Saturday, November 7, 2009

1 on 1 with Brooke, Pt 3

Tell us about your Elijah Prayer Project? How did it start and what is its purpose?

I’ve always loved to pray scripture. It’s not that I can’t find my own words to pray…but honestly…why spend any effort trying to come up with my own words when everything I need is right there in the Word? I’ve been a serious Word-prayer for a few years now.

I love to encourage friends and family with the promises of God’s Word for their lives…you can often find sticky notes placed all around my house with scriptures I’m praying for my family…A few months ago I began praying Malachi 4:5-6 for my husband.
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers…”

Every day it seems I hear a story about another failure…another child whose life hung in the balance when a father turned away. I’ve been reading statistics about fatherless families and the irreplaceable impact of the father on sons and daughters. Ironically, it research shows that while moms are important, dads are even more so.I watch my husband, devoted as he is to us, try to shoulder that great responsibility…and I see him sometimes weighted down by the heaviness of it and I know he needs me. But not in the way you might think…I believe the best thing I can do for my husband is to pray for him. In fact, I want to suggest that we start praying for the fathers in our lives now more than ever.

The Elijah Prayer Project is my attempt to bring mothers together to pray for the fathers of their children. Whether they are single moms, happily or unhappily married, divorced or separated doesn’t really matter. Their children need fathers whose hearts are turned toward God and toward them.

Elijah Prayer Project happens each Thursday on my blog and is a place for moms to ask for prayer, share what they’re praying for dads and encourage one another to press on. It is NOT a place to come bash men or share info from the “more than I needed to know” file. Each week I list instructions and rules so that the purpose of the project is clear

In your years of marriage, what have you learned about the wife’s role in the man’s life and how she can influence her husband?

Early in my marriage, after an intense fight with my husband, the Lord led me to 1 Peter 3: 1-6. I had read these verses explaining the wife’s responsibility to be subject to their own husbands many times before. But that day, as I was crying out to the Lord for insight, He showed me something different. I noticed that God, through Peter, placed great emphasis on Sarah, raising her up as an example to women everywhere. It had been a long time since I read the entire story of Abraham and Sarah, so there, in my bedroom, fresh out of a fight with the love of my life, I plowed through five or six chapters of Genesis and what God showed me changed my life. You can read all of my thoughts on submission on my blog. I’ve actually re-organized them into a Bible study I call “Imperishable Beauty,” and I hope to have it published someday.

In another words: How do you see the role a woman can play in her marriage and in her husband’s life? Why do many underestimate the wife’s role in marriage and in the husband’s life?
As Christians, we are Christ’s ambassadors on the earth. That means we represent Him to the people in our lives, most importantly, our husbands and children. To wives (including myself) I ask these questions: Based on your heart and your behaviors, who does your husband think Christ is? What are you showing your husband about Christ’s heart toward him? Are you showing him that Christ is compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love? Or are you showing him a false Christ who loves only when loved in return, isn’t a safe place to fall and cares nothing for the issues of his life? The answer to this question matters! Today’s woman underestimates her influence over her husband because we’re so obsessed with what we think we deserve in our marriage. Christ asks us to lay down our expectations, what we think we have a right to and what we think we deserve in order to follow Him…and nothing else. We’re being duped into believing in something that only exists in fairy tales.
It was another great post from our interview with Brooke, and there is more to come. Check out the next post first thing Monday morning. But now, you can read more of her writing on her blog a life in need of change.

Posted by 1 comment:
Labels:

Friday, November 6, 2009

1 on 1 with Brooke, Pt 2

Here we are back with Brooke, we did learn a little about her in the last post, now, it is time to dig deeper and find more, it is just like treasure hunt..
Don't forget to stop by her blo A life in need of change to read more of her amazing writing.

What is the current book you are reading?
I just finished reading “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” by Patrick Lencioni. My CEO asked me to read it. It’s not a Christian book, but it provides great insight into the process and importance of building a strong team in the workplace.

Tell us about your passion to help women, how it started, and where it is going?
I first came into contact with Pregnancy Care Ministry when I was in graduate school at Liberty University. While volunteering just two hours per week in order to fulfill a requirement for community service the school required, I fell in love. I found that when my time was up, I didn’t want to leave. As time went by I found ways to spend more and more time there, eventually choosing to do my practicum and internship in similar settings.

Many women and men are drawn to the pregnancy center ministry because of an abortion in their past. They desire to give truth and be used of the Lord in someone else’s life. I LOVE this real life example of comforting others with the comfort we’ve been given (2 Cor 1:4), but I don’t have that same story. I never had a crisis pregnancy. My struggle was learning to love God more than my sin. It took several failed relationships, the last of which was a devastating loss, for me to realize that God’s way really was the best way. It was out of a desire to help others see that relationships could be healthy and honor God that I was first drawn to pregnancy center ministry.

