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 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 3, 2012 | Relationships, Uncategorized |
Our Seven Day Challenge to Pray for Your Man Starting June 11th (If you’re not subscribed to the blog, click here and you will get on the list!!!)
A Deal on My New Book Praying God’s Word for Your Husband
Our Cool New T-shirts Have Arrived (and there’s a special for Father’s Day, too!)
And a recipe using bacon…
by kathilipp | Jun 1, 2012 | Me |
I have a mug that makes me happy.
I know that “things” are not supposed to make me happy. But I kinda love a certain mug – and may be a little too attached it.
This is the mug that my publisher, Harvest House, sent me (and, I’m sure, about 400 other authors,) for Christmas 2009:
So great – right. Great green color. The great big “Think…” on the front. And on the back, has:
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Best mug IN THE WORLD. Right? And I may be a tad possessive…
When our daughter’s boyfriend, Shawn, unknowingly used the mug one night, I couldn’t take my eye off if it. I was distracted from our card game all night.
And then, it happened.
Someone, (not naming names,) broke my mug. I was not a happy camper. And for three days I moped around, whining to anyone who would listen.
One of those who would listen, (or was forced into listening, is Shane White, the National CBA Sales Manager at Harvest House. Poor guy. He was calling to talk about something vital like sales numbers (or my latest posting on Facebook…) and instead he got an earful on the demise of my mug.
Well, what do you know – five days later I got not one, but TWO of those exact mugs in the mail. (One is still in it’s bubble wrap, to be opened only in case of emergency.)
I know the mug is silly, but it is everything I love in a mug: the perfect size and weight not to be tipped over by a wayward cat. I love it. And I love that I have a friend who indulges my non-nonsensical attachment to a mug.
Do you have a “Think Mug”? Something that you have an attachment to that only you can understand. Tell me about it. No judgement. This is a safe space.
by kathilipp | May 29, 2012 | God |
If you have kids, you know that there is always some sort of drama around the corner. When you have four, the drama just takes turns. Recently, it’s been with our “easy” child. The one who longs to please, but has been living on the edge in many areas of their life. In a recent conversation, here is how that played out:
“I know you’re disappointed in how I turned out.”
Oh that cuts to the quick of a mom’s heart.
One of my kids actually said those very words to me. Oh the pain to realize that one of my kids, my precious baby, knows this isn’t what I expected.
This child of mine is making choices I don’t love. But there is no way I could love the child anymore than I do.
All of our kids are smart, bright, funny, and questioning. They have grown up with parents who love them, but have not always loved perfectly. They grew up with parents who were broken, and some of that brokenness passed down to them.
When my precious baby said that to me, I had to think for a moment. Did I love where they were at in their life? Did I love the choices they were making? Did I approve of the steps they were making? No. Not so much.But that wasn’t the most important thing I needed to say.
What I did say, (after saying a silent prayer,) was this: “No, I don’t love some of your decisions, but I love you. And I know that you have not “turned out” you are “turning out”. God is far from done with you. You are smart, and funny and amazing, but you are far, far from “done”.”
I have to keep remembering: I’m in the middle of the story.
My favorite author has this to say about where we are with him: “God always meets us where we are and slowly moves us along into deeper things.” – Richard Foster.
As a mom. As a wife. As a woman. I’m in the middle of the story, and so are my kids. So is my husband. When we love God, when we are in fellowship with Him, we need to remember: This is just the middle.
At church, we have been studying 1 John. What a weird and complicated book. It’s a hard book, because while it is so full of life, it is so full of challenges. Here is one of the life-giving parts that I desperately needed to be reminded of:
1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are God’s children. What we will be isn’t completely clear yet. We do know that when Christ appears we will be like him because we will see him as he is.
We are still living in a fallen world, and thing don’t go according to plan. We blow it, our kids blow it. But this is not the end. We can pray that Christ would become real to our kids – and to ourselves. While we wait on God, we get to call ourselves his children. We don’t have to be perfect, our kids don’t have to be perfect, God still is with us – because he meets us where we’re at and moves us closer to him.
by kathilipp | May 14, 2012 | God |
If you’re looking for some practical ways to revitalize your quiet time with God, pair this post from the archives with Kathi and Erin’s tips for “Creating a Quiet Time Space.”
What is the number one reason you don’t have your time with God in the morning?
I know the obvious answer is time, but I think there is a different reason: It’s our overwhelming need to do it “right”.
I feel like if I can’t have a “good” quiet time — one with prayer, meditation, Bible reading and reading a devotional — then why bother? So I let my overwhelming need for perfection keep me from having a meaningful relationship with God. My quiet time had become like cleaning my kid’s bathroom: if I couldn’t do it perfectly, I wouldn’t even start.
