Sunshine Days

Day One Hundred!

2012-01-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

Rockstar can't believe I'm already at the end of my 100 days praying for marriage. I feel like that, kind of, although there were many days when I struggled to know how to pray, days I didn't feel like praying, days I was weary of praying, and days I just plain forgot to pray. Some days my heart was heavier than I thought it could be, praying especially for individuals. Some days I got

Day Ninty-Nine Point Five

2012-01-23T08:45:00.001-07:00

As I was praying this morning, my thoughts roamed to other places that need prayer--for people who are supporting those going through marital struggles. This is a difficult place to be (although not nearly as difficult as the person struggling!!) and requires so much grace, patience, and discernment. Sometimes we are called to just be a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. But when the

Day Ninty-Nine

2012-01-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

Today I am praying for all of us--that we will become students of marriage, understanding the biblical importance of it, why it is important to God, why we are called to marriage, why we are designed for it, how we can be a light to the world through it, how we can be sanctified through it, why the male/female union is imperative, how it reaches others, why it satisfies something inside our

Day Ninety-Six

2012-01-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

Today I am praying for marriages that should end--for abusive situations in which spouses (and/or children) are being hurt in some form. I pray for courage for the abused--to leave, to seek help, to accept love from others who are willing to step in. I pray for peace knowing they are doing the right thing. I pray for protection and against retaliation. I pray for repentance for the abuser and

Day Ninety-Five

2012-01-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

Today I'm praying for marriages in which a spouse wakes up one day wondering what happened to their marriage, wondering where their best friend went, wondering how they grew so far apart.

Day Ninety-Four

2012-01-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

Today I am praying for marriages that have lies. Accidental lies, big lies, lies meant to deceive, lies meant to make spouses feel better, lies meant to manipulate, lies intended to hide feelings and circumstances and struggles. I pray for honesty, discernment, and the strength of character and love for the lied-to spouse to stand firm in truth and forgiveness and steadfastness. I pray for

Day Ninety-Three

2012-01-17T07:30:00.003-07:00

Today I am continuing my prayer for wives. I know so, so many bitter and jaded wives. Wives who have been hurt a little, wives who have been hurt a lot, and wives who have imagined that they've been hurt more than is true. Wives who have hurt their husbands, wives who continue to hurt their husbands, and wives who justify hurting their husbands. Like how Matt Paxton says we are all 5 steps away

Day Ninety-Two

2012-01-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

Today I am praying for wives. I pray that we will be humble and loving. I pray that we will recognize our husband's weaknesses and instead of exploiting them, criticizing them, or using them to emasculate our husbands, that we would look view them as a way to love, protect, and encourage. I pray that we will be patient with our husbands as God works in their hearts to teach them to be leaders,

Likeable Links

2012-01-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

It's taken me a little while to start getting caught up on Facebook, email, and reading blogs since getting home from Maryland, but I think I'm making progress! So I want to share some interesting/fun things I've been finding this week. How Many Steven Colberts Are There? This is a New York Times article about comedian Steven Colbert, very fun to read and insightful. I was surprised not just to

Day Eighty-Nine

2012-01-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

Today is the one-year anniversary of the death of my friend's baby boy. He had a genetic condition that was diagnosed in the womb. The doctors told my friend he would not live and she could have an abortion. Instead, she carried him as long as she could (almost to term) just so she could have those few precious moments with him before he died once he was born. Her love and dedication to this

Day Eighty-Eight

2012-01-12T10:49:00.001-07:00

Last night a friend told me that friends of hers were separated; the husband is currently staying with my friend and is paralyzed in moving forward and winning his wife back. It led into a conversation about the passivity of an entire generation of Christian men and how damaging it has been to all of us. So today I am praying for men. I pray that they will not be passive but will be passionate

Day Eighty-Seven

2012-01-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a friend confided in me that she just found out her husband has been cheating on her. She is trying to forgive him and allow him a second chance, but I know this road will be long and difficult. I have walked this journey with several friends over the past few years, and my heart is never not shocked and broken for these women. Today I am praying for people who have received devastating

Day Eighty-Six

2012-01-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hello, praying friends-- I'm sorry I've been a bit absent--I was on vacation in Maryland visiting a sister out there whose husband is deployed. It was my graduation gift from Rockstar, and it was so so so wonderful! I loved being with her and the children--it's a powerful glimpse of Heaven to be in a home where I am known and accepted and liked and loved! Safe places like that are few and far

Day Seventy-Three

2011-12-28T18:12:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to pray for couples who have suffered the death of a child, but similar to praying for couples who have suffered miscarriages, I've been at a loss. I can't imagine the depth of pain and the following emotions from losing a child, much less how it would affect a marriage. So I asked my aunt, whose second son died when he was just five years old. I don't remember him because I was

