One of my goals for this month is to complete the 31 days of prayer for Peter. I haven't started it yet but today is the day. I know I will flow over into February and not be finished by the end of January but that isn't really the point. The point is to take time every day to pray for the man you call husband. I always say my prayers silently before I go to sleep at night. While I'm laying in bed, listening to Peter's breathing as he's already asleep, but I don't ever take the time to really sit down and pray for him alone. I'm excited to start this challenge! 

When Peter and I started talking about marriage and I knew he would eventually pop the question, I bought a journal. Letters and cards are my love language for sure, so I wanted to fill the pages with prayers for him and letters to him so he could read through them one day. I left the first page blank so I could write something special on our wedding day for our first look. 

To be completely honest, Peter hasn't opened the journal since that day. Letters and cards are NOT his love language. HA! So the journal is sitting on a bookshelf and not being used at all. I thought this would be a great way to keep using it. Keep filling the pages with letters and prayers for him. Even if he doesn't want to sit and read it now, I know he will one day. I will love to look back on them and I hope that our future children will read them as well.

The prayer plan is below, originally found HERE:

Day 1 Pray that your husband will grow spiritually and consider his accountability before the Lord. Pray that he will guard his heart by developing spiritual disciplines—Bible reading and study, prayer, meditation, scripture memorization, etc. (2 Peter 3:18; Prov. 4:23)

Day 2 Pray that your husband’s relationship with God and His Word will bear fruit in his life. Pray that he will be a man of wisdom and understanding, fearing the Lord. (Prov. 3:7, 9:10; Ps. 112:1)

Day 3 Pray that your husband will be humble and quick to agree with God about his sin. Pray that his heart will be tender toward the voice of the Lord. (Ps. 51:2-4; Micah 6:8)

Day 4Pray that your husband will grow in leadership skills in your relationship—protecting and providing for you. Pray that he will lead you wisely and love you sacrificially, so that God will be glorified in your marriage. (Eph. 5:25-29; Col. 3:19)

Day 5Pray that your husband will be faithful to his wedding vows. Pray that he will have a desire to cultivate your relationship as a sign of his loyalty and commitment to you, and as a picture of Christ’s love for the Church. (Prov. 20:6; Gen. 2:24)

Day 6Pray that your husband will love righteousness and hate wickedness, especially the evils of the culture. Pray that he will recognize and avoid wickedness in his own life, and if necessary, take a clear, strong stand against evil. (Prov. 27:12; John 17:15; 1 Cor. 10:12-13)

Day 7Pray that your husband will safeguard his heart against inappropriate relationships with the opposite sex. Pray that his heart will be pure and undivided in his commitment to you. (Prov. 6:23-24, 26; Rom. 13:14)

Day 8Pray that your husband will work hard to provide for your family, to the best of his ability. Pray that the character qualities necessary for a successful career and ministry will be a growing part of his character—persistence, decisiveness, strength, an analytical mind, organizational skills, positive relationships with people, determination, etc. (Rom. 12:11; 1 Cor. 15:58)

Day 9Pray that your husband handle finances wisely, will have discernment concerning budgeting and investments, and will be a good steward of his money in regard to giving to the Lord’s work. Pray that money will not become a source of discord in your family. (Prov. 23:4-5; Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:5)

Day 10Pray that your husband will cultivate strong integrity, and not compromise his convictions. Pray that his testimony will be genuine, that he will be honest in his business dealings, and will never do anything that he needs to hide from others. (Prov. 20:7; 1 Tim. 1:5, 3:7; Eph. 6:10-12)

Day 11Pray that your husband will have a humble, teachable spirit and a servant’s heart before the Lord. Pray that he will listen to God and desire to do His will. (Prov. 15:33; Eph. 6:6)

Day 12Pray that your husband will yield his sexual drive to the Lord and practice self control. Pray that your sexual intimacy together will be fresh, positive, and a reflection of selfless love. (Prov. 5:15, 18; 1 Cor. 7:3; Song of Solomon 7:10)

Day 13Pray that your husband use practical skills to build your family and make wise decisions for your welfare. Pray that he will serve unselfishly. (Gal. 5:13; Phil. 2:3-4)