I kept thinking that I would have a chunk of time to really do the kind of devotion I wanted. But that chunk of time never magically happened. And my quiet time suffered. Or didn’t happen.
One of the things I’ve learned in other areas of my life is the principle of 85%: Doing something 85% well is about the best we can hope for or expect. It takes the perfectionistic spirit out of things, while still giving me something to strive for.
So I started to apply this principle to my time with God. I would start off with 10% and work my way up. I figured one minute was better than nothing.
What I didn’t expect was the subtle way that my heart changed during the 10%. At first, I would grit it out, and force myself to do more and more as time went on.
But as I started to spend time with God again after a dry period, just that little bit of time, just one minute, I wanted more. I would tell myself I was just going to spend a minute or two reading Jesus Calling, or praying, or reading in I John, but I kept wanting to linger a little. Wanting to go a little deeper.
Eventually, it became 15 minutes. 15 minutes was a good amount of time: enough to spend some time with God and get my morning right, but short enough that it felt manageable. Often, I spend much more time than that. But I don’t skip it because it’s “too much”.
If you are wrestling with quiet time, could I talk you into trying a one minute quiet time? Does it feel like it would be cheating God? Can I be the one to give you permission to be OK with just getting started? God longs to be with you. One minute, that will turn into 15.
“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
Psalm 34:8
Q4U:
- If you have a regular quiet time, can you tell us one tip that helps you stay consistent?
- If you are struggling with your quiet time, and are willing to do a one minute devotional, tell me that in the comments below, and i will pray for you as you get started.
by kathilipp | May 14, 2012 | Home |
- Menu Planning – Before I write anything in ink on the actual menu, I put the meals I want on small Post-its so that I can move them around to accomodate my family’s schedule. No sense putting stir-fry on Wednesday night when everyone is going to be in and out of the house. Better to have a pot of Chili so people can grab-and-go.
- Love Notes – Especially on the bathroom mirror.
- Midnight Madness – When I remember something in the middle of the night, I have a stack of Post-its and a pen by the side of my bed so when the brainstorm comes along (“Don’t forget to bring silly string to the event tomorrow!”) I can just paste it on my phone where I’m sure to see it.
- Quick Filing – I have four diffenent colors of small Post-its that I use for quick filing.
- Blue – Things to delegate
- Orange – To Put on My Calendar and then in my Tickler File
- Green – To put on my to-do list
- Pink – To put in my filing system
- Prayer Prompts – I put the names of people I’m praying for on Post-its above my desk where I’ll see them every morning
Now tell me: What is your favorite way to use Post-its? Next Monday, I will randomly choose one winner to recieve a copy of my new book THE GET YOURSELF ORGANIZED PROJECT!
by kathilipp | May 7, 2012 | Me, Uncategorized |
I am on day five of a seven day road trip.
I started by flying to New York on Thursday and speaking on Fort Hood Army Base on Friday and Saturday, followed by church on Saturday night, and then a flight from New York to Arizona to speak to a group this morning, and will be speaking at one of my favorite groups, La Casa de Cristo on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Whew.
In between, I am meeting with fellow writers, event planners, answering emails.
There have been time changes, eating at weird times, traveling in tiny airplanes (when I have to bend down to get into an airplane, you know it’s small,) sleeping in three different hotels, and washing my clothes in sinks.
It’s been a little crazy.
We all have our own version of crazy. Maybe it’s a new routine for your kids, a move, or a change to a summer schedule. Maybe you have out of town guests, an illness in the family, or something else that’s throwing you off kilter.
As I get a few more punches on my life card, I’m realizing that no day is going to be a “normal” day. I need to make myself a heaping bowl of normal especially on the days what are SO not normal.
1 Corinthians 14:40
But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
Um. Yeah. Order. Routine. These are words that scared me in my 20s. Now, they are what I need to live.
Here are some of my “routine” things that help me keep my life in order when my schedule is anything but:
- Devotions I need something, everyday. Right now, I’m reading Jesus calling on my phone ever day. It may not be perfect, but it’s something.
- Stretching OK – I am not actually exercising when I’m at my craziest, but I do stretch with large, rubber bands with a video on my iPad. Even ten minutes makes me wake up in the morning.
- Schedule the Love Roger sends me a picture of my puggle, Jake, everyday, while I’m traveling. I also make sure there is a chance to talk with Roger even on my busiest days.
- Quiet Time Whether I’m crazed at home or on the road, I need to have a little quite time.Research shows that if you can take a nap, even for 20 minutes, it’s the best thing you can do for your health, productivity, and energy. Even if you don’t sleep, just resting will help your day.
Is there anything you do, even when life is at it’s craziest, that brings you peace and joy? How do you keep your routine when life is anything but?
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.
prayer for my husband that breathes hope, protection and joy into our lives. I pray something like this.
