Sunday, July 26, 2009

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 7


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Day 7
Pray that your husband will safeguard his heart against inappropriate relationships with the opposite sex. Pray that his heart will be pure and undivided in his commitment to you.


Proverbs 6:23-26
For their command is a lamp
and their instruction a light;
their corrective discipline
is the way to life.
It will keep you from the immoral woman,
from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.
Don’t lust for her beauty.
Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.
For a prostitute will bring you to poverty,
but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.

Romans 13:14
Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.


Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6

Saturday, July 25, 2009

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 6


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Day 6
Pray that your husband will love righteousness and hate wickedness, especially the evils of the culture. Pray that he will recognize and avoid wickedness in his own life, and if necessary, take a clear, strong stand against evil.


Proverbs 27:12
A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

John 17:15
I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.


Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5


Friday, July 24, 2009

~ My Husband Rocks! ~ teammates!


Click here to read about why I started MHR Fridays!

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This week, we have the awesome challenge from Mike over at OPEN Mike in his post Tour de Vie to

If you had to name your Team, the one group with which you most identify, would it be family, friends, schoolmates, work associates, church members, ministry partners? When was the last time you served them as a domestique?

If you can’t recall, do something tactical and supporting for a teammate by the time the Tour de France concludes on Sunday.

First off, let's get some definitions:

tactical
--adjective
1. of or pertaining to tactics, esp. military or naval tactics.
2. characterized by skillful tactics or adroit maneuvering or procedure: tactical movements.
3. of or pertaining to a maneuver or plan of action designed as an expedient toward gaining a desired end or temporary advantage.
4. expedient; calculated.
5. prudent; politic.

support
--verb
1. to bear or hold up (a load, mass, structure, part, etc.); serve as a foundation for.
2. to sustain or withstand (weight, pressure, strain, etc.) without giving way; serve as a prop for.
3. to undergo or endure, esp. with patience or submission; tolerate.
4. to sustain (a person, the mind, spirits, courage, etc.) under trial or affliction
5. to maintain (a person, family, establishment, institution, etc.) by supplying with things necessary to existence; provide for.
6. to uphold (a person, cause, policy, etc.) by aid, countenance, one's vote, etc.; back; second.
7. to maintain or advocate (a theory, principle, etc.)
8. to corroborate (a statement, opinion, etc)
9. to act with or second (a lead performer); assist in performance.

I think it is so vital to remember, but so very easy to forget, that our husbands are our closest and most important teammates! I have often noticed in many relationships, but most vividly in my own marriage, how easy it is to take their partnership for granted - and to treat them far worse than we would ever dream of treating even complete strangers! I don't know if it is because we are so comfortable with them - as well we should be, but we should never allow that sense of comfort to morph into disregard and disrespect.

This is something that both Austin and I are trying to be far more aware of in ourselves and guard ourselves against. (Admittedly, he does a far better job of keeping himself in check than I do) It is so very easy to fall into this pattern of behavior, but it is also soooooooo worth it to avoid it!!! :)

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Father, please help us to support the mates that you have given to us and to treasure and value them to such a great extent that to treat them with disrespect, unkindness, or contempt would be inconceivable! Thank you so much for the wonderful men that you have provided for our journeys! :)


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Be sure to check in with the other ladies who are bragging on their rocking hubbies today by clicking on the "My Husband Rocks Participants" button in the left sidebar.

I am the only person who has the ability to add blogs to the MHR blogroll. If you are a MHR blogger, and have not been added to the blogroll, plase comment or e-mail me at katylinvw{at}yahoo{dot}com and I will gladly add you to our little group!!!

(if you would like to add the MHR Fridays button to your sidebar, use this code ).


<a href="http://honestandlasting.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-husband-rocks-friday.html"><img src="http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn135/katylinvw/mosaicmhrf.jpg"/></a>


If you're not a blogger, but still want the world to know about your amazing husband (or wife, or husband to be, or wife to be, etc.) leave a shout-out in the form of a comment! If you're unable to comment, e-mail me at katylinvw [at] yahoo [dot] com and I'll add your shout out to this post!

As always, on Fridays Union 28 will refund your shipping on any order of two or more items if you mention the great adventure and ~my husband rocks! Fridays~ in the "how did you hear about us?" section of your order form, so run on over there and check them out, too! Thank you Union 28!

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday, and a wonderful weekend!

