As we approach March, Pastor Shaun and I have been having many conversations about being more intentional with a few things and simplifying the other things in our life. Often times we as people get so busy with many things that we forget about the main things that will move us forward into the future God has for us. It is good to stop and evaluate at the end of each week how our time was spent or invested. Were we fruitful in reaching the goals God has for us or just busy this week?

I read a story recently about a man and his family who went to live short term in Fiji in order to study family strengths and challenges on a Fulbright scholarship. He said one of the things they noticed about the people of Fiji, is that as a culture, they place high value on kindness, respect, caring, sharing, happiness, not clouding the day with worry, and security. He said the interesting thing about Fiji people, is they frequently go to each other’s homes to visit, but when they do, it is not stressful. 

Nothing is expected of the people whose home you show up at, but to simply enjoy each other’s company. You don’t have to entertain, cook or think of things to talk about. Most often, they sit out on the porch and just look at the sky and birds. They may say a bit, or ask each other some questions about their life, but overall, they just smile and enjoy one another’s presence. 

The man doing the study said that even though there was somewhat of a language barrier with the friends he developed, he always felt so good after being with them. Why? I believe it was that when people focus on simply being with one another in a spirit of love, it causes people to feel good about themselves and each other.

How does this story relate you? I would encourage you to think about the five to seven top things you want to accomplish this year in your spiritual walk, close relationships, your career calling, your health, and your finances. Write them down and start being intentional about them. In order to meet your goals, you will most likely need to simplify or end some of the other things in your life that are stealing time and energy from you achieving your top goals. 

Do you need to let go of a time-consuming hobby in order to be successful in your parenting goal? Do you need to sell something to lower monthly payments in order to achieve your giving goal? Do you need to stop hanging around co-workers that insult their spouse and set a daily reminder on your phone to compliment your wife or appreciate your husband? Do you need to get to bed 30 minutes earlier and get up 30 minutes earlier to achieve your morning spiritual goals?

Once you take time to think about what needs to be simplified in order to be more intentional about your goals, then move your life in this direction, you will find you have more joy than ever before! God is a God of order and He doesn’t want us to overload our systems. He desires that we be focused, intentional, and yet simple in how we approach life.

May your March be a joyous and refreshing month of spring cleaning in your life, home and schedule, moving you closer and closer to the fruitful future God has for you! May you have a “Fiji” kind of month and relationships that bring peace, hope, joy, security, energy, kindness, and caring to you and others! 

-Shaun & Amy 

Too many things are left unsaid, like “I love you” or “please & thank you” or even the occasional redirection to a child when their outfits are a bit too revealing. The fact is, our society and culture tends to gravitate towards showing as little to NO regard for moral or ethical standards especially when it comes to modest dress wear. We can’t stay silent! In fact, much of this discovered blog reviews the indecent skin exposure many of our youth find tasteful yet without understanding the struggles many are tempted with. Parents, please take a moment to read this blog and share with your children. 

Girls, could we talk to you right out of our hearts for a few minutes?
It is awkward for us to talk about something of this nature, in person,
so we thought we would write our feelings.

We are young men who have been saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit.
We desperately want to live for Christ and not follow the ways of the
world. Since we have been baptized (immersed) in a “Holy” Spirit, we
feel in our hearts that we should live “holy” lives. After all, our
bodies are the temple, the sanctuary, the place where the “Holy” Spirit
lives and makes His home. We know that guys and girls are affected differently, so since we desperately want to follow hard after God, could we kindly and respectfully ask you to help us with a few things? 

We realize that girls are primarily stimulated or turned on by “touch.” Did you know that guys are turned on by “sight?” So when you are “aroused” (sexually awakened) by a guy’s “touch,” we are in the same way aroused by mere “sight.” Let us explain. When we see girls who are dressed in a suggestive, revealing, provocative, teasing, tantalizing manner, our sexual desires are aroused. Our bodies are then affected. To be absolutely candid, let us give you some examples of what we are referring to. If you are wearing a blouse that barely meets the waist of your slacks and some of your skin shows while you are moving around, or simply while you are walking, sitting, or kneeling, our minds are geared to wonder what more of your body would look like….This causes our bodies to respond biologically, and suddenly we are fighting a war in our minds and bodies. And that war of lust is continuing often long, even hours, after you are gone. We hate this, because our “righteous man” wants to think pure thoughts….When you wear low-cut tops which are in any degree revealing, this causes us big problems in the flesh. Or if the back is out of your top, we automatically think that you do not have the undergarment on, and the Spirit and the flesh begin to fight again. Or when we see any glimpse of your undergarments, such as straps and the like, trouble makes an attempt to sneak in. What we are trying to say is this: If it is not for sale, don’t advertise it. We really feel that the still small voice of the Holy Spirit speaks to you and nudges you when it is too tight, too short,
too low, or too revealing. Will you listen to that voice? For the
Scripture says, “Quench not the Spirit.” (1 Thess. 5:19)

Girls, do you know what we would really like? We would like to come
among our Christian sisters and not have to fight and struggle in the
flesh. We do not need to have to wrestle in the flesh at church or at
church activities. We men, whether young, old, single or married, are
faced with this every day among girls of the “world.” But we would like
to have rest in our Spirit man when we come among Christian girls.
After all, doesn’t the Scripture tell us to “come out from among the
world and be you separate, saith the Lord.” (2 Cor. 6:17) It also tells
us that “all that is in the world, the lust of the eye, and the lust of
the flesh, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:15) We
are the church, not the world. We know that people often use the verse, “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart,” (1 Sam. 16:7) to condone anything they wish to wear. This is one of the most misused/used out-of-context verses in the Bible. Conversely, the fact is, if your heart is pure, your outward appearance will be modest….
Girls can be fashionable and modest at the same time. To be honest, we
respect you more when your appearance is modest, as the Scripture
commands in 1 Timothy 2:9. We really do not want the kind of girl who
dresses provocatively, for we know that if we marry her, she will still
be that way in the presence of other men once we are married.
We know that we have Christian responsibilites toward girls, too. We
must be careful to portray ourselves properly. We must treat you like
ladies. If we are really committed Christian guys, we will strive to
treat you like Jesus would. After all, you are daughters of God.
Thank you, dear Christian sisters, for hearing our hearts on this
subject. Once we have conveyed the truth of the matter to you, you
become responsible before God for what you do with the truth. We really
are “our brother’s keeper.” (Genesis 4:9.) We know that there is a
“cult of conformity” in our generation, but we as Christians “march to
the beat of a different drummer.” Please, girls, do not say, “I don’t
care,” but help us in these last days to live as close to Jesus as we
can. Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Committed Christian Guys