Over the past nine years I have served in various roles in five different pregnancy centers in my state. I’ve been a volunteer counselor, receptionist, board member and paid staff. I love ministry to women and I see abortion and sexual immorality in general as one of the most pervasive issues the church faces today. Abortion touches every part of who a woman is. It affects her physically, emotionally and spiritually. I have seen so many women and men broken from this choice and my heart is to help them find forgiveness and freedom in Christ while at the same time spreading truth to women still considering their options. I’m not an activist and I don’t ever see myself in that role. God has called me to a compassionate response to a devastating issue and I can’t wait to see new levels of freedom in the church as His forgiveness and restoration spread.

What do these words means to you? God, suffering, little things, wisdom, mistakes, destiny, doubt and husband?
God - provider, protector, lover of my soul, sovereign, full of grace, creator, sustainer and rock.

Suffering – the means by which God often chooses to bring us to our knees in repentance, bring deeper levels of awareness of Him, an opportunity to count it all joy (though I’m not great at this).

Little things – the everyday opportunities God gives us to be found faithful.

Wisdom – fear of the Lord (reverent awe of who He is and who I am not.)

Mistakes – not always the same thing as sin. Opportunities to grow in humility.

Destiny – God’s reason for our being.

Doubt – a normal feeling associated with not understanding the ways of God. Doubt must, at some point, be replaced with faith, which comes from deep relationship with and love for Christ.

Husband – best friend, lover, team leader, most used of the Lord to show me my sin and give me opportunity to grow.

We got few more post to publish before we end our interview with Brooke, come Sat morning to read more, or just subscribe and don't miss any. We are going to dig deeeeper :)

Posted by 1 comment:
Labels:

Thursday, November 5, 2009

From the Pit to the Palace


Haven't you been in situations that you asked God why is this happening to me? why did you let this happen? I was so good to you God and don't deserve what is happening to me!!! When you are feeling this way, remember Joseph......his brothers threw him in the pit but he ended up leading the land in king Pharaoh's palace where God has put him. God allows us to be in these situations so he can be praised and glorified. He can also use our silliest mistakes to bring glory to his name.

God arranged everything that happened to Joseph from being in the pit all the way to being in the palace. None of what happened to Joseph was a coincidence, God had arranged it all and was in control of every minute of it. When we are in these satiations we should not feel that God had left us, we should not feel that we are alone, we should trust in Him that He is in control. Just remember that He is arranging everything to come together for a good purpose.....His name.


Posted by 1 comment:
Labels:

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

1 on 1 with Brooke, a life in need of change. Pt 1

Today we are going to post the first part of our interview with Brooke, the woman, wife and the servant of many behind the amazing blog "A life in need of change". A blog that is must read and a woman that we are honored to have on our blog to learn from her.

Lets start to getting to know her more and get closer to the woman who plays a major role in her family, marriage and church.

How would you introduce yourself to others? But also how you introduce your self to God?
My name is Brooke McGlothlin and I’m a 31 year-old woman whose life is constantly in need of change. I’m a girl from the country…a tiny one stoplight town in Virginia that I will always love. I have two degrees, a BS in Psychology from Virginia Tech and a MA Counseling from Liberty University that reflect hard work and determination more than intellectual ability. I am married to the man I’ve had a crush on since the 3rd grade (really…it’s a neat story) and we have two precious little boys, just 23 months apart, who are the joy of our lives but who also suck the life out of us at times J (You’ll find that I have a passion for being real!) For almost 10 years now the Lord has captured my heart in service to women who are facing unplanned pregnancies. I worked full-time in Pregnancy Care Ministry before the birth of my first son and now chose to give as much of my life and time as possible to my two boys. Part-time now, I serve my local ministry as Director of Clinical Services and will celebrate seven years there this summer!

To God: Because of Your Son, my name is redeemed, restored, renewed. My name is beautifully broken, wonderfully cleansed and no longer what it was.

If you could summarize your life in one word, what would it be and why?
Real. Some of my family tells me that I'm too open about my life and that I share too much about my business with other people. My family is known for being private. It's just the way they are. But I feel completely confident that the Lord has called me to something different…to be open and real before Him and others. The past few years of my life have proven to me that the enemy has significant power over us when we don't share the truth. We feel like we're all alone and that no one has ever experienced what we're living through.

This is a lie, as one of my best friends would put it, straight from the pit of hell. Satan wants us to believe that we're alone. When we believe no one understands, He has power over us to defeat us and keep us from the abundant life we’ve been promised as our inheritance in the Lord. There is freedom, friends, in releasing the truth. There is power in knowing that you're not alone...that you're normal in your struggles and that people have walked through what you're walking through and passed through to the other side with victory.

My reality isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always what I want it to be, or what I dreamed it would be, but it’s what God is using to teach me and mold me. Sharing that with others builds a sense of community, unity and openness for growth, which is really what “A Life in Need of Change” is all about.

Why did you start blogging and how do you find time for it?
I began writing for my blog about 2 years ago. I hoped it would provide a place to keep my family updated about our latest news and the antics of our children woven together with encouragement from the Word and what the Lord was teaching me through my life. In August of this year I wrote an article entitled “Trivial Pursuit” which shared how life is really not about me (or you). The response from my family and friends was so positive that I kept it up! Over the past three months my blog has morphed into a place of encouragement and ministry to families, most notably, women. I look for God to show up in the everyday, and believe it or not, He ALWAYS does!

