b'LOVE STORIES . continued from page 12 SCRIPTUREand my wife stood through the stormsTheylookatmepuzzled.ItisaI AMin bringing together a blended family.simple answer. He died for the church. But one thing we have done is to liveI say that because the husband needs the life we preach. to do whatever is necessary to intrigue He further goes on to say, Our life- his wife. During the dating process, we styleshowshowmuchweloveoneputourbestfootforwardthenafterBy Sis. Carrieanother and interact with one another.marriage, we even forget we had a foot-We are an example to other couples ining. That is why today there are more divorcesinthechurchthaninthe the church who have been dating fivesecular world, he explains. H ave you ever asked yourself who years and now want to get married. AM I , then you look around and So what is the key to having a suc- When it comes to submission, lookyou answer yourself, well let\'s see who cessfulmarriage?OnethingalltheatSarahwhocalledAbrahamLord.I am. 1. I am Blessed - in the name of pastors agree on is to put God frontBut it did not say he ruled over her, itJesus, no weapon formed against me and center in your lives. was done out of respect. shall prosper. 2. I am healed. In the If God is not the foundation and thePastorsandtheirfirstladieswillbook of Isaiah 53. 5,"with his stripes foundation is not set correctly, what- alwayshaveaspecialbondbecauseI am healed". 3. I am Free to Praise ever you build on top of that will fall,theyaretheleadersinthechurch.God. 4. I am on God\'s side, He has me states Pastor Jones. After that com- They share many years together, beenin the hands of his son Jesus and no munication is essential. blessed,beenfruitfulandmultiplied,one can pluck me out. 5. I am debt PastorBobbyJacksonagrees,and continue doing Gods work. It isfree, I owe no man and no man owes Communication is the key. You needevidentaccordingtoMark10:9thatme. In the name of Jesus, I am living to talk about your feelings, talk aboutsays, Therefore what God has joinedan abundant life. yourdreamsanddesires.Andkeeptogether, let not man put asunder. In the book of Psalms 72: 7, "In his your past relationships in the past. Sowhenyouaskthemaskthemdays shall the righteous flourish; andMake sure the key reason for get- what is the best thing they like aboutSister Carrieting married is love. Love is an emo- their spouse, it may surprise you.tion. And love can swing from the rightMy wife is a very giving and gener-totheleft,addsRev.JulesSmith.ousperson,PastorFrankJonesisabundanceofpeacesolongasthe ThebiblesaysyouhavemadethatadamantinsayingaboutFirstLadymoon endureth."Let\'s take a look at vowandcommitmenttoeachother,Tywanna Jones. And God said untoExodus3.11,"AndMosessaidunto youre also making that vow and com- First Lady Tywanna Jones did revealGod, Who am I, that I should go unto mitment to the Lord. thatshestillhasntgottenusedtoMoses, I AM THATPharaoh, and that I should bring forth Pastor Jovetia Watson also express- her husbands sense of humor to thisthe children of Israel out of Egypt?"14. es, Its about being equally yoked withday. But joking aside, she says whatI AM: and he said,And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT your spouse. God has to be the centershe loves the most about him is, HisI AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say of everything. engagingpersonalityandkindnessThus shalt thou sayunto the children of Israel, I AM hath that makes me smile. sent me unto you".ManyofteninterpretdifferentlyOver 50 years of being together, Rev.unto the children ofThe Son of God tells us in Revelation Jules Smith smiles and says the best1:18,"Iamhethatliveth,andwas Colossians 3:18-19, which says Wivesthing about his first lady is, She putsIsrael dead; behold, I am alive for evermore, submit to your husband as it is fittingup with me. Amen; and have the keys of hell and in the Lord. Husband love your wivesIknowhelovesmeuncondition- of death." That\'s who I am because I and do not be harsh with them. ally, says First Lady Ida Gice Smithbelieve in the words that God has spo-First Lady Tywanna Jones said sheandlooksadoringlyatherhusband.ken, He is still the I AM.used to joke about her wedding vowsHe has never turned his back on me and say she wasnt going to say sheor left me for any period of time. I am would obey her husband. just grateful for the love and affection But in all seriousness, submissionhe has for me.takesstrength.IttakesstrengthtoFirstGentlemanJayHolestonof know the divine order. Being submis- JordanA.M.E.saysthebestthing sive to my husband, a man of God, isabout his wife is, I am convinced on also being submissive to God. how much she truly loves me and that Pastor Jones elaborates more on thesays a lot.bible that speaks about divine order.Hiswife,PastorJovetiaWatson, When a man marries a woman, theloveshowherhusbandnevermeets orderhasbeenestablished.Inoura stranger and is truly a person who household,thefirstladydoesntrundoesntseecolor.HeseesJesusin anythingandIdontrunanything.people, she states.We let God run our household. But ifPastorBobbyJacksonhadalready there comes up a disagreement, thentold his wife that when they get older, the first lady will allow my decision totheyaregoingtohavethatrocking be the overriding decision. Of course,chair lovenext to each other in their I am not going to do anything to hurtrocking chairs holding hands. And he her or my family. People forget that incomments, If she locks me out of the Ephesians21:5alsosays,wearetohouse,Iwilljustclimbthroughthe submit ourselves to each other. window. If she goes into another room, First Lady Ida Gice Smith grew upI will follow her.with wonderful parents as role models.Whathedoeslovethemostabout Sheevenlearnedfromwatchingherhis wife is her forgiving spirit. husbands parents. His father was theFirst Lady Terry Jackson admits her pastor of the church and his motherhusband is not only a loving, kind man was the first lady and was side by sidebut how much he prays for others.herhusbandhelpinghimwithhis ministry. He is not selfish. Someone can walk Shebelievesbeingsubmissiveisin off the street and he will come out of misunderstoodtodayamongyoungerhis pocket (to help them with whatever generations. they need).People really dont know each otherWell, there you have it as these pas-and decide they want to become one.torshaveshowntheircongregation ItsnotbecauseGodhasbroughtandcommunitywhatLOVEreallyis themtogether,butthingsandsitu- andclearlyoutlinedinICorinthians ationshavebroughtthemtogether,13:4-8.comments the first lady of Rising Star.Love is patient, Love is kind. It does Alsowomenaremoreindependentnot envy. It does not boast. It is not now. So they dont feel the need to stayproud.Itdoesnotdishonorothers, inarelationshipbecauseofchildrenitisnotself-seeking,itisnoteasily and housing. angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Pastor Bobby Jackson who counselsLove does not delight in evil but rejoic-couples before they get married alwayses with the truth. It always protects, asksthemthisonequestion:Whatalwaystrusts,alwayshopes,always did Christ do for the church? perseveres.BODY OF CHRIST NEWS FEBRUARY 2020 13'