STAGES IN MARRIAGE

Marriage has three stages. The first stage is called honeymoon and lasts about two years. This stage is very sweet, nice, and romantic. This is where you find names like honey, sweetheart, baby, and so on.

In this stage, everything is perfect. This is a stage where a man returns home and dumps his socks and shoes anywhere but in the morning, he will wake up and find them placed where they're supposed to be. This is where madam doesn't go to bed until you return home. She sits in the living room and receives all the mosquito bites waiting for you till you return, takes a shower, and enjoys supper. Even if you return at midnight, you find her waiting for you.

This first stage is beautiful with a lot of tolerance. This is a stage where at night while in bed, you release very toxic gas and your spouse instead apologizes. Remember, you have gassed but again he tells you, "Sorry darling, it's okay." This is unbelievable. Madam has gassed but to you, it's okay. Oh my God, this is sweet. Everything is just merry-making during this stage. In conclusion, enjoy this stage as much as we can.

The second stage lasts for ten years! This is where the honeymoon is over. This stage is red hot. During this stage, perhaps financial challenges have come in. You have given birth and the children are also disturbing you. Sometimes you are yet to give birth but really want to and the pressure on you is mounting from all corners. Landlords have become Landlords. There is a loss of employment. Things are just tight.

Life is hard in this second stage. The man who used to return home early now returns very late. Sometimes he doesn't even return home. There are suspicions of infidelity and cheating. You don't trust each other. You feel your spouse is cheating, and in fact, he or she is cheating. When you return home and leave your shoes outside, in the morning, you find them where you left them. Things are hot here.

This is a stage where at night, you release toxic gas and your partner asks what you ate during supper time yet you ate the same meals. He can even leave the bed and spend the night in the sitting room simply because you gassed. Imagine only gassing.

The second stage is hot. There are fights; spiritual, physical, and in all aspects. This is the stage where you reach the point of considering separating. Each spouse shows his or her true colors in this stage. A night dancer switches on the reggae mixes the music, and punches the baseline. Your relatives taste the greedy side of your wife.

Those who persevere and overcome this stage end up keeping their marriage till death does them part. However, very many hang up the towel in this stage. They quit. In conclusion, Those who are in this stage should fight a little longer, not hang up the towel. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Just a little longer and you are done with this heat.

Finally, there's the last stage. This comes after the ten red hot years. This last stage is lukewarm. It's neither cold nor hot. You gas at large and no one applauds you or complains. You have seen enough of each other. You have known each other's true colors.

In this stage, whatever your partner does no longer surprises you. If she quarrels, you just say that is the nature of this woman. If he is still late out in the night, you don't even bother to call since you know he will return. If she doesn't serve you food and you feel hungry, you just go and serve food otherwise, hunger hits you for nothing

This stage is not for disturbing one another. There is a lot of calmness and commands are few. This is where if you are watching TV with her in the sitting room and you feel thirsty, you don't send her to bring you drinking water but only wait when she's moving in the direction where there is water and you tell her if she is coming back, she can come along with some water. If she asks you to repeat what you just said, you have to pretend like you didn't say anything. All of a sudden, she shocks you and returns with drinking water. There is mutual respect in this stage. In conclusion, Those in this stage should just work for eternity.

Congratulation to those who are in this stage for, they have come from far.

Amen and amen

22 REASONS WHY YOU MUST PRAY THE ROSARY AS A TRUE CATHOLIC.

Rev. Fr. Alfred Agbonlahor.

1. In praying the ROSARY, you are privileged to honour Mary the TRUE MOTHER OF JESUS, THE ONE GOD ALMIGHTY HIMSELF HAS HONOURED.

2. In praying the ROSARY, you are privileged to use the very language of the Archangel Gabriel in praying.

3. In praying the ROSARY, you will be doing the very thing that notable saints of the church did to make heaven.

4. Praying the ROSARY, gives you a good platform for a thorough meditation.

5. Praying the ROSARY, gives you a good access to enjoy the unfailing Intercession of Mary the mother of Jesus.

6. Praying the ROSARY, identifies you as a true Catholic.

7. The ROSARY is the true prayer of the church.

8. Praying the ROSARY helps you to enjoy peace of mind and serenity of spirit.

9. Praying the ROSARY, helps you to follow the life of Christ from birth to his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven.

10. The ROSARY is a prayer that is very helpful during trials, temptations and tribulations.

11. Praying and meditating on the mysteries of the ROSARY, helps you to appreciate and better understand the salvific works of Jesus.

