The Winner of Note To Self Is...

Becky from Garland of Grace!  Congrats!!!


Please email me your address Becky and I will have Crossway send you your book! ~ Courtney(at)womenlivingwell(dot)org!

If you missed my review of this book - I highly recommend you check it out!

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The Perfect Father's Day Gift - Note to Self - And a Giveaway!

If your husband is a reader - this is the perfect gift for him! If your husband is not a reader - this is the perfect gift for him!  And when he's done reading it - you should read it too!!!  I'll tell you why in just a second but first let me back up 18 years!

18 years ago, I was a nervous freshman from Ohio, at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.  Being the social butterfly that I am, I quickly made friends with a girl named Jen from Germany (who later became my roommate) and a group of guys from our "brother" floor - whose ring leader was named Joe Thorn (the author of the book I'm about to share with you).  Now stick with me here - cause I'm trying to give you 4 years of history in 15 seconds! 

Joe is to the left of Jen in the green.  I'm on the far right. 

This group of guys was intriguing - all they wanted to do was debate theology  - or - laugh (2 of my favorite things to do)!  We went from very serious deep conversations to laughter about the most light hearted things in 2 seconds flat.  While my classes at Moody taught me many new things - it was my talks with Joe and his friends that introduced me to Martin Luther, John Calvin and Puritan Paperbacks.  Over lunch and dinner in the school cafeteria, they taught me how to handle God's word correctly as they challenged all of my preconceived notions of scripture. 

Let me put it bluntly - Joe Thorn made me squirm...he made me run to my dorm room and flip through my Bible trying to prove him wrong.  He made me read books by RC Sproul, listen to radio programs by Michael Horton and James Boice and go to my commentaries and concordances trying understand these deeper concepts of God that he spoke about. 

So to make a long story short, my roommate Jen fell in love with Joe and here I am in their wedding!

And it is no surprise to me that now Joe Thorn sits across the table from people like John Piper

Joe is on the far left - John Piper is on the far right.

Or Justin Taylor

Joe Thorn Interview V. 1 from Crossway on Vimeo.

Joe is now a church planter in Chicago where his wife homeschools their four children.  His newly published book is a must read!  And I'm giving one away today!

Note to Self is a rich theological and practical guide to life.  While we need our pastors to preach to us on Sunday mornings - we need to be preaching to ourselves on Mondays through Saturdays!  In one hundred and thirty seven pages (this is short and an easy read for readers and non-readers!) and 48 short chapters, he takes us through all facets of life and applies the gospel.

Joe has a unique ability to pack a powerful punch with just a few words.  Let me give you a few examples:

"Let's be honest, the reason you do not experience the joy you read about in Scripture is because your heart is divided, and your interests are spread thin."

"You should see everything in your life as grace that accompanies your salvation.  For such things do not come from a Judge, but your Dad."

"Take note - your view of Jesus tends to shrink over time...This is probably why the church is shrinking in North America - because small Jesus does not inspire awe, command respect, lead to worship, or compel us to talk of him (much less suffer for him)."

"The more robust, the more detailed your theology, the more humble you should become. Why? Because you did not figure God out; he revealed himself to you."

"Sin, your sin in particular, should make you recoil.  Yet, because you are so familiar and comfortable with your sin, you hardly even blush at most of it.  Revulsion will only come when you see the holy, just, and good character of God in contrast to yourself."

"It's as if amassing feelings of guilt becomes a perverted kind of penance in which you pay for your transgression by making yourself feel bad - as if your guilt is a means of getting clean."

"This is grace that God has given us a clear and understandable word."

Joe Thorn's book Note To Self, which is priced at around $10, would make the perfect Father's Day gift!  It has a verse for mediation that starts each chapter that makes it a perfect daily devotional.  It's a quick life-changing read that I hope you have the joy to experience!

And I have the opportunity to give one away here!!! 

To enter to win simply leave a comment below!  For extra entries Facebook or tweet the link to this giveaway!!!  This giveaway will run through Saturday, June 11th at 9pm.

