GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD!

ou have experienced a miracle! Your marriage has been restored. Now you have a choice.

You can be like the Israelites in the wilderness, forgetting all the miracles their Lord had done for them and complaining about the daily problems of their life.

The better option is for your family to become a lighthouse for the other mar-riages in your church, your neighborhood and your city, demonstrating to others that our Lord Jesus Christ gives light, even in the darkest of storms. He can take a marriage marked, “Hopeless and Impossible” and rebuild it one area at a time. Right now your marriage is being rebuilt on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

Your are rebuilding your home on a new foundation. It is not going to be reconstructed immediately. If you were to build a custom home, it would take a period of time. The same is true for your marriage. The Great Architect, Creator of heaven and earth, and builder of everything, is going to give you and your spouse daily instructions on how to rebuild each room. Be patient and continue to do what the Lord instructs. Remember, families fix up and work on their physical homes all their life. We should also be working on rebuilding the hearts inside our homes forever. The Lord will do it in His perfect timing.

Allow others to hear and witness that marriages all over this land can be restored by the mighty Lord God we serve. Let us shout from the house tops what the Lord has done in my marriage and in yours. ‘The sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices

of those who bring thank offering to the house of the Lord, saying, “Give

thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; His love endures forever.” For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before, says the Lord.’ Jeremiah 33:11.

May the Lord bless you and your family. We serve an awesome

mighty God. My prayer is that you will sense His great hand upon your

home restoring and protecting your family each and every day!

Excerpt from the book, “After the Prodigal Returns”, by Bob and Charlyne Steinkamp. It is an excellent resource for couples walking through the process of reconciliation. “After The Prodigal Returns” can be ordered from Cove-nant Keepers ($8.25 postage paid.)

The Steinkamps are founders of Rejoice Ministries in Pompano Beach, Florida and have authored many books. Their web address is rejoiceministries.org.

"Together Again"

COVENANT COUPLES ALUMNI NEWSLETTER Covenant Keepers, Inc. ® Fall 2001

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Best Wishes To You And Your Family For A Blessed Thanksgiving And

Christmas Holiday This Year!

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to

declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.

Psalm 92:1-2 NKJ

New Book Available The Power of a Praying Husband By Stormie Omartian

USA $10.00 CAN-MEX $13.25 INTL $17.00

IVES NEED PRAYER TOO! Over one million women have bene-fited from reading The Power of a Praying Wife. Almost as many

have asked Stormie Omartian to write a book that will guide husbands along the same path of prayer. Now men who desire to see their wives shine in the light of spiritual support will have a place to start.

Included are 20 short chapters offering prayer suggestions for a wife's emo-tions, priorities, spiritual walk, sexuality, and motherhood. Personal stories of well-known Christian men who are praying, committed husbands are woven throughout to add the power of mentorship.

Also available:

The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian USA $10.00 CAN-MEX $13.25 INTL $17.00

Every woman who desires a closer relationship with her husband will appreci-ate this refreshing look at the power of prayer in marriage. Along with real-life illustrations, Stormie also includes sample prayers and "power tools"—verses that inspire and encourage—to help wives rest in the assurance of God's won-derful promises of restoration, renewal, and growth in marriage.

Stormie and her husband Michael have been married for more than 30 years and have three grown children. She also wrote The Power of a Praying Parent.

CONRAD'S COMMENTS…A MESSAGE FROM MARILYN

I love the holiday season with all the decorations, wonderful food, family get-togethers and

especially, family traditions. One family I know has Mexican food every Christmas Eve. An-

other friend has the tradition of their grown children clearing the table and doing the dishes

after their festive meals. This is their way of honoring their mother.

Of course, as Christians, we have traditions of reading scriptures, sharing what we are thank-

ful for and even having productions of the nativity scene by the children. One family I know

goes Christmas caroling, a tradition in their family for over thirty years. If you have not de-

veloped family traditions I encourage you to do so this year.

" …that the generations to come might know them, even the children which should be born…" Psalm 78:5-8

W

WORKSHOP FOR COUPLESWORKSHOP FOR COUPLESWORKSHOP FOR COUPLESWORKSHOP FOR COUPLES We are so excited about the 2002 conference! Mike and Marilyn Phillipps, founders of Marriage Minis-tries International, will be with us for the first time in several years and will be conducting a special work-shop just for couples! You won’t want to miss this conference, with Mike and Marilyn also speaking at one of the general sessions as well as Louis & Carol Gordon, Leo & Molly Godzich, and Marilyn Conrad.

RENEWAL OF VOWSRENEWAL OF VOWSRENEWAL OF VOWSRENEWAL OF VOWS Couples are invited to participate in the renewal of vows ceremony during the conference. Please con-

tact Becky at the office by phone, letter or e-mail

if you would like to renew your vows. We will send information to help you prepare for this special cove-nant ceremony.

