by kathilipp | Jun 17, 2012 | Home |
With the response of my book The Get Yourself Organized Project being so amazing (BTW – thank you!!!) I have heard from a load of you that you are just overwhelmed when it comes to getting things put away. It’s much easier to go lay down and watch an episode of Hoarders. (“At least I’m not as bad as her…”) So for the foreseeable future, I will be spending Mondays helping you get your stuff put away, one room at a time. And below, are the basics of the system: 3 Boxes and 2 Bags.
Gather up these materials and then go to a room that is causing you stress and pick one tiny area: maybe it’s a drawer, a shelf, or some small contained area that you can make a dent in.Or, if you want to just quick clean a room, this is a great system for a quick pick-it-up. This week, it’s pick your own room. Next week, we will all be working on our living rooms.
Do this at least once this week, but I warn you – it’s addictive. Once you see how clean one area will be, you’ll want to do it all over your house. RESIST THE URGE. Just do 15 minutes at least once a week – or up to once a day. You’ll love the feeling you’ll get!!!
This is a system you will be using in almost every room in your house as we work week to week, so I want you to gather up everything that you’ll need right now:
1.Set up three boxes, a garbage bag and a recycle bag, your iPod, and a timer. (You can use the one on your cell phone or your oven.)
2.Mark one box as “Other Rooms” one as “Give Away” and one as “Put Back”.
3.Give yourself 15 minutes on your timer and pick a spot to clean out. (No more than you can pull out and put back in 15 minutes.)
4.Go through the area and use the three boxes to sort the contents.
Other Rooms Anything that doesn’t belong in the area you’re cleaning gets put in the “Other Rooms” box. This would include toys in the kitchen, dog brushes in the living room, report cards in the bathroom or dishes in the bedroom.
Give Away Outgrown kids clothes? Check. Videos your family will never watch again. Check. There is huge freedom in giving stuff away.
Here is a great set of criteria for keeping or giving away an item:
•Is it something you are currently using or wearing?
•Is it something that makes me happy when they see it?
•Is it something I will definitely use in the next six months?
If you can answer “Yes” to one or more, find a home for the item. If not, away it goes.
And a friendly reminder: don’t donate garbage. It costs charities time and money to get rid of stuff that you don’t want. Only donate those things that are in decent condition and are worthy of reselling. Don’t be that person.
Put Back This is the box that you put things that go in that area, but need to be put back into the right place. Clean clothes on the floor of your bedroom that you’re organizing. Shoes under your bed. Scarves hanging over a bedroom chair. These all go in the PUT BACK box so once you’ve got your bedroom in order, you just put those items back where they belong.
Garbage Bag Anything that you don’t want, isn’t worthy of being donated, and can’t be recycled goes in here.
Recycle Bag Recycling regulations vary from city to city, so check with your local municipality if you have any question as to what should be recycled and what shouldn’t.
Once you have cleaned out your area, take the OTHER ROOMS box around the house and put away all the stuff in the box. Take the GIVE AWAY box to where you gather stuff to take to donate, (or, directly to your car to be donated the next time you run errands.) And now, since your area is clean and organized, put back anything in the PUT BACK box into the spot it’s supposed to go.
Doesn’t that feel better? For accountability sake, tell me what area your going to quick clean. If you tell me in the comments, I promise you that you are at least three times more likely to actually do it. (Peer pressure rocks!)
Just a warning: Make sure you take care of your boxes quickly and then put them away. Otherwise, a husband, disgruntled over some fresh claw marks in his new chair, might get some bright ideas about what needs to be donated.
To Get Yourself Organized in any area of your life, check out my book in my store.
by kathilipp | Jun 16, 2012 | God |
This is Kathi. I often get asked to speak for Mother’s Day at churches, and I thought that for Father’s Day, it was only fitting to have a real live father blog for us. Meet Rob Tiegen; he is a dad who not only works at my publisher, Revell, but is a real, live author on the topic of fatherhood. He is sharing some keen insight today into where your husband really needs your prayers.
When Kathi invited me to share some thoughts on how wives can pray for their husbands in their fathering I was excited but a bit overwhelmed. There are countless ways each man needs prayer as a father, so in ten seconds I had thought of ten different things that I would love to know my wife was praying for me about.
