Go When You're Ready

"With long life will I satisfy [you], and shew [you] my salvation." (Psalm 91:16)

Did you know that it's not God's will for you or anyone to die young? His will for you is to live the full number of your days. You ought to live 70 or 80 years, and if you are not satisfied, live a while longer! The Bible says that when Abraham died, he died at a good old age, full of years. That's the way it ought to be with all of us.

Some believers don't realize that and they've gotten themselves in a mess. When they get sick instead of just believing for healing, they start wondering if it's God's will for them to die. "Maybe He's ready to call me home," they think.

Don't ever entertain thoughts like that. If God has His way, He won't call you home until you're good and ready to come. The Apostle Paul understood that. In 2 Timothy 4:6-7, he said, "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." Paul didn't die until he and Jesus were ready for him to go.

Timing Is Everything

By: David Feddes

Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:11

Timing is everything. There’s a time to be happy and a time to be grumpy—and in my opinion morning is definitely a time to be grumpy. Some people leap out of bed before sunrise, smiling and singing and saying happy hellos to everyone they meet. I’m not a morning person, so these early—morning cheerleaders just make me grumpier than I already am. I agree with the Bible verse that says, “If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse“ (Proverbs 27:14). Bad timing can make a blessing feel like a curse.

Timing is everything, and everything has its time. Perhaps the best—known passage about timing in all of world literature is in the Bible at the beginning of Ecclesiastes 3.

How Normal is Your Marriage Really?

Can't help but wonder if your union is keeping up with the Joneses'? Check out these marriage stats from The Normal Bar: The Surprising Secrets of Happy Couples and What They Reveal About Creating a New Normal in Your Relationship.

By Gena Kaufman

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Is it normal that…I'm not completely honest with him?
Within limits, a few secrets — and even lies — between couples are generally harmless. If you've ever fibbed about those shoes being new ("I've had these forever, I just don't wear them often!") or neglected to tell him that your mom thinks he's a total slob, you're not alone. In America, 43 percent of men and one-third of women have kept major secrets from their partners and approximately three-quarters of people have lied — including those who consider themselves part of a happy couple. As long as you don't take it to extremes — like failing to reveal credit card debt or the fact that you have a monthly lunch-date with your ex — lies that keep the peace and protect feelings are normal.

Walk by faith...

By Fred Gillett, Crystal Cathedral Pastor

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
-Psalm 34:17-18

We usually define a victory by success - being first, not making any mistakes, and careful preparation. Those who succeed and take the credit themselves forgetting all those who made it possible and forgetting God are not successful at all, just self-centered. When we recognize that our strength to get through obstacles, problems, failures, weaknesses, and neediness is from God, then we have success.

BEING A BLESSING

By Sheila

                                                                                                                           

There are some days when I’ve just about had it. Recently, when baby-sitting a friend’s two preschoolers for the day, I realized how much one can forget in the six short years since both of my girls have been out of diapers. On that day, the three-year-old got into the paints when I wasn’t looking. 

I discovered him sitting on top of the kitchen table, making interesting designs on his clothes, and took one look at him and decided he was too far gone to interfere with now. 

How Often Should You Have Sex?

Eventually, all marriage and sexuality authors and speakers get around to this one, right? How often should a married couple make love?

The usual response from experts is something like: "It depends. Some couples are content with once a month while others desire that close contact several times a week. Whatever amount keeps you both satisfied is sufficient."

The Case for Letting Your Partner’s Eye Wander

By MEREDITH MELNICK |

Just ask Eve. There’s nothing so desirable as the one thing you’re not allowed to have. Which is why a new study suggests that if your partner’s got a wandering eye, you might be better off letting him (or her) enjoy it. 

Research on romance has consistently shown that men and women who don’t notice attractive strangers tend to be more satisfied in their own relationships and are more likely to stay with their partners long term. Of course, that blindness has to come naturally. When a person is forced to divert his attention from that cute bartender — by, say, a jealous partner’s opprobrium — it could result in a sort of “backlash” effect, which may end up reducing his level of relationship commitment.

That’s the finding of a new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, which tests the “forbidden fruit” hypothesis in a series of experiments on college students who were involved in romantic relationships. Write the researchers:

Thirsty

Written by Julene Uganecz

If your life feels dry you may not be experiencing a life equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Come and experience the Spirit-filed Life.  

“Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.”  (John 4:14a)

In my early years of mothering, I found myself in the middle of Borneo, Indonesia.  My husband flew floatplanes there, and our children and I spent long days in our hot humid home. On one particular morning, our well’s water pump sprung a leak. The pump was damaged, so I had to shut down the pump and turn off the pipes to our well.

The laundry in the machine sat wet, the kids came in dirty needing to bathe, and ants began to nibble on the dirty dishes. Wet wipes became my best friend. If you’ve ever been temporarily without water you know how inconvenient it is.  For people who struggle to find clean water at all, it is a matter of life and death.

How to Be Successful and Satisfied

Written by Rusty Wright

Success is:______. How would you fill in the blank?

“That’s easy,” you might say. “Success is … for an athlete, winning the Super Bowl, the World Series, or a gold medal: for an entertainer, winning an Oscar, a Grammy, or an Emmy; for a businessperson, being a top executive with one of the Fortune 500 companies: for a university student, being elected to Phi Beta Kappa or student government.” But is it always so easy to define?

Several years ago Ranier, a German friend, spent three months with me in the U. S. Once, while he was watching his first baseball game on TV, the batter hit the ball out of the park for a home run. The fans went wild! Ranier turned to me with a puzzled look and asked, “Why are they cheering? They’ve lost the ball?” To the hometown fans the batter was a great success. To someone from another culture, the home run was a mystery.

Defining Success The Measure of Success God Uses is Faithfulness

Nevin Bass

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Josh 1:8

Defining success is extremely important in any endeavor. It is the end product one is attempting to achieve that determines what objectives or goals are set to achieve “success.” Then objectives or goals determine methods and shape tasks. Right down the line to the smallest of processes and procedures, everything that is attempted finds its genesis in the definition of success. If one does not know what success is, one will not know when it is achieved. Many wander aimlessly through life, never reaching fulfillment or finding satisfaction because they have no goal. In this sense, our view of success is integrally associated with what we see as our purpose.

I believe that defining success is an essential element of a life of faith. To fail to allow God to define success in our life is to allow something or someone other than God to set our goals for us. If we do not surrender this task to God, we will begin a journey without direction. Every journey acquires a direction at some point even if it is uncertain or tentative. If God does not define success for us, somewhere along life’s path, either circumstances or others, or a combination of these will fix this target for us.

Help me satisfy her sex drive My wife is wearing me out because she craves sex all the time.

Dear Miriam

My wife is wearing me out because she craves sex all the time.

She wasn't always like this. Before the menopause, we had sex once or twice a week and were both content. Now there's no worry about getting pregnant again - we have four children - she says she feels relaxed and eager for as much sex as I can manage.

I've been wondering if a vibrator or other sex toy might take the heat off me, at least a little, and keep her satisfied?

Yes, using a sex toy as a team mate to keep your wife happy is a great idea. Good on you for seeing a sex toy as a supplement to your skills rather than a replacement.

These toys can add a little fun and adventure to the bedroom, solo or together.

Sex: The More You Have - The More You Want?

The word "insatiable" goes so well with the word "desire"?

by Pamela Madsen in Shameless Woman


"If you don't use it...you lose it".

Have you ever heard that phrase? How about "The more you get - the more you want?" Have you noticed that the word "insatiable" goes so well with the word "desire"? Almost like peanut butter and jelly!

There have been times in my own sexual awakening that I started to feel that exploring my sexuality is like that old saying about eating Chinese food. You can have a delicious meal and twenty minutes later you are hungry again!

Maybe I am exaggerating just a little, but I do think that if you do not stir the pot of your sexual being - you can become dormant just like a hibernating bear. Have you ever seen a hibernating bear on one of those nature shows after he wakes up? Just like the bear - once you wake up and begin to feed yourself - you can find that your hunger is extraordinary. And that hunger can be quite unsettling. How do we manage our hunger?

The Best Sex Ever

New Man - Sexual Purity

Research refutes the media and confirms the Bible.

Where is the best place to have sex? Research reveals an unlikely answer. Sex is most satisfying, both physically and emotionally, when confined to the safe harbor of marriage.

The most authoritative research ever done on sexuality in America was conducted a few years ago at the University of Chicago. This study, the National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS), came to an interesting conclusion: "The public image of sex in America bears virtually no relationship to the truth." In fact, the study explains, "In real life, the unheralded, seldom discussed world of married sex is actually the one that satisfies people the most."

