Your response to the new Rest and Release Bible Study has been amazing!!! I cannot wait to begin this study with you. But first, I want to have a heart to heart chat with you. I do not want this study to be about my personal life. I want it to be about Jesus – drawing in deeper to Him, resting in Him and releasing whatever burdens you are carrying, to Him. So, I made a pre-video. It’s a bit more personal than the study will be because I want the Bible Study to apply to all of us, in […]
Read MoreGiving Grace When We Need It Most
~ Today we have a guest post written by my friends Patrick and Ruth Schwenk . The change from marriage – to marriage with kids in the house – brings added responsibility and pressure to every part of life. Having kids in the house creates unexpected stress, tension, and conflict. When we’re exhausted and running on fumes, we tend to feel as if life is out of control. We feel tense, vulnerable, and more on edge. This can make us more volatile. With kids in the mix, our fuse can be short—really short. It may not take much for us […]
Read MoreThe Power of a Positive Woman in Her Home
Sometimes life throws us a curve ball. As we seek to make our homes a haven, reality strikes — headaches, hormones, financial pressures, and difficult relationships stand in the way of our dreams. Recently, I was listening to a speaker who said, “we should balance every negative interaction with 10 positive ones”. Our negativity can become like a heavy cloud in our homes when we are expressing frustrations (not just about our husband or children) but with the world in general. We can seem unhappy and make others feel like they are walking on egg shells when they are around us. […]
Read MorePraying the Book of Proverbs Over Your Marriage
Everyday I go to the coffee maker and brew coffee. While it is brewing I study my Bible, then I pour my coffee and sit down and open my email. Overnight a daily prayer for my marriage has arrived in my email inbox. There at my computer I pray for my marriage. These prayers are written by my bloggy friend Darlene (aka the Time Warp Wife). The reason I’m sharing this with you is because she has a New 31-day Series planned on her second website MarriagePrayers.Today —for the month of October called “Praying Through Proverbs.” And since our community here […]
Read MoreGoing Deeper {Song of Solomon 1-5}
Today I’m doing something different. I’m sharing links to articles that are written on the book of Song of Solomon or on the topic of physical intimacy in marriage –that I feel would be enriching for us to read –as we study this book of the Bible together. I pray they bless you as extra resources for going deeper in your understanding of Song of Solomon. Pick one or two links below to click on…and go deeper! The Song of Songs is countercultural. – It powerfully presents sexuality to be enjoyed within a relationship that is defined by God. It is covenantal, monogamous, […]
Read More10 Ways to Rekindle Intimacy In Your Marriage {Song of Solomon 1-3}
We live in a culture where sex has been twisted, perverted, and redefined. The culture is saturated to the point that children need to be taught the birds and bees at a very young age to avoid Google teaching them what parents ought to teach them. Porn is prevalent – it’s out of control. It dominates the internet and is said to get more visitors each month than Netflix, Amazon and Twitter combined. Those who value purity are few. Sadly, the next generation will miss out on understanding the beauty and symbolism of what God created and intended sex to […]
Read More100 Prayers for Your Marriage
Everyday I make myself my morning cup of coffee. I open my emails and overnight a daily prayer for my marriage has arrived in my email inbox. There at my computer I pray. Marriage is a wonderful gift. My husband is my best friend. But marriage can be hard. It is only by God’s sustaining grace that my husband and I are going on 18 years of marriage. Prayer works. I need prayer. My husband needs prayer. Where do I get these prayers? I subscribe to MarriagePrayers.Today and they come for free. These prayers are written by my bloggy friend […]
Read MoreThe Best Thing You Can Do For Your Marriage
Today we conclude the Messy Beautiful Love*Book Club! Thank you so much for following along with us! Darlene and I have a departing video below: (if you are reading this in an email – come see the final video here) And a departing gift! The best thing you can do for your marriage is pray for your spouse everyday. Darlene has created colourful prayer cards as an ideal companion to the book, and a good reminder to pray over your marriage each day. Download these 31 prayers cards here. Thank you so much for joining us on this journey! Walk […]
Read More4 Ways to Become Your Husband’s Best Friend
Welcome back to the Messy Beautiful Love*Book Club! Today we move into chapters 11 & 12 and Monday we complete the book club! Our final guest for this series is Misty and she is a part of the Good Morning Girls Leadership Team. Misty is a Daughter of THE King, Texas girl always, Navy brat at heart, loving Fisherman’s wife, blessed homeschooling mother of 2, author of Beautiful Ashes and founder of Marriage, Motherhood and Missions. She is passionate about being real throughout all of life’s struggles, successes and dreams. Her heart is full of ideas and passions, but the hours in […]
Read MoreIntimacy Is a Beautiful Thing