12. The ROSARY, is one weapon against the kingdom of satan.

13. Praying the ROSARY, is a sign of wisdom.

14. Praying the ROSARY enables you to enjoy unmeritted grace and favour especially when you are truly devoted to it.

15. Praying the ROSARY is a sign that you will go far and last in your Ministry.

16. One secret of marital peace is the family recitation of the ROSARY.

17. No one regrets ever praying the ROSARY.

18. The door of supernatural visitation is always opened for those who pray the ROSARY.

19. The grace of true perseverance is always granted to those who pray the ROSARY.

20. You touch the very heart of Mary the mother of Jesus whenever you pray the ROSARY.

21. Those who pray the ROSARY, are made partakers in the sublime grace that God the almighty father granted to the blessed virgin Mary.

22, Those who pray the Rosary will gain many indulgencecs for the remission of the punishment due to sin.

Rev. Fr. Alfred Agbonlahor, Spiritual Director of Friends of St. PADRE PIO and Catholic Intercessory Prayer Ministry International.

THE PRIEST WHO THOUGHT HE FAILED

The parish priest of a small town arrived at the church encouraged and motivated to perform another evening Mass, but the hour passed and the town did not come. After 15 minutes delay, three children entered, after 20 minutes two young people entered. So the priest decided to start the mass with the five people . Over the course of Mass, a couple came in who sat on the last benches of the church.

When the priest preached and explained the Gospel, another half-dirty person came in with a rope in his hand. Disappointed and not understanding the cause of the weak involvement of the faithful, the priest celebrated Mass with love and preached with enthusiasm and zeal.

On his way back home he was robbed and beaten by two thieves who carried his folder where his Bible and other valued belongings were. Arriving at the parish house, making the bandages of the wounds, described that day as:

The saddest day of my life, a failure of my ministry, and the most unfruitful day of my career; but... never mind, I do everything with God and for Him.

After five years, the priest decided to share this story with parishioners at church. When he was finished telling the story, a couple in that parish stopped him and said, ′′ Father, the couple in the story that sat at the back was us. We were on the brink of separation because of several problems and disagreements in our home. That night we finally decided to divorce, but first we decided to come to church one last time as a couple and then each one would follow their path. Meanwhile, we left the thought of divorce aside after listening to your homily that same night. As a consequence, today we are here with our home and family restored ".

As the couple spoke, one of the most successful entrepreneurs who helped in the livelihood of that church saluted, asking to speak and giving him the opportunity said, ′′ Father, I am the person who came in half dirty with a rope in my hand. I was on the verge of bankruptcy, lost in drugs, my wife and my kids had left home on account of my behavior. That night I tried to kill myself but the rope broke so I went out to buy another one. When I got on my way, I saw the church open, I decided to come in even though I was really dirty and had a rope in my hand. That night, your homily pierced my heart and I walked out of here a changed person. Today I'm off the drugs, my family came home and I became the most successful businessman in the town."

At the gate of the sacristy entrance, the Deacon shouted, ′′ Father, I was one of those thieves who stole your belongings. The other one died that same night while we were doing the second robbery. In his briefcase, there was a Bible. I read it every time I woke up in the morning. After all this reading, I decided to apply it to my life and participate in this church."

The priest was shocked and started crying along with the faithful. After all, that night he regarded as a night of failure was a very productive night.

MORAL OF THE STORY

Exercise your calling (work / mission) with dedication and zeal.

Give it your best every day, because you are an instrument of good for someone's life.

In the worst days of your life you can still be a blessing to someone else.

God can use the ′′ bad circumstances ′′ of a life to produce the best for others.

7 REASONS WHY DEGREE HOLDERS ARE POOR?

BASICALLY, there seven reasons why degree holders are poor.

*1. THEY DON’T THINK BEYOND THEIR CERTIFICATES*

Albert Einstein said, “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” Have you ever heard creativity term “Think outside the box”? One of the major reasons why most graduates are poor is simply because they can’t see and think beyond their certificates.

I have seen engineering students work as bankers. I have seen medical doctors with great skills in web and graphic designs. I have seen lawyers that are very dexterous with finances. The list is endless!

The basic truth of life is that the skills that are needed to be much sought after and become more successful in life are not really found within the walls of the classrooms. Your certificate is just a proof that you are teachable, it does not suggest what you are totally capable of doing. You are full of possibilities when you think beyond your degrees and certificates.