Walk with the King!

The 5 Winners of the Warrior Prayers Ebook Are...



The 5 winners of the amazing eBook, Warrior Prayers by Brooke McGlothlin are... 

Naturalfamiliea

Madonna

Jiselle

Kristen Wisemann

A Doring Family

Congratulations! 

Walk with the King!
Please email me your email addresses ~ courtney(at)womenlivingwell(dot)org!

5 eBook Giveaway of Warrior Prayers



Have you heard of this eBook, Warrior Prayers by Brooke McGlothlin?  It's been buzzing around on twitter and the blogosphere and I HAD to get my hands on it! 

Let me be honest, this eBook knocked my socks off!  I LOVE it!  Why you may ask?  Because not only is the writing open and transparent but the prayers - the prayers are exactly what I need. 

It's specifically the powerful, God-breathed prayers that make me want to shout out loud - "if you have $5.97 get this eBook!" (-and no I'm not being paid to say this! lol! I honestly believe it!) 

I find it so easy for me to get lazy in my prayer life.  I find myself just praying a list of wants to God.  This eBook has been transforming my morning prayers not just for my son but for my entire family.

 Warrior Prayers has over 220 scriptures (yes, I counted them all myself because I was blown away at what an amazing resource this really is!) written out that we can pray over our boys (and family as I have been doing!)

Let me give you an example from page 14 on the topic of Obedience:

Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, may____________(fill in your child's name) obey the LORD our God so that it will go well with him (Jeremiah 42:6).

May _______________obey his parents in the Lord, for this is right (Ephesians 6:1).

May ________________obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).

May ________________show his love for Christ by obeying His commands (John 14:15).

Or the topic of love:



May _______________not love the world or the things in the world (I John 2:15).

May the Lord make ____________increase and abound in love (I Thessalonians 3:12)

May ____________ not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth (I John 3:18).

May ____________love the LORD his God with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might (Deuteronomy 6:5).

This is just a small taste of the 220+ verses that can be prayed over our boys.  Brooke takes you through many scripture passages on the topics of integrity, anger, pride, purity, honor, love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness - just to name a few!

In the Conclusion Brooke writes:

"Prayer?  The desperate cry of a mama whose life has taught her she has so little control.

I cannot hold my children tightly enough to protect them from all harm, cannot force these brothers to love each other well, cannot control their actions, cannot keep them from losing the people they love, cannot ensure that they will turn out to be the men I dream they will be, cannot make them love the Lord.

I cannot change their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).

Prayer is the coming to the end of myself, the letting go, and placing my hope in the God who CAN." 

Are you praying for your children?  I suggest that you pray scripture over them if you are not already doing so and this is a great tool to help you.

I am giving away 5 copies of the Warrior Prayers eBook!!!  To win simply leave a comment below before Saturday at 9pm!For extra entries:  Facebook or tweet this link for the giveaway!  I'll be giving away the 2nd edition in PDF format (which includes study questions and is newly available on Kindle here. It will be available on Nook soon.)

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Giveaway - Sally Clarkson's The Ministry of Motherhood

Sally just called me --just pause right there -- yep - my phone rang and it was Sally Clarkson {squeal} lol!  I crossed my fingers that the kids wouldn't fight!!!  Alexis was doing phonics and Alex was writing out Hebrews 13:17 because we were having a rough morning with some questionable behavior lol! but we made it through!


Anyway, Sally offered to giveaway one of her books for our summer book club!!!  Hooray!


The book club begins Monday, May 23rd on GoodMorningGirls.org with exclusive videos done by Sally Clarkson!  The book club will run through August 5th.  This is gonna be good - you don't want to miss it!


Just leave a comment below before Saturday at 9pm to win! 


 And for a bonus entry go to Sally Clarkson's site and enter to win a copy on her blog! She's giving away one copy on her blog too!  Woohoo!


