Courage to Commit

2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

The number one problem in forming relationships today is fear of commitment.

Some experts have coined the word, “commitment-phobia.”

“Finally, There’s A Way To Learn What’s Really Going On Inside A Guy’s Mind … ”

Hollywood , CA - Sunday, November 19, 2006 : If you’ve ever been dumped , cheated on or emotionally abused by a guy… join the club!
I got so sick and tired of making bad choices and attracting the wrong guys, I decided I needed to get this area of my life handled, so I started reading everything I could get my hands on to help me UNDERSTAND MEN (and myself) better…

I came across a one book that literally changed my dating life forever. It completely “opened my eyes” to all the mistakes I’d been making with men and provided a totally logical and easy to follow method for finding and attracting LASTING LOVE (it worked for me!).  Of course, I’ve been telling all my girlfriends about it… but decided it was too important a discovery for me to NOT share with as many women as possible, so I’ve put up this website and included my review of this special book for YOU. Enjoy!  Catch Him and Keep Him, by Christian Carter  - Cyndi Strauss , Hollywood , CA

Actually, when you do a little study on the word, commitment, you understand why there is considerable hesitation.

• To commit; this word is used for a lot of bad things (commit a crime; commit adultery, commit murder)
• Committed ; this form of the word is a little scary (committed to an institution, he needs to be committed, etc.)
• Committal ; This is the service at the cemetery, after the funeral. (The pastor officiated at the committal service.)

The truth is, very few things will work in the world without something called commitment. Most of the great stories we know about among sports heroes happened because of commitment.

What if…Tiger Woods had walked away from his golf clubs?

Practice, practice, practice! That’s how Tiger Woods became a championship golfer. He started playing golf when he was very young, and by the time he was 6 years old he was an amazing golfer. His father,Earl, was his coach.
When Tiger was just a baby, his dad made a driving range in his garage with carpet and a net. Tiger would sit in his high chair and watch his dad practice.
When he was 9 months old, his dad sawed off a golf club to make it very short, and Tiger could strike the ball into the net. When he was 18 months old (just a year and a half), he began going to the golf course with Dad. He hit buckets of balls on the driving range.
When he was 4 years old, they hired a coach for him. When he was 6, he began entering junior contests.
Tiger listened to tapes to improve his confidence * in himself. His dad helped him to learn to focus in spite of distractions * . He stood in front of Tiger and said, “I’m a tree”, and he would have to hit the ball over his father. Earl would jingle the coins in his pocket to distract him, or roll a ball in front of him and Tiger learned to concentrate * on the game.

What if…Mark McGwire had walked away from his bat?

McGwire was a prolific power hitter during the 1990s. For his career, McGwire averaged a home run once every 10.61 at bats, the highest home run ratio in baseball history (Babe Ruth is second at 11.76). In 1998, McGwire broke Roger Maris’s single season home run record of 61 by hitting 70 (Barry Bonds has since hit 73). McGwire was known for the distance of his home runs, hitting several over 500 feet. McGwire’s nicknames included “Big Mac,” “Big Red” and “Colossus.”

Michael Jordan did walk away…big mistake!

In October of 1993, Michael Jordan stunned his fans by retiring from basketball and beginning a professional baseball career, saying that playing baseball had been an early dream of his. He played the 1994 baseball season for the minor league Birmingham Barons. In March of 1995 he ended his baseball career and returned to the Bulls. With Jordan, the Bulls won three more championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

What about the soldiers in Iraq ?

Declaration of Independence

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

— And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The Price They Paid

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the revolutionary war. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Ellery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Morris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: “For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”
They gave you and me a free and independent America . The history books never told you a lot of what happened in the revolutionary war. We didn’t just fight the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Perhaps you can now see why our founding fathers had a hatred for standing armies, and allowed through the second amendment for everyone to be armed.
Frankly, I can’t read this without crying. Some of us take these liberties so much for granted. We shouldn’t.

Many of you heard my son preach about his adoption.

I want to tell you about the commitment necessary to make an adoption happen.  Much of it was based on a commitment by those who had gone before us.  It is time for this generation to make a commitment. It is time for you to make a commitment.

A commitment to…

• Believe, preach and teach the faith of the Apostles.
• Live Godly lives, separated from the world and dedicated to God.
• Love our fellow man.
• Reach out to the world by every means at our disposal.

Making Commitments of Love and Courage
By Steve Brunkhorst

There is a story about a little girl who suffered from a serious disease. Her best chance of recovery would be to receive a blood transfusion from her five-year old brother.   The doctor explained the situation to the little brother. He asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. The young boy hesitated for a brief moment. Then he took a deep breath and said, “Yes, I’ll do it if it will save my sister’s life.”  During the transfusion, the boy lay in the bed next to his sister. He smiled when he saw color returning to her cheeks. Then his smile started to fade, and his face grew pale.  With a trembling voice, he looked up at the doctor and asked, “Will I start to die now already?”  The little boy had misunderstood the doctor’s explanation. He thought that he would need to give all of his blood to save his sister, and he would have done so.