life beyond the well…

Monthly Archives: April 2013


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Book Review: Real Love- How to Avoid Romantic Chaos and Find the Path to Lasting Love

“Real love. I’m searching for a real love. Someone to set my heart free…” – Mary J. Blige

Whether we admit it or not, we are all desiring a real love. We smile and feel joy in our hearts at the stories of couples of have been married for 50, 60, and even 70 years; and we often wonder if it’s possible for us to have that same kind of love and marriage. The truth is that it is ABSOLUTELY possible, but you have to go about it in the right way.

That’s where this book comes in. In “Real Love: How to Avoid Romantic Chaos and Find the Path to Lasting Love”, Andy Thompson provides wisdom to those who are seeking to find a lasting love relationship. The book provides simple explanations for how to know if you’re ready to be in a relationship (and reasons why you may not be ready), as well as other valuable tidbits such as “The Three S’s” that men need from their wives and “The Three S’s” that women need from their husbands–and an additional “S” that both husbands and wives need to demonstrate in their marriage.

While the book provides lots of practical wisdom for those who are married, there is also a wealth of knowledge available for those who are in dating relationships. Thompson explains items that should be considered when making “the list” of qualities that one desires in a spouse, the limits and boundaries couples should abide by while they are in the dating phase, and the things that one really needs to know about a person (“The Seven P’s”).

I would recommend this book to people who are hoping to be married so that they can approach their dating relationships with a sense of wisdom instead of being lead by their emotions and how they may feel about a person at the time.  I would also recommend this book to people who are married, as it provides tangible knowledge that can be useful in helping their marriage be the best that it can be.

Being in a successful, long-lasting relationship is not magic.  It requires work from each person involved, but it’s also helpful to begin the relationship with a solid understanding of what lasting relationships require.  While this book doesn’t provide all the answers, it does give you an excellent foundation on which to begin the search for a REAL lasting love.


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Choosing to Be Healed

I’ve been fortunate to not have to deal with allergies.  When the spring comes and people are struggling to breathe, and are suffering through itchy eyes, I’m usually just annoyed by the way pollen desires to make itself known on my car.  However, over the past few years, I started to have sinus problems; having my first sinus infection in 2009, and some other ones since then.

On Monday, I woke up feeling kinda blah, and I attributed it to the change in weather.  I forced myself to go to the gym, and while there, I could feel my sinuses starting to bother me.  I pressed through my workout, and while I was on my way home, I was praying to the Lord to allow me to feel better, and asking Him to show me things that I could do so that my sinuses wouldn’t bother me anymore.  And then I heard this:

“Do you want to feel better or do you want to be healed?”

After thinking about it, and processing what I heard, I realized that what I really wanted was to be healed.  I want to be free from the issue altogether, and never have to worry about having to deal with it again.

I came to this conclusion after some thought, but I also began to think of how often I have chosen just to “feel better” instead of “be healed”.  It’s so easy to choose options that treat the symptoms but don’t cure the ailment.  While a treatment is good (and praise the Lord for treatments), what I want is to be healed.

Our society has become so medicated, and so into wanting a “quick fix” that we will often choose feeling better over being healed.  The truth is that being healed requires work.  And often times, we’d rather take the pill for the next 5 years instead of putting in the work over the next 5 months to be healed.  I’m determined to NOT live my life that way.  While the “quick fix” can temporarily make me feel better, I pray for the strength to always choose to be healed; despite the work that it may require.

I encourage you to choose to be healed over just feeling better.  Be willing to do the work that is required and press for your healing, instead of settling for a quick fix.  You’re worth it.

Be encouraged!  Peace and Blessings!