September 28, 2008 – Write From Karen

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October 28, 1987

Dear 22-year old self,

You have just started the bank. Congratulations! This means you’ve taken a HUGE step forward in your financial career (of course, that will fizzle out shortly after you have your first child but we’ll talk about that later).

The sexy guy you now work with? The blonde hunk in the drive-thru? Guess what. You’re going to marry him. I KNOW! How cool is that, right? He’s smart, funny, fun to be around and he will end up being your best friend and the best thing that ever happened to you.

But first. You will live together for two years – a trial marriage, if you will. Your family will not approve. But you’ve lived your life on your own terms at this point in your life, why change?

Those two years will be great – one big party. You’re going to get married on May 26, 1990. And you will use your student loan to help pay for it. (Don’t freak out, it’s really the only option you will have at the time).

It will be a small and intimate wedding, only about 75 people will be there. Don’t be depressed – that’s all you ever wanted, you just don’t know it yet. Your best friend Melissa will be your matron of honor and your husband’s best friend, Alvin, will be your best man. Your mom will make your wedding dress and it will be beautiful. You will look and feel radiant.

You will be late to your own wedding. You spend way too much time at a friend’s house getting your hair done. This will make your future husband very nervous and he will think you backed out.

But you arrive (fashionably late) and you will get stressed out trying to dress and look your best.

But once you start walking down that aisle on your father’s arm, your nervousness will dissipate and suddenly, you’ll feel like laughing because it truly is the happiest day of your life. You have no doubts – none. You know this is the man for you.

I hate to spoil the actual wedding for you, but I will tell you this – you will barely remember your vows because you will be distracted by the fact that you are getting ready to fly off together to a remote island (Cozumel, Mexico) and that you will no longer be alone in life, but part of a couple.

And you and your future husband will giggle together because you have a strange sixth sense when it comes to knowing what the other one is thinking.

Life will be very good for several years. You will have two boys and though it will freak you out that you’re a mother, you’ll adjust.

One word of caution: 1997 and 1998 will be very tough on your marriage. You will need to do a lot of soul searching; you will need to grow up. For though you may deny it now, you are, and will be, very immature.

You’ve been warned.

For now, enjoy your youth. Enjoy your journey – it will be a great adventure.

Read part one, part two, part three, or part four.

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

From the Bible Study Guide

Study Means Study

There is a reason people can read the Bible for years and never see its great truths: they never really study it. There is a huge difference between just reading and actual study. Successful college students, and to a lesser extent High School students, have to learn to study books to the end that they learn the material and remember what they learned. The Bible is, among other things, a book of history, so let’s use the example of a college student studying a history book.

The diligent history student will carefully read his textbook and usually underline important passages or use highlighters to emphasize the main points. He will reread passages that are unclear, and work to understand what the author is saying. He will probably make notes, either in the book or in a separate notebook, or both, and pay attention to dates, numbers, people’s travel, relationships (such as who is married to whom, who are friends or enemies), births, deaths, and other important information. If he does not understand a word he will use a dictionary, and if he needs to know more about a person or place he will use an encyclopedia. He will think about whether or not what he is reading makes sense, and if it does not, will try to figure out why, eventually arriving at an understanding of the material. He will review his notes and strive to remember what he has read. He may even make flash cards to help him remember important people, dates, or events.

Very few Christians read the Bible that way, but we should. The Bible is not a shrine, but a tool for godliness, so we Christians should feel free to make notes, highlight or underline verses, and make any annotation that will help us in our efforts to be like Christ. In fact, now that many versions of the Bible are available on computers, it is easy to print out a book of the Bible and write all over it in order to gain greater understanding without being afraid of ruining an expensive Bible. For example, someone interested in the development of the early Church might print out a copy of Acts, then highlight the people with one color, the places with another, the healings with a third, the sermons with a fourth, the confrontations with a fifth, and so on, while at the same time tracking people’s movements in the Bible Atlas. Someone who studies the Bible with that kind of detail will learn it a lot faster than someone who just sits in an easy chair and reads it, often forgetting what he just read.

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If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page.

Next week, part six. Thank you for visiting and God bless.