Day 14Pray that your husband will speak words that build you and your family, and reflect a heart of love. Pray that he will not use filthy language. (Prov. 18:21; Eph. 4:29)

Day 15Pray that your husband will choose his friends wisely. Pray that God will bring him men who will encourage his accountability before God, and will not lead him into sin. (Prov. 13:20; Prov. 27:17)

Day 16Pray that your husband will choose healthy, God-honoring activities. Pray that he will not live in bondage to any questionable habits or hobbies, but that he will experience freedom in holiness as he yields to the Spirit’s control. (1 Cor. 6:12, 10:31; 2 Tim. 2:4)

Day 17Pray that your husband will enjoy his manliness as he patterns his life after Christ and strong men in the faith. Pray for his physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual strength. (Eph. 3:16; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Cor. 10:11)

Day 18Pray that your husband will have an eternal perspective—living in light of eternity. Pray that he will reject materialism and temporal values and put God first in his life. (Matt. 6:33; Deut. 6:5; Eph. 5:16; Ps. 90:12)

Day 19Pray that your husband will be patient and a man of peace. Pray that he will not give in to anger, but will allow the Holy Spirit to control his responses. (Rom. 14:19; Ps. 34:14)

Day 20Pray that your husband will yield his mind and thoughts to the Lord. Pray that he will not entertain immoral or impure thoughts, and that he will resist the temptation to indulge in pornography. (Prov. 27:12; 2 Cor. 10:5)

Day 21Pray that your husband will learn how to relax in the Lord and, in his greatest times of stress, find joy and peace in his relationship with God. Pray that he will submit his schedule to the Lord. (Neh. 8:10; Prov. 17:22; Ps. 16:11)

Day 22Pray that your husband will practice forgiveness in your relationship and with others. Pray that he will recognize any roots of bitterness, and yield any resentment and unforgiving attitudes to the Lord. (Eph. 4:32; Heb. 12:15)

Day 23Pray that your husband will be a good father—disciplining his children wisely and loving them unconditionally. If he is not a father, pray that he will find a young man to mentor in the things of the Lord. (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21; 2 Tim. 2:1-2)

Day 24Pray that your husband will have a balanced life—that he will balance work and play. Pray that he will fear God, but also gain favor with people he knows at work and church. (Luke 2:52; Prov. 13:15)

Day 25Pray that your husband will be courageous in his stand against evil and injustice, and that he will stand for the truth. Pray that he will protect you and your family from Satan’s attacks. (Ps. 31:24; Eph. 6:13; Ps. 27:14)

Day 26Pray that your husband will discover and live his God-given purpose. Pray that he will offer all his dreams to the Lord, and pursue only those goals that will bring God glory and count for eternity. (Jer. 29:11; 1 Cor. 10:31)

Day 27Pray that your husband will understand the importance of taking care of his body—the temple of the Holy Spirit—for the glory of God. Pray that he will practice self-control by making wise food choices, and get sufficient exercise to stay healthy. (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 6:19-20, 9:27)

Day 28Pray that your husband will be a man of prayer. Pray that he will seek and pursue God in purposeful quiet times. (1 Thess. 5:17; Luke 22:46; James 5:16)

Day 29Pray that your husband will surrender his time and talents to the Lord. Pray that his spiritual gifts will be manifest in his career, at church, and in your home. (Eph. 5:15-16; 1 Cor. 12:4, 7)

Day 30Pray that your husband will serve God and others with pure motives. Pray that he will obey the Lord from his heart, and glorify Him in everything. (1 Cor. 10:13; John 7:17-18; Col. 3:23-24)

Day 31Pray that your husband will recognize the lies of the Enemy in his life. Pray that his attitudes and actions will be guided by the truth as he brings his thoughts into captivity to the Word of God. (John 8:44; 2 Cor. 10:4-5)

{Photos are property of Living on Cloud Nine blog, 

& are artistic property of Red Apple Tree Photography} 

Join me for this challenge??

In The Word // Psalm 46:5

In the midst. I find such peace in this verse for some reason? In the middle of, the center point, that is where you find God. How awesome is it to think of God as a the center of everything. The center of the church, of His people and the world.