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 Janene from The Everyday Extraordinary just contacted me and offered to giveaway one of Sally's books to one of the readers who comments below!  So that makes 2 books that will be given away here on Saturday night! 

Anyone else who wishes to help a sister out by donating a book - just send me an email: courtney(at)womenlivingwell(dot)org!

The Winner of Love and Respect For a Lifetime is...

Jennifer Honeycutt - congrats Jen!


I apologize for the terrible delay in announcing the winner! Thanks for your patience!


Keep Walking with the King!

What a Majority of Men Want For Valentine's Day and a Giveaway

Photo credit Boston Herald

This Monday is Valentine's Day. In a lot of marriages, this day comes and goes without a whole lot of acknowledgement. We women see it on the calendar - we know it's there, we've helped our children write out all their little Valentine's Day cards...and we cross our fingers that our husband NOTICES it is Valentine's Day.

If you are a lucky one - you will get a card, flowers, dinner out, maybe some chocolates and some romance. And well - the rest of us...it might not happen and we'll just have an annoying day lol!

But rather than waiting around for something that might not happen - how about we use this day to show our husbands appreciation for the blessing that they are in our lives. This day gives us a reason to shower our husbands with some extra Tender Loving Care!!!

Remember - there are no exceptions in the Bible where it says on Birthdays, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day we have permission to get selfish and self-centered.

Philippians 2:3,4 says "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

My husband is thoughtful. It is not uncommon for him to show up with my favorite drink from Starbucks, a late night run to fill my car up with gas, or a timely back rub. But he's not Mr. Romance. I am 100% secure in his love for me by the way he works so hard to provide, listens to my long detailed stories lol!, protects me and the children and does a whole slew of other things 365 days a year! I don't want to despise him on February 14th for not coming up with a soap opera type romantic extravaganza. I know it's not gonna happen and it probably won't happen for about 90% of us!

So why not have some fun planning something special for our husbands and making a memory! Do you know what your husband wants? There's still quite a few days left - so ask him!

Let me make a suggestion as to what a majority of men want even if they aren't willing to say it:

1. A great tasting, looking, smelling home cooked meal and home cooked dessert (I plan to make an all red dinner - red drink - red spaghetti - red dessert)

2. You pursuing him for a night of passion (remember you are married - HAVE fun! God created passion for us married folk! lol!) Don't be afraid to flirt again - wink at him across the table - suggest what is for dessert after the kids are in bed *wink*. Loosen' up and have fun! Make a memory that neither of you will forget!

3. Write a letter expressing all the things you admire about him. Consider reading it out loud to him at dinner in front of your children. Or if you are going out to dinner - put your list in your purse and then pull it out in the middle of dinner and read it to him. Trust me - he will LOVE it!

Which of the three does your husband need from you right now?


*****I am excited to share that I have a giveaway today!!! It's the "Love and Respect For a Lifetime" hardback Gift Edition!!! This is a GREAT book to read together with your husband (if he is willing). My husband and I have led his marriage study in our home and it has been a huge inspiration in our own marriage.

Dr. Emerson Eggerich says:
"When you touch your husband's deepest need something good almost always happens!"

To enter to win just leave a comment below before Monday, February 14th!

I want to invite bloggers to link-up if you are participating in this challenge. If you are not a blogger - please leave a comment below to let me know that you have committed to the challenge!

Join the fun, do a little blog hopping and don't forget if you join below -please add the Women Living Well Wednesdays button or the Marriage Challenge button to your post so your readers can find us here! (posts can include the topics of marriage, parenting and homemaking)

<a href="http://womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com/search/label/Women%20Living%20Well%20Wednesdays"><img border="0" src="http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq297/courtneylivingwell/LivingWell.png" /></a>

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I am linked up at Titus2days (Time Warp Wife), Raising Homemakers, and Works for Me Wednesday.