As I continued to think it through, I decided to focus on just one thing–time. This is something that God has been burdening my heart with in my own life lately. I would be encouraged to know that my wife was standing in the gap and holding me up in prayer as I face the challenge of making ample time to spend with our kids.
I’ve been reading a great book titled Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids by Dr. Kara E. Powell and Dr. Chap Clark. The authors include disheartening statistics about the 40 to 50 percent of “church kids” who leave their faith behind in the college years. As a father who is trying to raise my kids in the Lord that is a hard statistic to hear. I desperately need prayer to make time with my kids, because time leads to relationship, and relationship opens the door to sharing my faith with my children through each stage, age, and challenge that comes their way.
As important as it is to work hard to provide for our families, to set an example of service to our churches and communities, to stay physically fit, and to connect with our wives, kids desperately need their dad’s time so they can receive love, spiritual guidance, and training. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (ESV) The passage is assuming the father is sitting, walking, and ending and beginning his day with his kids. The deep truths of our faith are passed on during intentional time together.
Wives, your husband will benefit so much from your prayers and encouragement with this. Pray for your husband to have a heart to spend time with your kids. Since you probably organize the family calendar, make room for him to take each child out for some one-on-one time. When you see him making a positive connection with your son or daughter, point it out and be his cheerleader. We need to know that our wives are in our corner praying for us and encouraging us to keep pressing on with our kids, even when it’s hard. Ask God to create opportunities for us to pass on our faith, and for opportunities for you to be an encouragement to him as well. Your love and support mean more to us than you can know. Thanks for praying!
Friends -this is Kathi. I want to take the verse that Rob shared with us above and pray it for the men in our lives this Father’s Day:
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (ESV)
Heavenly Father, I pray that your words, your love, your direction would flow through my husband’s heart. I pray that my husband would find time in each day to pass on your wisdom to our kids. Lord, let every moment they spend together be something to grow both my husband’s heart and my child’s heart toward you. And Father, show me ways every single day to call out those things in my husband that are your way – your good and perfect way. Amen
One little bonus – as of the time this blog is going to press, the price for Rob’s great book 88 Great Daddy-Daughter Dates is only $4.99 for the Kindle download.
Plus, as always, let me know you prayed for your man and I will enter you into the drawingfor Rob’s book (a real live physical one!)
You can follow Rob on twitter at @strongdads
by kathilipp | Jun 14, 2012 | Uncategorized |
Friends – meet my friend Dineen. Here is her story about praying for her husband and the plans God has for his life.
My husband doesn’t know God. He’s a great guy, but he just doesn’t believe God exists. Yet there I stand in this marriage with this man I adore, and I see God’s plan for his life all around him.
And I love that I’m part of that plan just as I know my husband is part of God’s plan for me. My husband’s work, his challenges and trials—I see them all coming from God’s loving hand to bring him into a relationship with Christ.
Several years ago God impressed upon me to pray for my husband as if he were already a believer. As I started this journey I began to 
see that, aside from his greatest need to know Jesus, his day-to-day needs were much the same as a believing husband.
Each January I set a time aside to seek God for specific needs and Scriptures to pray for my family, and each year God is faithful to give me a specific verse or verses to pray for my husband and daughters. Each time reveals a piece of God’s plan for my husband, like pieces of a puzzle, and with each piece, I learn to trust God’s plan more and more.
This is the verse God spoke to my heart to pray for my husband in 2012:
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. — Ephesians 3:1
What a powerful truth from God’s Word! Because no matter where we are in our faith journey, it’s all about God’s unfailing and life-changing love.
Lord, help my husband to fully understand Your amazing and passionate love for us. Fill him with this fullness and revelation of You and help him to firmly establish his identity in You. I pray that Your love will be the guiding force in his life, whether he sees it or not. In Your name, Jesus, amen!
Dineen (who blogs with Lynn Donovan over at SpirituallyUnequalMarriage.com) would like to give away her newest book, The Soul Saver, to one of my commenters. Jus tell me that you prayed for your man, and you will be entered to win.
