Monday 30 April 2012

Thirty Ways to Love Your Lover

A list of ideas on how to honor your wife.
by Dennis Rainey

Meet Don. Don is a basketball "nut." He's the kind of sports buff who can talk nonstop about his favorite basketball teams with anybody who'll listen. One evening, Don's wife took a seat next to him on the couch. She placed her arms around his neck and asked him point-blank: "Do you love me more than basketball?"

Puzzled, Don considered her question for a long minute before answering. He finally said, "College or NBA?" While most of us men would never make a blunder of that magnitude, we often miss the opportunity to affirm our wives. Marriage is not a spectator sport. Nor is it a place for verbal jabs or cynical put-downs. Those male digs might work in the locker room with the boys, but they're out of bounds with our wives.

What do Don's wife, your wife, and my wife need? Affirmation. Lots of it. Soft, tender, thoughtful, unexpected, meaningful, heartfelt affirmation delivered with no sexual demands attached. That's difficult for a man, I know. A man usually sets goals and generally acts only when he is after something. When it comes to romance, he's tempted to give affirmation only because he hopes to "get sex" in return.

Why Men Like Pregnant Women

10 reasons why he wants sex during pregnancy.


If any of you watched Bethenny Getting Married? on Bravo, there’s no way you missed how horny Bethenny’s pregnancy made her husband, Jason. But Jason isn’t the only guy out there who thinks pregnant women are the equivalent of love potion #9.

A lot of men find their knocked-up partner to have a certain je ne sais quoi. Here are 10 reasons why:

1. He feels like a man

He feels like a man
He shot, he scored! His woman is carrying his child, and he’s damn proud. 




Why France Pays for Postpartum Women to “Re-Educate” their Vagina

In France, Social Security funds la rééducation périnéale, up to 20 sessions of physical therapy intended to firm and tone the postnatal pelvic floor. The humiliation is apparently worth it.


David De Lossy / Photodisc / Getty Images



France has been in the parenting headlines a good bit lately.
First there was the release of Bringing Up Bébé, a treatise on why French kids are better eaters and sleepers, more well-mannered and less prone to meltdowns than American children. Author Pamela Druckerman built the case that France knows a thing or two about raising children that U.S. parents have yet to grasp.

Post-Natal Care In France: How I Got My Vagina Back In Shape

By Claire Lundberg 
French Moms
Last week I began re-educating my vagina.

Let me explain: I live in France.

Shortly after my husband and I moved to Paris, I became pregnant, which was a relief, because I would get fat for a legitimate biological reason, not just because of all the pain au chocolat. When I gave birth to our daughter last November, my husband and I spent five government-sponsored days in the maternity ward at Clinique Leonardo Da Vinci, where we learned that French hospital meals come with a cheese course and that as part of my postpartum treatment I would be prescribed 10 to 20 sessions of la rééducation périnéale. This is a kind of physical therapy designed to retrain the muscles of the pelvic floor, including the vagina, and is one of the cornerstones of French postnatal care. Two months after our daughter was born, I summoned the courage to teach my vagina some new tricks.

What Is Depression? What Causes Depression?

Written by Christian Nordqvist

Feeling sad, or what we may call "depressed", happens to all of us. The sensation usually passes after a while. However, a person with a depressive disorder - clinical depression - finds that his state interferes with his daily life. His normal functioning is undermined to such an extent that both he and those who care about him are affected by it.

According to MediLexicon's Medical Dictionary, depression is "a mental state or chronic mental disorder characterized by feelings of sadness, loneliness, despair, low self-esteem, and self-reproach; accompanying signs include psychomotor retardation (or less frequently agitation), withdrawal from social contact, and vegetative states such as loss of appetite and insomnia."
What are the different forms of depression?There are several forms of depression (depressive disorders). Major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder are the most common.

Sunday 29 April 2012

What Are The Symptoms Of Depression?

Written by Christian Nordqvist 

Most of us have moments or short periods of sadness when we feel lonely or depressed. These sensations are usually normal ones that sometimes occur in life. They can be the result of a recent loss, having a particularly challenging day or week, or a reaction to a hurtful comment. However, when feelings of sadness and being unable to cope overwhelm the person, so much so that they undermine their ability to live a normal and active life, it is possible that they have what is known as a major depressive disorder (MDD), also called clinical depression, unipolar depression or major depression. Informally, the condition is simply referred to as depression.