The Winners of the "Reshaping It All" Giveaway Announced

Wow! With 487 entries, this is the largest giveaway I have ever had! I wish I could give one to all of you!!! But alas, I have 3 winners:


Hattie @ God Love Him
Lisa @ Life's Sweet Ingredients

Stephanie@ If Only for Today

Congratulations ladies!

Please email me your home address so I can mail your books out to you!!!


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Reshaping It All and a Giveaway

Over Christmas, I began reading Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness written by Candace Cameron Bure (formerly known as DJ from Full House) and Darlene Schacht who blogs over at Time Warp Wives.

Not only have I been reading it, I have been applying it!! So let me share with you a few of the principles I have learned from the book.

1. "This outer shell is simply an envelop for my spirit. The contents are precious, eternal and costly, bought with a price, and the envelop has been fashioned by the world's greatest designer, the Creator Himself." pg. 66 It is tempting to put too much focus on our outer "envelope"...but it is the precious contents - my spirit and soul that God has redeemed and that will live forever. But we must remember that God did choose to give us this "envelope" and he designed it as he pleased. (Psalm 139:13-16)

2. "God loves you, just the shape you are and there isn't a single number on the scale that could ever change that." pg. 67

3. "Each year, each week, each day, and each hour we are offered choices. Should I grab water or a soda pop, a bag of chips or an apple?...take the stairs or the elevator? The reason we fail to consider these choices as carefully as we should is because the value we place on them is so low." pg. 83 This is SO true about learning any discipline in life. It's the small battles won day in and day out that show a life transformed. It's saying no to our flesh over and over and over and over that over time show a life of victory.

4. "When we resist temptation, it eventually flees." (James 4:7) pg.83 This is so very true. For a fleeting few minutes we may face temptation when everyone is eating dessert. But when the dessert time has ended, the temptation also ends and we learn indeed we can survive without dessert!

5. "Self-disciplines when applied to our life not only bring self-respect; they also bring the respect from others around us." pg 100 The Proverbs 31 woman led a life of discipline and as a result both her husband and children praised her. People who seek out the quick fixes are less remarkable and usually return to their old ways. But those who are diligent to lead a disciplined life - often demand the attention of others - they are remarkable!

6. Prosperity gives us the option for gluttony, a sin the Bible warns against. But many of us aren't sure where pleasure ends and gluttony begins...Proverbs 23:20-21 speaks against a gluttonous lifestyle...in Latin gluttire means "to gulp down or swallow"...In Hebrew it means "to have in excess." The modern definition of the word gluttony is to habitually eat to excess." pg. 111 This is a hard truth to swallow...isn't it *{blush}


What is fun about this book is not only does it give you great principles to live by but it also includes Candace's testimony, solid scripture references, realistic tips to apply and even recipes!!!

This week I whipped up for my family three of Candace's dishes! I made her Orange Chicken Fajitas, Oven Roasted Broccoli with Lemon Baked Salmon (not pictured), and her Turkey Meatloaf (ignore the butter on the potatoes - I know it's not healthy lol! I'm a work in progress okay? hehe!). And I plan to make a few more of her recipes this week!

This gives you a great intro to this book. I highly recommend it. I honestly could write 5 posts on this book - but let me leave you with this one staggering truth! I have been applying it THIS week and I lost 3 pounds - now mind you - I'm coming off the holiday sugar rush...but I still see how this book is transforming my thinking and helping me to think clearly about what and why I eat. It feels good to be practicing self-control again in this area of my life.

Darlene has provided an extra copy of Reshaping It All for me to give away to one of you! To enter to win, simply leave a comment in the comment section. I will choose a winner this Thursday! Join me tomorrow for more on this topic!


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GREAT NEWS! So many of you are entering, that I just got word from Darlene she is adding two more books to this giveaway! So I will be giving away 3 books on Thursday!!!

I am linking up to: Making Your Home Sing Monday, Hip Homeschool Hop, Raising Homemakers, and Works For Me Wednesday.

And The Winners Are...

