Weekend Kindness
Reaching Others Through Kindness

It?s easy to show kindness to someone you like?and even someone you love?but how often have you showed kindness to an absolute stranger?

They pass you every day.  They?re walking along the street with you, into the parking garage with you, and they?re standing behind you in the check out line.  Do you notice them, or are they in your way.

Here?s a few simple ways to show kindness to a stranger, and brighten their day:

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SWEETEN YOUR MARRIAGE.

Ouch! This is a challenge to me. If I start to get a little harsh, Colin will say, “Come on, Darling, be sweet to me.” And I do have to be reminded! But he never lets me get away with sharp words. He always pulls me up to be gentle and sweet.

How do you sweeten your marriage? With words – sweet words, soft words, encouraging words, cheerful words, positive words, helpful words, supportive words, kind words, wise words, forgiving words, loving words, pleasant words and life-giving words. You can?t miss having a successful marriage if you put this secret into practice!

I am always challenged by Song of Solomon 4:11 where the Bridegroom speaks to the bride and says, “Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue.” What drips from the honeycomb? Sweetness! What kind of words drip from your tongue?

A dear friend called in this morning and shared this quote with me: “People turn their best side out: they are delightful in company, but snarly at home. There they give vent to their dissatisfaction, their temper, their grouch. They are scent-bottles abroad, vinegar-bottles at home? To be a Christian at home one must learn to ?keep sweet?.”

Your words will gradually kill your marriage or they can keep it alive with love. It?s your choice. Proverbs 18:21.

~Nancy Campbell~

No phrase in the English language is stronger or bonds two people together more strongly than the words ?I Love You?.  The phrase passed on from generation, always with the same meaning, always let you know exactly how the other person feels.

But you can show that you love someone without saying it, and sometimes that vivid illustration can say what words cannot.

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SERVE YOUR HUSBAND.

This is meant to be a time of sharing my secrets. Can I share with you what I believe is one of the most destructive forces in a marriage? It is the sin of selfishness! The secret of a successful marriage is selflessness and serving. If you are trying to get something out of your marriage for yourself, you will never be satisfied. It doesn?t work that way. Forget about yourself and think of all the ways you can serve and satisfy your husband. This will bring you joy and freedom. This will release your husband to love you. Even Jesus, the Son of God, did not come to be served but to serve. He was our example. Read Philippians 2:6-8.

Stamp on all the works of the flesh that poke their way up in your life – your self-pitying, self-centered, self-gratifying, self-serving, self-pleasing, self-opinionated self! They destroy the marriage.

Marriage seminars are good. Marriage counseling is good. But they are not the total answer. I know couples that have been to loads of marriage seminars and still have problems in their marriage. All you need to do is forget about self, start serving and your problems will disappear!

Make your home a refuge where your husband can find peace and harmony from the strife of the workplace. Daily prepare a nutritious and appetizing meal for him. There is nothing more soothing than coming home to find the table set nicely, the meal ready with delicious smells floating from the kitchen, a peaceful atmosphere, and everyone ready to sit down to the evening meal.

~Nancy Campbell~

My wife and I have told God that we want Him to work in our lives.? To take us and our family anywhere He pleases.? We have been looking for a house for over two years, and every time we get close, the door closes.? God tells us that it’s not the right time yet.

And yet, on the horizon is something big– something God-sized that is going on, but I’m not quite sure what it all means yet.? Let’s just say that I see the hand of the Lord on my family again, and that He is already at work preparing something for us to do.

How do I know it’s Him?? Part of it is intuition– the intuition that told me to return to my hometown, to join this current church at this time, and that told me who to marry.? Part of it is circumstance– I couldn’t begin to detail all that I’ve seen and that I’m seeing at work.? Maybe as it comes closer to fulfillment I can talk about all the marvelous ways I’m seeing Him at work.

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Praise God that He always has a plan. One year after we had joined our new church home, our church went through a time of trouble.? Just as I had been asked to be a deacon, circumstances came to bear that left us without a Pastor and some of the key pillars of the church when I had joined.

Very quickly I went from the new deacon to the deacon’s spokesman to the Deacon Chairman.? My understanding of Biblical passages and my untaintedness meant that I was the logical choice in a polarized atmosphere.? I also ended up being the Pulpit Committee Chairman in a rather uncomfortable twist of events.

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The problem with attempting to go home and “change the world” is that a lot of what you can do is perception.? To most of the people in my hometown and my home church I was the little boy that grew up at their knee.? This meant that I had to jump through extra hurdles to get things done.? However, I did it.

I was a sound technician, I had my own choir, I was teaching Kindergarten Sunday School, all the while I was chatting on AIM at home.? I was forming friendships across the country.? At least once a night I was sharing the Gospel with a stranger.? I was flying all over the country with my job, making friends, witnessing on airplanes, and seeing God’s hand of protection and provision.

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