I could literally curl up in my favorite chair and write for hours…so deep is the love I have found for this art. But I do have a family J so I try to spend about one hour each evening after my children have gone to bed creating the next day’s post and learning tips and tricks of the trade along the way. Sometimes, if I’m lucky, I can grab an hour or two over the weekend to prepare the next week’s posts, but this is a treat, not a common occurrence.

How did you come up with the name of your blog? “A life in need of change”
Paul David Tripp wrote a book entitled “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change.” Outside of the Bible, this book has become my most valued guide in developing relationships with people and being used of the Lord in their lives. As a person whose educational pursuits gravitated toward the helping professions I find it an invaluable resource for the Biblical ministry of change. In spite of the fact that I am trained in Psychology and Counseling I believe in Scripture as the sole and supreme manual on the state of man and I believe it has the key to unlocking man’s heart. This book is Tripp’s effort, along with the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation, to restore counseling to the church and prepare people whose own lives are in need of change to help others. I simply love that concept and have internalized it in my life. It is the expression of my heart, so when the time came to pick a title for my blog, it seemed like the best fit.
That was first of many parts from our interview with Brooke, Come Thusday Morning to read the second part. For now, check out her blog..."A life in need of change".

Posted by 4 comments:
Labels:

Monday, November 2, 2009

Couples: Make dreams come ture

See marriage suppose to be there to help making dreams come true. The question is, are you helping your spouse getting there. Are you holding your spouse back or are you encourage him or her to be what she or he want to be.

Show the love you have for your spouse by asking him or her about their dreams. Express interest that you want to be part of their dream or at least be there to support them.

Do you think about your spouse happiness? Do you know what makes him or her happy? If you think you know, you still need to ask. Expressing such interest is the key to express love.

Once you find out what is it their dream, work hard to be a helping hand in achieving it. There is nothing more valuable to show caring and love to one another.

Here is anther advise, if you spouse does not have any specifics on goals or dreams. Then go talk the second step. Ask them to create a dream or a goal together, think of something that you both like to create, make and achieve. This way, that dream will aligns your thoughts and bring even closers.
Posted by No comments:
Labels:

Monday, October 26, 2009

Couples: Trust & Risk!! Given or Earned??

Trust is something entrusted in all aspects of our lives; dating, friendships, family members, co-workers, and on and on. Trust is the ultimate foundation for any of these relationships to be successful, as well as meaningful. Some claim trust should be earned, and others feel trust should be given freely to others unless the trust is broken in some way.

I have to say that I agree with both concepts. just as a bird trusts its wings to carry it flying, (it is given). Yet once those wings are broken, it needs to be fixed, (earned and repaired).

How this REALLY works? How our relationships grow without having trust... How it is possible that you will grow to know someone without trusting them?

Risk,,, everyone whom want to grow in their relationship, you need to take the risk to trust your spouse...Just like we trust God, we risk having our prayers and requests not answered. But we trust always to have Him looking after us.

Do you trust your spouse, What is holding you back? I encourage you to talk more about it with your partner. Tell him, tell her, that you want your relationship to grow stronger, closer. Express your needs to feel secure. You and I need to take the risk, walk to your spouse and express your feelings to trust them in order to move to the higher level of your relationship.

But here are some signs of mistrust.... Are you ready?
Do you see a lot of I and You in your conversions? For example, "I bought this and that is how much I spent". "You need to realized how much I make". There aren't a lot of "WE" make so much, or we bought this or that.

Relationships are trees, and there is no tree can grow with cracks in its root. See Trust is the foundation of all relationships, including buying and selling, not to mention our marriage. Yes it is given, but we all raised in different homes and backgrounds, where trust may differ from one house to another. Yet marriage is about oneness and without oneness, there is no marriage, and here where trust play the big role of bringing two different people with one heart and one goal. Basically Trust builds your relationship.

So, it is given, yet once it is broken, it is hard to repair. Do NOT panic. First things first, Knowledge your mistakes and express your love.. Second, show regret and express love. Third, Show understanding (these things take time to heal) and also express love, Forth work toward regaining trust, and express love.

The important thing is to keep on expressing love to your spouse. Work toward regain his or her trust is the only way to make your marriage relationship grow. once a trust is broken, It won't be given to you. You need to gain it back...yet you need to do all this with love.

Life is about taking one chance after another, just like taking one step after another into the unknown. We learn from mistakes we have made in the past and, therefore, learn from them to prevent ourselves from hurting our spouse in the future. So take the four steps I mentioned and don't try to expect too much right away. You would cause more harm, than good by expecting fast healing from your spouse, NEVER express frustration with him or her for not healing fast enough.

Remember though keep watering your trust tree and fix those cracks because without the foundation of trust in a marriage, there won't be marriage. So take the risk or building your relationship every day by allowing your spouse to trust you and feel trust worthy.

Posted by No comments:
Labels:

Monday, October 19, 2009

Boys trips to Montreal.

Posted by No comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)