And the winners of "Putting God Back In the Holidays" are:

Latoya from Christian Mama

and


Kara from As Far As East Is From the West


Congratulations! Please email me your home address and I will get these in the mail to you!!!


Walk with the King!

Putting God Back In The Holidays and A Giveaway

Last week I began a fabulous book titled "Putting God Back In The Holidays" by Bill and Penny Thrasher (Bill is a Professor at my Alma mater - Moody Bible Institute). This book has rattled me a bit because it challenges me to rest in the midst of the busyness that comes with holidays.

This book covers all the holidays, from New Years to Easter to Mother's Day and Labor Day, and it is filled with practical and spiritual ideas to make each holiday special. But when I received the book, I flipped straight to Christmas because Christmas is coming and I want a handle on it!

Thrasher says this is how we will know if we had a "successful" Christmas : "If you have a better relationship with the Lord at the end of the holiday celebrations, you have had a very successful holiday."

When my to-do list multiplies ten-fold for the holidays, I find it extremely difficult to have quiet time with the Lord. How can my relationship with God be better at the end of the holidays? To be honest, much of what goes into making the holidays special is up to the women - from cooking, to decorating, shopping to baking, writing out Christmas cards and opening our homes - we are pressed to our max financially and with our time.

Feeling closer to God at the end of the holidays is a challenge for us. And so, a December Challenge has been born via this book and will be coming soon to Women Living Well. They will be very simple and they will focus on you and your relationship with God in the midst of the holidays. I will be quoting some more of Thrasher's thoughts and giving you some practical ways to rest in the midst of your to-do list.

On page 138, Thrasher reminds us to be on guard against vanity during the holidays. He says "God knows the emptiness and pressure of living independently of Himself. If we take life into our own hands for the holidays, it is up to us to carry our burdens on our own shoulders and to figure out what is best apart from the wisdom of God. Christ came to deliver us out of this vain way of life and to bring us into a relationship with God."

Isn't it true that often we take on too much for the holidays. We take on things that God is not asking us to take on. They can leave us feeling empty because we have taken on burdens God never meant for us to take on.

I will write more in the following weeks on this topic, but until then let me share with you one of the practical ideas Thrasher offers in his book for reaching out in your neighborhood.

"One year, this family set up a prayer mailbox on their covered porch. They sent a note to their neighbors expressing their love and care for them. In it, they told them about the prayer mailbox. If someone was hurting or needed prayer, they could put their request in the box - anonymously if they wished - and the family would be sure to pray for them."

This book is packed with ways to honor God during the holidays and practical tips to live it out. I highly recommend it!

Moody Publishers has generously given me two extra copies of this book to giveaway to two of my readers!!! Hooray! All you have to do to enter to win is leave a comment below before Thursday, November 18th at 9pm! I read all of my comments - so if you'd like to add any thoughts or struggles you have regarding Christmas stress in your comment - I will try to address a few of the common concerns in this upcoming series of posts.

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Guess Who Won the Faith Box Giveaway - Everyone!

Last Tuesday I told you all about the Faith Box Giveaway happening over at my other site GoodMorningGirls.org


And then 153 women entered to win. Angela, my partner at Good Morning Girls, is a giver. And it was breaking her heart to only give away one! So she went to her husband and asked if he thought it'd be okay for her to give away 2. (she is covering this out of her own pocket - this is not a sponsored giveaway - that's why she went to her husband).


Here's what she wrote in Tuesday's blog post where she announced the winners:

Her husband answered: “No I don’t think you should give two………I think we should give one to EVERY mom who entered to win that giveaway!!!”

Yes, you just read that correctly! God has blessed my sweet husband with a VERY GIVING heart and as a family, we feel that every child should have a My Faith Box! This is just one way, as a family, we are putting what we believe into action and blessing each of you with your own personal faith box!!!


Now that's putting your money where your mouth is! And I'd be remiss if I didn't say, I am thankful to have a friend who not only encourages me (as I wrote about here on Sunday) but who deeply challenges me to live out my faith by her own walk with God.