Risk Of Postpartum Depression Higher For Latinas Victimized By Domestic Violence

Latinas who endure violence at the hands of a partner during or within a year of pregnancy are five times more likely to suffer postpartum depression than women who have not experienced such violence, according to a new study by researchers at the UCLA Center for Culture, Trauma and Mental Health Disparities.

The study, published in the current issue of Archives of Women's Mental Health, suggests that recent exposure to intimate partner violence, or IPV, is a much stronger prenatal predictor of postpartum depression than even prenatal depression, which is generally considered the most significant predictor.

In addition, recent partner violence has a stronger effect on postpartum depression than prior episodes of trauma from either partners or non-partners, the researchers said.

The authors suggest that pregnant women be screened for both prenatal depression and IPV.

Saturday 28 April 2012

The 5 Most Surprising Things that Happened to Me After Giving Birth

by triedtestedandtruemommy
Recently, Yahoo posted an article about The 5 Most Surprising Things that Happen to you After Giving Birth. In it, it states that insignificant weight loss, breast pain, bleeding, bathroom complications and the inability to drive as their Top 5. While I must say that insignificant weight loss, breast pain and bleeding were not surprising to me, I have listed below my personal Top 5.
  1. The Appearance of My Stomach.   Oh good grief, I wish someone had prepped me for what my stomach would look like after the baby was out.  I remember when I first got my belly, it was cute, and people couldn’t stop touching it.  That was at 3 months.  By 5, my mother asked me “Are you sure you’re not having twins?”  By 9, I was a walking, talking house.  But regardless, that belly housed my princess and I wouldn’t change a moment of it.  Now perhaps I was naive, or even disillusioned that my stomach would return neatly and smoothly to its pre-baby shape, but after 4o lbs and a c-section, this was not the case.  After giving birth, it looked like a withered leather satchel.  No longer round and cute, it was just there, staring back at me, mocking me for being so foolish.

How To Be a Better Kisser

Kissing prowess is probably more important to the ladies than it is to you — so knowing how to be a better kisser will give you more cred than you think.

By Chloe Anderson


If there was a scale from 1 to 10 of things that are important to you, with 1 being “decorative pillows” and 10 being “not getting ball cancer,” I’m guessing kissing would clock in at about a 4. But for most women, including me? At least an 8 or a 9. Which means if you want to hook a new girl, or keep your current one happy, figuring out how to be a better kisser is a must.

There are five basic smooches every man should be intimately familiar with, and I’ve taken the liberty of breaking each one down for you. Want to kiss me?

Modern Bathrooms You Need To Pee In


Unless you’re feral, peeing in bathrooms is a mundane task. But pee in one of these crazy bathrooms, and it becomes a fantastical adventure!


By Zack Zeigler
Guys will pee anywhere. On the side of a highway, against a building, in a public swimming pool. Because of our anatomical makeup, we have the luxury of not being bathroom snobs.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate a good bathroom. And it’s nice to turn a mundane daily activity into something interesting (without getting arrested). And peeing into the gaping mouth of an alligator, or while people walk by inches away oblivious to what we’re doing, or while watching Goldfinger in a bathroom seemingly made out of gold definitely qualify as interesting.
And you can do all of those things in at least one of these bizarre bathrooms. Just be sure to wash your hands after you’re done.

Lack Of A Sex Drive? Here’s Why

Studies show one in five guys has a clinical lack of a sex drive. The good news? You can boost a low libido by avoiding a few everyday things.
By Michael Irons
You’re a guy, so you already know that most guys think about sex a lot. (Though it’s a total myth that dudes think about sex every seven seconds — that’d be about 8,000 times per day assuming you’re awake for 16 hours.) But it’s also true that some guys rarely think about sex — and rarely want it. Those guys, who have a clinical lack of a sex drive, are more common than you may think.

It's Complicated: He's Never in the Mood

By Karen Karbo, REDBOOK
Q. My husband and I started going to strip clubs, just to add fun to our already-hot sex life. Then that turned into the only thing that would get him in the mood. I finally blew up and told him I'd had enough of that scene, and now he never wants sex. He says he's old and things don't work like they used to. What is wrong with us? I miss his touch terribly. -R.L., 44, SOUTH CAROLINA
A. Unless he's simply withholding sex to punish you for putting an end to the strip-club action (if so, I think he may be the first man in recorded history to resort to a sex strike), it sounds to me like you two need professional help. I ran your predicament past my friend who's a couples therapist, and she suspects that your husband may have become a little addicted to the stripper thing, or that it has distorted his sex drive to the point where he's no longer able to perform sexually without it.