In addition to writing for Spiritually Unequal Marriage, Dineen Miller has won several prestigious awards for her fiction. She’s also a C.L.A.S.S. Communicator and has been featured on the Moody Radio Network, Family Life and Focus on the Family Radio.Married for 24 years to a guy who keeps her young, she lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two adult daughters, who surprise her daily with their own creativity.
by kathilipp | Jun 13, 2012 | God, Uncategorized |
“Our prayer must not be self-centered. It must arise not only because we feel our own need as a burden we must lay upon God, but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as acutely as our own. To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them.” John Calvin
When things are going well, there is nothing better than being in love with the man you have committed your life to. When you agree on finances, plans, and what to have for dinner, there is almost nothing better than the safety and security of going through life with someone you love.
But when life is stressful, there is no place the stress shows up faster than in your marriage. And that is just plain painful. I know when I get overwhelmed, stressed out, or scared, Roger is the one I naturally take those feelings out on. I don’t mean to—really! But he is usually the one standing closest to me when things explode, and he takes the brunt of the hit. One of the things I need to remember in that situation is that God did not intend for my husband to become my emotional dumping ground. God wants us to bring every worry, every anxiety, every problem, every sin to him.
I want you to be encouraged. I want you to know that you are already doing more for your marriage by committing to pray for him than most wives will ever do for their husbands Just the simple act of praying for your husband and asking for God’s direction is a huge step in having a better relationship with your man.
When I dropped the agenda I had in praying for Roger (though not without a lot of conviction and soul wrestling), I had a new freedom in my prayer life. It wasn’t up to me to change Roger into the kind of husband I wanted. God started to show both of us that we needed to stop looking to each other to meet all of our needs and start looking to our Creator to meet them. It took a lot of the pressure off Roger, and off me.
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. (Heb. 12:14–15)
Dear God, Sanctify our relationship with your holy presence, that we might be for each other a blessed oasis in a dry and desert land. Help us to resolve disagreements and hurts gently, with love, patience, and abiding respect, so that neither bitterness nor resentment will ever take root in our hearts. Let the divine light of your love so shine through our marriage that we present a holy example to others and lead them to your truth.
I would like to help one of you keep the prayer going by giving you my latest book, Praying God’s Word for Your Husband. Just let 
me know in the comments below that you prayed for your man and we will choose one winner at random.
by kathilipp | Jun 12, 2012 | Uncategorized |
I’m in recovery… You see, I’m a control freak and I’ve tried everything under the sun to help my husband discover salvation in Christ. For 20 years I’ve shared my married life with my unbelieving husband. And, with all my manipulations and striving I forgot one thing. Jesus doesn’t need my help to save my husband. Thank you very much.
Finally after years of frustration for the both of us, I realized I placed a tremendous amount pressure on myself and my spouse trying to control his journey to faith. After I surrendered my control, peace flooded our relationship.
I trust God with my husband and I know in His perfect timing, God will reveal Himself to my man. And even if your husband is a believer and you are waiting for God to move in an area of his life, you too can know God will bring about His perfect plant. However, the waiting is often difficult. But it’s in the waiting that I’ve learned the greatest secret to peace in my marriage.
I pray.
I bring my husband before the Mercy Seat with Jesus at my side. It is my prayers that have transformed our marriage. And it’s my 
prayer for my husband that breathes hope, protection and joy into our lives. I pray something like this.
1 Corinthians 13:7 Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Almighty God,
I approach your throne with Jesus at my side, bringing my husband before you. Lord, I ask your favor upon him this day. In some way reveal yourself to him. Let my husband catch a glimpse of the astonishing. Place believing men in his life today, on the phone, at the office, even during his lunch break. Lord, allow your word to seep into his mind and be relentless in your pursuit of his soul.
Father, I ask you to protect him from evil people and evil spirits. Grant him favor and a strong work ethic. Urge him to always be fair and honest and be a man of character.
Bless him richly and Father, reveal your son Jesus to my husband. Open his eyes to see and his heart to know life-change is freely his.
Lavish your love upon him. As I know love always protects, always trust, always hopes and always perseveres. In the p
owerful name of Jesus. Amen
Friends, this is Kathi – I am so grateful for Lynn and her writing partner, Dinnen and their ministry to people who are in unequally yolked marriages. Lynn is offering their book, Winning Him Without Words, 10 keys to Thriving in Your Spiritually Mismatched Marriage to one of you who lets us know they prayed for their husband today. You can use this book yourself, or have it as a resource for a friend who is in this situation.