This study found that, of all sexually active people, married people are significantly more likely to say their sex lives make them feel "satisfied," "loved," "thrilled" and "wanted." The faithfully married are also least likely to report sex making them feel "sad," "anxious or worried," "scared or afraid," or "guilty."

The researchers own interpretation of this data, as reported in U.S. News & World Report, is that "the singles scene may not be as carefree and fulfilling as it's cracked up to be...sex within the security of marriage is less problematic."

Source: Why Marriage Matters: Reasons to Believe in Marriage in Postmodern Society (Pinon Press), by Glenn Stanton.

http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/new-man/sexual-purity/24832-the-best-sex-ever

The Happiest Jobs in America

By Jacquelyn Smith | Forbes

When you think of a cheerful job, you probably don't think of loan officer, warehouse manager, or accountant. But it turns out these are some of the happiest careers in America, according to online jobs site Careerbliss.com.

CareerBliss compiled a list of the 20 happiest jobs based on analysis from more than 100,400 employee-generated reviews between February 2011 and January 2012. Employees were asked to rate 10 factors that affect workplace happiness, including one's relationship with the boss and co-workers, work environment, job resources, compensation, growth opportunities, company culture, company reputation, daily tasks, and control over the work one does on a daily basis.

The employees valued each factor on a five-point scale, and also indicated how important it was to their overall happiness at work. The numbers were combined to find an average rating of overall employee happiness for each respondent, and then sorted by job title to find which occupations had the happiest workers. A minimum of 50 employee reviews was required to be considered for CareerBliss' 20 Happiest Jobs in America, and executive level jobs, like chief executive, were excluded from the study.

"Since we tend to spend more waking hours working than doing anything else, our work happiness is a huge factor in our overall happiness," says CareerBliss' chief executive, Heidi Golledge. "Nearly every person has a desire to feel valued and content, and a workplace or a career that provides that for its employees is key to not only happiness for the employees but the long-term success of the business."

The happiest job of all isn't kindergarten teacher or dentist. It's software quality assurance engineer. Professionals with this job title are typically involved in the entire software development process to ensure the quality of the final product. This can include processes such as requirements gathering and documentation, source code control, code review, change management, configuration management, release management, and the actual testing of the software, explains Matt Miller, chief technology officer at CareerBliss.

With an index score of 4.24, software quality assurance engineers said they are more than satisfied with the people they work with and the company they work for. They're also fairly content with their daily tasks and bosses.

These professionals "typically make between $85,000 and $100,000 a year in salary and are the gatekeepers for releasing high quality software products," Miller says. Organizations generally will not allow software to be released until it has been fully tested and approved by their software quality assurance group, he adds.

Golledge says, "In past studies, we have noted that the long hours and intense demands on software engineers' time caused them to rank as less than happy. However, we are happy to report that software quality assurance engineers feel rewarded at work, as they are typically the last stop before software goes live and correctly feel that they are an integral part of the job being done at the company."

Tied for the second most blissful job is executive chef and property manager; both earned an index score of 4.15. Executive chefs, also known as chefs de cuisine or head cooks, do everything from menu creation and staff training to ordering and purchasing inventory. They cite the work that they do and the people they work with as the main drivers of their happiness.

Property managers plan, direct, or coordinate the selling, buying, leasing, or governance activities of real estate properties, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Workers in this profession are most satisfied with the people they work with and the work that they do.

"Many of the happiest jobs have some component with working with people," Golledge says. "Folks who work with others tend to rate their happiness higher on our site."

Bank teller and warehouse manager round out the top five happiest jobs in America, with index scores of 4.14 and 4.13, respectively.

"The roles that we did not expect to see were teller, accountant and financial analyst," she says. "Even though all three of these positions ranked low on compensation, they all ranked very high on 'the company you work for' and 'the people you work with.' Clearly, working with likeminded folks who share a love for calculators and numbers drive their happiness."

A few support roles, like customer service reps and administrative assistants, also made the list. Why? "Through our research we have seen that many people who take on these roles are typically happy supporting or servicing other people, and are therefore fulfilled in their jobs."

Golledge adds, "We have also noticed that happiness definitely does not align with pay, and once someone's basic needs are met, the additional money on the job is a nice perk but is not what drives employee happiness."