Friday 27 April 2012

Robots Could Be The Future Of Prostitution, Researchers Claim

Future Of Prostitution Is Robots, Researchers Claim
Lee Rannals for RedOrbit.com


Researchers believe that one day prostitutes might lose their grip on the underground sex realm to robots.
The slutty robots would become the apple of the eye for those wanting to partake in the sex-for-profit industry in 2050, according to Australian researchers Ian Yeoman, management professor, and Michelle Mars, sexologist.

Ginseng + Saffron = Good Sex? Aphrodisiacs Found in Common Spices

By BONNIE ROCHMAN |
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Improving sexual function and desire is a pretty lucrative, albeit pricey, industry. But what if spicing up your love life were a lot cheaper and as simple as opening up your kitchen cabinet or heading to a health-foods store?

New research recently published online in the journal Food Research International finds that ginseng and saffron are key to spicing up your sex life. Both boost sexual performance, according to a scientific review of natural aphrodisiacs done by researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.
(More on Time.comMany Men and Women Say They Aren’t Getting Enough Sex)

Do They Work? 5 Popular Aphrodisiacs

By SAMANTHA ROLLINS 
Getty Images

How Do Aphrodisiacs Work?
Aphrodisiacs have been used by every culture from the ancient Persians to the Aztecs to boost sexual desire. But do these supposed love potions really work? Scientific evidence suggests it’s the placebo effect that accounts for most of the libido-lifting powers of your typical aphrodisiac, but some of these foods, drinks, herbs, spices and scents may actually contribute to physical arousal in a variety of ways. Read on for the lowdown on five popular sex enhancers.

Shy Hong Kongers urged to have more sex


By Judy Ngao | AFP News
File photo shows a couple walking along a footpath in Hong Kong. Sex experts are urging Hong Kongers to strip off their reputation as some of the least active lovers in Asia to get more out of their sex lives and overcome challenges of privacy in a cramped city
File photo shows a couple walking along a footpath in Hong Kong. Sex experts are urging Hong Kongers to strip off their reputation as some of the least active lovers in Asia to get more out of their sex lives and overcome challenges of privacy in a cramped city

Sex experts are urging Hong Kongers to strip off their reputation as some of the least active lovers in Asia to get more out of their sex lives and overcome challenges of privacy in a cramped city.

"People say Hong Kongers have the least amount of sexual knowledge in the world. One of the reasons is they have no place to have sex," said professor Emil Ng, associate director at the Family Institute of the University of Hong Kong.

Financial pressure, career-driven mentalities and limited space are seen as key drivers of a fertility rate that is one of the lowest in the world by some measures, with an average 1.04 births per woman according to the World Bank.

Real-Life Romeos Don’t Compare to Dream Lovers

By BONNIE ROCHMAN
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If you’ve got a soft spot for the tall, dark and handsome archetype, chances are your real-life partner is short, blond and, well, not so toothsome. Or at least that’s the takeaway from new research published in the journal PLoS ONE, which found that the people we end up pairing off with bear little resemblance to our fantasy lovers.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield in England and the University of Montpellier in France found that our actual mates differ in height, weight and body mass index from the ones we would describe as ideal.

Given their druthers, most guys would prefer thinner women than the ones they’re with. Women aren’t oozing contentment either, though slimness is not always a desired trait. While some women would rather have skinnier partners, others would like their fellas huskier. Women notched the more significant discrepancies between real vs. ideal mates.
 (More on Time.com5 Little-Known Truths About American Sex Lives).

Texting Leads to Sex Sooner — and Easier Breakups Later

By NICK CARBONE |

Does your heart skip when your phone buzzes with a message from your new flame? If a new survey is to be believed, all those texts and late-night Facebook chats might lead you into the bedroom faster too.

In the survey of 1,200 men and women by Shape and Men’s Fitness magazines, nearly 80% of women and 58% of men said they believed that using social media tools with new partners leads to sex sooner, according to a recent Reuters article. (More on Time.com: See the 50 best iPhone apps)
Maybe it’s because constant digital communication between dates increases a sense of intimacy, and makes even days-old relationships seem longer or more intense. Or maybe it’s because lovey-dovey text messages (or sexting, more likely) amps up anticipation and paves the way to the bedroom sooner.

