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While the Spouse was Away...

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At times, we have traveled away from each other. Sometimes it is for work, other times for a short break or vacation with friends. This past summer, Maurice was gone for a week and then I left for the following weekend. Our trips overlapped so we missed seeing each other for about 10 days! It was the longest that we have ever spent time apart.
Let's be real honest here. In a marriage, you have to have safeguards to prevent sin from creeping in. Being away from your spouse for too long can quickly and easily lead to pornography, adultery, masturbation and other non-sexual sin. 
God's made us all sexual creatures and His plan for us as a married couple is to be together in every way. You have to make a plan in order to prevent opportunities for temptation. We have had the same plan for years and we praise God that we have been able to remain faithful to each other even when we are apart. This is not a suggestion, you need a real plan, like, for real!
Communication
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The Beautiful Providence of God

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I started on the internet back in 1998 using free AOL dial up passes and also using my Juno email account. In June of 2000 I posted an ad on Excite.com a singles classified website. Anita answered my ad. I thought "Okay she seems nice". So once or twice a month, we wrote each other emails. I wrote from Indiana to her in Ohio.
 Not the actual ad

 That September I was going for training in Ohio for my new job. So I figured “Hey, maybe we can meet there”. It would be about half way for both of us. Long story short, she didn't meet me there, didn't call and I was very upset driving back to Indiana. A little bit after I got home she called me and we were cool. In hindsight, it wasn't a good idea for me to ask her to drive that distance anyway for someone she met only on the net. Shortly after that she stopped writing me. I found out later her old boyfriend came back. We started back emailing again that December. Anita told me about a big multi-church singles mingle com…
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A Couple on Mission

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Here on the blog we are so passionate about christian couples who minister together. We are on always on mission in our marriages. It is a ministry itself. However, sometimes God will call us to mission elsewhere for His glory.

Today, we want to share our conversation with a missionary couple. Anita met Arrica on Instagram and they both quickly realized that they share a passion for evangelism. We hope that their perspective and conversation on marriage and evangelism will be enlightening and encouraging to you!

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Interview: Arrica Hess How did you meet your husband and how did you end up in ministry together? My husband, Matt, and I met in a high school math class in rural Oklahoma. He was a junior and I was a freshman. He drove past my house every day on his way to school and asked if I would like a ride. Since my only other option was a school bus that carried grades K-12 in on those country roads, I accepted. We …
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Dating on Vacation

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Here are FOUR quick ways to date while on vacation. We have always had a date day when we go on our family vacations. I mean...face it, most couples on family vacation could use a day away from the kids right? Our boys know our routine by now. They used to get jealous about our adventures, but our marriage is a priority and they needed to know that.

This year we had a staycation and while our boys had a camp day, we took time for ourselves. It didn't take much to make it happen and some of our social media friends were impressed, so we thought we would share about how to make your next vacation date amazing!

There are four things that we do consistently in dating (whether we are on vacation or not).

1. Make a plan.

2. Keep it simple.

3. Do something you both love.

4. Make it memorable.

Make a Plan

We are definitely planners. Maurice was raised an only child and Anita is a first-born, so planning is a thing for us. It helps to know about what day, time and activity is available in t…
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Fruitful Marriage

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It is summer time and so it makes me think of fruit which is one of my favorite things to have in the summer. Fruit is unique because it must be developed. You can't just eat fruit any time of the year it has to be in season to taste best.

Our lives are like that. Our marriages can even be like that. I want to live a fruitful life.  When our lives are over we went something to show for it. All of the struggle, the hurt, the pain should be developing something in us that we can pass on to others.

Marriage ripens you.
 It gets you ready for other things that you need to handle in life. You grow up and you grow deeper and stronger together. This weekend will be my parent's 44th wedding anniversary. Their union is ripe. Much wisdom can be gleaned from such a long relationship.

Here are three things that their marriage has taught me:

1. It takes time and intention.

2. It takes patience.

3. It takes being connected to God.

Nothing good comes easy, especially a good marriage. Like fr…
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Cancer Survivor

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We wanted to share with you the testimony of what the Lord has done for us from August 2017 until now.

Here is everything about our journey with Cancer. Our first blog on this was during this crisis. You can read about how Maurice found out that he had Multiple Myeloma and how we reacted. It was a trying time as the diagnosis was being confirmed through many tests and several painful procedures.

After some chemotherapy treatments through the months following, Maurice decided to have a stem cell bone marrow transplant. That was an extremely stressful ordeal that the Lord guided us through with great peace and tremendous outcomes. It was quite a story so we had to blog about it!

Anita personally journaled her thoughts as a caregiver and was led to encourage other spouses going through hard times in another blogpost.

Finally, Maurice wrote this testimony and shared it on facebook in 2018:



Let me briefly tell you my cancer story and conclusion. During our family vacation I had an overexert…
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JOY-full Disciplemaking

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Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Jesus left us His Spirit to empower us to spread the gospel and make disciples. He gives us joy and a mission!

When we set our hearts to be obedient to the Lord, the joy comes. God knows the intent of our hearts, so when our minds are made up to make disciples, we are empowered to do it! Just knowing that we are pleasing God should bring smiles to our faces if we are disciples are Christ. Here are three reasons why!
Ambassadors of Christ Jesus are Joyful.
Those who are sent into this world as a representative of Christ have a high and holy calling. It is not to be taken lightly at all. It is a joy and a privilege to serve the One great King. To be His servant is an honor. The goal of ambassadorship is to reconcile others to the Kingdom of God. God has predestined those who will bring Him glory and follow what He has instructed. We were made for this!

Joy is found in Truth
In 3 John 1:4, John states that he finds no greater joy than to see his children walki…
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