this is something i got out of a book that my mom gave me, its a list of things that young women should look for in a potential husband and i think its pretty good.

i just wonder how many young men out there are willing to be up for this type of challenge, thankfully though there are some real knights in shinning armor out there that God has gotten a hold of.

1. foremost, of course, the man must be regenerated

2. he must be a mature Christian, who consistently demonstrates the fruit of the spirit

3. he must be the kind of man that i can respect and joyfully submit to

4. he should have a vision for ministry to which i can devote my life

5. he will love God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength

6. he should love me, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her, but i want him to love Christ more than he loves me

7. he should treat me with honor and respect, but should not be afraid to be the active head of the family

8. he should be respectful of all women in general

9. he should be a protective, loving father to our children and will want as many as God is pleased to give us

10. he should be a leader and not a follower, and will speak out boldly for what is right

11. he should be devoted to prayer

12. he should be habitually eager to learn from the scripture, to be challenged by scripture, and to seek God through scripture

13. he should have a solid Christian worldview, and the moral clarity and moral courage to go with it

14. he should be able to understand and evaluate historical and current affairs with a thoroughly biblical perspective

15. he should seek the companionship of wise men and limit his association with lesser men

16. he should be respected and esteemed wherever he goes – his character should be irreproachable

17. he should be teachable and able to teach with humility

18. he should be well educated in the right ways and for the right reason, and will not place undue value on the world’s academic credentials

19. he should have a vision for our family that is multi-generational

20. he should be able to fit in comfortably with my family and have a respectful relationship with my father

21. he should be a good steward of all that God has given him (e.g. time, money, spiritual gifts)

22. he will have respect for God-given authority

23. of course we understand that a perfect person does not exist in this world. so as our final item, he will be aware of his faults and will have the humility to overcome them by God’s grace

Jesus Heals the Heart

Your time is like a house of cards,
Stands so tall, falls so hard,
And all your dreams lay in the yard,
Broken bits of show

Your days are windows, empty panes,
You mend the glass they break again,
And all the while that howling wind,
Bites and bitter blows.

But Jesus heals the heart you know,
When nothing's left that's good to know.
Look at me, I ought to know.

You paint your face; you paint your heart,
If you open up and fall apart,
Learned the hard way to be hard,
And live the lover's woe.

You try to hide in what you do,
You lace your lies like some old shoe,
And all the while no one is fooled,
Your sadness clearly shows.

Remember this, the world resists
The tenderness of Grace.
Right to the grave, it stays the slave
Trying to save a little face.

But with the hurt and the private fears,
There holds a hope choked up in tears,
That someone's loved you all these years,
Who wouldn't let you go.

So when surrounded by the sighs,
And lost in tired alibis,
When no one's home why don't you try
The One who loves you so.


one of these days i'll get around to writing but for now these lyrics will have to do lol

Love After All

Love in these days is a dangerous dream.
Lonely and crazed like a dying birds scream.
Broken in ways that are hard to redeem.
Love is a dangerous ...
Love in these times is a gamble at best.
On the front lines without a bulletproof vest.
Riddled with crimes that infect and infest.
Love is a gamble at best.

But still I believe in Love after all
Though to have it you'll bleed
To find it you'll fall
Every soul needs to be caught by its call
Caught by Love after all.

Love in this age is a lesson in tears.
Ruin by rage, fondled by fears.
Locked in a cage through these crucible years.
Love is a lesson in ...
Love in this place is a struggle of wills.
Some face to face some buried until,
They grow up a hate, no laughter can kill.
Love is a struggle of wills.

Love was a Word with fingers and toes.
A flesh and blood sword that cut us God knows.
An unlikely Lord on the throne of death throes.
That was love with fingers and toes.
Love is a heart broke open like bread.
Wine in a cup that's more than blood red.
Go on, drink it up, you're why it was shed.
Why love is broke open like bread.

Michael Kelly Blanchard