You can find Lynn daily at www.spirittuallyunequalmarriage.com
by kathilipp | Jun 11, 2012 | God |
Right now, at this very moment, my family is going through a crisis. My husband Roger and I are making some decisions that will affect our family for a long time to come. And I’m grateful that my husband is in a place where he is emotionally and spiritually strong enough to lead. But he would be the first to admit that he’s not always been in that place.
Roger has gone through some dark times in his life. And I know that your husband has, too.
Instead of being surprised when my husband hits those dark times, I want to be prepared. Prepared with scripture. Prepared with encouragement. Prepared with a soft place for him to land, as well as a wife who is strong because I’ve been working my prayer muscle on his behalf.
I don’t know what that dark place is for your husband, but I have a few guesses:
- · A battle with depression
- · The stronghold of pornography
- · A feeling of worthlessness
- · A dependency on drugs or alcohol
- · The feeling of inadequacy – at work or at home
- · Insecurity about his future and the future of his family
- · Fear around finances
When those times come up (or maybe most of your marriage has been in the midst of one of these,) the best thing we can do for our man is pray.
Pour over the scriptures and find the one (or dozen) that cover your husband, and pray. Pray like his life depends on it. Because to a large extent, it does.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Heavenly Father, I pray that you would reign over every area of my husband’s mind. I pray that whoever he is without you is dead, and who he is in you is alive. I pray that his habits and hangups that he wants to be free from would be replaced by a hope only you can give.
Show him every day who he was designed to be, in you. I am so grateful for the love you lavish over my husband. Thank you for giving yourself for him.
God, give me the eyes to see him as you see him; loved, adored, precious, cherished. Amen
I would like to help one of you keep the prayer going by giving you my latest book, Praying God’s Word for Your Husband. Just let
me know in the comments below that you prayed for your man and we will choose one winner at random.
by kathilipp | Jun 10, 2012 | God |
For the first day of our praying adventure, I asked my friend, Arlene Pellicane, author of 31 Days to a Happy Husband, to talk about how to pray for your husband when he is feeling inadequate. See how to win Arlene’s new book at the end of the post.
I always picture my husband with a huge “S” across his chest. He is my rescuer – the one who changes the car battery,
solves my computer problem, and makes breakfast for the family on many days.
What I sometimes forget is that “Superman” has a bad day in the office once in awhile. He might feel like a hero while the hot oatmeal is being served but a few hours later, he feels like he’s barely in control of his circumstances.
That’s when I can pray that the Lord will fill his heart and mind with peace and wisdom. When my husband feels inadequate, I can pray that his weakness becomes an opportunity to experience God’s strength.
May this verse guide our prayers today for our husbands: 
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3
Lord, help my husband to keep his mind totally focused on you today. May he trust in your steadfast love and in your ability to solve the problems that face him today. Keep him in your perfect peace. Settle his mind and heart. Give him courage because he trusts in you.
Thanks to Arlene! And if you would like an opportunity to win her book 31 Days to a Happy Husband, let us know in the comments that you prayed for your man. Yep – you’re already a winner if you pray for your man, but you could win a book, too!
by kathilipp | Jun 7, 2012 | Home, The "What's for dinner?" Project, Uncategorized |
You know I love you, right?
So, can I just say, with all the love in the world, that I’m just the teensiest bit frustrated with you?
Let me explain.
When I go to speak, and I start talking about dinner, EVERY SINGLE WOMAN rolls her eyes and groans. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, is perplexed by dinner.
- “I feel like 5 o’clock sneaks up on me everyday.”
- “I buy hundreds of dollars of groceries and there’s never anything in my house.”
- “My whole family is BORED with what I cook, so why bother?”
I love you all. But I’m just sick of it. Because you all assume that it’s easier for the woman next door. You honestly believe that everyone else is out there, whipping up tasty food for their families, while you are the only one who is THRILLED that you at least have a box of Mac and Cheese that could pass for dinner. (It has two of the four food groups, right?)
