Some great resources

I love my IPOD!  A friend gave me an old ipod and I could not make it work.  As I looked online for a way to fix it, I found that that model in that year had been recalled, and Apple would replace it for free.  A week later I had not only an ipod, but a new model brand new ipod!!  Believe me, it made the trip to Texas last weekend go by much faster.

2 of the things I listened to on that trip are linked below.  Both deal with homosexuality.

Revive Our Hearts, Out of a Far Country, which aired several weeks ago.  I had read the book the week before.  I highly recommend both the book and the program.  I will blog about it soon.

On that same topic of homosexuality, I listened to some messages by John Piper (the linked one and part 2 were the best), and also one by Al Mohler that I got off the Desiring God website.  The Al Mohler message was outstanding.

31 Days of Praying for Your Wife

Yes, I finally finished 31 Days of Praying for Your Wife!  Thanks to those of you who contributed to this list way back when I started it.  I post it with 1 disclaimer.  These are things I hope my husband (and whoever else feels led to) will pray for me as a wife and mother, and things I pray for myself.  No, nothing here deals with career.  Please don't feel that I am dissing career women.  Feel free to use this list as a starting point to make your own list that addresses struggles you have.  In a couple of days I will post a link to the 31 Days of Praying for Your Husband (don't have time at the moment) and also a couple of other things that I use as a prayer list for myself and my family. 

31 Days of Praying for Your Wife

1.       Pray that your wife will grow spiritually and consider her accountability before the Lord.  Pray that she will guard her heart by developing spiritual disciplines – Bible reading and study, prayer, meditation, scripture memorization, etc. (2 Peter 3:18; Prov. 4:23)

2.       Pray that your wife’s relationship with God and His Word will bear fruit in her life.  Pray that she will be a woman of wisdom and understanding, fearing the Lord.  (Prov. 3:7, 9:10; Ps. 112:1)

3.       Pray that your wife will be humble and quick to agree with God about her sin.  Pray that her heart will be tender toward the voice of the Lord.  (Ps. 51:2-4; Micah 6:8)

4.       Pray that your wife will learn to trust and submit to the Lord and to you, joyfully and without fear.  Pray that she will encourage you and wait for you to lead.  Pray that she will faithfully pray for you.  (I Peter 3:1-5)

5.       Pray that your wife will guard her heart.  Pray that her affections, heart and energy will be directed toward your family and your home.  (Prov. 4:23)

6.       Pray that your wife will love righteousness and hate wickedness, especially the evils of the culture.  Pray that she will recognize and avoid wickedness in her own life, and if necessary, take a strong stand against evil. (Prov. 27:12; John 17:15; 1 Cor. 10:12-13)

7.       Pray that your wife will seek God first, and look to Him to meet her needs, rather than to you or children or friends. (Mat. 6:32-34)

8.       Pray that God will give your wife creativity in making your house a home that is warm, inviting, and comfortable.  Pray that she will seek to make the house orderly (since God is a God of order) and structured to help and serve the family's needs. (Prov.31:27)

9.       Pray that money will not become a source of discord in your family.  Pray that your wife will be content with your provision for your family, not longing for what the world tells her she needs. (I Tim. 5:6-7)

10.   Pray that your wife will seek to understand and be what God wants her to be as a woman, a wife and a mother.  (Prov. 31:10-31)

11.   Pray that your wife will have a humble, teachable spirit and a servant’s heart before the Lord.  Pray that she will listen to God and desire to do His will. (Phil 2:13)

12.   Pray that your sexual intimacy together will unite your hearts; that it will be fresh, positive, and a reflection of selfless love.  (Gen. 2:24-25, Song of Solomon)

13.   Pray that your wife will work to build up the Body through prayer and using her spiritual gifts. (Rom.12:3-8)

14.   Pray that your wife will tame her tongue; that she will speak words that build up you and your family and reflect a heart of love, knowing when to speak and when to be silent and pray. (Eph. 4:29, James 3:2-12)

