Married with Children?

The following was written by a God-loving woman I know, and I asked permission to post it.  She was pleased to let me share it in the hopes it would bless even more people than those who originally received it.  Enjoy!  --Michelle

        I can still remember as a kid, watching that TV show Married With Children, with the infamous family the 'Bundys'. The dysfunctional family with two middle-aged parents raising two very vibrant and vocal teenagers- one being a ditzy blond daughter named Kelly and a somewhat educated yet narrow minded son named Bud, caught the attention of my naive little brain. Week in and week out I would tune in to see what the Bundy household was up to. Somehow they seemed to pull off a moral-of-the-story type episode that kept me drawn in to their fantasyland family. But real-life married with children is far from chasing down unwanted boyfriends with a shot gun or even helping old ladies fit in to shoes that are half their size. And marriage is more than sitting on a comfy couch with your beautiful wife and spouting out rehearsed lines from a script. Married with children is WORK! And LOTS of it. Being a young married mother of two takes more energy than being an actress/actor with a full-time job! My role never gets a day off or even a season to recoup. And if your spouse has a full-time job, then you know what it feels like to work overtime when 10 hours has rolled around and you're still solo with the kids. Believe me, I think that children are the best gift from God that there is, but I need not forget that the idea of family first began with my spouse. That was where family began- with I do. My husband should get just as much of my attention as I give my two precious children. As much as I love them and want them around me, I still need to make time for the man of the house and the one who made the idea of having children a reality. Ladies, it may get lonely if you're a stay-at-home Mommy and Daddy is at work 8+ hours a day or even on the road. Yes, you may even feel disconnected from your Man because your children take more of your time and attention than he does. And guys, you may feel like you're just one person and having the financial burden of taking care of your wife & children. You may feel like there is no time for you to unwind from your busy day at the office. But remember- you are a team - husband & wife. You got one another's back and you have one mission in mind, to create a happy & healthy home and family. So, take a deep breath, cause you need one, take some time for yourself, cause you deserve it, but most importantly, take yourselves out on a date as often as you can,cause you depend on it! Take time to celebrate YOU as a couple - married with children!

Be Blessed~

Chrissy

Satan is a Liar!

You know, my husband Tim and I are not the type of people who stand on street corners with signs shouting at people to make them come to our viewpoints on spiritual matters.  We aren't confrontational people by nature, and while we are not endorsing peace at all costs (there are certainly times one needs to speak truth and stand by convictions), we certainly prefer a low key approach as opposed to a fire and brimstone one.  So, for me to use an exclamation point in the title of the post, I must really mean it.

This morning, my hubby, said something to the effect of: "You know why Satan wants to destroy marriages?  He not only wants to break up the family, corrode the foundations of society, and hurt the husband and the wife, he does it because he knows that marriage is supposed to represent our relationship to God, and that by working to break up marriages, he wants people to think that marriage can't last, that our relationship to God isn't permanent."  (Nothing can separate us from God's love, Romans 8:38-39).    

While I know that my man is a deep thinker, I was really impressed not only by the way he ended his thought, but also by the next thing he said in a matter-of-fact tone and final concluding phrase "Satan's a liar."

Just like that, something I have known my whole life was said in such a way as to really hit me with truth.  For instance, when I doubt my true abilities, Satan is a liar.  When I feel defeated, Satan is a liar.  When relationships look hopeless, Satan is a liar.

In what ways do you need to realize this truth and challenge the thoughts that are not the truth of God for your life?  In your family, in your relationships, in your work, in your parenting, in your marriage, in your self-esteem....if it isn't of God, remember: Satan is a liar.

Blessings,
Marriage Gal Michelle and Marriage Guy Tim

Laugh Together!

Do you ever wish you and your spouse were closer? What about you and your children? Sometimes, life gets so hectic with jobs, responsibilities, and stress that we forget to make and take the time to enjoy time together.

When is the last time you called your child up on your lap to read him a story? What about the last time you took in a baseball game with your spouse, or went bowling with your wife? There are so many wonderful and inexpensive ways to "touch-base" each day and each week with each other!

Take time to enjoy sharing life together! Even a ten minute game of Yahtzee can build intimacy, or watching old cartoon episodes together can make you share in laughter and connection.

What do you think is enjoyable? What does your spouse think is fun? What do your children beg you to do with them?

Some ideas:

• Take a walk and hunt for animal tracks, pinecones, various leaf varieties, or flower types.
• Go to a candy store and stock up on your favorites from childhood together.
• Make homemade goop or play-doh and form it into letters to spell out something sweet or silly.
• Get a book of silly jokes from the library and read them to each other.
• Make "bucket lists" and share your thoughts with each other on the items you each want to do before you die.
• Splurge on ice-cream with various sundae toppings, and have a "make-your-own sundae" time before popping in a Netflix movie you've all been wanting to see.