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 5


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Day 5
Pray that your husband will be faithful to his wedding vows. Pray that he will have a desire to cultivate your relationship as a sign of his loyalty and commitment to you, and as a picture of Christ’s love for the Church.


Proverbs 20:6
Many will say they are loyal friends,
but who can find one who is truly reliable?

Genesis 2:24
This explains why a man leaves
his father and mother and is joined
to his wife, and the two are united into one.


Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4


Thursday, July 23, 2009

Blog Hop '09!!!

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Just the other day I was thinking to myself how long it had been since I participated in a fun blog party! Then, there I am, browsing the twitter/blogosphere, and I run across Blog Hop'09!

I'm so very excited, and I can't wait to make a whole bunch of new blog friends!

First I've gotta get all gussied up in my "Blog Hop" attire:

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Austin's hoppin, too:
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Okay, so those pics are actually from the New Year's Eve Sock Hop we attended this year, but I thought they were just perfect for the occasion!

If you're visiting for the first time as a part of the Blog Hop, feel free to poke around! the great adventure is most well-known for ~ My Husband Rocks! ~ Fridays! But we've got a LOT going on in our lives! We're in the midst of a total re-build on our house, and we love to travel! This year already we've taken a trip to Cozumel and Colorado (where my family, and part of Austin's family lives), and we're heading back to Colorado in the next few weeks!


Happy to have you here! Hop Away! :)


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MHR Inspiration #15

I was blog-hopping earlier this week, and I found this post:

Tour de Vie

Mike is one of the coolest people I know. I have known him all of my life, and I absolutely adore his family! He is a published author whose books I have read multiple times. He is also in the mist of a battle with Lymphoma, and his blog OPEN Mike is always full of his passionate, and often poignant, musings on writing, cancer, and life in general.

The Tour de Vie post really struck me, and I decided to use it as our MHR inspiration this week :)

Especially to the last portion that says:
If you had to name your Team, the one group with which you most identify, would it be family, friends, schoolmates, work associates, church members, ministry partners? When was the last time you served them as a domestique?

If you can’t recall, do something tactical and supporting for a teammate by the time the Tour de France concludes on Sunday.


This is our prompt and our challenge for this week. What are some practical ways we can "do something tactical and supporting" for our most important teamemate - our husbands? (That's the prompt.) Do it! (That's the challenge.)

<3,

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 4


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Day 4
Pray that your husband will grow in leadership skills in your relationship—protecting and providing for you. Pray that he will lead you wisely and love you sacrificially, so that God will be glorified in your marriage.


Ephesians 5:25-29 (New Living Translation)
For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.

Colossians 3:19 (New Living Translation)
Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.


Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

25th Annual HI Mississippi Valley Blues Festival

We got some fun pics while we were in Davenport over 4th of July weekend, and while I've told some of the story here, but I thought I'd throw the pics up right quick :)

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Austin & Doug on the drive!

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(L-R)Doug, Austin, & Rachel
We ran into our friend Rachel - we went to college together, and she just happened to be at the festival with her dad! So fun!

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Outdoor Bandstand


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AWESOME Blues Guitarist


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This guy tore it up on the harmonica!

It was a very fun and unique way to spend the 4th! :)

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 3



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Day 3
Pray that your husband will be humble and quick to agree with God about his sin. Pray that his heart will be tender toward the voice of the Lord.


Psalm 51:2-4 (New Living Translation>
Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.

Micah 6:8 (New Living Translation)
No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.


Praying for my hubby, and for you all!



Day 1
Day 2

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 2



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Day 2
Pray that your husband’s relationship with God and His Word will bear fruit in his life. Pray that he will be a man of wisdom and understanding, fearing the Lord.


Proverbs 3:7
Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Proverbs 9:10
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

Psalm 112:1
Praise the Lord!
How joyful are those who fear the Lord
and delight in obeying his commands.


Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


Day 1

Monday, July 20, 2009

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 1

Today we start 31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands!

I am so excited about this! If you are participating, please comment and/or put a shout-out on your blog/facebook/twitter - I think we are going to see some amazing rewards in our marriages! Praise the Lord!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Introduction from the Revive Our Hearts website
by Nancy Leigh DeMoss


“She does him good . . .” (Proverbs 31:12a)

Bless your husband by praying for him! The Apostle Paul instructed all Christians to pray for one another (Ephesians 6:18). This includes wives’ responsibility and privilege to pray for their husbands. Earnest prayer for your husband is good for him, for you and the spiritual health of your home (Proverbs 31:11-12).