If you didn't win but would like to learn more about the Faith Box click here. All of the proceeds go to LakePointe's family ministries. This would be a great Christmas gift for a sister, friend or new mom!

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My Faith Book and Box Giveaway!

Angela is running a SUPER cool giveaway over at my second site GoodMorningGirls.org

Leave a comment ON THE GOODMORNINGGIRLS.ORG SITE (NOT ON THIS SITE) and you could win the Faith Box and Faith Book.
Angela Says:


"What is the My Faith Box? I’m so glad you asked!


Basically it’s a box that you can decorate and place special keepsakes in, BUT the exciting part is what’s inside the box! Inside is the My Faith Book.


What I LOVE about the My Faith Book is how as a parent you can record your child’s faith journey! From birth until age 18, you can record each year how you are praying for your child and create an intentional plan of passing down your faith to your child. Each year contains areas for you to record special memories, what they are learning about God, what they are praying for, favorite bible stories etc.


As your child gets older, he/she can then start filling in each year. The book also contains areas for photos as well as areas for older children to personally write about their journey thus far with God. What I love is this book helps create a history of your child’s faith that they can turn back to in later years.


The My Faith Book is a tool that can be used to help them remember the faithfulness of God as they flip through the pages and see how God has answered prayers that were written down years before.


Hop on over to GoodMorningGirls.org for more details on the box and to enter to win one (and if you don't win, I think this is a great idea to do on your own with your children!).


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Magnificent Obssession Giveaway

I have a giveaway to share with you but first an update!!!

On Wednesday, we had a flurry of signups for Good Morning Girls - another 122 girls were added to the Good Morning Girls Roll Call putting us at 706 girls and 123 groups - hooray!!! I am very excited. The number one question ladies are asking is "Can I join late?" YES - if you are just learning about this - we welcome you whenever you have your group together. If you do not have someone you can invite to be in a group with you in real life... go to the message board and contact some of the other ladies who have left their email addresses on the message board.

Today over at GoodMorningGirls.org I am giving away a copy of a book I am currently reading and enjoying. It's by Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of Billy Graham. I did my first study by Anne this summer titled "Just Give Me Jesus." This video goes with the Just Give Me Jesus study. It is only 5 minutes long but it is packed with 5 minutes of rivoting and inspiring words. Right in the middle, Jill Briscoe tells the story of a little boy - being told he is loved...as a mom of a little boy, I so relate and she so personalized it for me that I teared up watching.


Take a second and watch this and then if you are interested in entering to win the book Magnificent Obession - go to GoodMorningGirls.org and leave a comment to win.

Have a fabulous weekend!! See you back here on Monday!

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The Winner of The Language Of Love and Respect is...

The winner of The Language of Love and Respect is....


Amanda Lynne from The Life Of a Dandelion.


Congratulations Amanda! I will be emailing you - or feel free to email me first with your home address!!!


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How Christian Romance Novels May Be Affecting Your Marriage and a Giveaway

Today I have a great giveaway and I wish I could give one to each and everyone of you!!! Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerich, is my #1 favorite book on marriage. If you have not read it - I highly recommend it.


So I've been in contact with his daughter Joy Eggerich and she offered to giveaway his second book titled The Language of Love and Respect: Cracking the Communication Code With Your Mate. All you have to do is leave a comment below and you will be entered to win!


But first, Joy has a message to share with all of you that I feel is very relevant. She writes:

Courtney was so kind to ask me to guest blog on her site regarding the topic of romance novels. In my video below, I will answer how I see them paralleled to the struggle some men have with pornography. Seems kind of drastic, huh?


Maybe it is, but maybe it’s not.

I believe that as women, we can be less aware of our sin because it can take on the form of “the lesser evil”. One of the things I have tried to look at with men and women are the pre-cursers and by-products of our actions instead of focusing JUST on the action.

Example: Pornography is bad. (If not evil and destructive.) I think many would agree. But what I think is more important is looking at what led the person to pornography, its effects on people and their own expectations of their partner.