The possibilities are practically endless, but your joy and intimacy will continue to grow!

Have fun!

Words of Hurt or Healing?

Proverbs 12:18
Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.

Have you ever just basked in the warm and beautiful feeling of kind words being spoken to/of you?

It feels a whole lot better than sarcasm, rudeness, and thoughtlessness, doesn't it?

These words of the wise that bring healing are gifts from our Heavenly Father. He never wanted us to be cut down by others. He never wants us to be hurt.

The problem is that free will thing again; free will in a fallen world. Sometimes good, and sometimes awfully distasteful, huh?

While I can't promise that you will never be hurt again by the carelessness of someone else, I can promise that God has better thoughts toward and about you than anyone trying to tear you down, and this includes yourself! God thinks you are a beautiful creation, and He wants you to know it, too!

Just as kind words, wise words, appropriately timed words, and Godly words bring healing in our lives, we can bring healing and speak encouragment and edification into the lives of others.

We have the power to impact our husbands, wives, children, co-workers, friends, relatives, and even complete strangers with our words.

Don't forget the power of the tongue, or the power of the Lord to overcome it when it is used inappropriately. Be the change you wish to see :-)!

Building Up or Tearing Down?

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
(Proverbs 14:1).

This verse really speaks to me, as I have personally seen it to be true in my own life and in the lives of some of those I know. In my own life, it didn't take long for me to realize, as a newlywed, that if I didn't yell and start arguments, fights would very rarely occur. My husband is just a peace loving guy. This doesn't mean that we haven't had disagreements, but it does mean that when I chose to be responsible with my own words and actions, things went best for me, my husband, our marriage, and our household. Needless to say, I still (almost 17 years later) choose the path of peace and respectful discussion rather than being argumentative and yelling (at least the majority of the time ;-).

I've watched people with beautiful families tear them apart with adultery, deception, put-downs of a spouse, wall-building, and game playing, to name just a few of the foolish deeds, that people commit with their own choices.

What are you doing to build up your house? What are you doing to tear it down?

Much of what happens to us is the result of our own choices, whether the choices are wise or whether they make our own hands destroy that which we desire to build.

Movie Wisdom for Life

My husband, Tim, and I are huge movie buffs.  We like so many genres.  From the classics to action-adventures, from romantic comedies to sci-fi, and of course, anything by Pixar.  So, for a light-hearted but meaningful post today, we are going to post some of our favorite movie quotes that are great insights in ways to live: (Some are our best paraphrases, so the quotes may not be perfect, but the gist is there, lol!) 

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What can you do but to swim, swim, swim?" -Finding Nemo

"Just put one foot in front of the other." -Santa Claus is Coming to Town

"Get out of bed every morning and breathe in and out all day.  After a while, I won't have to remind my self to do it."  -Sleepless in Seattle

"Do or do not, there is no try." -Star Wars

"There is good in this world (Mr. Frodo), and it's worth fighting for." -Lord of the Rings

Agree with My Spouse?

When my husband and I got married, one of the precepts that we chose to build our life upon is that we would seek to be in agreement before we would pursue any given course.  This has served us well.  At times, we have said "no" to certain things or "yes" to certain things, and sometimes we have even chosen to simply wait and pray.  However, no matter what, if we are not in agreement about what to do in a particular situation, or at least in agreement as to what road we will pursue when we have differences, we will choose not to go forward.  Yet, one of my favorite scenarios is when we individually hear from God and come to agreement without having discussed it first.  

For instance, this happened when a young woman at our church was speaking with me about her upcoming missions trip.  She was overflowing with the beauty of Christ, and I really wanted to commit to pray for her and perhaps commit to a financial gift for the ministry God is calling her to do.  I hadn't realized it directly, but I basically had a peaceful thought that just seemed right about what I would like that gift to be, and I now realize that that was God speaking to me.  I know this because about ten minutes after I shared her mission information with my husband and said that I would like to see if we could give something toward her endeavor, he said that we should see if we could give x amount.  

I told him that that was exactly what I was thinking, but hadn't thought to share that with him yet. He told me that he thought I was thinking of that number and that we would be in agreement.  This is so God!  

We cannot figure out God's ways.  His ways are higher than ours, and He knows what He is doing!  If you are married and don't know what course of action to take, we recommend taking the situation to the Lord in prayer and waiting on Him for the answer.  Agreement and peace between you and your spouse may just be the way to know that still small voice of your Heavenly Father directing you in the way you should go.

Serving Him with you,

Michelle and Tim