*2. THEY PRIORITIZE THEIR CERTIFICATES MORE THAN THEIR GIFTS AND TALENTS*

I have often advised some of my colleagues, never to leave their gifts dormant while pursuing and hunting for jobs with their certificates. There must be a complementary balance in the pursuit of your passion and in the search for jobs.

Everybody is gifted for something, but the winning edge comes from our ability to work on our gifts and bless the world with it. The very best way to develop yourself is in the direction of your natural talents and interest. In order to live a fulfilled and impactful life, we need to work harder on our gift than our job. We need to discover our gift, develop it, and sell it. Don’t bury your TALENT with your certificates.

*3. THEIR CERTIFICATES PREPARE THEM FOR A WORLD THAT NO LONGER EXIST*

It has been found that most of the skills taught in schools are becoming obsolete in the present world. The world has changed a lot, and so are people’s need! It is imperative to know that the present form of university education does not prepare students for the future.

Graduates are becoming endangered species in the face of a changing world. Our archaic methods and approaches of learning are preparing graduates for a world that no longer exist, as we are churning out degree holders every year with certificates that have face value but no intrinsic worth. Most learning institutions are filled up with lecturers and pseudo-educators with lecture notes, methods and approaches that have lost relevance in a changing world.

*4. THEY KNOW LESS ABOUT THEMSELVES BUT MORE ABOUT THINGS*

Certificates and degrees don’t reveal people to themselves; they at most measure our IQ (Intelligent Quotient). I have often tell people that there is no Recovery without Discovery. A poor man is simply someone that has not discovered himself.

The more you discover yourself, the more you realize the treasures that are hidden deep within you. We carry inside ourselves latent treasures that can only be unveiled through self-discovery.

*5. CERTIFICATES AND DEGREES CAN KILL INITIATIVES*

Degrees and certificates can close up your minds to ideas while initiatives open it up. If you are not careful, your degrees and certificates can close up your mind. The purpose of education is to keep your mind perpetually opened towards limitless possibilities!

Fred Smith saw an opportunity for overnight delivery of anything anywhere in the USA, and ultra- fast delivery anywhere in the world, FedEx was born. It will be interesting to know that Fred Smith got a grade “C” in a Yale economics class for an idea that the professor belittled as unworkable.

Fred Smith’s company became the first American business to make over ten billion dollars in annual profit. Beginning with just 186 packages delivered the first night, FedEx now delivers in over two hundred countries using over 6,030 aircraft, 46,000 vehicles and 141,000 employees.

*6. DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES POSITION YOU TO LOOK FOR JOBS AND NOT FOR OPPORTUNITIES*

Our certificates and degrees prepare graduates to look for jobs and not open our eyes to life-changing opportunities. You are not poor because you don’t have a job; you are poor because you are not seeing and seizing opportunities.

Being POOR is simply Passing Over Opportunities Repeatedly! What keeps people ahead in life is not their education or degrees, it is simply the opportunity that they seized. Jobs may be scarce but not opportunities.

As long as there is a problem to be solved, there will always be opportunities. It is a waste of our education, exposure, and experiences if after we graduate from school, all we think about is searching for a job. An enlightened and educated mind should be able to see and seize opportunities.

*7. CERTIFICATES AND DEGREES PREPARE PEOPLE TO LOOK FOR SECURITY AND NOT TO TAKE RISKS*

We must be willing to make mistakes and take breakthrough risks. Taking risks and learning from mistakes help us in knowing what works and what does not! When Thomas Edison was being questioned by a mischievous journalist on how he felt for having failed for 999 times before getting the idea of the light bulb, his response stunned the whole world when he confidently said, “I have not failed 999 times, I have only learned 999 ways of how not to make a light bulb”.

Many graduates and degree holders are becoming progressively poor because the skills required in the modern world to get rich are not taught in schools and institutions.

By 2025, we’ll lose over five million jobs to automation. This means that future jobs will look vastly different by the time many people graduate from the university.

*Future jobs will involve KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION/CREATION* and innovation, and people that are only equipped with skills found in the classroom will definitely be a misfit in an ever-changing world. Skills like critical thinking, creativity, people’s skill, STEM skills (e.g Coding), complex problem-solving skills etc. are central to living a more comprehensive and productive life.

*8 THEREFORE,* in conclusion, My humble and candid advice to graduates and students in institutions is to think wide, deep and outside the box. Take volunteer jobs, and don’t be afraid to navigate fields that are different from your field of learning. Your future career will require you to pull information from many different fields to come up with creative solutions to future problems.

