Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Ray Johnston (2014-05-13) from his book, The Hope Quotient:  Measure It. Raise It. You'll Never Be the Same. (p.154). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) And we all hit walls in our relationships, don’t we?   So, what do we do? Ray says, “People without hope say, ‘Nothing’s going to work, so why even try?’ When you become a person of hope, you are convinced that God has better days ahead and that you can become the one who breaks through.” He says, “Anyone’s marriage can reflect their faith, not their background. You can beat the odds. Any couple can beat the odds. When you partner with hope, that strong and vibrant family tree can start with you. Just don’t give up.” He later says, “Building anything, especially a lasting marriage, is not easy. And choosing hope over despair never is. But it’s always worth it. A writer named Bob Benson died in 1986, but he captured one reason that a healthy, thri

A thought by Ray Johnston (2014-05-13) from his book, The Hope Quotient:  Measure It. Raise It. You'll Never Be the Same. (p.153). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I’m sure you have found that to be the truth. Ray says, “I tell every couple whose wedding I officiate the same story. On my wedding day, my pastor gave me three words that summarize what the Bible teaches about marriage. Taken seriously, a marriage can last a lifetime filled with fun, faith, and faithfulness . I engrave those words on matching silver key chains, one for each of them, and tell them that I’m going to test them on those words after the honeymoon.” First, of all, he says, “If you play together, you will make your marriage fun . Life will make you uptight, so make laughter the number one sound in your home. Cemeteries are filled with people who are dead serious about life. Keep dating! Get out of town! Plan vacations! Get hobbies! Goof o

A thought by Ray Johnston (2014-05-13) from his book, The Hope Quotient:  Measure It. Raise It. You'll Never Be the Same. (p.152). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) It is so easy to play the blame game, isn’t?   But it doesn’t solve the problem, does it? Ray says, “Blame is deadly. I’ll never forget a young couple who came into my office years ago, seeking counsel for their troubled marriage. They looked sharp; they had two beautiful young children, a gorgeous home, and scowls that blistered the paint on my office walls. “’What’s up?’ I asked. That’s all it took. “’Well, he... ’ She took off and shredded the guy for what seemed like thirty minutes. Then she made a strategic mistake— she took a breath. He took over. ‘Well, she  ...’ Out came a machine gun of hurtful words that riddled her. Back and forth they went, with increasing volume until staff members stationed outside my office left to work at the lou