A favorite of mine was told to me by my children's elementary school principal. He said that in his first year of marriage an older gentleman who had been married for over 50 years asked him if he knew the perfect percentage in marriage. My friend answered, "50/50." The older gentleman replied, "Nope. 100 and 0." My friend pushed back, "No. I give 50 percent and she gives 50 percent. That's a solid marriage." The older gentleman smiled and gently said, "But we always score ourselves better than we should. Throw away the scorecard. Give 100% and expect nothing in return. It's the expectation that stops us." Isn't that what God's unconditional love is all about? He pours out 100% to us through Jesus whether we even thank Him. However, as we begin to be filled with His perfect love, we begin to pour it out to others. 100% and 0%. No expectations. Just love.

We are not alone. The Holy Spirit is within us, but we also are brothers in Christ. It is an incredible privilege to pray for each other. Imagine what the Spirit will do through our prayers. We will rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn, and be united in the unbreakable bonds of the Holy Spirit. Please share the prayers on your heart, and let's be sure to check back regularly for prayer updates and new requests.

The Word of God is alive! The Spirit renews us, heals us, encourages us, convicts us, and restores us when we open the Sword of the Spirit with love, humility, and a desire to learn. We invite you to share some of your favorite Bible passages and how the Lord has blessed you through them.

When we learn to laugh, even at ourselves, Satan loses power. This is a place for funny ministry stories, where we can laugh together, learn to not take ourselves so seriously, and connect with each other at a healing level. The Holy Spirit can work miracles through authenticity. He blesses us with peace and joy.

We invite you to take a look at the other threads. If there is something on your mind that you don't think would fit anywhere else, please post it here. We are interested to hear what's on your mind.