"Master, Mission, Mate" Summary of Book

Ch. 1: It's Not Your Idea
Ch. 2: The Wrong Way
Ch. 3: The Right Way
Ch. 4: Master
Ch. 5: Mission
Ch. 6: Mate
Ch. 7: Take A Nap
Ch. 8: Get A Leash
Ch. 9: Hold On
Ch. 10: Go

Summary: Know that your way is a mistake. It's all wrong. Graves says, "Do yourself a favor, establish yourself with Christ before you try to establish yourself with someone else." He continues, "If you need a mate, God will bring you a mate." Remember those times when you are most anxious or excited.

I think about Christmas presents. Well, I still get excited when I see my name on a box. And I do keep looking at it wondering what is in it. I have all these fantasies of what it is. I ask to open them before Christmas, but to no avail. And when it's time to actually open the presents, whether the present is awesome, or not so awesome, you lose interest after awhile.

Why? Because that was not a present used to glorify God. You get those presents you love. And you use that to glorify God. Last year, my sister bought me a shirt that I wore on my album cover. It's an attractive shirt to the eye, so I used it's visual appeal to welcome you to hold the CD.

(Next thought)

It hit me what it meant when David was a man after God's own heart. Jeremiah 17:9 explains that our heart is wicked above all things. That is scary to know that the most wicked thing in us keeps us alive. But being after God's heart certainly will keep us alive, and His heart is pure. Knowing this, don't search for a mate, rather be busy doing God's will. If you don't know what God's will is, ask.

God will give the green light who your mate is. And when you see the green light, DON'T GO JUST YET! Be cautious. Draw some lines. Determine how far you're going to go in showing affection to that brother or sister. Remember that you don't want to cause anyone to stumble. Paul talks about that in 1 Corinthians. He wouldn't even eat meat if it would cause his brother or sister to fall. So, we must love everyone as family, and treat our mate as family until marriage.

Graves gives a great analogy using poison ivy. "It's like you've contracted poison ivy and you know it's completely irrational and illogical to keep scratching-because scratching won't make it go away-but you can't seem to stop. You give in to the urge and scratch that itch, get a brief-BRIEF-bit of gratification, and then the itch spreads and the urge to scratch increases. Horrible isn't it? It's just like sin. I think that may be why poison ivy exists, so that we could get a good picture of the nature of sin."

So don't allow your family to fall. Graves says, "I maintain a strong conviction that every single person ought to live their life as though they were already committed to a life partner-because you are. If your Father has called you to marriage, then you already belong to someone. Even if you don't know who you're being unfaithful to, you're still being unfaithful."

I'll wrap this book in three steps:

1) Know first your Master, and begin to understand how great and wide and deep is His love for you.

2) Realize your purpose and mission, and gain an understanding of how a life partner fits into that purpose and mission.

3) Then and only then will you meet the one the Lord Jesus has intended for you since before you first drew breath.

To close, abide in this truth Pastor Ken Graves said in the last page of this book, "When you love someone, you look out for them."

To everyone, God bless you and understand that I love you all. Muah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!