CareerBliss also found that many people appreciate their jobs more in a down economy. "As the job market is improving every day, we see that employees are looking to evaluate if they are happy in their current position and if their company is providing the type of culture they identify with," Golledge says. "This year will be a very important year for employers as employees look at a possible career or job change to improve their satisfaction at work."

Here is a list of the top 10 Happiest Jobs In America, based on analysis from more than 100,400 employee-generated reviews between February 2011 and January 2012.
1. Software Quality Assurance Engineer
Score: 4.24

2. (tie) Executive Chef
Score: 4.15 

2. (tie) Property Manager
Score: 4.15

4. Teller
Score: 4.14

5. Warehouse Manager
Score: 4.13

6. Administrative Assistant
Score: 4.11

7. Customer Service Representative
Score: 4.06

8. Accountant
Score: 4.05

9. (tie) Systems Engineer
Score: 4.01

9. (tie) Construction Manager
Score: 4.01 

Click here for the full slideshow of The Happiest Jobs in America.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-happiest-jobs-in-america.html;_ylt=Asjb48dUSxVg60duCpXH6PAX34dG;_

Man Fears Woman's Divorce Is Triggered By Childhood Crush

By Abigail Van Buren | Dear Abby

DEAR ABBY: One of my sister's best friends, "Tara," has had a crush on me since we were kids. She's 21 and I'm 25. My sister always knew about it, but never told me. I had a crush on Tara, too, but I was too shy to tell her.

I moved out of state when I turned 18, but Tara still lives there. She and my sister keep in touch. Now that I'm back in town, Tara has been coming to visit me. We have no physical contact, only verbal. During one of the visits she confessed her crush and so did I.

The trouble is, Tara got married a year ago and has a 2-month-old baby with her husband. She says she hasn't been happy in her marriage and has filed for a divorce. We want to be together, but want to wait for the divorce to be final before starting a relationship.

I suspect that she's only divorcing her husband to be with me. Am I being too quick to judge? Is it a bad idea to be with her? Should we just remain good friends? I need a woman's opinion. -- UNCERTAIN IN TEXAS

DEAR UNCERTAIN: If you and Tara are serious about not starting a relationship until her divorce is final, then the answers to your questions will become apparent during that process. But please remember, ending her marriage will probably not cause her husband to vanish into the ether. Because he's the father of her baby, he will be part of your lives forever.

---

DEAR ABBY: My husband, "Simon," is a workaholic. I didn't know him long before I married him, which was a mistake. He never adapted to being part of a couple. His rewards all came from work -- the paychecks, kudos from clients and fellow employees, and others saying what a good provider he was. He bought our kids' love with presents, not presence.

He was gone at dawn, came home after the kids were in bed, volunteered to work on his "off" days and usually stayed later than scheduled. He kept busy with everyone and everything except us. I raised our children alone and worked outside the home as well. I took them to their sports events, extra activities and to the synagogue. We didn't need the "extra" money, but he was never satisfied, always wanting more. I was faithful to a ghost, living alone and crying for too long. After 30 years I realized I didn't miss him anymore. He had broken my heart and fractured my dreams.

It's too late for me to start again and find love. Abby, tell young wives to trust their hearts and priorities. They deserve warmth, not cold cash. -- ALONE NOW BY CHOICE IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR ALONE: What a sad story. You married someone who may have had such an overwhelming fear of poverty that he sacrificed the joys of family for financial security. While you may not have had romance, I'm sure you have earned the love of your children. Allow yourself to enjoy what your husband has accumulated.

And if you've had enough of solitude, consider this: It's never too late to find love. People of every age do it every day, but first you need to find it within yourself. Unless you do, your bitterness will spill over onto every relationship you have.

http://news.yahoo.com/man-fears-womans-divorce-triggered-childhood-crush-050126287.html

THE TRUTH ABOUT VIBRATORS

Last week, I tweeted some tips for reaching orgasm more quickly for women and the brilliant Joan Price pointed out that I left vibrators off the list. Considering the fact that almost all of my clients love their battery-operated toys, it really was quite an oversight!

This omission coupled with a recent discussion I had with a passionate women’s group in Mexico prompted me to write this piece on vibrators and their role the bedroom.

When it comes to sex toys, there is a lot of misinformation out there, so I’m keen to set the record straight by addressing some of the most common vibrator myths I come across in my practice…