The "her" referenced here is the "city of God" but naturally when I read this bible verse, I thought of myself. I  will not be moved because He is in me. The center, heart of myself, He is there. I also instantly thought of the Chronological Study that I started five days ago because the verse says, "God will help her when morning dawns." because that is that is the truth. Yes, it has only been a few days of waking up at 7AM but amazingly, I have only hit the snooze button one time each morning. That is clearly an act of God. I don't mean to be dramatic, it is the truth since I usually snooze 4-5 times on a daily basis! It is a BIG deal that I have climbed out of that comfortable bed of mine so early but I know I can do it because he is pushing me. Literally calling me off my pillow.

I have been praying for this. Praying before I fall asleep at night, praying every morning after my reading, praying for a thirst for His word. Hoping that I crave Him more than sleep and so far it has been wonderful! I continue to pray for the week ahead, praying that I can make it five days in a row. Pick my head up off my pillow and make my way downstairs to sit at my corner desk and open His word. That is my prayer.

I can't help but think about one of my all time favorite songs....

This morning my alarm went off

Earlier than I’d ever want
And in this small obedience, Lord
Help my heart stay bowed down

Father, You've given Jesus
All those He will raise up
And all eyes, including mine, will see
You are the only God
{Bethany Dillon // Deliver Me}

He is in the midst of me. He is in the midst of this life.
The midst of my mornings. All Him, all around.

 What is He calling out in you?

Are you reading along with us for this Chronological Study??

Share what He has placed on your heart this week,
the link up below will be opened all week long so join us!

 

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Also, hop over to Sage to see my guest post while Cassie is away on her Honeymoon!

In The Word // Psalms 145:18

I'm going to be completely honest with all of you.... my prayer life sucks. I simply do not talk to the Lord on purpose enough. I feel Him and I know He is always with me, but do I make a point every day to sit in His presence and talk to Him? No, I do not. 

I make excuses. I fill my time with all kinds of things (this blog being a BIG thing) and I simply don't make time for prayer. I hate this about my relationship with the Lord. It makes my connection with Him hard. Just like any relationship that doesn't have a strong type of communication, it will struggle. 

At the beginning of this month I came across this post and I felt God tugging on my heart. Asking me to take this challenge and work on our relationship. During the past week it hasn't been perfect, but it has been better. I am thinking about talking to the Lord more. I feel that I need it more. It has been a great challenge.

The 31 days of prayer:

July 1st: Spouse (current or future)

July 2nd: Parents

July 3rd: Neighbor (Literal)

July 4th: Neighbors around you (community you live in)

July 5th: Co-worker (specific person)

July 6th: Boss

July 7th: Friend (specific)

July 8th: Group of friends

July 9th: Distant/Lost friend

July 10th: A new baby

July 11th: Siblings

July 12th: A member of your extended family

July 13th: Church friend or family

July 14th: Your pastor

July 15th: An ex

July 16th: An old teacher

July 17th: An online friend (yay blogosphere!)

July 18th: A homeless person

July 19th: A refugee

July 20th: Military member

July 21st: Your President/Country's Leader

July 22nd: Your Country's Decision Makers

July 23rd: A new Christian

July 24th: A lost friend (spiritually)

July 25th: A grandparent

July 26th: A broken family

July 27th: Current or future children

July 28th: Current or past roommate

July 29th:  Other believers

July 30th: Yourself presently

July 31st: Your future self + family

Some other things that I have done to help in the past few days are....
1// Try my best to set aside time every day to do this. Add it in my schedule so it won't be a last minute, because I have to do it, kind of thing.
2// Start a prayer journal. I've been meaning to do this ever since I made my 101 in 1001 list back in November but once again, I made excuses. I knew that I wouldn't fill the pages and take the time to write down my prayers. his way.
3// Writing down your prayers will also help you stay focused. My mind doesn't wander as easily when I'm using pen and paper.

I'm trying my best to be thankful and persistent to thank Him for all the things that fill my day. Knowing that all my blessings come from Him makes that easier.

How is He working in your heart?

Share it with us anytime this week, we would love to hear from you!

