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The night before Kay and I got married, her father sat us down and said, "There are five areas where marriages usually have conflict: money, sex, in-laws, children, and communication."

My father-in-law was a prophet. In our marriage we went five for five! We hit every single one of the conflict-roots.

I know some of you are in major pain right now. You’re frustrated to no end in your marriage, and to make matters worse, you're in church leadership, which only magnifies any problems.

God has some great news for you .... [more]

For years I’ve been a last minute kind-of-guy. I've sifted through the picked over Hallmark cards still on the racks the Saturday night before Mother's Day. I’ve slipped into the grocery store Sunday morning on the way to church, hoping to find something special among the “Is this all that’s left?” corsages.

I think, Oh, that would be a great gift, when I see the Mother’s Day chocolates in the check out line. (Boy, am I grateful for those impulse purchase displays!)

And what’s wrong with this strategy? Well, frankly, last minute really says not that important. Your mother (spouse, grandmother - all the special women in your life) will probably never say that to your face, or even think it, but last minute tends to say, I didn’t care enough to give it any forethought.

So here are a few ideas early planning ideas for Mother's Day .... [more]

"The kingdom of God is not for the well-meaning but for the desperate." - James Denney

“After a number of years of research with hundreds of churches and thousands of teachers and students all over the U.S., I came to a startling realization. Sunday school curriculum doesn't really matter. If you had a teacher in the classroom who loved God and loved kids, the love of God got through to the kids in a powerful way. It did not matter what curriculum was being used. If you had a teacher who either did not love God or did not love kids - it didn't matter what teaching resources you gave her - the powerful truth of the gospel would not get through to the students.” - Bruce Dreisbach (www.thejesusplan.com)

"One question is, 'What propelled him to make the movie about the passion of Christ?' It makes me a little squeamish. What makes me squeamish about religion in general is that people think they have the answer: `I think my God is the right God.' How do you argue against that?" --Mike Medavoy, producer of ABC's Diane Sawyer interview of Mel Gibson - NY Times (Feb 26, 2004)

How credible is the evidence for—and against—the resurrection?
    On Palm Sunday, April 4th, award-winning author and former atheist Lee Strobel will present The Case for Easter Outreach Event (visit CaseForEaster.com)– a clear-headed, no-holds-barred look at the evidence for the resurrection and the implications for our lives if it’s true.
    His new book, The Case for Easter, is available at discount prices so churches can give it away to visitors who come to Gibson's film or to Easter services. For information, call 1-800-727-3480. - Staff