Thankful Thursday - A Garden

Thankful Thursday is at Grace Alone in March, back here in April and at Women Taking a Stand in May.

I'm so excited that Thankful Thursday will be back here at Spiritually Unequal Marriage next week. I put up my TT posts around 5:oo PM PT on Wednesday so the gals who live on the other side of the world, can join the fun while it's still Thursday where they live. Plan to stop in and participate in the praises.

Today, I am thankful for the warm breezes. It's 82 degrees right now at 5 in the afternoon. (Sorry to all of you in the north) Spring is here and my garden will be planted tomorrow. 

I can't wait to see how things progress. New this year, green beans, roma tomatoes, egg plant.

I give thanks today for something seemingly so simple yet full of joy, a garden. Thank you God for the lessons you teach me every year through my backyard garden. 

What are you thankful for this year? Hugs, Lynn

Message in a Wrapper

You know, God really does have a sense of humor.

The last couple weeks have been fraught with issues in the Miller home. Nothing life threatening. Just financially exhausting.

First our cat winds up needing some costly vet visits thanks to some unknown creature that bit his tail. As I started to write this our Mitty Kitty was back at the vet and we were waiting to hear if he would keep his tail or become our first “bob” cat. I’m happy to report he gets to keep his tail.

In the midst of all this we found out that raw sewage was running under our house due to a back up in a line that was never properly installed or capped. This apparently has gone on for a while so before we can even fix the problem, we had to pay a small fortune for clean up so we wouldn’t be a biohazard site. I wonder what the neighbors thought when they saw a man in a HAZMAT suit walking around.

And in the middle of all this is my husband who’s already stressed out about money since he left his job last July to work independently.

Things have not gone as he planned.

My hubby’s in unfamiliar territory. Losing sleep. Stress eating. (Sounds like God's stomping ground, doesn't it?)

Here I am on the outside looking in, wondering what in the world I should be doing. In the past I would have jumped in and tried to take control, tried to make things easier for him, tried to make it all better.

Not this time though. I know my place is to be there, to comfort as needed and let him know I’m there. But I’ve not a clue how this will all work out. I only know God is there, working and answering my prayer, “God, do whatever it takes to grab his heart.”

Not an easy place to be. I have moments of doubts. Moments I want to get mad and blame him for what I fear may be turn out to be financial ruin. Moments I imagine the worst possible turn out. Moments of weariness, wondering how long this is going to take and how bad will it get. But I know I can’t interfere. This time it has to play out without my help.

But God has this way of reminding me at just the right moment that He’s completely in control. This time it came inside a Dove chocolate wrapper. I indulged and had one. Just one. And that little wrapper held this message:

“You are exactly where you are supposed to be.”

I’m a firm believer that God will use whatever He wants to make sure we get His message—even a message in a chocolate wrapper. He’s even used a fortune cookie before.

I think I’ll keep this little wrapper for a while as a reminder that I’m right where God wants and needs me to be. And treasure once again that we serve a God full of love, who delights in the unexpected, and has a great sense of humor.

Praying and believing,
Dineen

Meet MaryLu Tyndall

Finally after five years I am humbled to meet MaryLu Tyndall. Marylu came to our very fist book signing this past weekend at Berean, San Jose. It was a blast by the way. This is her between Dineen and I. Marylu was unequally yoked until she finally had given up hope that her husband would find God. One day she just surrendered and said to her husband, "I give up. You just go ask God to prove Himself real."

Well he did.

Back when this blog began almost five years ago, MaryLu and her husband George agreed to share their miraculous story with me and I posted it here at SUM. Today, I want to share it again. It's fantastic. A story I will never forget.

Here is MaryLu's story:

Guest Writers Mary Lu and George Tyndall (introduction). Read this first.

My husband's conversion by Marylu Tyndall. Read this next.

My husband's conversion by Marylu Tyndall, Part II. Read this next.

George Tyndall – My miraculous conversion - Part I

George Tyndall – My miraculous conversion- Part II

Thank you Marylu and George for your willingness to share your life with all of us. It inspires me and brings me humble to the foot of the cross. 

