A good wife...

An excellant wife is the crown of her husband, but she who shames him is as rotteness in his bones.  Proverbs 12:4

He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.  Proverbs 18:22

An excellant wife, who can find?  For her worth is far above jewels.  The heart of her husband trust in her, and he will have no lack of gain.  She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.  Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  Proverbs 31: 10-12, 30

So apparently, a man is considered blessed when he finds a good wife.  =)  I want my husband to be blessed and therefore I want to be a good wife. 

In this world where everyone's favorite tune is "me me meeeeee," we've lost sight of what makes relationships work:  putting the other person's needs before our own.  Part of doing that is finding out what we can do to be a better partner to our spouses.  The answers are in the Word.

Looking at the above verses specificially, I hope and pray that I can someday (hopefully soon), be the kind of "excellant" wife described above.  Based off of the above I gather that an excellant wife:

• Brings no shame to her husband.  She's moral and upstanding, with a good reputation
• Is trustworthy and discreet.
• Thinks about her husband's best interest first.  She respects and honors him. 
• Fears and loves the Lord. 

I don't think those things are too much to ask of a wife--not at all--because you know, I would hope he would do the same also.


Lord in Heaven, while I wait patiently for my husband, please help me to be more like the "excellant" wife of your Word.  I definitely want to be a blessing to my husband and not a curse.  Thank you, Lord, for always preparing me for the blessings I know you have in store for me.  Amen.

Let's try this again...

Yesterday I went down to the Kia dealership with my beat-up, old Camry and came home with a brand new Forte.  Yay!  I'm so excited.  My first brand new car! 

Six years ago, I went to the Nissan dealership trying to find myself a brand new Maxima.  I went home with a used Audi that I really couldn't afford and wasn't even sure I wanted, and boy did it end up costing me.  I learned big lessons about when and how to spend the money that God has been so kind to let me have. 

This time I came into the car-buying experience a lot more humbly.  =)  (If someone would have told me I'd ever buy a Kia I would have laughed in their face.  Then I would have stopped for a second, and then started laughing again.  lol.

This time around, I am elated.  No feelings of regret.  No feelings of uncertainty. 

Thank you, Lord, for my new car.  I promise to take very good care of it.  =)

P.S.  God bless the families who lost loved ones on 9/11.  Yesterday might have been a happy day for me, but I will never forget, nor will I stop mourning, the loss we experienced that horrible day 10 years ago.  I can't wait to visit the memorial in 3 weeks so that I can pay my respects.  I feel so blessed to be able to do so.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Harvest

I'm at the first ever Harvest Crusade Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium.  The Spirit is moving.  AMEN!!

No quiero...

I don't want to...

... stay in this house much longer.  I hate to sound like I'm complaining, but.... I'm tired of doing 100 dishes daily that I didn't even dirty.  I'm tired of no air conditioning or heat.  I'm tired of someone using my makeup, shampoo, body spray, lotions, feminine products, etc.  What is no bueno is that I don't know how much longer the house-hunting thing is going to take.  Maybe until I do find something decent, I should start looking at apartments again.  I just need my own space.  *sigh*

... worry any more.   I know I worry too much and it's SINFUL.  Literally.  It shows a lack of full faith in the Lord.  I wish I didn't worry so much.  I wish "casting all my cares" on the Lord was as easy as taking the garbage out, dumping it, and walking away.  It's not. 

... be alone anymore.  Not even just romantically, but physically.  I'm ready for a partner with whom I can spend my free time and enjoy life.  The fact is, the older you get, the less people you find who are alone.  Everyone is paired up and they don't have time for those who aren't.  Me, myself, and I isn't cutting it anymore.

... wait, but I have to.  If I push things or try to make things happen myself, they will just get fouled up.  It happens EVERY time.   I have to leave things in God's hands and trust that he's working it out and knows things I don't know.  He can see the whole picture.

... feel sorry for myself, despite all of the above.  This life is not a waste, but it can feel like I'm wasting it sometimes. 

I gotta get myself out there.  Lord, put opportunities to serve you in front of me.  Help me to be grateful for the blessings I have.  Send me where you need me.  Do with me what you will...

UPDATE:

How convenient that this is today's scripture:

Psalm 143:10 - “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”

Our evil. God's glory.

"You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." Genesis 50:20

Sometimes horrible things happen that seem to be pointless, but God takes these things and uses them for his glory.  In the 1950s, five missionaries went into the territory of one of the most deadly tribes of the Amazon, even though it was likely they would lose their lives, because they loved these people enough to share God's love with them.  They did die at the hands of these murderous people, but what God did with their deaths was amazing and unbelievable... almost impossible. 

Good thing with God, NOTHING is impossible...

Warning:  Prepare to bawls your eyes out on this one and the goodness of God.   =)

34

Pounds!

Yeah, as of today, I've lost 34 lbs.  I don't even know how to process that.  6 more and I'm down 40 lbs. 

Honestly, I don't think I really ever could have believed I would be capable of such a feat, but I'll take it!

Excuse me while I go do a little happy dance...

Don't Worry!

Lord, you always know what I need to hear the most!

Today's devotional from Word for You Today was exactly... I mean EXACTLY.... what I needed:

Don’t Worry About It

“Casting all your care upon Him, for he cares for you.” 1Pe 5:7 NKJV

Jesus said, “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For [non-believers] run after all these things” (Mt 6:31-32 NIV). One author writes: “The other day I was worrying about something when I heard a minister say, ‘Worry is a lack of trust in God.’ So then I began to worry over the fact that I was worrying. Then someone else said, ‘Just don’t worry about it.’ Sounds simple enough, but I come from a line of people who speak faith, but act out of fear. Then a friend came up with this novel idea: ‘Why don’t you try this worry coupon. It entitles you to worry as much as you like, but only if: (a) it will feed and clothe you; (b) it will add to your life instead of taking from it; (c) it will make tomorrow better; (d) you don’t mind acting like a non-believer!’ Then he said, ‘If that doesn’t work make a list of all the things you’re worrying about, place it in a box and put it up on a shelf where you can’t see it. If God is either unwilling or unable to take care of it, you can always go get the box and start worrying again—but at least give Him a chance. And while you are waiting for Him to answer, pray, stand on His Word and don’t give your worries a voice.’” The Amplified Bible says: “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you.”

Hold me, Thrill me, Kiss me

There is nothing like the oldies when it comes to love songs....  =) 

*sigh*

Hold me, Thrill me, Kiss me
Mel Carter

Hold me, hold me
Never let me go until you've told me, told me
What I want to know and then just hold me, hold me
Make me tell you I'm in love with you

Thrill me (thrill me), thrill me (thrill me)
Walk me down the lane where shadows will be (will be) will be (will be)
Hiding lovers just the same as we'll be, we'll be
When you make me tell you I love you

They told me "Be sensible with your new love"
"Don't be fooled, thinking this is the last you'll find"
But they never stood in the dark with you, love
When you take me in your arms and drive me slowly out of my mind

Kiss me (kiss me), kiss me (kiss me)
And when you do, I'll know that you will miss me (miss me), miss me (miss me)
If we ever say "Adieu", so kiss me, kiss me
Make me tell you I'm in love with you