Welcome back to the Messy Beautiful Love*Book Club! Today we move into chapters 9 & 10 and we have a guest writer! Her name is Mandy and she is a part of the Good Morning Girls Leadership Team! Mandy is passionate about two things: The Word of God and the Souls of Men (and Ladies!). She is a married to her best friend, and gets the privilege to love on their three blessings (who lost their biological momma leaving her husband widowed). She loves that the Lord has let her life be an example of delighting in Him and watching Him […]
Read MoreFree Good Morning Girls Advent Study & December’s Reading Plan
This week the Good Morning Girls will complete Genesis! Hooray! You all have done an amazing job following along! Here is this week’s reading plan: Next up, is the book of Psalms. We will finish November in the book of Psalms and read Psalms all through December as well. For those who just joined the “Reading Through the Bible Series”, we read Psalm chapters 1 & 2 back in September, so we will be starting in Psalm 3 on November 24th. (You may want to read Psalm 1 & 2 next weekend before we begin –sorry that’s confusing!) Here’s next […]
Read More5 Ways to Take Your Marriage From Good to Great
Today we have a guest! Rosilind is an American girl married to a Bosnian guy who lives in a small village just outside of Zagreb. They have two crazy boys who are as opposite as boys can be. When Rosilind isn’t writing, she is dreaming up recipes and searching for ways to organize her home better. She writes at A Little R & R. ************************** Rosilind writes: An article on Facebook grabbed my attention recently. The writer was addressing the growing rate of divorce among a segment of the church few anticipated would ever have such struggles – the couples […]
Read MoreLetting Your Husband Lead
Welcome back to the Messy Beautiful Love*Book Club! {To find the weekly schedule and FREE downloadable Study Guide – click here.} Today we move into chapters 5 & 6! Chapter 5 Darlene writes on page 65 and 67: The Lord cautions us: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Ex.20:17 NIV) We are warned against coveting for a reason. It’s sinful, and it’s consuming. It’s the polar opposite of contentment and leads us to look outside […]
Read MoreLove Keeps Going When the Going Gets Tough
Welcome back to the Messy Beautiful Love*Book Club! {To find the weekly schedule and FREE downloadable Study Guide – click here.} Today we move into chapters 3 & 4 and we have a guest writer – hooray! Her name is Bridget. Bridget has been married to her best friend for 14 years. Together they have 3 boys and 1 little girl. For the biggest part of her life Bridget has been concerned with what others thought of her marriage and how she was raising her children. It wasn’t until she realized that there is no such thing as a cookie […]
Read MoreLoving Our Husbands Through the Hard Times
Welcome to the Messy Beautiful Love*Book Club! Today we dive into chapters 1 & 2. I’m going to share some of my thoughts from the reading, then a short video with the author and then discussion questions. I hope you will join the conversation by leaving a comment. Chapter 1 Chapter one is a powerful chapter. Darlene courageously tells her story of infidelity and her husband’s response. Michael responded with a measure of grace that can only come through God and the power of the gospel. “Loving his wife as Christ loves the church, Michael reached down to me with […]
Read MoreThe Messy Beautiful Love Book Club Begins Next Week!
The Messy Beautiful Love Book Club begins next week!!!!!! In case you missed the details – here they are again: When: Every Monday and Thursday in November we will be reading and discussing the book Messy Beautiful Love* by Darlene Schacht, the Time Warp Wife. Where: Here at WomenLivingWell.org Why: Because marriage is Messy right? But it’s Beautiful too. This book is an inspirational testimony of Darlene’s messy marriage made beautiful and laced through out are Biblical and practical applications for building a Christ-centered marriage.
Read More8 Ways to Maintain Your Friendship In Marriage
Growing up in a Christian home was a blessing. I had the privilege of watching my father and mother live as best friends in our home. There was never another person my father preferred over my mother. And there was never another person my mother preferred over my father. They both have good – life long friendships with multiple couples – but those are bonuses in life. My father – a very friendly outgoing man – is not the type that goes out with the guys on a regular basis and my mother, who is a little more private, […]
Read MoreBarriers & In-Laws vs. Oneness in Marriage
Mark 10: 6-9 says: 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” This week’s topic in our “Embracing Your Marriage Series” is “Embracing Oneness”. We see 2 barriers in Mark 10 to Oneness in marriage. 1.) The first barrier is our differences. Verse 6 tells us “God made us male […]
Read MoreHow to Deal With Differences In Marriage
All marriages deal with differences. If we traded in our marriage for another, we would just be trading problems with this guy – for problems with that guy – because the reality is, all marriages have problems to varying degrees. Sometimes I wonder why God made men and women so incredibly different. And while I understand that our differences should make us complement each other – some days it just feels like a huge hurdle. My husband and I are very, very different people. I am an extrovert – the more the merrier is my mentality! He is an introvert – […]
Read MoreFor Better…or Worse {When Seasons In Marriage Change}
1For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time […]
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