Thursday 26 April 2012

Girls Kissing Girls: Explaining the Trend

By JEFFREY KLUGER |
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Britney and Madonna did it; so did Scarlett Johansson and Sandra Bullock. And so do women in bars, at mixers, on the street and, increasingly, in private — especially when those women are college students. The “it” is the kiss, of course, and even before Katy Perry celebrated the all-girl lip-lock in song, it was clear that the party was definitely on.

Girl-girl kissing is not new, anymore than boy-girl or boy-boy — or any of the other mix-and-match combinations of genders and numbers in which sexually charged human beings can find themselves. What is new is the openness with which girls are sampling from among their own, and the way the phenomenon has rapidly gone from startling to titillating to, if not quite commonplace, at least not all that uncommon either. (More on Time.com: See a photogallery of the visual history of the gay rights movement)

Humor : The Young Man and The Cowboy


To lighten things up a bit on the blog this week, here’s a short story that a friend sent me.

A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California, when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him.

The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie, leaned out his window and asked the cowboy . . .

“If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?”

Bud looked at the man, obviously a yuppie, and then looked at his peacefully grazing herd. He calmly answered, “Sure, why not?”

The yuppie parks his car, whipped out his Dell notebook computer, connected it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfed to a NASA page on the Internet. He then called up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he immediately fed to another NASA satellite that scanned the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

The young man then opened the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exported it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany.

Within seconds, he received an email on his Palm Pilot saying that the image had been processed and the data stored. He then accessed a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet via email on his Blackberry, and after a few minutes, he received a response.

Finally, he printed out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-Tech Miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turned to the cowboy named Bud and said, “You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves.”

Bud replied: “That’s right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves.”

Bud watched the young man select one of the animals and looked on amused as the young man stuffed it into the trunk of his car.

Then Bud said to the young man, “Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?”

The young man thought about it for a second and said, “Okay, why not?”

“You’re a Congressman for the U.S. Government,” said Bud.

“Wow! That’s correct,” said the yuppie, “But how did you guess that?”

“No guessing required,” answered Bud. “You showed up here even though nobody called you. You wanted to get paid for an answer I already knew to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are, and you don’t know a thing about cows . . . this is a herd of sheep . . .

Now give me back my dog.”

Need A Job ?

http://www.churchjobfinder.com/

Converted Coward: A radically changed man

Today's reading: 1 Peter 1

1 Peter 1:12 Even angels long to look into these things.

The Peter portrayed in the Gospels and the Peter seen in this letter are hardly recognizable as the same person. The Gospels portray Peter urging Jesus to avoid pain, cowering in the darkness the night of Jesus' trial and execution, and denying with an oath that he knows the man he's been following for three years. In this letter, by contrast, Peter welcomes suffering as a badge of honor, as proof of his commitment to Christ at any cost.

Most likely, Peter is writing this letter during an outbreak of persecution under Nero. Leaders of the church, the apostle Paul among them, have been shipped to Rome for imprisonment and execution. Crucial questions about suffering have stirred up within the embattled Christian community.

Throw Open the Door



"Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money in.... And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites.... And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them...this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living." (Mark 12:41-44)

Have you ever wanted to get God's attention? You can, you know. There's a certain kind of boldness, a certain kind of faith in giving that will get His attention every time. You can see that in Mark 12.

Read that chapter and just imagine the situation it describes. Jesus was sitting by the treasury watching as people put in their offerings. Don't you know there were some sanctimonious displays going on with Him there watching? There was bound to be plenty of pharisaical robe swishing as those wealthy leaders walked up to put in their gifts that day.

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Ants : You Can Almost Hear Their Tiny Voices Singing "Whistle While You Work"


What looks like a screen cap from a CGI-heavy Super Bowl commercial is actually a real, not-manipulated photograph. And no, those aren't posed ant corpses with a bottle cap hot glued to their tiny hands, if that's what you think, Professor Coldheart. It's from a series of images that photographer Andrey Pavlov took outside his house, after studying and then making an art project out of a real live ant colony. He's a former set designer, which allowed him to make some pretty incredible sets for the ants to interact with in the most stereotypically industrious ways possible.
Telegraph.co.uk
Seen here, reeling in a 300-pound marlin.
Seeing ants get things done at this scale is inspiring, but if you're anything like us, that sensation quickly turns to a sense of foreboding for the day when they finally decide to rise up and take humanity down.

http://www.cracked.com/article_19817_18-images-you-wont-believe-arent-photoshopped-part-9.html

The Secrets to Winning Back Lost Love


Posted by Elliot 

Moving on after a breakup is never as easy as your friends make it sound. Just as true love takes time to blossom; it also takes time to fade away. But the lingering emotions felt on both sides are not always a bad thing. They can buy you time to win back your lost love.

