Titus 2 Tuesday - Contentment

Here we are at another Titus 2 Tuesday! It is easy to join in-just answer the question below:

What have learned from another woman this week? (or ever)

Enter your link below and link back to this post!


Today I am choosing to honor my friend, Susan. She is a beautiful and true friend who I can learn many things from; but the thing that she is modeling so amazingly to me right now is true contentment and genuine faith in God's provision. Her husband is a wonderful, hard working man. Who, like many, does not have a lot of work right now. She is pregnant with their fourth precious child.

It has been such a blessing to watch her stay at peace amidst challenging times. There are two verses that have taken on a richer meaning to me as I watch Susan:

Philippians 4:12 "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (NIV)

Isaiah 43:10 "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (KJV)

Susan, you are a beautiful and generous woman and I am blessed to have you in my life.

Who would you like to honor today? Simply write a Titus 2 Post including a link back here so your readers can enjoy other amazing Titus 2 Women and enter your link below!

Marital Moments Issue 22 - 100th Post!

It is timely that my 100th post is on a Marital Moment day. I began this blog awhile ago because I felt God prompting me to start one. Honestly, I barely knew what a blog was and didn't know if I wanted to put my thoughts and heart out here on the internet for anyone to read. I have been through a lot in my life. I have learned so much along the way and God has opened my eyes and heart to see Him in the everyday, ordinary parts of my life.

A huge part of why I enjoy blogging is because I have a passion for people reaching their God given potential in life and marriage. Those passions have been birthed out of pain, loss, suffering, love, joy and peace in my own life. I am writing this blog because it is a part of my own purpose in Christ.

I fear that occasionally when people read, they may think I am trying to sound like I have it all together; that is not the case. I am learning every day. Often, the things I post about are things that God is at work on in my own heart. I fail. (often) My husband fails. My kids fail. Even our cat doesn't have it all together! But our character is being shaped (in our teachable moments), our love for each other grows (even when we have days where we don't "like" each other very much), and our God is faithful always -even when we are not.

God has been at work in my heart in the area of respect and submission lately. The new sermon series at church is on the topic, we just had a devotional on it in our MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers), and it is something that does not necessarily come easily to me. It is easier to believe that someone has to earn my respect on a daily basis rather than for me to respect someone's position and to automatically submit because of that role or position.

Growing up we had relatives who we jokingly referred to as "The Bickersons." As children, we would count the minutes until we could leave when we went to their house. Although they chose to marry one another; it was as if they were not willing to allow themselves to be a reflection of one another. They would often sarcastically put each other down so they could be the one who was "right," more informed, and approved of. They were so insecure in who they each were as individuals and yet convinced that they were each somehow better than the other. It was draining to be around.

Most of us have heard the Scriptures about wives submitting to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:22; 5:24 & Colossians 3:18) However; the Scriptures that have really been jumping out to me are ones that happen as a result of proper submission.

"Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." (Proverbs 31:11-12) "Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land." (Proverbs 31:23) "

Now the Proverbs 31 woman is one that I think we all kind of look at with a bit of disdain sometimes. It seems overwhelming to do all that is in this passage of Scripture; but one area we can and should work on is building the confidence of our husbands, bringing them good, and respecting them in front of others so that they, in turn, will also respect our men.

This truth hit me as I was praying over my son the other night. Each night before bed we pray together and I was praying for his future wife. I heard myself say (do you ever do that or am I the only one?) "Please bless him with a wife who will love and respect him unconditionally. As soon as the words were out of my mouth it was as if the Holy Spirit was asking me, "Do you love and respect your husband unconditionally?" The bitter truth is that there are days when I want him to earn my respect. My prayer for my son's wife turned into my prayer for myself.

"Dear Lord, please help me to love and respect my husband unconditionally. Allow him to have confidence in me. Allow me to bring him good all the days of my life. I pray that my husband would be respected by others because they can see the respect that I have for him."

One other powerful Scripture on submission for any of you who have a spouse who does not know the Lord:

"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives." (I Peter 3:1)

Thank you to each of you who read my blog. Your comments and friendships are truly a blessing and encouragement to me! I pray that God is blessing you and working in your hearts!