Day Sixty-Eight

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today I am rejoicing! We have received news that a couple who had been through an ugly divorce and years of struggling is getting remarried--to each other! Their love and trust for one another have been restored, and while I'm sure it has not and will not be an easy road, I am so thrilled to see God's redemption! If you don't know, my parents were divorced before I was born. We don't know the

Day Sixty-Seven

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today I pray for marriages that are strained by the sadness of children who don't know Jesus. I pray against finger-pointing and shame and blame. I pray for hope and an understanding that only God can change hearts. I pray for grace toward the children instead of lecturing, pressuring, and rejecting. I pray for the children that they will come to know Jesus. And I pray that the spouses will grow

Day Sixty-Six

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today I pray for parents of handicapped children. I can't imagine the challenges and have no idea what they face every day, but I pray for a special grace and mercy for them. I pray for patience and extra oodles of love. I pray for a strong-knit community to come around them in love with help and encouragement. I pray for getaways and breaks and date nights. I pray for financial help and

Day Sixty-Five

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am starting to forget what I've prayed for and might be duplicating prayers! I should have kept better track. But I figure that it's okay to pray for things twice and to let the Holy Spirit guide my thoughts. Today I am going to pray for couples who have been through major marital issues and have reconciled or are reconciling. I praise God for working his redemption in these hearts and for his

Day Sixty-Four

2011-12-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

Today I am praying for marriages that will go through the holidays without their extended family. I pray that they will rejoice in the true meaning of Christmas without being completely distracted by their sadness and longing for their family. I pray against jealousy and resentment as they experience feelings of neglect or being left out as others wrap themselves up in their own families. I pray

Day Sixty-One

2011-12-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today I am praying for parents! I pray that parents will teach their daughters to be wives and mothers, and their sons to be husbands and fathers. I pray they will teach their sons to pursue and their daughters to be pursueable. I pray they will teach God's design and passion for marriage and communicate to their children that marriage and getting married is a priority and shouldn't be delayed

Day Sixty

2011-12-15T13:18:00.001-07:00

Naturally, I'm praying for single guys today. I am praying that they shrug off the effects of the feminization of the church and step forward in their manhood. I pray they embrace the design of marriage and understand God's purpose in it and God's passion for it. I pray that they not procrastinate, act out of laziness, make excuses, or point fingers when it comes to pursuing women. I pray they

Day Fifty-Nine

2011-12-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

Today I am praying for single women who desire to be married. I pray for comfort, hope, and joy while they wait. I pray against bitterness and resentment. I pray they will be overwhelmed by a deep understanding of the sovereignty of God. I pray that they will be willing to take risks to put themselves in positions where they will meet potential husbands. I pray their standards will be biblical

Day Fifty-Eight

2011-12-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today I am praying for marriages in which one of the spouses lives in a place of shame so deep, s/he cannot engage his/her spouse. Either shame that rooted in assumptions of what the other thinks or rooted in misconceptions about his/her own identity. Shame that causes fear and an inward focus that prevent him/her from seeing outside him/herself and loving his/her spouse. Shame that shames the

Day Fifty-Seven

2011-12-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

Today I am praying for the protection of the institution of marriage. For a passionate understanding of God's design and why marriage is between one man and one wife; why divorce is horrid; why biblical marriage is amazing and life changing and beautiful; why the church is called "The Bride of Christ"; why people have a universal need and desire for companionship in marriage even when they

Liked Links

2011-12-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

Wheel of Correction...This is amazing and made me laugh. And then think. I'm sure you've received a really lame apology and have given many, and this cleverly breaks down different tactics we use to protect ourselves from taking responsibility. Enjoy! How to write a good sympathy card...When my parents died, I received a lot of lame cards. People said a lot of lame things. Most of that was due

Guest Blogger Friday: Welcome Jackie Frohne

2011-12-09T11:11:00.002-07:00

On my way to work this morning I was listening to "Mary Did You Know" sung by GoFish. (If you are a parent or becoming one you should check them out.) As I was listening to that song I wondered what it was like for Mary to mother a perfect child... One day this summer I was cooking dinner for my kids and my 7 year old daughter started to complain about my dinner choice. I got very angry at her

Liked Links

2011-12-07T11:22:00.001-07:00

Women, Stop Submitting to Men...A friend and I are reading a book on being a godly wife together, and last night the chapter we discussed was on submission. We had wonderful, uplifting conversation about how submitting to one's husband is an amazing way to love him and encourage him on several levels. This article talks about how Christian women, while called to submit to their husbands, are not

Day Fifty-Two

2011-12-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

Today I am praying for marriages that have suffered broken trust. I think all marriages suffer this on a regular basis. Often, we forgive easily because we know our spouse did not intend to hurt us or break our trust. And sometimes it takes an act of God to help us trust the Holy Spirit at work in our spouse's heart and remember that s/he is a child of God whom God's hand is on, sanctifying and

