In the Meanwhile

If you've ever experienced the grief of losing a Christian loved one through suicide, then you may have asked yourself this question: 

Will I see him or her in Heaven one day? 

It's an age-old question that's mostly rooted in the misunderstanding of what the Bible calls the "unpardonable sin" in Matthew 12 and Mark 3. 

In the latest episode of "In the Meanwhile," Les and Page Hughes shine biblical truth on this important question to encourage those whose lives have been deeply touched by the heartbreak of suicide. 

 

 

 

 

All he ever wanted was to make her happy and all she ever wanted was to make him happy. 

Sounds selfless, doesn't it?

But what happens when the fire goes out in a marriage or we don't have what it takes anymore to keep the other person happy?

In today's episode of In the Meanwhile, Les and Page talk about marriage and how to rekindle it God's way.

These principles are timeless and can be applied to marriage but also beyond marriage and to friends and family as well. 

 

In our latest episode of In the Meanwhile,  Les and Page Hughes discuss the meaning of Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Drawing from Scripture, the Hughes share encouragement and exhortation for those times when children go down the right path even when parents seem to do everything right. 

 

You know that familiar box you see when signing into your favorite website? The one that asks you to confirm you're a human and not a robot?

Well, it might as well ask you if you've ever been in a fight, because it's the same thing. If you're human, you've been in a fight!

In today's episode of "In the Meanwhile," we take a look at 10 Timeless Principles for Fighting Fair in all your relationships, and yes, we mean those "animated discussions," too!

https://youtu.be/a0RU5i1fssE

Show Notes

Romans 12:16 - Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

This episode is sponsored by Your Story In His Story, an online Bible survey course to compliment your daily Bible reading. Learn more.

Ten Timely Principles for Fighting Fair

1. Avoid it if at all possible. 
2. Choose a neutral field with few spectators. 
3. Choose the occasion wisely. Your confrontation time wisely.
4. Address the problem, not the person.
5. Use I statements instead of you statements.
6. When you are wrong, ask for forgiveness. The sooner, the better. 
7. You choose to forgive even if they never ask. 
8. Know that there are some people that your personality is always going to collide with theirs. They need some EGR (extra grace required)!
9. Keep a short account of wrongs and don’t get historical.
10. Choose to love them anyway.

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How are you doing on your New Year's goals and resolutions? If you're like most people, your January enthusiasm might just be waning as we head toward February.

In this week's episode of "In the Meanwhile," we talk about some recent physical transformations we've both experienced and then move onto a super relevant topic for anyone: intentional goal-keeping for all aspects of life and how that leads to long-lasting transformation.

https://youtu.be/E9bevgt-s50

Show Notes

This episode is sponsored by Your Story In His Story, an online Bible survey course to compliment your daily Bible reading. Learn more.

We've adapted the S.M.A.R.T. acronym to help you breakdown the elements of good goal setting and keeping and look forward to hearing how you have kept your own goals or how you've faced the challenges of keeping your goals.

Above all, we stress the necessity of looking to our Master for His direction and support in all decisions and efforts involved in keeping our goals!

Keep it S.M.A.R.T.

S = Specific. Keep your goals as specific as possible.

M = Measurable. It's difficult to know when goals are met when you can't measure them.

A = Actionable. We share how you can create an action plan that works for you.

R = Risky. Every goal should have an element of risk to encourage you to rely on God's strength rather than your own.

T = Time-Specific. Be sure to give yourself enough time to meet each goal.

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Page shares insight from the biblical story of Hagar and Les shares an incredibly powerful verse -- both showing us that God not only SEES what we do, He STRONGLY SUPPORTS us when our hearts are completely His.

SHOW NOTES

Today's episode of "In the Meanwhile" is sponsored by Your Story In His Story and is filled with encouragement for those times you feel your unpaid work is invisible or of little value.

• You can read the biblical account of Hagar here and read how God sees us when we feel invisible
• 2 Chronicles 16:9 - For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”
• Page references this Mother's Job Value Index 2018, courtesy of Insure.com, citing the value of a mother's work as $68, 875!  Salary.com shares something similar only shows a much higher wage when all the job titles are presented.
• Learn more about Your Story In His Story, a year long Bible survey course to supplement and enrich your daily Bible reading.

SUMMARY

• Remember, God sees and knows you!
• Ask yourself, "What are things I'm pouring my life into that have eternal value?
• Take time to thank God you have opportunities to care for others.
• Know that one day soon we will reap what we have sown if we don’t grow weary.

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In our first "In the Meanwhile" podcast of the new year, Page and I review 2018 and look forward to the rest of 2019.

Our title is fitting. We've seen some "drama" as Page likes to say, but so many blessings in disguise through unexpected, or "stranger" things.

Show Notes

In this episode, we play off the title of the popular TV series, "Stranger Things" and talk about those unexpected, or "strange" circumstances the Lord can bring our way and how we can have a biblical perspective during those times.

Some examples of stranger things we discuss are:

• The loss of a job
• Closed doors
• A "No" rather than a "Yes" answer to our prayers
• Derailed plans

Food for Thought:

• There is a difference between consistency and security.
• There is no such thing as security outside our salvation in Jesus Christ.
• Jesus learned obedience through suffering. What does that mean for us?

Today's episode of "In the Meanwhile" is sponsored by Your Story In His Story, a year-long online course designed to complement your daily Bible reading.

We hope you'll listen in and share your thoughts and your own stories of "stranger things" in the Meanwhile Moments group on Facebook.

Podcast Video Available

For those who aren't driving, working out or listening while cleaning house, we're pleased to announce that you can view this episode as a video!

In the latest podcast from Meanwhile Ministries, Les and Page Hughes turn to Genesis 37 to answer the question, "If I grieve, does that mean I don't trust God."

 

Download Our latest 'In the Meanwhile" podcast is inspired by a very real answer to prayer for a dear family member and also to the circumstances behind the new "meanwhile" that Page and I find ourself in right now. These circumstances in our lives remind us that it is God who provides our manna for us daily just like He daily provided for the children of Israel. They also remind us to depend on Him as our ultimate Provider. Deuteronomy 8:16 encourages us, He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper. Our times of need have a purpose! We hope you'll listen in as we share a very special "manna moment" we experienced quite a while ago but is still impacting us today and also why those manna moments are worth much more than we can imagine. We also hope you'll share a special manna moment from your life -- whether God provided a physical need or a spiritual need. You can share right here at the top of our Facebook Group page.   SHOW NOTES In our podcast, we enjoy sharing three major reasons for "manna moments" -- those times when we are especially dependent on God alone and He abundantly provides. These are:

1. Our faith needs testing and God meets this need.
2. We must learn that God is our greatest need.
3. Manna moments are a milestone for the person going through the struggle, but also for future generations.

RESOURCES

1. What was it like to eat actual manna? GotQuestions.org sheds some light.
2. Read Exodus 16, the entire account of how God provided the original manna to His children in the wilderness.
3.  Share (and read) "manna moments" from fellow listeners and be ENCOURAGED!