Life is all about Jesus. All for Jesus and I pray everything we do brings honor to Him. Have a great week. Be blessed, Lynn

This is the last week to find a blogger who is giving away a free copy of our book. Please visit the following friends of our. We love all of you for helping us to get the message out that Jesus can make all the difference in marriage. Hugs, Lynn

Stacy - Our Safe Haven 

Janna - Cornhuskers Academy

Heather - The Trusting Nomad

Camy - Camy's Loft

Jeannie - The Character Therapist

Karla - Empowering Christian Women

 

Join us over on Facebook!

Lynn and I are together today at the Berean Christian Book Store in San Jose, California at 12:00 PT signing books and making new friends. Join us over at our Facebook Page to see pictures and get updates. We'll be sending messages all day long! Come join us!

Praying and believing!
Dineen

(Special thanks to Joey Garcia, store manager, and his entire team for opening the doors to us to share our book and our message!)

What a Twitter?

Do you tweet?

Well sometimes I get over to my TweetDeck and try to keep up with all the incessant yet compelling whirs and whistles. I will open up the Twitter deck and the next thing I know I find myself lost in a vortex of crazy conversations, hash tags I don’t understand and giggles for more than an hour.

Sheesh.

Time flies when you are twittering with your friends *grin.*

Well a few days ago, I received a private message from a Twitterer (is that a word?). This obscure Twit was calling me out on something I said in a post that I shared on the Deck. They were anxious to correct my "flawed" thinking regarding this scripture passage:

2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

The Twit(er) responded to my post about this scripture: BTW, unequally yoked is not the way you interpret that verse..

I read this then laughed so loud that I scared the dog who was quite perturbed to be awakened from his afternoon nap.

All I could think to myself was, “Seriously? I mean really?”

You may have heard debate over the application of this scripture. One interpretation is this verse is not specific to marriage and that in fact, Paul, is specifically directing these words to business partnerships.

May I say just a few things in response to my TweetDeck messenger: Without a doubt and unequivocally I will confirm that 2 Corinthians 6:14 applies to marriage.

This is 19 years of experience talkin’.

It also applies to business partnership and a few other things that believers and unbelievers should not mix. If you doubt me, ask ANYONE who is in love with Jesus and in love with a spouse who is not.

Period. The end.

Have a nice day. Lynn

*grin*

Today I am flying to Northern California to stay with Dineen and be part of our very first book signing at Berean, San Jose. I will be Tweeting photos of Dineen and I and sharing the funny and also profound things and moments I discover on the way. Follow me on Twitter @LynnDonovan.

We will also be posting updates and pictures directly from the booksigning on our Facebook Page from our @sumarriage Twitter page. Join us! :-)

Thankful Thursday - Bible Study

Thankful Thursday is at Grace Alone in March, back here in April and at Women Taking a Stand in May.

Hello... IT'S THANKFUL THURSDAY.

Bible study ended today.

Last September a group of women gathered together in the upstairs room of our church. Many of us were strangers or merely acquaintances. Yet, we set out on a journey together to know more about the Lord, whom we serve.

We traveled through the difficult yet powerful and healing study, Breaking Free by Beth Moore. Chains were broken, sins forgiven, freedom found, eternal friendships were forged. Then we moved on to learn more about Jesus through the study, Jesus, The One and Only by Beth Moore (I'm a Beth Moore fan).

Today our long journey ended and as I looked around the table at the the 15 women sitting there, I wept. Overcome with emotion that I will love and know these friends forever. That I was selected by God to see their freedom at hand. That I was able to pray with one of them to accept Christ as her Savior. That I was able to serve the Lord that I love.

The women cried with me and then we laughed and then we all reached for Kleenex. 

Oh, how I will miss them.

Oh, how I love them.

Oh, how HE loves all of us. Forever and ever.

THAT is what I am thankful for this Thursday.