 

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Total Truth // Parenting and Kids

Since I am not a mother yet I thought I would step away from the three topic design I’ve been using for this Total Truth challenge. Today I’m going to open my heart and freely share it on this topic. This has been something that I’ve wanted to write about for a while now but I didn’t know if the time was right. I wrote most of this below almost four months ago and then saved it as a draft for a later time. When I saw that Kids/Parenting was one of the topics I knew that God was pushing me to finally dig this up and share it. 

{my favorite book from when I was a kid}

If I were completely honest I would tell you that I have been fighting some serious "baby fever" ever since Peter put that wedding band on my finger. One thing I’ve always wanted to be is a Mommy. Even when I was a little girl I would beg my cousins to play doctor with me so I could put a baby doll under my shirt, and when they would pull out the little girl or boy, I would instantly become a mom. I would hold the baby and rock it, feed it with a pretend bottle and wrap it up in a blanket. I absolutely loved it.

Now that we are in this new season of life and enjoying marriage, people often ask when we will be starting a family. That is such a tough question.

When is the right time?

Time is a funny thing. If someone would have told me two years ago that I would be married to Peter and writing about starting a family I probably would have passed out. Two years ago the Lord was preparing my heart and stirring Peter’s heart. We were at a crossroads in our relationship and we were bravely crossing it together, with the Lord’s guidance. He was connecting the pieces for both of us, so we could become one as husband and wife.

Now that we are in this oneness, I sometimes wonder what to do with it. He calls us to multiply and further His kingdom with our family. That is something that I feel in my heart is so right and I want to be worthy of that. At times I want to start down that path, sprinting full force and then like a light switch being turned off, I realize that I am so content and happy enjoying married life, with just the two of us. I also know that once baby comes along one day it will never be "just the two of us" again and that is something that I don't want to give up yet.

That confusion always points me toward prayer. I pray that we use this time wisely so we are prepared when that new season arrives. Not just flowing through this season but soaking it in. Learning from each other and listening for His commands. There are times when I sit in the silence and pray for our future babies. Pray for their health and for their hearts. I pray that we will have the strength and knowledge to lead them with a Godly love, full of grace. I pray that we point them toward Christ every day with our words and our actions.

Out of the many things I have learned about the way God works, His control is my most favorite thing. It makes me feel safe and loved. We can try and master our plans and design our future, but in the end it is all His. So for now I will be thankful. I will pray that I yearn for a closer relationship to my Maker every day. I will love my husband and pray that I will be a great helper for him, so that he can lead our family well. I will prepare my heart for the next season of life, whatever that may be, because I know that He is at the center of it no matter what.

you can check out my other Total Truth Thursday posts below!

Marriage // Fashion

Social Media // Friendship

Modesty

Glory

I was talking to a friend recently about the blog world. Mainly about sharing Christ within your writing and how you can sometimes compare yourself to others that share the same heart for Jesus and the Kingdom.

One of the things that I find really hard is to not judge myself. To not measure myself to others and the way they write about our Maker and their relationship with Him. I’ve had those moments where I think to myself, “I haven’t talked about Jesus enough this week… I need to write something about Him.” But in reality I don’t need to justify my heart in this space. I know my heart, and I know that He knows my heart.

I do talk to the Lord every day. Not for as long as I should or as often as I should but there are moments in my days when I have a quiet moment with Him.

In my car while I am driving. Sitting at my desk at work. While I’m cooking or cleaning at home. Laying in bed before I fall asleep. I talk to Him so why do I feel the need to talk ABOUT Him so openly?

At church a couple weeks ago the pastor said something like this:

"Our job isn't to work toward the Kingdom, we are called to work FOR the Kingdom."

It hit me hard because that is so true. We are working for His Kingdom because we are already a PART of the Kingdom. Right now, in this moment everything I do should be for His glory. Not my own. Not for the views on this blog. And not for my comparison to other bloggers that I admire. For HIM.

This quote by Mr. Chan dug in pretty deep also:

"To be brutally honest, it doesn't really matter what place you find yourself in right now. Your part is to bring Him glory whether eating a sandwich on a lunch break, drinking coffee at 12:04am so you can stay awake to study, or watching your four month old take a nap." // Francis Chan

yes. that... that is what it is all about. His glory, 24/7. In my heart, in my head, at home, at work, in my car, on this blog. To glorify Him.

My friend Madison...

This is my sweet friend Madison.....