XVII Rules For a Happy Marriage From God’s Great Book

Here is one more in the series of 17 nuggets of wisdom mined from the life experiences of Alvin Garner forwarded to us by his daughter Tomeka Garner. Thanks to Alvin Garner for graciously allowing us to present these to you. � If you want a copy of the entire series, send $1.00 and ask for 17 Rules. We will mail you a copy.

XI. Remember That Criticism and Nagging Destroy Love

“Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.” Colossians 3:19 “It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman.” Proverbs 21:19 “A continual dropping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.” Proverbs 27:15 “Why beholdest thou the mote [splinter] that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam [whole board] that is in thine own eye?” Matthew 7:3 “Love…looks for a way of being constructive.” 1 Corinthians 13:4, Phillips

Stop criticizing, nagging, and faultfinding. Your husband or wife may lack much, but nagging will not help. Do not expect perfection, or bitterness will result.

Overlook faults, and hunt for the good things. Do not try to reform, control, or compel your partner—you will destroy love. Only God can change people. A sense of humor, a cheerful heart, kindness, pa-tience, and affection will banish two-thirds of your marriage problems.

Try to make your spouse happy rather than good, and the good will take care of itself. The secret of a successful marriage lies not in having the right partner, but

rather in being the right partner.

Conference SpeakersConference SpeakersConference SpeakersConference Speakers

Marilyn Conrad

Leo & Molly Godzich

Louis & Carol Gordon

Craig Hill

Mike & Marilyn Phillipps

COVENANT KEEPERS CONFERENCE 2002 JUNE 28-30

DOWNTOWN DOUBLETREE HOTEL—TULSA, OK

be sure to mark your calendar with the conference dates.

The couples workshop will be special!

HOW TO MINISTER TO YOUR SPOUSE By Carol Gordon

You might remember the O. Henry short story The Gift of the Magi. A young couple, too poor to afford

to buy a Christmas gift for each other, sacrifice their

most precious possessions in order to purchase a

present to show their love. The following excerpt

from the Gordon's Heart Menders Seminar shows

ways you can show your love to your spouse through

regular prayer and ministry.

Although tangible presents are wonderful and appre-

ciated, ministering to your mate's needs through

prayer, thoughtfulness, and kindness is more valu-

able than any gift you can give. Ask God

to show you your spouse's needs

and just how you can minister

to them now and in the

future.

DAILY PRAYER

I. Pray the Word for him/her—call those things that be not as though they were (Rom 4:17).

• Prov 20:27, Mark 4:22--That the Holy Spirit reveal to him/her the things in his/her heart.

• Scriptures for him: 1 Tim 3:1-10, 1 Pet 3:7, Prov chapters 10-12 (Choose appropriate promises for a righteous man).

• Scriptures for her: Prov 31:10-31, 1 Pet 3:1-4.

II. Pray the Word over your one flesh relation-ship: 1 Pet 3:8-14, Eph 3:14-21, Eph 5:21-33.

III. Pray for your own attitude to be cheerful, charitable and godly. 2 Cor 5:7-10, 15-19, and to be open to the Holy Spirit to reveal to you your heart—not desiring to be self-righteous (see Prov 12:15).

DAILY LIFE

At every opportunity give an affectionate touch (not seeking anything in return) as a ministry to him/her. You can give a back scratch, a pat on the shoulder, take his/her hand, or perform a personal service (fetch a snack, sew a button). If you can’t say something encouraging—SAY NOTHING. Never attack or accuse.

Begin creating a safe place for your spouse to grow. Make a quality decision to be tender, kind, patient and considerate—NO MATTER WHAT.

This is sowing good seed into your relationship. DO NOT MANI-

PULATE OR TRY TO PUT THEM ON A GUILT TRIP. You must stop strife—even at the cost of giving in when you think you are right.

It is better to appear wrong than continue strife. When you stop strife then God can work in both hearts. If you allow strife to continue, it blocks healing. Get God’s view

of marriage and trust Him to work on you first and

then your spouse. Rom 5:1-8, 1 Cor 13:1-8a, Col 3:15

(Amp), James 3:16, 1 Pet 5:6-10

If the relationship is at a place where you can pray together, do so. If not, begin praising the Lord now that He places this desire in your spouse’s heart as He draws your spouse to Himself—along with a desire for the Word and joy in fellowship.

If you have the opportunity to minister to your spouse in physical union, let it be a ministry to his/her needs. Lay down your selfishness, seek the Lord for healing any wounds you have, for-give everything from the past and seek the Lord for grace to cover this area if it is a difficult one.

Covenant Keepers Alumni Newsletter is published quarterly and distributed to Covenant Keepers alumni by Covenant Keepers, Inc., a non-profit organization, at 3434

South Garnett Road, Tulsa OK 74146. Call Covenant Keepers at 918-743-0365, Fax 918-743-0484, e-mail cki@ifriendly.com. Web at covenantkeepersinc.org. ©2001