I want to ask you these questions before you watch my video:
1) When you are stressed, depressed, tired, bored and looking for a way to unwind or be entertained, what do you turn to for release or escape?

2) After you turn to those outlets, (and be HONEST about those outlets) how do you feel?

It may not be romance novels for you, but the reason I think they are a perfect analogy is because we are easily deceived by how they can affect us. Women are not reading romance novels in private. In fact, many of you are probably reading “Christian” romance novels and believing that they are helping your faith. Some aspects of the novels may do that, but I think for the most part they can be an escape, veiled in something good and can cause us to want a situation that is not realistic to our own.

You may be able to handle it and still be satisfied with the husband you have chosen or the husband you desire, but for many women I believe it can simply create dissatisfaction with reality. And like many pornography users, it’s a simple thing to turn to when life isn’t going the way you wanted and you need something to make you feel good…and usually that’s because your husband isn’t.

Do you see the cycle this can create if not tended to?

Do I want everyone to go out and have a romance novel book burning? No. But I want us to be aware of the things in our life that create false expectations or pull us away from our husbands or our hope of a husband.

Move towards your husband. Move towards the hope of a husband. Move towards reality.
- Joy Eggerich

Thank you Joy for your wise words and for something to chew on.

If you'd like to win her father's book - leave a comment below. I will choose the winner on Sunday night, September 5th.

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The Winner of the Vintage Pearl Giveaway Is...

I numbered the linky entries as 1-38 and then the comments to follow as 39+. Random.org says Melissa at Kaufman's Cottage is our winner!!!!

Congratulations!!! Please send me your home address and I will be sure to have the $50 gift certificate sent to you!!!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the summer challenge. You held me accountable in my own life and have helped me work on my own marriage! Thank you!

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Assessing Your Marriage and a Vintage Pearl Giveaway

Summer is coming to a screeching halt and it's almost time to pull out our sweaters and pumpkins! But while the August heat lingers -I want you to reflect back on your summer. Let's pause to assess how our marriage has been lately.

Was it a good summer for your marriage? Or a hard one? Was it a joyful time with lots of memories? Or was it filled with ups and downs?

All of our marriages go through different seasons. We all have our ups and downs. We have the newlywed season, then the... I'm so tired I can't keep my eyes open cause we have a newborn... season, the on the go with the kids and their activities season, the challenging teenage season, the empty nest season and the golden years.

As you look ahead to the fall, do not lose your focus on building a strong marriage.

1. We must continue to remember those dating days and what made us fall in love with our husbands in the first place.

2.Remember our sacred vows.

3.Remember to ask your husband how you can be praying for him daily.

4.Remember to tell your husband how you admire him.

5.Remember to keep your priorities in line.

6.Remember to follow your husband's lead and vision for your family.

7.Remember to respect your husband.

8. Remember to keep kissing him like you mean it!

No matter what season you are in, God longs for you to follow his design for marriage.

This summer, many of you participated in the Marriage Challenge. How did it go? How did it change you and how did it change your marriage?

If you blog, please link up below with your response to the above question and then link back to this post. If you do not blog, please comment in the comment section below.

Everyone who links up or comments answering the question above will be entered to win a $50 Gift Certificate to Vintage Pearl. The winner will be chosen Thursday, August 19th. Check out the necklace they made me and their other adorable stuff!!
And by the way, if you were wondering how our marriage was going this summer - I have to say this challenge really made it great! To be honest though, we did have one kink. Mid-summer we had a strong disagreement on a Sunday night - right after I posted the challenge: what I admire about my husband . I was so annoyed at him I didn't tell him about the blog post...it wasn't until Tuesday that I said - go check out all the "wonderful" things I said about you on-line Sunday lol!!! Interesting timing wasn't it! So in case you wonder if we are "normal" and fight - indeed we do from time to time. But we are both decent forgivers and I believe a strong marriage takes 2 decent forgivers!


Walk with the King!