true holiness!
What a blessedness to be like thee
As much as it is possible for a creature
To be like its Creator!
Lord, give me more of thy likeness;
Enlarge my soul to contain fullness of holiness;
Engage me to live more for thee.
Help me to be less pleased with my spiritual
Experiences,
And when I feel at ease after sweet communings,
Teach me it is far too little I know and do.
Blessed Lord,
Let me climb up near to thee,
And love, and long, and plead, and wrestle
With thee,
And pant for deliverance from the body of sin,
For my heart is wandering and lifeless
And my soul mourns to think it should ever
Lose sight of its Beloved.
Wrap my life in divine love,
And keep me ever desiring thee,
Always humble and resigned to thy will,
More fixed on thyself,
That I may be more fitted for doing
and suffering.

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