H O P E = Hold On... Pain Ends.

Lately, I've been standing in the gap in prayer for some friends' marriages.  Satan seems to be doing a lot of work lately attacking people that I care about, and all I can do is watch (and pray), and offer support (and pray), and cry (and pray), and, to be honest, there's been a lot of cursing (but more praying).  In searching for some words of wisdom, I once again found myself at the Momastery website.  I LOVE this article from Glennon Doyle Melton:  http://momastery.com/blog/2015/04/03/easter-story/ .

So if your marriage is under attack... or even if not, I strongly encourage you to GO.  NOW.  to read her Easter story.  Be sure you read the Post-Script... and even the comments... Satan has been busy, but God always wins.

Easter blessings to you,
♥ Mags

I Found God in My Husband...

Yesterday, marked the anniversary of 14 years of marriage for me and my "King Charming," David. I have been blessed with a husband who is a noble and honorable man... one who stands firm in his convictions, but who also yields when it is in the best interests of the family (or his sanity!). One who provides for our family and models the type of man I want my sons to emmulate. I am lucky, for sure, and I thought I'd share just a few of the lessons I've learned from him...

1. Don't Waver On Your Faith - When David and I got married, I was VERY resistent to going to church. But David was patient and steadfast - he quietly followed my initial "one week on - one week off" rule regarding our church attendance, but continued his own growth with men's classes on the side. He encouraged me to pick up more responsibility at our church - even joining me in helping in the nursery and such. When I came time to find a new church closer to our home, he valued my opinions and insight on the various places we visited. We've had some spirited discussion on many "hot" topics: homosexuality, abortion, etc. - and his point of view has always been backed by Biblical teachings. He has never let society and their "rules" interfere with what he knows to be True from the Bible. One's faith is critical - you have to know WHAT you belief... and more importantly, you have to know WHY you believe it so you can explain it to others. David knows his stuff ... and he can share it with others so that they can understand too. God loves the pure-hearted and well-spoken; good leaders also delight in their friendship. - Proverbs 22:11 (Msg)

2. Know when to bend. You know how we had to put our beloved dog, Clifton, down last month? "THE PLAN" was to wait a year (or at least across a summer) before getting a new one. I was on board with THE PLAN... when we had an infirm dog already and taking a break seemed like a good idea.... but about 12 hours after having "no dog," I realized that I hated not having a dog in our house...!! And 36 hours later, I had found a new dog on the Columbus Cocker Rescue site! Needless to say, David was flabbergasted - he was not on this "NEW PLAN" of mine - but he came to realize how important getting a new dog was to me. He put his own wants and needs aside for me - gave up his plan and accepted the new plan... for me... because he loves me, and in this instance, he could be the bigger person and B E N D.

3. Leave the baggage behind. Everyone has baggage in their life... sometime small bags that are easily discarded and forgotten... but sometimes BIG baggage that sits in the foyer of your lives forever - unable to be emptied, recycled, trashed, or wiped from memory. But one's circumstances or past does NOT have to dictate your whole life - The past may have shaped who you are TODAY... but it does NOT have to dictate who you will be tomorrow. David refuses to let old family stuff impact our kids or our family. He steps up and protects our core family from the baggage that could infect another generation. It's not easy - and I so admire him for that!

4. Have fun with your family. ... And on the 7th day, God rested... David takes time to play with the family... We see movies, he wrestles with the kids, he coaches their sports teams, he co-leads the Scouts. He shows our kids all the time that they are important to him and that they matter. Sure, he's got work... and lots of it! But he's not ALL about work - and the kids know that THEY are more valuable to him than work.

5. Love your spouse. Proverbs 6:17-20 (Msg) reminds us to "never take love for granted." David brings me flowers... not just on a birthday or anniversary... but "just because." He once went out a 9:45PM (10 minutes before Best Buy would close) to buy me a security cable for my laptop before we left on vacation because he knew I really wanted (needed?!) one for our trip. He takes care of our cars (you have to change the oil??) - our home (what's a furnace filter?) - and our money (with help from Dave Ramsey). He's endured more than one craft show, the nightmarish rubber stamp convention, the garrish Rennassance Festival, and the American Girl Doll Store (and we don't even have a daughter!). This man SHOWS me over and over... daily... that he loves me and our family.

Thanks, Sweetie... for your everyday life lessons... ♥

I Found God At A Wedding...

See the sign? Isn't that so true?!

You ever notice that we invite God... even drag him, sometimes, to a wedding... with all of the "Love is patient, Love is kind" readings... the hymns or Godly songs... the pastors... the churches...

And then...

AFTER the vows are said,

and the toasts are made,

and the songs are played,

and the cake is cut,

and the gifts are opened,

(or returned!),

we FORGET and try to navigate this incredibly new and tough adventure called MARRIAGE all alone?!?!

We may attend church - we may even be "Christian" - but have we asked God to come INTO our marriage? To help, to counsel, to temper arguements, to provide advice (the Bible), to strengthen, to listen... do we ask Him into our marriage at all??

Last year, my husband and I attended "A Weekend To Remember" - a Christian Marriage Retreat sponsored by Family Life. Our marriage wasn't in any "trouble" - but we had good friends who had gone a few times and couldn't stop talking about it. Still, I was skeptical... what would this weekend be all about?!?! Could I really endure 3 days of Bible-beating sermons? What had I gotten myself into?!

I shouldn't have worried...it was fantastic! It was a weekend with witty and FUNNY speakers, open communication between my husband and I, and a date night! - It was kid-free, work-free, stress-FREE! And it focused on just my husband and me and what things we can do to strenghten our marriage, our faith, and our lives. One of my personal favorite passages (and one that was read at my own wedding!) is Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12 (New Living Translation):

Two people are better off than one,

for they can help each other succeed.

If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.

But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm.

But how can one be warm alone?

A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated,

but two can stand back-to-back and conquer.

Verse 13 adds this in:

Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

What if you imagined that "3rd" person being GOD?

How much stronger could the cord of your marriage be if you allowed God to be the 3rd rope? If you asked Him to weave Himself into your lives and your marriage? Any marital problems you may have will not "magically" disappear - but you will share this immense and complicated task called "marriage" with the Lord... THE LORD!... who you invited to the marriage ceremony and who is more than willing to join you and your spouse step-by-step, walking side-by-side with you... a third strand in your marriage cord... making you all the stronger. Invite Him over! He'll be an excellent houseguest, for sure! :)

Take care of you this week!
:) Mags

Sign graphic courtesy of http://members.tripod.com/~charmer51/images/bbintro.html - THX!