Madison is one of the fiercest people I have ever met. She overflows with the Lord’s love and I am always amazed by the things she does, the words she says and the way she carries herself. She is a warrior for His Kingdom and she is doing some amazing work right now. On September 30th Madison left her comfortable life here in South Carolina so she could move to Mozambique Africa for almost three months. Here is what she has shared about her new home:

“It is an amazing place where people are equipped for international missions & ministry. Jesus is glorified above all else, & their main mission is to love people into an encounter with Him. The supernatural is a normal part of life there. They see the deaf hear, food multiply, the lame walk & more on a daily basis. The power of Father is at work in mighty ways there & I am so honored to be able to go be a part of what He is doing as I'm more equipped to move forward in His calling on me.”

Gives me goose bumps every time I read it. I think what Madison is doing in Africa is astounding. During the time she is living in Africa and attending the Harvest School of Missions in Mozambique she has been blogging about her adventures there. I wait as patiently as possible to read them and when she posts a new update I’m left sitting in front of my computer crying tears of happiness because of the way she shares her heart so openly and freely.

I wanted to share this with all of you so you can follow along her journey also. You can help support Madison by lifting her and the team she is working with in prayer. There are also financial needs for Madison’s trip and if you feel that The Lord is leading you to help her in this journey by giving then you can do so HERE. Make sure that you put her name (Madison Hopkins) in the “notes/comments” section.

Also feel free to catch up on her journey on her blog and stay tuned for all the exciting updates she has to share!

{ Madison, I love you so much and I can’t wait to see where this road is going to lead you next!! I am praying for you and waiting patiently for you to be home again so I can hear all of the amazing stories and hug your neck! }

something great.

{picture taken by one of my "new" cousins //

edit by me using Over & A Beautiful Mess app}

During the end of the wedding planning process I would get this exciting, crazy feeling of anticipation in the pit of my stomach at a meeting or while completing something that needed to be done for the wedding day. I couldn't help it. I never worried about it because it wasn't a bad feeling... it was just a feeling of excitement that I couldn't contain. It was like my heart was so full of love and happiness that it couldn't contain the emotions so it would just flood over into other areas. Butterflies in my stomach, shaking hands, feeling the urge to jump up and down {like that time during our ceremony when Peter was about to kiss me... yes, i jumped up and down in my weding dress in front of everyone, I couldn't help it} or trying to conceal the smile across my face and looking like a complete weirdo... all of those things happened quite frequently and I welcomed them. I knew they were good. I knew those feelings were right. A good anticipation for something you've always wanted is a wonderful thing. 

As I woke up the morning of the wedding I had all those feelings. Heck, as I was trying to fall asleep the night before I had all those feelings. Knowing that when I fell asleep on my wedding night I would be with my husband made me want to run up and down the hall screaming "Woooooo-Hoooooooooooo!!!!". It's so exciting to start this new season of life enjoying new adventures and experiences with such an amazing person. Sitting here thinking about how all my future days will begin and end with him makes me beyond thankful. It makes my eyes well up with tears and my heart pound so loud I can almost hear it in my ears.

As I sit here & really think about it I can't help but pray. Pray to try my best to live out that quote every day. When I wake up I want to anticipate something great. Not something big every day but something great. I pray that our life together will be a happy one. Not perfect but that it will be filled with goodness. I pray to always strive to become a better wife for Peter and never grow tired of loving him and that he will lead our home toward God's will. I pray that our marriage will be working for the Kingdom and not for our selfish, worldly needs so that when people look at our relationship they will see Christ at the center of it. I pray that He will place people in our lives that will pour His goodness into our marriage and our life. I pray for our future family and that their hearts will grow to know the greatest love imaginable. And I pray for our safety in this life ahead and that all of the great blessings we receive will always be accepted and acknowledged as a gift from our great Lord above because He is the greatest blessing of all.

So that is my little "jump back into the blog world" kind of post as a wife. It's been a pretty sweet life of wifey-hood so far and you can bet I have some little posts ahead about our time in California. It really was amazing and I'm so happy I married my best friend. It does make this wife thing a lot more fun, that's for sure! And I'll stop saying wife now... sorry, I'm excited about it. ;-)

that time that God gave me a little gift.

