Joyfull Living

The month of June has come and is already on the way out! The months seem to fly by, but June is one month out of the year for me that holds an entire year worth of emotion. In the span of a few weeks in June some momentous anniversaries occur. First the anniversary of my father's death, then my wedding anniversary and then the holiday of Father's Day. Many posts have been written sharing our family story. They can be found under 'Crisis" and "Grief" labels on the sidebar.  Through the years, these dates that hold utmost significance in my life cause me to pause and be thankful for the fatherly influences that have come to a beautiful fruition.   My father - no words are needed to what a father means to a girl. Her hero, protector, friend, advisor and the one influence that can fill her heart with love and acceptance.  No father is perfect and mine made some choices that negatively affected our family, but I never doubted his love for a minute.  My wedding ...

One of the most important and powerful things a couple can do is to pray for one another.  When things are going well, what a blessing to thank the Lord for.  When challenges come, praying for one another keeps bitterness at bay and restores the love first in the heart, then loving actions flow out. When we want to change them, and nothing works(!), God can do a work in marriages and hearts. This is a powerful investment to pray for our spouse and a New Year is the perfect time to begin.  Here are some sample prayers.  A Prayer for My Husband Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for this wonderful gift of a husband, companion and friend. Remind me to celebrate his achievements, and to turn my focus away from his faults. Equip me to be the help meet you have called me to be, and the friend my husband needs me to be. Help me to recognize his efforts, his courage, his strength, and to sing his praises in a way that brings honor to him and to o...

As we approach Mother's Day, it is easy to ponder expectantly on what we're going to 'get'.  Accolades and acknowledgement for our hard work, thanks for our dedication, perhaps a meal out, flowers or a present. But as any mother knows, it's not all about getting, it's about giving !  Mothers are born givers, nurturers and love to take care of the family.  The work is hard, but the rewards are fantastic!  Here is a pretty printable to help mom - GIVE . a powerful gift -  31 days of prayer for her husband.   Does he need a little 'tuning up'?  Instead of constantly reflecting on the things that bother us and what we wish we could change, let's place him in God's hands and let Him mold him into the man he was created to be.  Instead of nagging, let's pray about those qualities we want to see in him. Try it for 31 days and see if God doesn't make a difference in him and in us!  The Better Mom (I fixed the link..sorry...

Can you believe we are in APRIL?  This year is flying by!!!  Although it is going way too quickly, spring months are some of my favorite months.  There is newness all around, new leaves, flowers and unfolding beauty everywhere!  Since the beginning of this year, I am attempting to be more intentional in my devotional times.  For me, instead of just reading things and relying on my memory to recall it, this means writing things down and keeping notes of interest to refer back to often.   This helps to reinforce truths that I need to grasp and in prayer time, keeps prayer needs and requests at the forefront of my mind.  Tools like lists, prayer cards and Scripture prayers along with personal prayer from the heart help my prayer time to be effective.  Just a few weeks ago I came across these prayer cards.  They offer 31 Days of Prayer For Your Husband along with ways to enhance your prayers for children and your ...

There is a fantastic tool that I use to help me pray for my husband. It is the " Power of a Praying Wife" daily prayer calendar. I found it on EBay for about $2.00, but it has a much greater value and the return on this investment has been priceless! I want to share the beginning of the year posts which give a glimpse of the power of a praying wife. "The power of a praying wife is not a means of gaining control over your husband... In fact, it is quite the opposite. It's laying down all claim to all power in and of yourself, and relying on God's power to transform you, your husband, your circumstances and your marriage." "The power of a praying wife is a way to invite God's power into your husband's life for his greatest blessing, which is ultimately yours too." Proverbs 31:10-12 - "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. Sh...

Here is a prayer for husbands from "The Power of a Praying Wife" daily prayer calendar. It is a simple prayer, but one that will produce bountiful blessings! "Pray that your husband's heart becomes pure, because the Bible promises a person who has a pure heart will see God (Matthew 5:8) and have a cheerful countenance (Proverbs 15:13). Who doesn't wish her husband could see God and have a cheerful countenance?

This morning I came across a powerful prayer for husbands and thought that I would share it. " Lord, I pray that You would grant to my husband his heart's desire and fulfill all his purpose. Help him to be all You created him to be." I realize the power and importance of a wife's prayers, but sometimes just don't know exactly what to pray each day. This prayer covers every area of the husband, seeking God's power to do what only He can do! Have a blessed day today!

After my post yesterday, I found this article today over at crosswalk and thought it was great. I am just going to share some dos for having sweet, pleasant speech for our husbands. Words Your Husband Longs to Hear 1. I’ve been thinking about you all day. 2. What can I do for you today? 3. How can I pray for you today? 4. The best part of my day is when you come home. 5. You are one of God’s most precious gifts to me. 6. You are so wonderful. 7. You look so handsome today. 8. I don’t feel complete without you. 9. I will always love you. 10. I trust your decisions. Today, pick just one of these phrases. Try it out on your husband and watch his eyes light up! When you love your husband well, God says “Well done, my good and faithful servant!” Let’s Pray Dear LORD, thank you for giving me the gift of my husband. Help me to never forget that one of the greatest places of ministry is in the home and ...

Things go much smoother for my family when planning and preparations are made. A few things that help us are to look over the week early (Sunday afternoon is great for this). What lies ahead this week? Will you need supplies for a project for school, cards for birthdays or anniversaries this week? What nights will be busy with extra activities and what needs to be done to help in that? Things like that help avoid that last minute dash which leaves me flustered, rushed and grouchy! Prayer is the ultimate plan and preparation for our lives. One of my favorite verses is Psalms 37:5 "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." Through the years I have collected specific, Scriptural prayers for my family. I love to pray these over them. Here is one for the husbands: Ask God to: Protect him physically and mentally as he goes into the world each day. Make him a man of integrity. Infuse him with wisdom. Shower him with success. Put a gen...

In my household we are blessed with three sons. There is a broad spectrum in their ages and interests and things that are important to each one. This week we had some crisis which ranged from no gas or money (16 year old), never getting to do anything (13 year old), to losing a first tooth (6 year old). Like many mothers, I feel like our children are absolutely wonderful, but sometimes extremely time and energy consuming. Mothers take such care to keep the children fed, dressed well, educated and happy. In an earlier post, I posted a prayer for children which I love to do - pray for those godly qualities to be formed and evident in their lives. Sometimes, our dearest treasure - our mate for life - husband can get somewhat overlooked, or treated like on of the children ( we just feed and clothe them, give them directions and tell them to "come on"). We'll talk more about how to make him feel special and loved and appreciated soon, but I wanted to post a prayer for hu...