Meditations on a Sunday

Today our pastor continued a study on Marriage. It was the best talk on that subject I have ever heard. You can listen by clicking on the link here. I'm still processing what he said. Forty five minutes of grace filled truth can at times be a bit overwhelming in a good kind of way. I've read most of the books he recommended, so it's not that what he said was so new. But God used our pastor's presentation of God's Word to specifically bring more clarity to what God has been teaching me recently. Sometimes God uses different mediums to direct our thoughts all in the same direction. After church I spent a little time catching up on some other blogs that I read from time to time. Although not all dealt specifically with marriage, what I read just reinforced what I learned this morning. I commend them to you as worthwhile reading!

Practical Theology for Women
Girl Talk
Shepherd Press
CCEF

My Birthday Present

I came home yesterday to this.....


What used to be a big pile of dirt is now a beautiful flagstone patio ready for outdoor eating and entertaining! My husband is an amazingly hard worker. He can also get a bit romantic at times.

All my favorite flowers are starting to bloom too. Spring is here in sunny Ca!

Questions For Your Valentine

Our homeschool group administrator sent us these questions. Sean and I thought they were pretty good and spent some time last night answering them.

We hope you have a happy Valentine's Day!


*If you had $10,000,000 cash, tax free, how would you spend the rest of your life?

*Describe your dream vacation. Where would you go, and what would you want to do? Explain why this would be fun for you.

*Name a person (other than your spouse) who has made a significant contribution to your life. Tell how you were influenced by this individual.

*Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruits of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, (and) self control.” Select which of these you most want to develop and tell why.

*Share with your spouse one aspect of his/her personality that you appreciate. Describe the impact of this character trait in your life and the lives of others.

*Share with your spouse the things that energize you at work, in ministry, or in your personal hobbies.

*Share one dream you have for the future and explain its importance to you.

What passage of Scripture do you find meaningful for your marriage and why?

What has God been teaching you about yourself? Reveal how He has done this and the value you are gaining from it.

Share one of the most meaningful gifts you have ever received. Why was this one so significant?

Identify an area of your life in which you want to grow over the next year and explain why.

A Story of God's Goodness

Twelve years ago today Sean and I were married. It was a sweltering 115 degrees outside. (Praise God for air-conditioning!)

For those of you who missed it last year on GirlTalk, during the bookclub discussion, here is the story of how we met.



Just like Ruth, the story of how God brought my husband into my life started out with difficult circumstances. I was starting my fourth year of college, helping to organize Bible Studies for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. During an event designed to reach out to students, a young man handed me a love letter saying that "God had told him that I was the one he was to marry". It turned out that this man was not a student, but a homeless schizophrenic man who now knew my address, since one of the Bible Studies was at my apartment. Over the next few weeks he dropped off letters at my doorstep, in the middle of the night, that became increasingly obscene and threatening. I decided to call the police.

I was advised to get a restraining order and not walk alone. God met my needs abundantly. My roommate's father was a lawyer and filed the paperwork for me free of charge. Twelve other believers lived next door, underneath or across from me in our apartment complex. They took turns walking with me to class and going to the police station with me to drop off more letters as they came. At one point three young men slept on my living room floor with baseball bats "just in case". During finals' week when my friends were busier and my life was more stressful, my dad took a week off of work and came to be with me.

During this time I met three police officers who were handling my case. I would find out later that all three were godly Christian men. Two were my fathers age and viewed me as a daughter in Christ. One was a good looking single guy. He ended up being the one who came and arrested the man who was stalking me.

Over the summer break, the stalker was released from jail. I ended up having several conversations with the young police officer about it all. Each conversation would start out "Hello Officer" and end with "Good-Bye Sean". By the time I returned to school, at a different address, the homeless man had written me one last letter saying that "God had told him to move on". The return address was in another state. The case was closed. Sean helped me move into my new apartment and took me out to dinner, our first date. We were married 10 months later.

Last year when I was talking to my son about Romans 8:28 he looked at me and said, "Mommy, that's just like how you and Daddy met! God used it for good!" Amen to that. He sure did!

I Love You Sean!!!

Here's to many more great years together. Thanks for being my "Knight in Shining Armor"!

Happy Valentine's Day

Taking Time Out for Marriage

Last night Sean and I had the privilege to attend a talk on marriage. The couple that gave the talk run a camp that I went to in college. They had some great insights and were fun to listen to also.

The church that sponsored the event has a passion for building strong families. I appreciated that in addition to just saying that, they made it very accessible for people to hear this couple's presentation. The talk was FREE, childcare was provided, and now you can listed to it online. Just click here and look for the message entitled "Marriage Seminar".

We were very encouraged by this talk. Many of the ideas presented were not new, but shown in a new way. Some of the stories that were shared not only where really funny, but helped to underscore a point like respect, that is sometimes difficult to really get a grasp on. His last example of how his friend introduces him will, I hope, help me to be more respectful of my husband. It was a powerful story.

The talk is a bit long, but broken up into two different sections (while we had a dessert break!) so you could easily listen to one half at a time. I encourage you to take some time for your marriage and listen to Paul and Virginia. You're in for a real treat!

To read other people's reviews and the pastor's introduction on his blog go here.

My Book Club Contribution

I did it! We went out of town, so I didn't procrastinate, but wrote my little paper on Tuesday to send to GirlTalk. I actually feel embarrassed to post it now because I have been in such a bad mood since I got back yesterday, hardly the ideal of being a helpful wife to my husband. And, I realized that it was actually from reading Feminine Appeal (not the book that's featured in the book club!)that I got this idea. Oh well, here it is anyways.

How did this chapter influence how you think about your true priorities as a woman?

I think I first have to ask myself, "What have been my priorities? What have I spent most of my time thinking about and planning for?"

This past year, I've spent a great deal of time planning homeschool lessons for my two older kids. I've spent a lot of time thinking about my new baby, and all the demands and joys that go along with baby girls. I've spent too much time and effort trying in vain to get my "body" back. And I've spent a lot of intentional time with good books that have helped me to grow spiritually during a time of upheaval with my church and friendships.

As I look at where my priorities have been, I reflect on where I've placed my husband in my planning. Yes, I love him and know in my head that he is to be my first priority after my relationship with God. But when I look back at the past year I don't think I put as much effort in seeking to be as creative and intentional in being a helper to him as I did in other areas of my life. By God's grace, I am seeking to understand my husband better and embrace God's design for my role as his wife.

One practical way I am trying to do that is by asking him what I can do around the house that would help him. How freeing this has been since I obviously can't do very household chore every day. However, I can usually do what he's mentioned in adition to "my" list for the day. This has helped me to prioritize how I spend my time in a way that is effective for my family and blesses my husband.

If you write to GirlTalk and send it in, I'd love to read it even if they don't publish it. You can read what they did publish here. It was very inspiring.

We start school on Monday. So I'm planning on posting something easy and fun: a weeks worth of recipes featuring some of my favorite small kitchen appliances. (I had a lot of spare time to think while driving to and from L.A.!)