If you’re not ready to give up on your relationships then the time to act is now. Couples across the world get back together every day. The key is doing your part to make your ex WANT you back. Here are the steps to making that happen…

Step Back Before Moving ForwardThe biggest mistake people make after getting dumped is pursuing an ex too aggressively. The best thing you can do now is give them some space. Remember, they had a reason for leaving you behind and asking them to take you back right away makes everyone look bad. Use this time to get control of your emotions so you can make a good impression.

Can Painkillers Mend A Broken Heart?


A great aunt of mine, insisted that infants should be given whisky in hot weather to calm them down. The rest of my family considered this bizarre baby care advice, and ignored it.

However, crazy as her advice might have seemed, public health officials in the late 19th century actually did recommend that infants be given a small amount of whisky during hot weather.

Now, you might think that in our age of advanced medicine there would be no room for nonsense health guidance like that. But believe it or not, a brand new way to treat emotional pain has just emerged, and it's even more foolish than whisky for new-borns.

It's more foolish because people could potentially die.

Time heals all wounds

Humor : Prayers Before Eating


TEACHER    :    Now, Sam, tell me frankly, do                 you say prayers before eating?

SAM    :     No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.


Why did 70,000 die while the sinner lived?

This week's reading: 1 Chronicles 21:14

It doesn't seem fair. Even David was distressed by the consequences his sin had on innocent people (see 1Ch 21:17). We may make our own choices, but we cannot control the extent of the consequences of sin.

Because of our Western individualism we struggle to understand the Eastern tradition in which the head of a family, tribe or nation represented the people under them. The members were treated as a whole, sharing in the blessings or punishments resulting from the actions of their leaders. Adam's sin had consequences for all humanity (see Ro 5:12). When Achan sinned, God said Israel has sinned (see Jos 7:1-11). Joshua had to identify the tribe, clan and family to which the sinner belonged.

In this case, it may have been Israel's sin as a nation that led to David's sin. The Lord was angry with Israel before David was incited to take a census (see 2Sa 24:1). For this reason, some see this as a plague upon a nation of people who had themselves sinned.

The Danger of Symbols



"He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)" — 2 Kings 18:4
Having just witnessed their brothers and sisters in the northern kingdom of Israel being driven away to exile by the Assyrians, King Hezekiah of Judah began to institute some sweeping reforms to turn the nation away from idolatry. As we see in our verse, he began by smashing all the sacred stones and cutting down the Asherah poles.

But then, Hezekiah seemed to take his reforms a step further – he broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses had made. But why? If this was something that Moses had made, surely it could not have been idolatrous, and so what right did Hezekiah have to break such a sacred object?

STRIVE TO REST


 Amy Layne Litzelman

“Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves], that no one may fall or perish by the same kind of unbelief and disobedience [into which those in the wilderness fell].” (Hebrews 4:11, AMP)

Resting is a very interesting concept. You could probably ask a hundred people what it looks like to them and get a hundred unique answers. At different points in my life I might have pictured reading a good book while the kids were asleep, a week at the beach, or waking up refreshed. Others would say, “A day off of work,” or “The feeling after a project is finished.” All of these would fit into the definition of rest, in both the English dictionary and in the Bible.

Our human bodies need consistent blocks of time to recuperate after a day or season of activity. When Jesus walked the earth, He regularly took time away from serving the crowds and urged His disciples to do the same. This anapauō type of rest is a ceasing from labor in order to recover and regain our strength.

There is a rest, however, which far surpasses a physical recuperation. Katapausis (pronounced kä-tä'-pau-sēs) does not depend on our level of activity, remaining constant even when the body is exhausted. This rest does not hinge on governmental peace or if we live in abundance or lack. Katapausis is a resting place during the greatest storm; a peace unshakable.

I recognized glimpses of it as I read the words of Katie Davis in her book Kisses From Katie this week. In the midst of thousands of starving, hurting people in Uganda, this young lady strives to look past the vastness of the task, beyond the impossibilities that surround her, and into the truth of Who Jesus is. She walks out one day at a time, obeying His leading while trusting in and relying on His goodness, His strength, His wisdom, and power. And at the end of each day, she looks back to see all of the mighty things He has done and knows joy beyond understanding.