Satan desires to destroy your husband, especially his character and his leadership in your relationship. Trust God through prayer as you daily surrender your husband and marriage to the Lord’s wise, loving care.



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Day 1
Pray that your husband will grow spiritually and consider his accountability before the Lord. Pray that he will guard his heart by developing spiritual disciplines—Bible reading and study, prayer, meditation, scripture memorization, etc.


2 Peter 3:18 (New Living Translation)
Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.


Proverbs 4:23 (New Living Translation)
Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.


Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


Saturday, July 18, 2009

Praying for Our Husbands

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Every week, in ~ My Husband Rocks! ~ Fridays, we proclaim to the world what we love about the wonderful men in our lives! This is something that has profoundly affected my marriage and my attitude toward my husband.

Another practice that I know has the potential to impact us, our husbands, our marriages, our children, and everyone around us for ETERNITY is praying. In this case, specifically for our husbands. One way I am going to purpose to do that - and encourage all of you to do the same - is by doing 2 series on ways we can pray for our husbands.

The first is going to be 31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands, and for the second I'll be going through the book The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian one chapter per week. My thinking on this is anyone who wants to do the second series with me will have time to get a copy of the book during the first.

I ran accross the 31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands at A Happy Heart At Home. If I understand correctly, she found it here, and that was based upon the encouragement on the Revive Our Hearts website.

I am so excited about these series, and I hope you all are as well! If you have any questions or suggestions I'd be happy to field them! :) Our 31 days will start on Monday, July 20!

See you then!


31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands


Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19
Day 20
Day 21
Day 22
Day 23
Day 24
Day 25
Day 26
Day 27
Day 28
Day 29
Day 30
Day 31

The Power of a Praying Wife Book Study
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Intro The Power

Friday, July 17, 2009

~ My Husband Rocks! ~ the garage sale . . .


Click here to read about why I started MHR Fridays!

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Last weekend (and this weekend, too . . . but that's another story), we held our very first garage sale. Not the first we've ever seen or been to, but the first garage sale we have . . . hosted (?) . . . is that the correct garage sale vocabulary? Lol!

I'm not sure why, but I tend to let myself get VERY stressed out about things like that - and last Friday morning I was mega-stressed. I had orchestrated several things that didn't come together "in time" (in my opinion) and I was hugely frustrated.

Austin took the time while we were getting ready for work to hug me and help me figure out how to rearrange my schedule to let everything come together well. I was able to leave work early, and when he got home at the normal time he came out to my little cashier table and made sure I had a snack and some water to drink - it was WAY hot!

And then, on Saturday he sat outside with me all day long :) What a great hubby I have!

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This is a pic from our
4th of July weekend in Davenport :)

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Be sure to check in with the other ladies who are bragging on their rocking hubbies today by clicking on the "My Husband Rocks Participants" button in the left sidebar.

I am the only person who has the ability to add blogs to the MHR blogroll. If you are a MHR blogger, and have not been added to the blogroll, plase comment or e-mail me at katylinvw{at}yahoo{dot}com and I will gladly add you to our little group!!!

(if you would like to add the MHR Fridays button to your sidebar, use this code ).


<a href="http://honestandlasting.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-husband-rocks-friday.html"><img src="http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn135/katylinvw/mosaicmhrf.jpg"/></a>


If you're not a blogger, but still want the world to know about your amazing husband (or wife, or husband to be, or wife to be, etc.) leave a shout-out in the form of a comment! If you're unable to comment, e-mail me at katylinvw [at] yahoo [dot] com and I'll add your shout out to this post!

As always, on Fridays Union 28 will refund your shipping on any order of two or more items if you mention the great adventure and ~my husband rocks! Fridays~ in the "how did you hear about us?" section of your order form, so run on over there and check them out, too! Thank you Union 28!

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday, and a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Pray!



This is one of my favorite Avalon songs!

Love y'all! Have a great day!

Friday, July 10, 2009

~ My Husband Rocks! ~ in the rain!


Click here to read about why I started MHR Fridays!

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This week's reason is short, but oh so sweet!

