From Gary Chapman's A Marriage Vine

"Be ye kind one to another." We memorized it as children, but have we forgotten it as adults? Kindness is one of the traits of love. Do you consciously think of being kind to others throughout the day? Kindness is expressed in the way we talk as well as what we do. Yelling and screaming are not kind. Speaking softly is. Then there are acts of kindness – things we do to help others.

Mowing the grass for a neighbor who is in the hospital or on vacation is an act of kindness. Washing dishes for the family is also a kind thing to do. Imagine what life would be like if all of us were kind.

Empty Nester Treats Husband Like Child

A man shared with his friends that he and his wife were going through the empty-nest syndrome. He said the worst part about it was that once the children leave some wives treat their husbands like children.

He said, "When we go to the grocery store and I reach for cereal, she slaps my hand and says, 'We don't need that this week.' Then I reach for the ice cream, and she slaps my hand, saying, 'We don't need that this week.' I reach for the potato chips, and again she slaps my hand and says, 'We don't need that this week.' I finally get so frustrated I hop out of the basket and go to the car!"

Oops

Wacky Warning Labels

For the last 11 years, an anti-lawsuit group from Michigan has held "The Wacky Warning Label Contest" to show the effects of lawsuits on warning labels. A warning sticker on a small tractor that reads "Danger: Avoid Death" took home the top prize in 2007. Kevin Soave, a resident of the Detroit suburb Farmington Hills, submitted the winning label. Carrianne, Jacob, and Robby Turin of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, won second place—and a $250 prize—for a label they found on an iron-on T-shirt transfer that warns: "Do not iron while wearing shirt." Richard Goodnow of Lancaster, Masschusetts, earned the $100 third-place prize for a label on a baby stroller that featured a small storage pouch that warns: "Do not put child in bag."

Help

Girl Prays Against Punishment

A minister's six-year-old girl had been so naughty during the week that her mother decided to give her the worst kind of punishment: she couldn't go to the Sunday school picnic.

When the day came, her mother felt she had been too harsh and changed her mind. When she told the little girl she could go to the picnic, the child's reaction was one of gloom and unhappiness.

"What's the matter? I thought you'd be glad to go to the picnic," her mother said.

"It's too late!" the little girl said. "I've already prayed for rain."

Ain't It The Truth

Paul Harvey's The Rest Of The Story...Billy Graham's Prayer

PAUL HARVEY'S ON- AIR PRAYER

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but, that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the> time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God.'

From Gary Chapman's A Marriage Vine

Today's Focus: Developing My Serve

How do you develop an attitude of service if you grew up in a home where it was "dog-eat-dog?" We all have visions of a husband who freely asks his wife: "What could I do to help you tonight?" And wives who ask: "How could I make your life easier this week?" The fact is, many of us grew up in homes where we had to fight to survive. We really did not learn to appreciate the value of serving others.

Yet, the Christian message is that we serve Christ by serving others (Col. 3:23). So, how do we develop this attitude? This week I’d like to suggest some ways to do this. Let’s start with your family of origin – the family you grew up in. On a scale of 0 – 10, how would you rate your father on having an attitude of service toward your mother? Ten means that he was almost Christ-like. Now rate your mother. How well did she demonstrate an attitude of service? Now let's make it personal. Are you more like your father? Or more like your mother? How would you rate yourself? Do you have a lot of room for growth? Or, are you serving Christ by serving your spouse?

From Gary Chapman's A Marriage Vine

Today's Focus: Developing My Serve

It is said of Christ, "He went about doing good?" Is that true of your life? Is that the way your treat your spouse? If someone observed you for an entire week, would they say of you, "He goes about doing good for his wife?" Or, "She goes about doing good for her husband?" This week we're talking about developing an attitude of service. If we can develop this attitude in the marriage, perhaps it can spill over to the children. Wouldn't that be nice?

Maybe you had a good model of this in your parents, or perhaps you had a poor model. At any rate, you can develop this Christ-like quality. It all begins with a prayer: "Father, give me the attitude of Christ toward my husband or my wife." That is a prayer God will answer. We know this is His will for us. Then ask Him to bring to your mind one thing you can do for your spouse today that you are not presently doing. Write it down and ask God to give you the will and the power to do it. One act of service each day would transform most marriages.

From Gary Chapman's A Marriage Vine

Today's Focus: Developing My Serve

Our theme this week: How to develop an attitude of service. This is the theme of the Christian life – serving Christ by serving others. So, why not begin in the marriage? The fact is we do acts of service for each other every day. But, we don't often talk about them. Consequently, we begin to take them for granted. I want to suggest a little communication exercise that will bring service to the front burner of your marriage.

It’s a game called, "I really appreciate that!" Here's the way you play it. The husband says to the wife, "One way in which I served you today is I put gas in your car." Or, some other act of service. The wife responds, "I really appreciate that." Then the wife says, "One way in which I served you today is I washed your clothes." And, the husband responds, "I really appreciate that." Play the game once a day for a week and you are becoming more aware of the acts of service that you are already doing for each other. You are elevating it to a place of importance by talking about it. If you have children, let them hear you playing the game and they’ll want to get in on the fun.