CCY CONNECT SEPTEMBER 2022 EDITION

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.” - Ephesians 5:25-27:

As Christian husbands, we need to strive to realize that God has given us a woman. He has not given you just any woman, He has given you His daughter that He loves so much. You are to lay down your life for her. This is not something to take lightly. If you lead her astray you will be held responsible. The husband is the spiritual leader and your wife and family are your greatest ministry. When you stand before the Lord you will say, “look Lord what I did with what you entrusted to me.”

“The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” - Genesis 2:18

What does it mean, “ I will make him a helper”. My belief is that she helps make me become a better Christian, helps me approach problems with wisdom, helps raise our children in Gods Word, and while we sometimes don’t like it, holds us accountable to our character.

“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times always with the same person.”

Christ can and should be the center of every marriage.

I am certainly not an expert on marriage by any means. I feel that it can be a fascinating adventure if it is built on a firm foundation of what God designed it to be.

1. Equally Yoked - First to be equally yoked is the best way to enter a commitment for life. 2 Corinthians 6:14-15. It is okay to be stronger in one area than the other because they will most likely be stronger in an area that you are not.
2. Communication, communication, communication is the key to all relationships. Such as teacher-student; sister-brother; boss-employee. Husband and wife is at the top of that list. Now understanding them is a work in progress.
3. Respect is another important thing to remember when you want to be respected. For example, let him/her finish their sentence before barking/speaking back. I have learned the hard way not to talk about them in a negative way to anyone. It will come back to bite you. Talking with your spouse about an issue is the only way to get a resolution. If it is an abusive or unfaithful partner, that will take an expert counselor and God to mediate those issues. The silent treatment never works either, but being slow to anger & slow to speak does and it explains this, James 1:19 (Helper)
4. Helpmate - Genesis 2:18 talks about God making Adam a "Helpmate" so he wouldn't be alone, so He must have thought, Adam was incomplete. As women, we are designed to assist our husbands. Give him moral support and encourage him. It is a real responsibility to help him make it to Heaven as he is to help me.
5. Courting - I know it is an "old fashion" term, it usually is something we most like to do, at the beginning of the relationship. It is a challenge at times because of time, money, etc, and it takes some effort on both sides. As a woman I know small things such as a love letter, bringing home candy to me or just a compliment, opening doors. Shall I go on? Sharing thought or ideas are just as important as intimacy with my spouse. Remember no one is a mind reader other than God. It is so discouraging when you hear the words, "Well I didn’t know!"
6. Forgiveness and Patience
7. Whoa - a two-for-one? Forgiving is a big deal. Matthew 6:14-15 "if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you". If you don't forgive neither will God forgive you. There are many patient lessons in both of these. Patience is by far harder for me. God said "Love is patient and Love is kind" so if I truly loved them, I should have it figured out, right? We are to rejoice in hope and be patient in tribulation, here is the kicker--- "Be constant in prayers" Romans 12:12
8. Humility: I am soon to be entering into a "lifelong commitment" with a Great man of God. I am not expecting perfection & hopefully, he is not either, only God is perfect. In our relationship, we have had some rough patches and we both are aware of more struggles, and trials to come. One thing we started doing early on was to hold hands & pray together. Listen to God when he tells us, "Your wrong" Work it out", and be forgiving" etc.
9. Love Bank: No not "Love Shack" Making those "Love deposits* into his/her “Love Accounts. Kindness, goodness, mercy, gentleness, grace, etc, and not overdrawn, empty inside. I have been a widow for over a year now and in the beginning stages of grief, I couldn't imagine getting married again. But, God knows me better than anyone else. He knows I needed a "Helper", an encourager, a companion & most of all a person that will help point me to Heaven.
10. Lastly is Commitment: We are soon to be newlyweds as I write this. We are both like a couple of teenagers waiting to become husband and wife. We are so excited about the new adventure that we are going to have together. Being older, we already know the struggles, trials, and temptations, "Rough patches". I would rather have those with someone who is committed to me than face them alone.

The Adventure Awaits!

Hi! I'm Melissa Wrona. I'm 44 years old, married to Mike, and have three kids: Garrett, Jaycie, and Hunter. We also have two step-kids: Storm and Destinie. We live in a modest home in Yukon, way too close to the city park come December. It's home to my husband, two kids, two loyal and slobbery dogs, one pretentious cat, three very spoiled hermit crabs, one anti-social betta fish, and me.

I have been attending CCY since it was in the other building with the very orange carpet. Pastor John married my first husband and me there. Pastor Ron then married my husband Mike and me in 2012. Sorry Pastor Clay, I am sure you do a wonderful job officiating but alas, we will have to carry on the tradition with one of the kids, no more marriages for this gal!

I love and have always loved CCY. Things may have changed over the years, but when you are here you just feel like you are with the family. Real people, doing life together. Leading Parent's Day Out at CCY was definitely a God thing. It seemed to all come together after some collaboration with Ms. Tori and Jennifer Parrett. Y'all, this church has some awesome community outreach programs and it is my vision for our Parent’s Day Out to be another one!

I am passionate about teaching children God’s love. I feel like it is never too early to plant those seeds in their heart. That is what I want to do at CCY Parent's Day Out, but I also want to minister to the needs of their families. Be the hands and feet of Jesus. Show the community just how wonderful our church is! I just see it as twofold, taking care of children and showing their families they too are loved and cared for by us.

The Bible says in Matthew 5 verses 14-16:

It is my prayer that this ministry prospers and that we may be a “light” to all who come our way. Please pray with me for the ministry, the teachers, the children, and their families.

If you know of a family in need of a Parent's Day Out program, please send them our website for details and registration.