As the world seems to be going faster and faster and the trials and tribulations increase with each passing year, having a higher level of rest available to us is of irreplaceable value. Yet, it does not come without cost. The author of Hebrews urges us to strive diligently to enter this rest. What does that mean? How do we strive to rest?

• First, one of our highest priorities should be to have a soft heart before God.

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as [happened] in the rebellion [of Israel]…” (Hebrews 3:7-8a)

A soft heart is an open heart. A soft heart is vulnerable and honest, allowing God to show us the truth about Himself, ourselves, and our circumstances. It is often painful, but only in this place can we avoid devastating lies and snares of our enemy and walk in the joy and freedom God desires for us.

On the other hand, if we push certain sins and issues back in the corner in an effort to not deal with them or keep them hidden, our hearts will become more and more hardened and deceived by sin. We will begin to think we know how best to live out our lives. This pride and rebellion will separate us from the One Who is our only hope of freedom.

• Second, we must obey what the Father tells us through His Word and by His Spirit.

“So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God.” (Hebrews 4:6)

Obedience is the litmus test of humility. A step of obedience reveals that our heart has not completely hardened against God and opens us up to see the loving sovereignty of our Maker. In obedience we come to understand that God knows all things and moves in perfect wisdom, power, and love.

I John 3:24 tells us that those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with Him. I love the picture the Amplified Bible paints: “They let Christ be a home to them and they are the home of Christ.” In this close communion, katapausis can be found.

• Third, we must come to a place of absolute trust in God alone.

“For only we who believe can enter his rest…” (Hebrews 4:3a)

God does not ask us to have blind faith. He constantly shows Himself to be perfectly wise and powerful. Although the Israelites left slavery in Egypt with many great signs and wonders, they failed to enter into the rest God desired for them because they did not come to a place of trust. When difficult circumstances arose, they quickly fell back on their own understanding instead of placing their faith in the faithfulness of their Savior. They believed in their weakness more than they believed in the power and goodness of God.

We are faced with the same dilemma today. To enter into the fortress and hiding place of peace, we must choose to look beyond physical circumstances to the truth of Who God is. We must choose to rely upon His goodness, wisdom, and power when all of the facts around us yell out that failure is imminent. We must choose to put our faith in God over the cries of our emotions or weaknesses.

This choosing may start out as a gritting of the teeth and a holding on with all we have, but as our God reveals His faithfulness over and over again, we learn to lean back into Him and truly rest.

Now, before we get too overwhelmed at what we must strive to do, read further in Hebrews 4. Our Father does not leave us to work these things out on our own.

→ First, He gives us His Word – alive and full of power, sharper than any two-edged sword – to expose, analyze, and judge the very thoughts and purposes of our heart. We don’t have to wonder what is right or wrong. When we read the Word of God in humility and hunger, the Word itself will penetrate into our hearts and reveal within us what must remain and what must be changed.

→ Second, God gave us His Son, Jesus, Who has shared in all of our weaknesses and assaults to temptation, and so understands what we are walking through. Because He walked in perfect relationship with the Father and without sin, He is able to give us mercy in our failures and grace to help with every need. And, He beckons us to come fearlessly, confidently, and boldly to His throne.

“Striving to rest” seems like an oxymoron. But as we lay aside our pride and live before our God with a soft heart, as we exchange our sin and rebellion for His plans and purposes, as we believe that He loves us perfectly and can be trusted explicitly even in the things we don’t understand, we find a place of rest that no one can take away. A rest that cannot be shaken.

It was in this rest that Paul was able to write letters full of hope and thanksgiving even while sitting in prison. It was to this rest that David returned in Psalm 55:23 after wrestling with his fears. It is into this rest that our Father calls us today. Amazing. Be zealous to enter in.

* * * * *
How have you experienced katapausis? What do you do to remain in His rest?


Amy Layne Litzelman writes, sings, and teaches biblical truths from a clean, simple, yet profound perspective. More than anything else, she longs to know her creator-God and emit His fragrant life. This desire led her to parner in a worship, discipleship, and teaching minitry for over eight years.

She has written over 70 songs, recorded four CDs, and traveled to teach and lead worship across the US and in the Philippines. Amy released her first book, This Beloved Road: A journey of Revelation and Worship in January 2011. She continues to write music, as well as private journaling, letters of encouragement to Filipino pastors and churches, and a blog.

Amy and her husband, Matt, currently live in Jackson, WY, and have two adult sons. You can follow her at: FacebookLinkedIn, at her blog or at Goodreads. You may also visit her website or Book page
http://www.srlministries.org/index.php/blog/postname/178