Yes, there are some women who don’t panic at 4:00 in the afternoon when it comes to dinner. What do they have that your don’t?
A plan.
That’s it. They’ve taken the time to write down what they are going to have for a week, (or a month,) so when they go to the grocery store, they have a plan. And when they wake up in the morning and wonder what to defrost, they have a plan. And when their kids have swim practice, they have a plan.
And I KNOW you know this. But when I ask women if they have a plan, they know they should have it all written down, but for some reason or another, (their child needs them, The Real Housewives of the OC is on…) they don’t. And the Panic continues.
I want you to have a plan, and I plan on providing a public service to those of you who do. Here is what I’ll do:
- Here is the link to my 50 Dinner Ideas Worksheet
- Everyone who tells me by Friday at midnight PST what they are having for dinner next week will be entered into a drawing to win one of my books. (This week it’ll be The What’s for Dinner Solution!)
- I’ll share my menu so you have some ideas
This Week’s Menu
Monday Chicken Sausages, Potatoes and Veggies on the Grill
Tuesday Chicken Stir Fry with Brown Rice and Veggies
Wednesday Lemon Pork Roast and Sauteed Spinach
Thursday Going out!
Friday Pulled Chicken Salad
Saturday BBQ – Everyone’s Coming Over
Sunday Leftovers
Now tell me. What is your plan for next week? I promise you, if you tell me what you are eating, your week will be so much better. Plus, if you put it in the comments, you will be entered to win my book The What’s for Dinner Project.
by kathilipp | Jun 5, 2012 | God |
Would You Take 7 Days to Pray for Your Man?
You know how everything is more fun with friends?
- Movies
- Eating
- Bra shopping
OK – maybe not that last one. But loads of other stuff.
I know that if I want to stick to anything in my life, I better bring some of my best biddies along to make sure I stick with it. And what is more important than praying for my husband? Not much.
So why not bring hundreds of friends along for the ride?
From Monday, June 11th through Sunday, June 17th (that’s Father’s Day) I, along with some of my friends, will be leading all of us in what our men need most from us: prayer.
Oh – and why invite some of your best friends along for our little adventure of 7 Days to Pray for Your Man? Just forward them this blog so they can subscribe to the blog for all the posts.
Go ahead and tell me that you’re in – it could change your husband’s life, your life, or your marriage!
by kathilipp | Jun 4, 2012 | Home, The "What's for dinner?" Project |
Fast food has a bad reputation.
It’s bad for you, it has too many calories, too much fat and it is a terrible rut to fall into. That is, fast food that you order through a drive through intercom.
Fast food at home is a whole different story. Fast food at home is a staple in most homes and a much better alternative (cheaper, healthier, and better tasting) than resorting to figuring out what number order at McJack-n-Bell.
So to help you out on your busy nights running kids to activities and getting to PTA meetings I’ll be sharing some of my favorite Kitchen Fast Food recipes. This first one is a real kid pleaser. To keep the calories at a minimum, have kids share an add some veggies to round it out.
Instant Pepperoni Calzones
-
1
can
Pre-made Pizza Crust.
You can use low-fat crust
-
20
slices
Turkey Pepperoni
-
1/3
cup
Marinara Sauce
-
1
cup
Colby Cheddar Shredded Cheese Mix
-
Preheat oven to 400.
Roll out pizza dough on a flowered cutting board. Cut the dough into quarters and shape each quarter into a square.
Put five pepperoni slices on one half corner of each square pizza dough.
Mix together the cheese and marinara sauce. Place a spoonful on top of the pepperoni. Repeat on each of the dough squares.
Fold each rectangle in half, corner to corner; seal edges with fork. Put on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.
Now you tell me – what is one of your family’s favorite go-to meals for Fast Food at Home?
With the response of my book The Get Yourself Organized Project being so amazing (BTW – thank you!!!) I have heard from a load of you that you are just 
overwhelmed when it comes to getting things put away. It’s much easier to go lay down and watch an episode of Hoarders. (“At least I’m not as bad as her…”) So for the foreseeable future, I will be spending Mondays helping you get your stuff put away, one room at a time. And below, are the basics of the system: 3 Boxes and 2 Bags.
