Anticipation mounts for the next blog hop!

Come join us as we share! Meet back here March 11 and I'll have a link for you to check out the other blogs participating.

Repairing your spouse.....

Here's another Daily Essential I wrote nearly eight years ago.  This one hits pretty close to home today.  Isn't it funny how the Lord leads you to words in the season that you need to hear them...2005 or 2013?!
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Do you ever feel like there is something you would like to "repair" about your spouse? Messy? Not attentive? Not spontaneous? I've been married for 9 years and I don't know about you, but I was sure I would have made all of the necessary repairs to Andy that he would have needed by now! I mean come on! 9 years is plenty of time to take care of all of those little idiosyncrasies, right? (I'm sure I don't have ANY!) :o)

I have this 2 minute devotion book titled Time Out: A Quiet-Time Devotional for Busy Moms that I read when the kids go down for their naps or at night as I'm easing into bed. Leigh Ann Thomas, the author, felt this exact same way and had an exercise at a marriage enrichment weekend totally change her view. She said the exercise began by each couple sitting and facing their spouse. They would then hold hands, look at each other, and think of all those hands do for them day by day. Wow.....just think of it......

My husband gets up every morning and goes to work where his hands earn us food, a roof over our heads, clothes, zoo camp, and diapers. I have seen his hands hold his children moments after being removed from my body and while they are crying because they have hurt themselves, or because they do not want to say good-bye to him. I've seen blisters on his hands from cutting grass, trimming hedges, raking leaves and doing all of the things I hate so we will have a nice place to call "ours". I've seen those beautiful hands serve me communion and hold a baseball bat to teach children how to play softball in England, hoping that he may have a moment to reflect Christ's love to them because they don't know what it looks like. (And now I'm crying.)

The point of this is, God has made and designed our spouses. God will work THEM into His perfection. He will work US into His perfection, because don't think for a moment your spouse doesn't have some "repairs" in mind for you! :o) Whenever you become irritated or run out of patience, take a look at those beautiful and blessed hands. Below are the scriptures Leigh Ann Thomas gives and a prayer she offers. Won't you say it from the heart for your spouse?

Psalm 112:1

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in His commands.

Psalm 1:1-2

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Father,

Thank you so much for giving me a life partner. You've given me a sweetheart and a best friend. I lift my spouse up to You, Lord, and I pray that they will continue to grow in Your strength and wisdom.

Amen

Stampin Up! Sets for Sell for Uganda Trip

Hi Friends!  I know most of you are "friends" with me on Facebook- but I thought I would share this with those of you who are not.....

My sweet sister donated 65 stamp sets from Stampin Up! for me to sell to raise money for my upcoming trip to Uganda!  Most of them are discontinued and lots of them have never been used.  If you'd like to take a look, come friend me and take a look at my photo album entitled "Stamp Sets to Benefit Uganda Trip"  Here's some examples of what's for sell...

Sincere Salutations $10


Have a Heart $12


Summer By the Sea $30


Tender Toile $12


Wonderful Wings $12


Sketches $22

Daily Essentials 2: Be excited!

I remember this so vividly, though it was about 7 years ago. Brandon has a beautiful wife and family now.....but I can't imagine that his heart for people has changed at all.  It's all about being eager...

Yesterday I was blessed with being able to pick
Brandon up at the airport on his way home from a one
week mission trip to Honduras. I was so eager to talk
with him about how it went since it was his first
international trip.
After impatiently circling the airport for 25 minutes,
I finally saw him! I jumped out of my truck, popped
the trunk, let him throw his stuff in, and immediately
began grilling him! There was so much I wanted to
know...."How did it go? How was a one week trip? Too
short? Just right? How was your spanish?"
I dropped him off at home and drove off distgusted
because I had missed asking him 2 or 3 more in depth
questions that I had wanted to talk about! Then I got
home and realized, I never once said "Welcome home!"

How excited we should be about what the Lord is doing!
I was so excited that poor Brandon never got a
welcome home! The work of the Lord is exciting and
inspiring! We are so blessed to be allowed to be a
part of it! When you see Brandon, tell him "Welcome
home"..... then GRILL him! Be genuinely enthused! Be
eager to know how God is moving in other parts of the
world! Then, be eager to be a part of it and jump in!

blast from the past: The Daily Essentials- Mr Incredible on the State of the World

From July-ish of 2005 to June-ish of 2006 I wrote daily devotionals that I sent out to my church body (and anyone else interested).  Those little tidbits were called the "Daily Essentials"....and I loved every minute of writing them.  I recently came across my file of Daily Essentials, and I thought I would share a few of them with you.  There's about 150 of them....I'll keep the sharing to a minimum for your sake! ;o)

 July 28, 2005

 

I have almost completely memorized every line to "The Incredibles". I'm not saying this to brag, I'm saying this to demonstrate how much we have watched the movie. Sad, I know. But I must say, after much reflection, I have to admit that Mr Incredible's State of the World is fairly acurate.

"No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back into jeopardy again. I mean, sometimes I just want it to stay safe, ya know!...for a little bit. I feel like the maid, 'I just cleaned up this mess! Could you keep it clean ,FOR LIKE TEN MINUTES?!' Please!"

How safe and secure it is to know that every time we mess up, God is right there to save us! He doesn't give up on us. He doesn't lose patience with us. He graciously and mercifully saves us every time! Could you blame Him for thinking, "I just cleaned up this mess! Could you keep it clean, for like ten minutes?!" Instead, He washes us clean and brings a new morning full of new mercies each day so we can start over. Such loving care He gives His children.

Psalm 103:8-14

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.

 

The guilt of a broken resolution....on January 2!

See??!!  THIS!  This is why I do not make resolutions!

THIS is why I say every year, "Don't set yourself up for failure, Marla! Let positive change be a part of who you are all year long!"

Yes, I have an issue with resolutions on New Year Day. Because Flubbered Resolution Day is inevitable.

I ate pizza for lunch.

GASP!!!!  I know, I know.  It's not going to cause fall-out or bring the world to the brink of another world war, but it's big to me.  Day 2 of the new year and I'm a big fat failure.  So that may seem like an over statement to you- but that is how I will feel until midnight of December 31st.

Ya see, I am determined to lose weight this year- more specifically, I am determined to lose weight before I leave for Uganda April 27th.  This vacation taught me that I am grossly unhealthy and it's past time to make a change.  No more pop.  No more over eating.  No more pizza.

*sigh*

Do you know what I'm so grateful for?......

Grace.

Not the kind of grace that says "Go ahead and eat the pizza, it's what's inside that counts!" but the kind of grace that says "You're not a failure- now pick yourself up and try again."

Because let's be honest- we all struggle with the pizza.  We struggle with the over spending, the laziness, the lying, the pornography, the drugs, the gossip, the plan to read the bible through in a year....we ALL struggle with the pizza.  I'm so glad that God's grace is so much bigger than that stinkin nasty not-even-worth-it pizza.

When we disappoint ourselves by returning to those things that we struggle with, it's no surprise to our Heavenly Father.  But does he shun us?  No, He gently extends His nail scared hand, the beautiful hands that bore it all, to help us back up on our feet and loves us with an encouraging and never ending love. 

January 3rd I'll try again, and when your Flubbered Resolution Day comes- I hope you'll take the hand.