Shanda

The Love Doctor

It is almost Valentines Day. I wanted to encourage you to do something inexpensive and meaningful for someone that you care about. Instead of waiting to see if anyone does anything for you; I challenge you to be creative and do something for someone else that you love.

Here are a couple of inexpensive ideas that I have done in the past & I would LOVE to hear some of yours~

"The Love Doctor"

Take an empty medicine bottle (washed out & label removed.) Make up a fun label that says something like:

"For Emotional Health, please take one tablet daily or as needed for encouragement."

Put your own name as the prescribing doctor. You can make it as "official" looking as you choose - including your "prescription refill" number & phone number, etc.

Inside you will put one line (typed and cut out) reasons that you love the person, what makes them unique or special, funny things that you love about them or things they say often, etc. Then simply roll up the slip of paper tightly and put a small amount of tape on to seal the edge. (making it look like a pill.) Make sure to compliment more than their physical or exterior strengths.

Some examples to get you started:

For a Spouse - "You do a wonderful job providing for our family even during difficult financial times." "I love the way that you encourage the kids if they have had a bad day." "It secretly makes me smile every time you wear those ripped jeans that I always tell you to throw out." "I love it when you share a Scripture Verse that has stood out to you."

For a Child - "I love your hugs!" "You are such an amazing big brother!" "I'm so proud of how you play Basketball." "It makes my heart smile when you pray for your friends." "You rock at math!"

You can use colored paper or use colored ink if you choose. Try to think of 20-30 things so they have a full month's supply. It is easy to do this for a parent, grandparent, friend, etc. You can also just write out encouraging Scripture verses as well.

"Coupon Books"

This is a very well known idea; but I challenge you to put in a few things that might take a little more effort on your part.

Basic ideas - "Redeem this coupon for _______ " (favorite meal, back rub, down time, chores you will do in their place, etc)

More Challenging ideas - These will take more effort on your part and you may want to include a little "fine print" to help these be more successful.

"Redeem this coupon to 'get out of the dog house for free'" *To redeem this coupon; you may simply bring the coupon to me and say, "I'm sorry." You must then give me 15 minutes of alone time.

-During that 15 minutes of alone time, you breathe deep and choose to let go of the offense. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail (or a close friend) to give you a couple of Scriptures or to be praying for you!!! In order for this one to be effective; you will need to let go of the offense - surrender it to the Lord and not pick it back up. **You may only want to put one of these into your booklet if you know it will be a challenge for you** Keep in mind that if they are willing to come to say "I'm sorry" and bring you the coupon that they are not wanting to be at odds with you and are reaching out to be at peace!

"Redeem this coupon for a three hour block of uninterrupted sports watching (gaming, etc)!" *To redeem this coupon; it must be presented to me 24 hours in advance of the sporting event you wish to watch and must not conflict with a previously scheduled event.*

-You will have 24 hrs notice here so plan accordingly. If there are children at the house; either take them out or plan activities to keep them busy during the sports time. You can really bless them by going out of your way to provide their favorite snacks as well. *If this is done effectively; you can begin to open communication lines between you & your spouse by helping them to understand that with a little notice and consideration there can be much more peace.

I'd love to hear some of your inexpensive Valentine ideas!!! (Especially because I've already used the above mentioned ones!)

In Christ's Love,

Shanda

And The Winner Is...

I went to bed last night longing to be able to give all of you this book! As I have been praying for each of you & your marriages God is giving me such a heart for you. I could not decide on my own. My daughter saw my internal frustration and said, "We'll help you mom!" So I wrote out each of your names and placed them in this basket. We shook it all up, and...

The winner of the book, "The Love Dare" by Stephen Kendrick is...

Littlest one was not being cooperative for a photo moment this morning; so I decided to throw in one of my latest favorite pictures of him. He has most definitely been a part of the process too! He is carrying the basket around right now pulling out names and saying, "Yeah!" for each one.