Start by reading as much as you can about anything and everything that interests you. Once you get to college, consider double majoring or minoring in completely different fields. Trust me, it’ll pay off in the long run.

Don’t limit yourself to the classroom. Do something practical. Take a leadership position. Start a business and fail; that’s a better entrepreneurship. Contest an election and lose. It will teach you something political science will not teach you. Attend a seminar. Read books outside the scope of your course.

Think less of becoming an excellent student, but think more of becoming an excellent person. Don’t make the classroom your world, but make the world your classroom. Step forward and try something extra.

Invest in something you believe! Real financial security and freedom is not in your job, but in your passion, gifts, talents, and your ability to see and seize opportunities.

What a wife desire from her husband

By Evang Okechi Iwunze .

*What WIFE desire from her Husband but unable to say it?*

_1 Peter 3:7 husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers._

She needs attention and unwavering support from her Man bcos it's her driving energy to do better. She wants her Man to openly show to others that she is special & irreplaceable that can't accept competition.

She needs her Man to be considerate with his marital and submission demands as pertaining to her.

She desires her Man to be capable to protect and defend her good interest from third party molestation or criticism from whomever and whatever reasons.

No matter how intelligent, strong-willed independent and confident any woman may be, she desires her Man to stand up as her Guardian Angel that understand her good interests and motives more than anyone else and ever ready to protect it.

She desires to be treated with respect not maltreated with despise or deceits. Above-mentioned are real love making that touched woman's soul as Desired Wife not always about how many Marital sex rounds per night?

Then she will go to any length with compassionate heart to tear gate of hell to destroy Counsel of the enemy and make heaven to be opened for her husband breakthrough because such husband had touched most precious part of her soul.

She looks forward to chat, gist, crack joke and laugh with her husband over everything that happened around her and at home whether it's interesting or not.

Just listening, available and patient husband that cares about what she is about to talk about without making her feel less important.

You as a Woman, does your present disposition, attitudes, marital humility and deeds deserve or inspire attention from your Man.

Do you always respect and honour your husband's headship deeply enough to break down his emotional arrogance that humbly demand for such marital right.

It takes two to tangle in marital love and respect, no matter the excuses. Though some men don't feel comfortable to display such love and affection to their Women yet he loves and faithful to her as his wife.

If any woman is Married to husband that can't give her enough attention though faithful then she must walk in understanding to help him feel comfortable to display love tendencies.

She must learn to use her complete respect and submission as the neck to wisely rotate her headship to understand her inner emotional needs with long patience and understanding not through nagging and ceaseless complaint that do more harm than good in marriage.

Nevertheless, Wife, how appreciative are you of that little attention, little love and respect that you've received so far from your husband to deserve more attention and Love?

Appreciate every little gestures of love, attention and Faithfulness shown by your husband because it's not easy for struggling man in needs to create quality time for such romances due to many distractions here and there.

I pray that more grace shall be added to every Marriage to be worthy of our marital duty in Jesus mighty name.

 

KILLERS OF MARRIAGE

· Laziness kills marriage

· Suspicion kills marriage

· Lack of trust kills marriage

· Lack of mutual respect kills marriage

· Unforgiveness kills marriage (Forgiveness is not optional but mandatory)

· Arguments kills marriage

· Keeping secrets from your spouse kills marriage

· Every form of infidelity kills marriage (financial, emotional, psychological, material, etc)

· Poor communication kills marriage

. Lies easily kills marriage, be sincere to your spouse in every aspect.

· Relating more with your parents than your spouse kills marriage

· Lack of, inadequate or unenjoyable sex kills marriage.

· Nagging kills marriage

· Too much talk and careless talk kills marriage

· Spending less or little time with your spouse kills marriage

· Being too independent minded kills marriage

· Love for party, money and spending/

partying kills marriage

· Exposing the inadequacies of your spouse to your parents or siblings kills marriage

· Not being steadfast/fervent in the spirit kills not only marriage but your life

· Spurning correction and reprimand kills marriage.

· Always wearing a sad face and being moody kills marriage.

· FEMINISM ADVOCACY kills marriage.

· Uncontrolled or hot temperament kills marriage.

· Not understanding your role and position in marriage as instituted by God kills marriage.

· Not being sensitive to the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of your spouse kills marriage

· When anything threatens the position/

security of a wife, her reaction(s) will be detrimental to her marriage.

· Lack of the knowledge of the word of God kills marriage.