Last weekend, Hoss took us up to the Davenport area to camp and go to the 25th Annual Mississippi Valley Blues Festival (which rocked!!!) What we did not realize was that the festival didn't start until noon, so we got there about 2 and 1/2 hours early.

One of the great things about Davenport is that it's a very historical town, with a lot of emphasis on arts and entertainment. Including one of the most amazing art museums in the area, Figge.

Now, an art museum isn't really Austin's flavor, but he aggreed to go in and take a look around while we waited for the festival to start. Included in the ticket price that day was a walking tour of the downtown Davenport archticture - also not on Austin's list of things that he really wanted to do that day, but he knew that I wanted to go, so we went on the walking tour! It was amazing, and all of that is reason enough to include in this post, but the most loving part of the whole thing was that it rained the ENTIRE time we were on the tour - and he just held my hand and smiled and we really enjoyed ourselves :)

He's pretty awesome!

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Be sure to check in with the other ladies who are bragging on their rocking hubbies today by clicking on the "My Husband Rocks Participants" button in the left sidebar.

I am the only person who has the ability to add blogs to the MHR blogroll. If you are a MHR blogger, and have not been added to the blogroll, plase comment or e-mail me at katylinvw{at}yahoo{dot}com and I will gladly add you to our little group!!!

(if you would like to add the MHR Fridays button to your sidebar, use this code ).


<a href="http://honestandlasting.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-husband-rocks-friday.html"><img src="http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn135/katylinvw/mosaicmhrf.jpg"/></a>


If you're not a blogger, but still want the world to know about your amazing husband (or wife, or husband to be, or wife to be, etc.) leave a shout-out in the form of a comment! If you're unable to comment, e-mail me at katylinvw [at] yahoo [dot] com and I'll add your shout out to this post!

As always, on Fridays Union 28 will refund your shipping on any order of two or more items if you mention the great adventure and ~my husband rocks! Fridays~ in the "how did you hear about us?" section of your order form, so run on over there and check them out, too! Thank you Union 28!

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday, and a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Glum musings . . . Don't mind me . . .

Do you ever feel like we've completely missed the point? That as we scurry around from one empty task to the next - deriving no joy from the process and driving ourselves to distraction with the incessant, pointless minutia - we're stuck in a quagmire of "filler" activities, business for the sake of busy-ness, when we should be focused on what truly matters.

In the grand, eternal, scheme of things, it will not matter if my shoes coordinate with my earrings, if the dishes get done, if I make $1 or $50 per hour, if I live in a house or a cardboard box, or if I have a new outfit, hairstyle, or manicure every couple of weeks. And yet, I assign such value to these things. I think we all do. I get so caught up in the frenzy and worry about each of these truly inconsequential items, dedicating my time and energy and brainpower and finances and emotions to them.

This is not to say that these things are completely wasteful and pointless pursuits - some of them are, don't get me wrong, like the shoes/earrings thing, it is absolutely laughable, yet in my vanity or pride or insecurity I allow myself to get all bent out of shape about it. Some of them depend upon your perspective. Take the dishes for example: as far as I'm concerned, we can have anywhere from one to a dozen meals' dishes "resting" in the sink until the mood strikes me to take care of them, it will not negatively impact my psyche, but it drives Austin batty! Not only that, but it actually leads to him feeling incredibly disrespected because it is something which he has he has expressly requested that I take care of. So I put taht under the "important" heading.

What is my point? You may ask. Who decides what falls where, and how does one assign their priorities? I don't really know. How's that for an answer?

This is my conundrum.

1 Corinthians 3:12-15
If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

I desperately want my time and resources to be dedicated to the "gold, silver, [and] costly stones", but sometimes the "wood, hay [and] straw" is far more interesting and glamorous and FUN.

And the fact that I even feel this way makes me disgusted with myself!

Where do we go from here?

I don't have any satisfactory conclusion. This is just where my thoughts have been running lately. Sorry if it's a bit morose.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Crazy SAD week!

Okay, so does it blow anyone else's mind how many celebs have passed away in the last week? I know that millions of people die every day, and that each one leaves a hole in the lives of those they leave behind, but it still seems so odd when 4 high-profile individuals die within one week.

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Ed McMahon
March 6, 1923 - June 23, 2009


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Farrah Fawcett
February 2, 1947 - June 25, 2009

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Michael Jackson
August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009


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Billy Mays
July 20, 1958 - June 29, 2009


Thanks for reading!