Prayer
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Praying in the Spiritual Realm- A Chronicles Update
Why is it I’m always surprised by the warfare and the extreme challenges to come into my home life when we write about spiritual warfare or when we speak about a specific topic? I remember getting into some major brew-ha-has (is that a word?) with my husband when Dineen and I were in the middle…
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That Old Familiar Ache
It snuck up on me again, that old familiar ache. The one I used to walk around with constantly early on in my mismatched marriage. I thought I’d made peace with it, made the choice to trust God with my husband’s salvation and the future of our marriage. I’d learned to bring that ache, that…
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We Are Stronger Together
If you found your way here from the Focus on the Family broadcast, the first thing you heard yesterday was a quote from us. “Isolation steals our joy.” That’s why the first chapter of our book is titled, “Know That You’re Not Alone!” Our marriages are under attack by an enemy who wants to keep…
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Beauty from Ashes
On Friday we shared about the upcoming broadcast on Focus on the Family. This is an amazing culmination of a dream birthed from depths of pain. Can you believe that? Lynn and I are continually in awe of how God does that. Beauty from ashes… We are gearing up for whatever God has in store…
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We Need YOU!
My dear friends, Lynn and I just had one of our lively phone conversations-this one in preparation for our Focus on the Family broadcast scheduled for March 26th and 27th. There will also be a Twitter "party" on Friday-stay tuned for details on that. But we need your help. God is throwing open doors to…
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Weekend Devo – THE Dress
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11 When I prayed for my oldest daughter during our SUM fast the first week of January, God gave me this above verse for…
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How Do We Reconnect?
Staying connected with your spouse can be a challenge. I’m finding this to be harder to do as we get older. I shared recently that we’d become empty nesters, but our status is now back to three. Here we are again, adjusting to new and old dynamics. Here I thought my greatest challenge would be…
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An Open Letter to Celia
My Friend Celia, Dearest Celia, Romans 10:10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. God is a mystery and we will never fully understand or know everything about him. Even in heaven, we will continually discover new…
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Weekend Devo – Power of Prayer
Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel…
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Weekend Devo – Overcoming Our Thoughts is Like Brewing Tea
The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. – Romans 8:6 I used to be a horrible worrier. I used to be (and still am at times) fearful. I used to be very pessimistic. As I look back over the years of my faith journey…
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False Security
On February 12th, something happened that seriously rocked my world. I’m not an overly brave person, I confess, but I stepped out of my comfort zone (way out) and agreed to drive cross-country from Florida to California because my daughter wanted to come back home. It’s a trip we’ve done many times, but always with…
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Doubts About God
Who is God? Last week a new reader, Celia, left a comment which I think deserves our reply. As I read it I could hear in her words a heart and her soul calling out, “God help me to understand. God save me.” I empathize with her plea and most of us here in this…
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Defeat vs. Courage
Living out of God’s courage, what holds us back? And how do we escape the two traps of the devil. On Valentine’s Day we will give away a DVD of the movie Courageous, several books and also we will give away two framed, The Resolution for men and 2 framed, The Resolution for Women. To…
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Our Place of Influence (Part 2): What does that look like?
Last week I wrote about our place of influence in our marriage. How do we get there and what does it look like? Let’s start where I ended last week. 1. Pray for wisdom and guidance. It starts right here. Without God’s wisdom and guidance, none of this is possible. It’s like groping in the…
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Weekend Devo – Praising & Thanking
?In conclusion to our week of: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." – Ephesians 3:20-21 What…
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Day Three Looking for the Miraculous
1 John 5:5-8 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 6 This is the one who came by water and blood-Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because…
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Prayer and Fasting 2012
Fasting keeps you sensitive to His Spirit, enabling You to live holy. I am convinced that we will never walk in the perfect will of God until we seek Him through fasting. When you present your body in the manner, you open yourself up to hear from God. You will prove or discover His good…
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To Pray of Not To Pray. That is The Question for The Unequally Yoked
Football rages in the family room, the aroma of a roasting Bidzilla satisfies the kitchen, kids play outside, red cheeked and with hands frozen. Ahhhh, Thanksgiving. This is my favorite traditional holiday of food, family and ……stress. Read more at the Internet Cafe Devotions, Marriage Counter.
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The Battle with Fear
For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand ?and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. – Isaiah 41:13 Fear can be an all out, guns blazing affair or a subtle thief that sneaks in and steals our joy. I realized this past weekend that fear…
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Marriage Monday – In-Laws
…nearly 60 percent of all marriages suffer from tension with mothers-in-law, normally between the daughter-in-law and her husband's mother. It's Marriage Monday. Our topic: In-Laws I wonder how many of you felt your blood pressure rise at the mere mention of this topic? Well, considering the statistic above, I can bet a number of you…
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And the Walls Came A-Tumbling Down
Lynn’s post yesterday talked about the walls we erect that keep our guys on the outside. I want to share with you how this translated into my life. I walked into my marriage with the expectations I’d leaned from the pages of romance novels and movies. I’d bought into the fairytale. Everything was fine in…