15.   Pray that your wife will choose her friends wisely.  Pray that she will develop godly relationships with other women, particularly older women. (Titus 2:3-5)

16.   Pray that your wife will choose healthy, God-honoring activities.  Pray that she will not live in bondage to any questionable habits or hobbies, television or books, but that she will experience freedom in holiness as she yields to the Spirit’s control. (1 Cor. 6:12, 10:31; 2 Tim. 2:4)

17.   Pray that God will give your wife a hospitable heart, especially if hospitality does not come easily for her.  Pray that she will be comfortable inviting guests into your home. Pray that this will grow out of a heart for God’s people and also for the lost. (I Tim. 5:10)

18.   Pray that your wife will have an eternal perspective – living in light of eternity.  Pray that she will reject materialism and temporal values and put God first in her life. (Matt. 6:33; Deut. 6:5; Eph. 5:16; Ps. 90:12)  

19.   Pray that your wife will seek a true friendship with you, and that you will be her best friend. (Gen. 2:20-25)

20.   Pray that your wife will find joy, peace and contentment in her role as wife and mother. (Eph. 5:15-21)

21.   Pray that your wife will learn to submit her emotions to God and filter them through His Word.  Pray that she will learn how to relax in the Lord and, in her greatest times of stress, find joy and peace in her relationship with God.  (Psalms)

22.   Pray that your wife will practice forgiveness in your relationship and with others.  Pray that she will recognize any roots of bitterness, and yield any resentment and unforgiving attitudes to the Lord. (Eph. 4:32; Heb. 12:15)

23.   Pray that your wife will be a good mother.  Pray that God will give her the ability, wisdom and strength to mother each child in their particular phase of life (infant, toddler, teen, adult, etc). (Prov. 22:6)

24.   Pray that your wife will lead a balanced life – that she will balance work and play.  (Ecc. 3:1-8)

25.   Pray that your wife will be wise in managing her time, activities and service.  Pray that she will submit her schedule to the Lord.  Pray that she will prioritize what is best over what is good, and that God will “establish the work of her hands” to prosper her efforts. (Psalm 90:17, Phil.1:9-11, Eph. 5:15-17)

26.   Pray that your wife will discover and live her God-given purpose.  Pray that she will offer all her dreams to the Lord, and pursue only those goals that will bring God glory and count for eternity.  (Jer. 29:11; 1 Cor. 10:31)

27.   Pray that your wife will understand the importance of taking care of her body – the temple of the Holy Spirit – for the glory of God.  Pray that she will practice self-control by making wise food choices, and get sufficient exercise to stay healthy. Pray that she will have physical strength each day and be able to rest each night. (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 6:19-20, 9:27)

28.   Pray that your wife will be a woman of prayer.  Pray that she will seek and pursue God in purposeful quiet times.  (I Thess. 5:17; Luke 22:46; James 5:16)

29.   Pray that your wife will serve God and others with pure motives.  Pray that she will obey the Lord from her heart and glorify Him in everything. (1 Cor. 10:13; John 7:17-18; Col. 3:23-24)

30.   Pray that your wife will recognize the lies of the Enemy in her life.  Pray that her attitudes and actions will be guided by the truth as she brings her thoughts into captivity to the Word of God. (John 8:44; 2 Cor. 10:4-5)

31.   Pray that God will continue to form your wife into a “wife of noble character… who fears the Lord.” (Prov. 31:10-31)

It has been so long since I posted that blogger has changed the format of things...

I have had 3 weeks of a very reduced schedule, and I feel better than I have felt in a very long time!  I knew I was stressed and struggling  to keep up, but I didn't realize how bad it was until it got better.  I have had time at home to do school and clean and cook and rest and think.  I sleep less, but I actually sleep all night and feel rested in the morning.  And suddenly I want to do things! 

I want to write.  I have things spinning in my head that beg to be written and polished.  So I have been working on the 31 Days of Praying for Your Wife just about finished... look for it in the next few days!

It is so good to be back!