Liked Links

2011-12-06T10:11:00.002-07:00

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... This is a fantastic idea! I love it! It suggests you do something little but meaningful and romantic for your spouse for 12 days over the Christmas season. She spends a little bit more money than I would like, but she has enough ideas to spur you on to coming up with your own, personalized ideas. And while it's a wife doing this for her

Day Fifty

2011-12-05T07:26:00.002-07:00

I can't believe we've been praying for marriage for 50 days! It's been an eye-opening several weeks, and I've been super encouraged by the amount of women who have contacted me who are passionate about marriage and pray regularly for it. There have been certain prayers that touched several people which would result in several emails or facebook comments about certain issues or asking for specific

Day Forty-Seven

2011-12-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

Scotty Smith posted this prayer on his blog yesterday, and I can't stop thinking about it. What powerful (yet simple) insight he has into why marriage is difficult! Today I am praying this prayer. I emphasized the sections that really spoke to me. I hope this speaks to you today, too. Lord Jesus, we come before your throne of grace today bringing marriages with us—our own and those of our

Out of the Drift

2011-12-01T11:16:00.001-07:00

This is one of the best explanations of grace and shame I've ever read and I couldn't help but copy it to my own blog after my series on shame. It was written by John Lynch over at TrueFaced Ministries. Please read and savor his insight! Grace, if nothing else, you’d think, would give us the ability to tell others we love when we’re hurting. We make the statement “What if there were a place

Day Forty-Six

2011-12-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

After hearing that someone I love very dearly has suffered a second miscarriage, today I am praying for marriages that have gone through this same loss. We know so many couples who have endured this tragedy, and my mind can't even begin to understand the heartbreak involved. As Rockstarlet moves and kicks and dances within me 24/7, I wonder what it would be like for that to just stop and for me

Five years ago today...

2011-11-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, Rockstar and I have been to and hosted several dinner parties the last month or so. At these parties, we are always asked to share our story of how we met and ended up married. The way we tell it makes it sound like it was a million laughs--how we never properly met because he was convinced I was crushing on him, how a joke turned into my taking guitar lessons from him (and

A Couple of Links

2011-11-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

I really do need to figure out a format for an a la carte, like Tim Challies does on his blog. But for now, I just wanted to share a couple of links. Rockstar and I have tried watching several of the music talent shows--"The X Factor," "The Voice," "American Idol," but none thrill us (well, none thrill us) like "The Sing Off." And this season a star was discovered in the group "The Dartmouth

Another good one

2011-11-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

Elyse Fitzpatrick is one of my favorite Christian authors. She really understands identity in Christ (any of her books will encourage you!). Here is a blog post today where she talks about how after she had a nasty attitude, she felt like she was rightly disciplined when she spilled coffee on her laptop. To her surprise, God was not getting back at her, but wanting to bless her despite her sinful

Day Forty-Four

2011-11-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

Rockstar and I have had one huge, major fight in all our marriage. Sure, we've had little disagreements or arguments here and there, but only one big one. And of course, it was over something super small--it was late at night and we were both tired. I said something to him and he responded in a way that I thought was mean. So I over-reacted and instead of realizing we were both tired, I decided

Shame shame shame

2011-11-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a fantastic little blog by John Lynch on viewing life through the lens of shame rather than the gospel. Definitely worth reading!

Day Forty-Two

2011-11-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

One of my friends praying alongside of me emailed a beautiful prayer asking God to help spouses be thankful for each other. What insight! How easy it is to take our spouse for granted or to focus on the negative instead of the positive! In her book Feminine Appeal, Carolyn Mahaney encourages her readers to constantly remember why they fell in love with their spouses in the first place. I love

Day Forty

2011-11-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

I am glad to be back after a little break of posting (not praying!) my marriage prayers. I enjoyed processing and posting about shame--it's a topic that I wouldn't have even had 2 words to say about a few years ago, and now I find myself thinking about it every day and praying against it so that I can live in the fullness of my identity in Christ! And speaking of posts, I got so much positive

Shame is a four-letter word, part 5

2011-11-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

Today I would like to discuss how to love someone who lives in shame. There are a lot of ways to describe living in shame--one way is to talk about masks. The person who lives in shame cannot acknowledge who God says they are. On one hand, they are unwilling to believe the best of themselves (that they are beloved and have a completely new nature!); because they are living out of an identity

Shame is a four-letter word, part 4

2011-11-22T11:24:00.001-07:00

Now we get to the practical part of what to do with shame. First, we need to recognize if/when we are living in shame. Just an fyi, we all do it—if not constantly, at least at times in our life. The following are some examples to think through of attitudes that might indicate of you are living in shame—remember, living in shame (even momentarily) is living out of an identity other than your

Shame is a four-letter word, part 3

2011-11-21T10:27:00.000-07:00