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The Pattern It’s a familiar prayer, one that I prayed hundreds of times in my religious upbringing. The “Lord’s Prayer” or the “Our Father”, includes a petition for God’s will to be done here on earth, as it is in heaven. This is the “bull’s eye” right? If we hit…

Posted on January 1, 2021January 12, 2021 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

marriage

Co-Captains on the Marriage Team

Wearing the "C" Okay, this is not a sports blog, but I need to use a sports analogy to set up my message. As we all know, a "captain" is a commander or leader. You will notice a "C" on the jersey of a team captain. Naturally, I have used…

Posted on December 1, 2020November 30, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

marriage

A Healthy Love of Self

Self Gratification Seeking gratification and fulfillment in life is not wrong. What's important is our motivation and having the ultimate goal of glorifying God. Bernard of Clairvaux, the twelfth century spiritual writer, outlines a four step progression which guides us to a healthy love of self. The starting point for…

Posted on November 5, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

marriage

Building Equity in Your Marriage

Building Equity Building equity in your home is all about taking care of your property, making upgrades when needed, building investment value over time. Ideally, at every stage of the mortgage, it's not healthy for the loan balance to be higher than the fair market value of the home. As…

Posted on October 1, 2020September 29, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

Inspirational

Do You Feel Safe With God?

Vulnerable or Guarded? I once heard the question posed: When we spiritually self-protect, is it because we do not feel safe with God? You’ve met those Christians that have lots of walls up, right? Truth be told, every one of us has been called upon in life to defend ourselves from…

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

Spiritual Formation

Imprints on the Soul

Imprints on the Soul Considering the vast, human emotional map, that makes up the content of our souls, we know there are deep-seated beliefs, and values, stored in our brains, that influence our lives in a significant way. Imprints on the soul, especially in the younger years, have an entrenched…

Posted on August 1, 2020July 31, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

Spiritual Formation

Dark Night

Dark Night The "dark night of the soul" is a term made popular by St. John of the Cross, in the 1500"s. It is used to describe a spiritual crisis in the journey toward union with God. I recently read a book on this topic, written by Christian psychiatrist Gerald…

Posted on July 1, 2020June 29, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

Spiritual Formation

A Long Obedience

Long Obedience in the Same Direction It's the title of a book that I'm just finishing up. A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society by Eugene Peterson. Many of you know him as the author of The Message Bible. Peterson presents a solid exegesis of…

Posted on June 1, 2020May 30, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

marriage

Just a Reminder,Lest I Forget

Lead Me To Calvary Jennie Hussey, began songwriting at the age of eight and wrote over one hundred and fifty hymns. The one for which she is known, Lead Me To Calvary, appeared in print in 1921 and is a beloved hymn to this day. I fondly recall singing it…

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

Marriage

A Smart Marriage

A Smart Marriage Most of us have smartphones these days. They add a ton of convenience to our lives, mainly because smartphones are actually computers, and they run the apps that help organize our lives. An "app" is an application; a software program able to run on your device and…

Every marriage thriving...no matter the odds.

Blog

Spiritual Formation

On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Posted on January 1, 2021January 12, 2021 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

marriage

Co-Captains on the Marriage Team

Posted on December 1, 2020November 30, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

marriage

A Healthy Love of Self

Posted on November 5, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

marriage

Building Equity in Your Marriage

Posted on October 1, 2020September 29, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

Inspirational

Do You Feel Safe With God?

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

Spiritual Formation

Imprints on the Soul

Posted on August 1, 2020July 31, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

Spiritual Formation

Dark Night

Posted on July 1, 2020June 29, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

Spiritual Formation

A Long Obedience

Posted on June 1, 2020May 30, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

marriage

Just a Reminder,Lest I Forget

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo

Marriage

A Smart Marriage

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Mike & Anne Rizzo by Mike & Anne Rizzo