Monday Night Chats Temporarily Discontinued

Due to the busy schedule for the months of June and July.... We will not plan on having Monday night chat night.

We are still going to try to keep some posts going. But that in itself has been a struggle (as you can tell) for the last couple of weeks.

We want to be a service for families. We want to survive and thrive in this world... and we want you and your family to not only survive but to also THRIVE.

Marriage/Parenting/Christian Living is work.. it is commitment... it can sometimes be HARD. But is it definitely worth all the effort. Keep your eyes on Jesus. He is the author and finisher of our faith! Keep Him at the center of your home... your marriage... your family... your time.

So your assignment for the summer months... keep up the Friday Family Fun...
Read a good book on the home.
Maybe even read a good book together.
Share with us what you are reading to encourage each other.
Remember that Love is "meeting needs".... so Love on the precious family that God has given you!

Surviving and (today we are ) Thriving!
Hal and DeeDee

Wives - Striving for Excellence (part 2)

The Monday night chat is on for tonight, June 2, 2008. It has been a while...

We will once again be looking at the wife (from Proverbs 31). We will start with verse 20. So... get your bibles out... and come and let's discuss this passage.

Husbands are welcome too... we would appreciate your input.

Proverbs 31:20-31

(20) She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
(21) She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
)22) She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
(23) Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
(24) She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
(25) Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
(26) She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
(27) She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
(28) Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
(29) "Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all."
(30) Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
(31) Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

Should be some good discussion time...

Look forward to meeting with you. (8:00 p.m. CST)

Love and Blessings,

DeeDee

Happy Memorial Day! No Chat Tonight

My... what a WONDERFUL weekend we have had with our family all together! It has been a whirlwind... but OH so good. I will blog more about it later :)

So....for today.. enjoy the time off... enjoy your family. NO CHAT TONIGHT!

We will try to be back on schedule next week.

Love to you all!
Not only surviving... but THRIVING today!
Blessings!

The Chat is ON for Tonight

So............
The topic will be Hal's topic from his post last week. Ladies, you will benefit (or enjoy) the chat with us... but also would be a good time to see if you can get your husbands to join.

See you at 8:00 (CST) tonight!

Chat Tonight - CANCELLED

Sorry we have to cancel the chat tonight...

Too much to do before Jonathan comes home :)

We will try to be back on track for next week.

Blessings,

Hal and DeeDee

Wednesday Words for Wives # 1

Words for Today

Our Most Important Ministry

I will start with a quote from "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace:


God's will for every Christian wife is that her most important ministry be to her husband. (Genesis 2:18). After a wife's own personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing else should have greater priority. Her husband should be the primary benefactor of his wife's time and energy, not the recipient of what may be left over at the end of the day. Whether her husband is a faithful Christian man or an unbeliever, God wants every Christian woman to be a godly wife -- an excellent wife.

So today, ladies... May 7th, 2008... is that true of you? Is it true of me? Our most important ministry is to our husbands? Or does he get "left-overs" from us most of the time... or ALL of the time?

God wants us to be godly wives. We have instructions. We have scriptures. We are blessed to live in the time when we have many good Godly books - filled with encouragement and instruction.

But I must stress to you... it is a life-time pursuit... well worth it... but definately a pursuit.

So this week... I want you to examine yourself and your time and see what is your most important ministry? What is your first focus? I'm not talking about our relationship with the Lord.. I will talk about that on another week. But our EARTHLY focus?

Love your husbands. Focus on him. Ask God to help you to make your husband your priority.

(And go ahead and start planning ahead of time for this Friday. - Family fun. - Sometimes it can be a date with just the two of you. And then do something fun with the children on Saturday.) Let the creative juices flow!

Marriage is meant to be enjoyed.- not merely endured. It is a gift from God.

Tuesday Tips for Husbands # 1

I've had a book on my shelf (Reforming Marriage by Douglas Wilson) for a long time but I have never spent much time on it. So as DeeDee and I were talking about this blog and this subject, I thought now would be a good time to bring it out.

I am going to use it as a guide for some discussions starters. Possibly on Monday night chats (for husbands) too.

Here are a few brief thoughts:

• If you are a believer (a Christian) then your relationship with God is that of a covenant. Paul teaches us that we ought to think of our marriages as a picture of the marriage of Christ to the church. When we come to know Christ, we leave all the old behind and our life becomes new. So in the marriage -- we leave our father and mother and cleave to our spouse. This is a covenantal relationship. That is a long discussion in itself since a covenant is a binding arrangement.

• Secondly, the foundation for a Godly married life is the same foundation for all Godly living - in everything we are to seek the glory of God. And He has chosen marriage as one of the best instruments throught which fallen man may glorify Him.

These two items should give us all food for thought.

We will talk about it next Monday night at 8:00 p.m. (CST)

--Hal