Couples Friends

It is a blessing to have couples friend like Tony, Bisho , Shady, Mercy and the new addition to the church family Kevin and Cristin.
It is so important to have this kind of friendship that provide help, counseling and support.
We took Kevin and Cristin to Providence where we meet with Bassem and Miray and the new wed Nancy and Ramy. It was so much fun to go out with them and enjoy their company. Again, It is a blessing.

1 on 1 with Sarah Mae

Let me first start off this post by stating what a pleasure and honor it is to have Sarah the author of great blog titled "Like a Warm Cup of Coffee". I first came across her blog by a chance. I have to say that my first impressions of her blog was like sitting down with a friend and have a great conversions over a warm a cup of coffee.

Even with living so far away, having Sarah on my blog, I felt she is sitting a across from me and chatting like we are face to face. Lets just get to it and find more about Sarah.

Sarah Mae, Tell us about your self? "Hmmm...deep thinking, sensitive, driven, passionate, authentic, in-love-with Jesus, goofball."

If you can summerize Sarah Mae in one word, what would it be and why? "Transparent. I'm not good at the whole "mysterious" thing. I'm pretty much an open journal, with words written in pen that can't be erased. I try to be authentic in everything I do and all of who I am...weaknesses laid bare and all (as you well know if you read my blog!)"

Why did you start blogging and how do you find time for it? "I started blogging in 2007 with a personal family blog. In May of 2008 I decided I wanted to write "for an audience." I wanted to build a community of women that were doing the whole mommy, wifey, womanhood thing where we could learn together on this pilgrimage. Time? Haha...yea, that's a tough one. I mainly write in the evening when my kiddos go to bed, usually around 7:30pm."

What inspires you, and how do you come up with ideas for your blog? "I am inspired by Jesus, coffee, wild blue skies and everyday life! As for ideas, they usually come to me at night once I lay down in the quiet, usually when I'm praying. Sometimes the force is so strong that I just have to get back up and write. I process what I'm learning and growing in through my blog."

In your blog, you wrote 100 things about you? Since then, do you have any more to add, or would you feel to take any off? "It's funny you ask because of this: #70. No, I'm not pregnant. 71. That I know of. Hehe, turns out I was!"

Congratulations. Now, if there is any advice you would like to give to newly wed, what it would be? "Be a servant to one another...fight the good fight, don't give up when things get tough. Don't spend alone time with someone of the opposite sex. Husband, love your wife sacrificially as Jesus loves the church. Wife, respect your husband (even when you don't feel it). "

I always say, that marriage with difficulties, is a living marriage. What are your thoughts? "What I know is this, marriage is difficult. You will have seasons of abundant refreshment and seasons of drought. It will not stay "living" without Jesus at the center, and selflessness surrounding it."

You have a series of posts with the title Motivate me Mondays, let me ask you.. what makes you wake up every morning and strive to be the good wife and the better person that God's seeks? "I am a willing slave of Jesus Christ. If it were not for Him, I would have no hope. His grace sustains me and pushes me on each day. His goodness and gentle leading encourages my spirit when the everyday wrestles with my motivation. He is...everything to me."

What is the current book you are reading? "Well, I just got finished with Passionate Housewives Desperate For God. My current devotional is Chuck Swindoll's, "Come Before Winter" and it is excellent."

That was a great conversion Sarah, I really enjoyed it. I believe that we as a couple at zcouple.com learn alot from you and from your blog.

I thank the Lord for you, and your passion to continue following the truth. I also thank you for willing to be a guest on my blog and encourage me as a blogger. I really enjoyed chatting with you and it is refreshing to have a conversion with you.

At the end, I leave you with a small video from Sarah by Sarah...

Vacation Time to the Mother Land

I am  going to be away abroad for the next two weeks. I didn't visit Egypt for a long time. It is 12 years to be exact.  I am super excited about the trip. I ask you to keep me in your prayers.

The hotel in Sharme

The hotel at night
This is Alexandria

Luxor
Cairo
Cairo

Couples: What is your time of death?

Did I get your attention yet? See my death time is June 7th 2008 4:25 pm. Since then and my death is a process that just started but yet to continue.

In the the Firproof movie, Caleb didn't know that he is wrong. he was looking only to her mistakes.
the love dare is teaching us to lose ourselves in order to win what is important.
Jesus did the same, he sacrificed himself to win us. We are important to him.

In my post Do hard thing... understand it is worth it to let go of those hard things in order to win what is more important than those hard things.
The movie of Fireproof says, "you don't value something until you invest in it."

Caleb confessed that he loved other things, where he should been loving his wife.
Now let me ask you, do you love yourself more than your partner? And more than your marriage?
if you want tomato, you need to plant tomato seeds, so you need to break yourself to win it.
We learn from our society, to win, how about saying sorry. isn't sorry is a form of dying, self dying.
some time we fight trying to prove that the other person is wrong, instead of trying to resolve the matter.
Did you check your motives during or before your last fight with your partner. What was the purpose of your fight? Was it simply trying to prove him or her wrong.

See God's well for us is to die and seek his well. God well for us is to not ask what it is for ourselves.
When we get married, we tend to think that our partner is there to make us happy and that is marriage. But, how many times, we forget that we are their to make our partners happy as well.

See, if you died lately, it would be easy for you to make that special person in your life happy.
Remember, he or she isn't spacial because of who he or she is, it is because of what you think of him or her. Realize that your marriage is selfless covenant and is the date to celebrate the death of you and your partner in order to make ONE out of the TWO of you. Have a Humble Pie today.

Are you a Submarine?

This is the Cherry tree at my work parking lot. Every spring it flowers so pretty. I can only say that this tree been here for ever. Just look at its root. Every SPRING, I go and take a picture of it.
It is amazing how the season changes and how God is great.



Click Slide Show to see it in full screen. It is so pretty
This Past Sunday, I was teaching my middle Sunday school class about how we are living in the presence of God all the time as we walk this earth. That His work is every where. As result, we should live the fine line of pride and humbleness. Proud to belong to such great God and humble as we don't deserve to belong to him, but is his mighty grace we wanted us more than any thing.

More than 10 year ago, I heard that comment from a preacher, who said, many of us act like submarines, who are under the water for so long and only come out once a while they are out of food. He said that we are under the world all week long and only realize God presences as we enter the church on Sundays. We need to see God in every thing around us. The flowers, the sun, the rain, the snow, the seasons, the heat, the cold, and every thing.

Here is the Video I used during my Sunday school class.



Now, share with me and others how you see God around you... link below.

Churchy Flowers at the door steps

Last week, I noticed those new flower plantation around the outside of the church. It was a sign of the spring is in town. But this year was different. I noticed what Mary Baheg did. She not only taking care of the flowers, but she also inserted those verses in each one of them.

I didn't know how to think of them, or how the idea came to her but I liked it.
I didn't want to ask her about them, since I wanted to think about them for a bit and see what influence of the thoughts might have on me.
One of the things I did think of was how small things matter if you did it was a humble heart and with purpose in mind.

I think that the verses were put there with a purpose in mind. It also made the flowers even more meaningful and prettier. God is good in every way and I am sure he does appreciate all these small touches.

I also thank God for making me notice those small things, it makes me feel his presence is every where around us.

Margherita Pizza

It become a habit and a hobby to cook together once a week. I only can see it as benefit for couples to do. It does draw us close to each other and help us even communicate much more. We both enjoy it so much.
We followed the recepits found on Delish website.

I would love for you to leave us a comment with what you have cooked this past week..