A week ago I was struggling with some stress. Little things that have to do with the wedding like a calligraphy pen that I needed to finish the invites so we can send them out to all of our guests. I started with one pen, it died. So I bought another one on Amazon, used it and just like the other, it died. On the search for another pen I started with Amazon... no pen. Checked other places online... no pen. Checked local craft stores... no pen. 

The stress began. 

Yes. Over a pen. Then I remembered earlier that day I saw this little bit of wonderful on pinterest... 

All of my feelings were coming straight from Satan. I knew it was true. I let him inside and let him jumble my heart and my head instead of fighting him. Once I realized how crazy I was acting I decided to shut that door. Slam that door right in his face. Bam! Out with your evil ways and constant need to cause turmoil in my life.

I then made the conscious effort to let God in. Opening that door and welcoming Him into the stress. Asking Him to calm the obsessive need to find a silly pen. Begging Him to comfort my worried heart. Letting Him make my life still instead of rushing to find a conclusion for something so little. 

I decided that I'd find a pen. It may not be the same exact pen but it would work. It would be fine and the world would move on without that one specific pen. No big deal. 

Skip ahead a couple of days later... I decided to dig out my white summer purse from the bottom of my closet for the trip to Biltmore on Friday night. I transferred all the necessary things to the white bag and didn't think much of it. In the car on the way to Biltmore I started to rummage through the old bag because I am notorious for leaving little surprises in my bags after I switch to the next. While digging around in all the compartments I found several fun things. A lipstick that I thought I lost... a really pretty ring that I haven't seen since last summer... some awesome mascara that somehow wasn't at all clumpy.... After finding all of these goodies I had my hand down in the center of the bag and I felt something really familiar. Something I never thought I'd find. I'm sure you know what it was. The same exact pen that I needed and couldn't find anywhere. Literally, the last place I thought I would find one. I squealed and startled everyone in the car. I ripped the cap off praying that the ink wasn't dried out and then I squealed even louder when a thick line of black appeared on an old receipt. 

Everyone in the car was staring at me. Confused, slightly frightened and wondering why in the world I was screaming over a pen. It was THE pen! I then thought it would only make sense to scream "THANK YOU LORD!!! HE GAVE ME THIS PEN!" or something along those lines... I'm not quite sure what I really screamed but I was overcome with happiness because I don't remember ever having one of these pens last summer. I can't imagine why I would have ever put a pen like this in my purse. It just didn't make sense. The only thing that did make sense was this answered prayer. How he took away my stress, my obsession, my worry... he took all of it away and then this little gift was just an added bonus. His love is so sweet and the way He hears our cries and comforts us always amazes me. 

After a fun weekend (and some invitation addressing with my awesome new pen) I was excited about church on Sunday morning. The topic was on patience. Once again... He was speaking to me. The teaching pastor for the day, Bill White, was explaining how the definition of patience is not a personality style... it is the outcome of long suffering for love (Ephesians 4:2). How Christ is dwelling in our heart through faith and when He fills that space in our heart we are able to suffer long for those we love and really experience patience. 

He then moved on to Hebrews 12:1 and talked about how life is a race. The Lord puts us in this race and we should run with endurance and patience for the one true goal. To be with Him forever. We should look forward to that before anything else. Our whole life should point to that one goal. Our future with Him. Then Bill said something that I needed to hear more than anything.... 

"I am not going to live for my wedding day here, I'm going to live for the wedding day, the marriage supper of the lamb. I'm not living for my reception & I'm not obsessing over that. But I'm living for the reception that God is going to put on when He unites the Bride of Christ to His Son. That's the one I'm looking forward to. And not that it's wrong to look forward to the one that's in between but you can't put your hope in it. You put your hope in the one that's coming." 

I was shocked. I turned to look at Peter sitting right beside me and just laughed. It is so true. It doesn't matter what pen I use for the invitations. It doesn't matter how perfect our reception is. All that matters is the outcome of this race. The end goal of spending eternity with Him. 

Yes, I am incredibly thankful for the man I will be enduring this race with. Yes, I am looking forward to the day that will make us husband and wife. Our life will become one and I'm so happy that we have Jesus Christ to live that life for and then spending eternity in His presence. That is the end goal.