Be embraced by the King. Lynn

If you are not part of a group of believers and trying to travel the unequally yoked road alone, I encourage you to find a Bible study, a small group a friend. Bible study was a rock in the early years of my spiritual mismatched marriage. Hugs, Lynn

It's a Rug.

Do you have a rug?

You know. The big woven monstrosity that sits in the living room under the coffee table? This rug displays it’s finely designed workmanship to the world. Everyone who steps into the entryway notices its extraordinary color and luxurious fabric. It’s put together with exquisite patience. It’s well worn.

It is….. ….well it’s perfect.

I bet you own one... read more at Laced With Grace today: Do You Have A Rug? Lynn

Revealing the Lie

One of the things we talk about in our book is walking out of the guilt and shame of our pasts. Whether you knowingly married an unbeliever or came to faith after you married, God has a plan for your marriage.

But if you’re still carrying around guilt over how you wound up in your marriage even though you’ve already confessed and sought forgiveness from God, you can’t walk into that plan.

Why?

Well, here’s the thing about condemnation. It paralyzes you. It blinds you. And it keeps you ineffective in the lives of those around you. That’s why the Bible warns us about the enemy condemning us—this is one of his most effective tools to negate your influence in your mismatched marriage.

One of our most well known, if not THE most known, pieces of Scripture is John 3:16, but have you ever really looked at verse 17?

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

So here’s the truth to dispel the lie. If Christ didn’t come to condemn you and make you feel shame even after you have confessed your sin, then that feeling of shame isn’t from God. It’s actually quite the opposite of His truth in Psalm 103:12 that tells us He’s removed our sin from us as far as the East is from the West. And how about Galatians 5:1 that tells us that Christ came to set us free?

If you’re still doubting, take the Scriptures and insert your name into them.

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn me, (name), but to save me through him.”

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed my (name) transgressions from me.”

“It is for freedom that Christ has set me (name) free.”

Don’t let this lie that the enemy has inserted so stealthily and cleverly into your life keep you from stepping into the plan God has for you and your marriage. We hold a very special place in our marriages. We are on the front lines and part of God’s team to battle for our unbelieving spouse’s salvation. And for the salvation of our children. The enemy would like nothing better than to make you think you aren’t up to the task.

The beauty of it is, we don’t have to be. God has that all taken care of. All we have to do is say yes to His plan. He is our strength. He is our redeemer. He is our FORGIVER!

Every day is a new opportunity to walk in forgiveness and serve our King. Don’t miss out on a single moment!

Praying and believing,
Dineen

Submit To Your Husband. You Win in the End

Submit to your husband.

Why is it, this very short sentence makes my emotions bristle?

For far too many years the teachings from Ephesians 5:22 have been misunderstood and misrepresented. So let’s have some real and honest talk about God’s intention of this passage and let’s take it a step further. Can you submit to your unbelieving husband?

This is a compelling post from my experience in submission in my marriage. You will look at this passage in an entirely different light and see the beauty God intends for all marriages.

Join me today for : Submit To Your Husband - You Win in the End, at the Internet Cafe, Marriage Counter. Have a blessed day and I pray you discover what I did about God's Word and marriage.

Hugs, Lynn

Also, I want to give a shout out to my friends who are offering a copy of our book in a giveaway today at their blog:

Holly at Broken For God

Shari England

Rachel at Racheltemple.com

Trica at Trica Goyer

Patty at Patty Lacy

Pay them a visit and say, "Hello."

Parenting Struggling Teens

I wrote a post over at Laced with Grace that I'd love to share with you. It's harder than ever to raise teens today. Throw in some complications or ongoing issues (like my family is going through with our daughter) and you begin to  wonder if it will ever change. I share four areas that have helped me keep my focus on God and not the issue how that translates into helping my daughter as well. I pray it blesses you! 
Hugs!
Dineen

 

We'd like to give a special shout out and express our thanks to Tricia Goyer for sharing our book on her site! Thank you, Tricia!

Tricia Goyer's site (she's also giving a book away)