Although all of you could not win the book; I am and will continue to pray daily for your marriages through Valentines Day and as you come to mind after that time frame. Today I am praying specifically for woundings of the heart to be healed as only God can do. Some of you have large seeping wounds right now. Others may have small scratches that just haven't healed and are possibly on the verge of infection. Unnoticed daily, but occasionally "give you trouble" as my husband's Bubbi used to say. Here are a few of the Scriptures the Lord has led me to today as I pray for each of your marriages: (bolding emphasis mine)

Psalm 103 (NIV)

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

John 10: 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (NKJ)

Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. (NIV)

Standing with you as you pursue your marriages!

Shanda

Last Day to Enter "The Love Dare" Give Away

The give away that I posted on Monday with my Marital Moments closes tonight at midnight.(Eastern time) Click here to jump back to that post to enter.

We had AWESOME Titus 2 Tuesday links yesterday!! If you haven't had a chance to check them all out, I encourage you to take a few minutes to do it! You will be blessed.

I am praying individually for each of the marriages of those who have already left comments on Monday!

Titus 2 Tuesday - My Name Is Pride

Here we are at another Titus 2 Tuesday! It is easy to join in-just answer the question below:

What have learned from another woman this week? (or ever)

This is an opportunity to honor women in your life and to share wonderful tips and lessons with all of us! We can learn so much from each other! Feel free to honor the same women more than once as you continue to learn from them and their lives!

Simply write your post including a short sentence inviting readers back here to read more Titus 2 Tuesday posts and enter your link into Mr. Linky below!

Thank you to all of you who commented yesterday - I am praying for each of your marriages!

Here is my post for today:

Pride has a way of rearing it's ugly head in our lives doesn't it? It affects our marriage, our relationship with our children, friends, just about everyone we come in contact with really. A girlfriend of mine, who I love dearly because we can always be completely real with one another through the good and the bad; shared this poem with me the other day as we were delving into lessons the Lord is speaking into our lives. I got goosebumps as she read it to me. God had given it to her the week before and He gave it to me through her a few days ago.

Thanks Julie, I honor your influence upon my life girl!

My Name is Pride
by: Beth Moore

My name is Pride.
I am a cheater.

I cheat you of your God-given destiny,
because you demand your own way.

I cheat you out of contentment,
because you, "deserve better than this."

I cheat you out of knowledge,
because you already know it all.

I cheat you out of healing,
because you are too full of "me" to forgive.

I cheat you out of holiness,
because you refuse to admit when you're wrong.

I cheat you out of vision,
because you'd rather look in the mirror than out a window.

I cheat you out of genuine friendship,
because nobody's going to know the real you.

I cheat you out of love,
because real love demands sacrifice.

I cheat you out of greatness in heaven,
because you refuse to wash another's feet on earth.

I cheat you of God's glory,
because I convince you to seek your own.

My name is pride.
I am a cheater.

You like me because you think I"m always looking out for you...untrue.
I am looking to make a fool of you.

God has so much for you. I admit, but don't worry,
you stick with me, you'll never know.

As Beth Moore often says, "Anyone else?" (while raising my hand...)

Thank you, Julie, for being a friend who helps me to grow and for being an example of someone willing to face the negative aspects in our lives head on.

Write your own Titus 2 Tuesday Post and join in!

Marital Moments Issue 21 - The Love Dare

February is the "month of love." You see hearts, chocolates, and classic romance movies in many store displays. Ironically, it is seeing these very symbols of love that stir up dissatisfaction with love within many of our hearts. "My husband won't be buying that for me..." "I wish I had that kind of a love story..." I truly believe the enemy of our soul works overtime around Holidays to discourage us. Click here to read a previous post on "Great Expectations."

If you have not yet seen the movie, Fireproof, I strongly encourage you to rent it. The book, "The Love Dare" was used as part of the movie and is now also available for purchase. It is a 40 day challenge of practical things you can do to work on your marriage.

Today I am giving away a free copy of, "The Love Dare" by Stephen Kendrick to one of my readers who respond to this post.

This is what you need to do to win:

1. Leave a comment under this post telling me why you would like to win it.

2. Make sure I can either link to your blog to let you know if you have won or leave an e-mail address for me to contact you at if you are the winner.

**I will leave this give away open until Wednesday, the 11th.**

**I will commit to pray for every marriage of those who leave comments every day from now until Valentines Day (and after as I am led to. Just to be clear; the power is not in my praying; but in the power of Jesus Christ working in your lives.)**