When Travis and I bought our house, we moved all our stuff in but we didn't live there. We spent a few days pulling up all the carpet and replacing some light fixtures while staying with my parents down the road. Then we spent a week visiting his family in northern Indiana. After Travis left for South Korea, I stayed with my parents again for a couple weeks while we worked on the house. We had to get the water working and install a shower before I wanted to move in. There was one other important thing I wanted to do before moving in. Pray. I have to admit I was very nervous about moving Continue Reading
Ways to Sleep Better + A Bedtime Prayer
When my husband was gone for a month of training, I spent a lot of time with family in other states. But the days I did spend at home alone, I had the hardest time sleeping. It wasn't just that I missed my husband laying next to me, it was also the fear of having no one to protect me. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever felt so much fear before -- which was silly because I was safe in my locked house. I honestly believe Satan was throwing his flaming arrows toward me (Ephesians 6:16) to prevent me from receiving God's peace and getting a good night's sleep. Fortunately, I had many ways to help me Continue Reading
Ways to Pray as a Couple
One of the most intimate things you can do together as a couple is to pray to your Creator. One thing you can be sure of when you and your spouse come together in prayer is that God is present. For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them. - Matthew 18:20 Prayer is a time to be open, to tell God all the things that are on your heart -- good and bad. It is a time for thanks and a time for requests. Listening to your spouse pray is a great way to know what is on their heart, what is worrying them, and what they desire. As a Christian woman, there is nothing more attractive Continue Reading
Running: How God Cares
Confidence. I hadn't been feeling it. I gained some weight over the holidays, as most do. But it just wasn't coming off and my workouts of running hadn't been as good as they were before the holidays. I could see the difference in my body, and I was not pleased. Wednesday night as I said my prayers with my husband before we went to sleep, I asked God to help me have better workouts. I asked Him to help me lose this extra weight and that I would feel confident about myself again. That might seem like a silly thing to pray about when so many other awful things are happening in this world, but Continue Reading
When God Doesn’t Answer
Heartbreak. Prison. Job interview. Travel. Safety. Future. Homework. Stress. Health. Forgiveness. Salvation. Healing. Comfort. Peace. All of these things have been in my prayers lately. I feel like my prayer list has been full to the brim recently. Do you ever feel like that? I've been praying for friends, family, acquaintances, and even strangers. I keep a prayer request list in my head. Sometimes, when it gets extra full I journal my prayers. Sometimes I pray with my husband. Sometimes I pray alone. I pray in the shower, in the car, while I work out, before bed, or in the Continue Reading
Bride & Groom Gifts (For Each Other)
Recently, it has become popular for the bride and groom to get each other gifts on their wedding day. Some like this idea and others don't bother. Travis and I wanted to get in on this tradition. (Or maybe it was just me! Is it so bad that I love presents?) Gifts from the Bride & Groom to Each Other I have been working on Travis' gift for a long time. For years. Since before I even knew Travis. And it cost me probably $10. Who said a romantic gift has to be expensive? So let me explain. When I was in high school, I bought a journal, and I began writing in that journal to my future Continue Reading
The Best Part of My Wedding
There was one main part of my wedding that made it so special and so beautiful -- and no, I'm not talking about the white dress. My Wedding: How We Included Prayer One of the things I loved most about my wedding was how it was wrapped in prayer. Including God in our wedding planning, wedding day, and marriage was so important to me. I loved how so many people helped me include Him. Before we began decorating the day before the wedding, everyone came together to pray in a circle. We prayed for the day to go smoothly, the next day to go smoothly, and for our marriage to be blessed. Continue Reading
The Beginning of Our Love Story
I'm writing this post because this blog is a place for me to share my joys and sorrows. I want you to know my love story, which includes both joy and sorrow. I hope this story helps you see some sunshine. The Love Story Begins A love story started quite some time ago. Some of you know most of the story, some of you know parts of the story and some of you know none of it. It's a long story, so I'm not sure what all to share. But let's focus on the most recent parts, and I'll try to quickly summarize the rest. I fell in love with a guy while I was in college, and he fell in love with Continue Reading
The Best Thing You Can Do for Your Spouse
In my opinion, the very best thing you can do for your spouse, the very best way to truly love someone, is by praying for them. I truly believe prayer is one powerful thing that can change a person deep down into their core. If your spouse is struggling, if you are not getting along, if you are beginning to hate each other, if you are hurt and broken because of something they've done, if you are struggling financially, if your marriage just seems to be spinning out of control: PRAY. Find time to be alone, even if it's just for 10 minutes every day. Take that time to kneel by your bed Continue Reading
A Special Prayer
As all of you know, or at least my American readers definitely know, a shooting took place recently inside a movie theater in Colorado. A 24-year-old man, James Holmes, shot and killed 12 people and injured at least 70 during his shooting spree inside the theater right before the new Batman movie started. My heart goes out to those people who were inside the theater that night, as well as to the families and friends of those who were tragically killed. I ask that we all take time to pray for those traumatized by the encounter, for those healing in the hospitals and for the loved ones of Continue Reading
Communication is Key: Why Prayer is Important
Your friend comes to visit you at your house. You are so excited to see him and get to talk. When he arrives, you hug him and tell him how happy you are that he's there. But you can't sit down and chat with him right then because you have plans. So you tell him to wait in the living room, and you go get ready. You tell him how sorry you are you can't stay with him, but that you'll talk tonight when you get back. But you end up getting home pretty late, and you are too tired to have a good talk. So you just tell him goodnight. And that happens over and over -- you just seem to be too busy for Continue Reading
A Prayer
Dear God, I just want to take time to pray for this website. You know the vision I have within me and the dream I have of using my writing skills for Your glory. You also see where this blog is going to go, how difficult it will be to create and what kind of an impact it will have on readers. God, I pray that You will be involved in this in every aspect. I pray that it is not at all about me, but that it is completely for You. Lord, make the design process and setting up process go smoothly. Help me to understand all the things I don't get right now. Thank You so much for giving me Continue Reading