“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23
Day 1945 – His Mercies Are New Every Morning
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Category Archives: Christianity
Day 1921- How Boundaries = Joy And A Healthy Life
We’ve been making a lot of changes in our life recently. I want to say first that we are in no way saying, “how we live is how you should live.” These are different things that God has put on our hearts recently and we’re changing based on that. You need to follow your own convictions and beliefs. All I’m doing is sharing what we have learned and how the changes have changed us, even over a short amount of time.
Ok! The first thing that we’ve been convicted about is nudity in movies and shows. We read an article by John Piper that radically changed how we view nudity. We have decided to cut out all movies and shows that have nudity. It’s been tough to say no to family and friends who want to watch a show or movie with us, but a little discomfort to keep our eyes and hearts pure, is worth the cost. I even went through all of my movies and took out all of the movies with nudity. A sub-change in this category is also removing from my collection and not watching movies that glorify leaving your spouse for someone else. This is something that was NEVER on my radar until I met Bret. I’m a “this is a movie, entertainment, just go with it” movie watcher…well, I guess I can say, I was. Like most women, I do love a good rom-com. One of my favorites was It Could Happen To You (the one where the cop wins the lottery and splits it with a waitress). I watched this with Bret before we were married, a million years ago. About halfway through, he said he couldn’t watch anymore. At first I thought it was just the typical guy hating those types of movies. But he explained that the movie makes the guy’s wife look like a jerk and the whole movie, you’re hoping they get a divorce so the guy can be happy with someone else. It’s soooooo subtle, but it’s true. I’m thankful he made me aware of this. Especially now that I am so passionate about marriages that last.
Another change is our bedtime and waking routine. Bret was having trouble staying asleep all night, so I did a little research on things that could help. As of right now, here’s our routine (as much as we can manage it).
Starting at 8:00 p.m., we stop using all devices, TVs and computers. I read that they emit blue light, which is NOT good before bed, because it “wakes” the brain, much like being outside under the blue sky. We even turn off all lights in our room and use candles only (which emit little to no blue light). We do our evening devotions, read to ourselves and catch up. We enjoy cups of decaf tea. Taking a hot shower before 8 is helpful too. We’ve been blowing out the candles around 9:15/9:30. We also have a strict wake up time every day – 5:45…..that was TOUGH on Saturday (our first day of the new routine)! But! What a change it has made already! The first night, Bret slept through the night (I seriously wanted to make my Facebook status -“My baby slept through the night!”) And, to be honest, I’ve felt more alert in the mornings, even waking up so early. It’s been such a sweet time hanging out with Bret before he leaves for work. It also makes doing the morning devotions easier!
I’m finding the more I learn about God and what He desires from me, cutting things out has been so much easier. Taking movies off my shelf that have been there for years was almost freeing. Now, I’m not saying this with pride at all. The more I learn, the more I’m seeing how utterly sinful and terrible I am. I can agree with Paul when he writes:
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”
1 Timothy 1:15
I am merely a sinner saved by Christ’s blood and overwhelming grace and mercy.
What about you? Are there things you’ve cut out or cut back on that have made a big change in your life?
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Day 1917 – How Bret Losing His Job (In 2012!) Still Has An Impact On Us Today
When I try to figure out what to write about, I typically think through my day first….are we doing anything fun together? Am I doing anything interesting? Am I doing something photography and/or marriage related?
Today, I’m pretty much just prepping for a photo shoot for our March Madness winner….and I’m not going to lie, that’s pretty boring. I spend a few hours charging batteries, backing up images and clearing cards. *yawn*
I’m also trying to kick my to-do list’s butt….which, again, is boring stuff….like selling DVDs, redesigning my blog header, website updates and writing my book. Just. Not. Interesting.
So, when I’m stuck, one of the things I do is look over my lifetime stats and look at what have been the most popular posts. One of the highest is Bret’s guest post on losing his job.
I just reread it and am in awe of God’s goodness in our lives since then. Since that point, we have paid off our debt, shot a bunch of weddings, Bret finished college AND he got a job teaching. I can see how God had to break us of all our pride, all our reasons for trusting in ourselves. The only way we could look was up and we would never be the same.
While we struggle from time to time with trusting in God….our primary orientation is unwavering trust in God. He has cared for us before, how can we not trust in this or that circumstance? I think one of the biggest lessons I take away from this is documenting your journey. Whether it’s a blog, a journal or an Excel spreadsheet. Just keep track of the struggles and triumphs you’ve walked through.
What about you? How do you keep track? When was the last time you looked back?
Day 1909 – How Is The New Reading Plan Going?
So we started our reading plan on Friday night of last week. Up until this morning, we’ve only missed one evening!
I’ve noticed we talk more about deeper things; the more important things. We had a GREAT conversation last night about witnessing after reading the Duck Commander devotional. This particular day was by Uncle Si. It’s awesome to me that they’re using the platform of the show to share Christ!
We’ve been slow to anger with each other and have been encouraging to work on continuing struggles. While this isn’t a “get great marriage quick” scheme, it has certainly helped us.
How about you? How are your devotions going with your spouse?
And since it’s Thursday, here’s one of us in 2008….when my hair had a mind of its own.
Day 1907 – I Hate…Ahem…Am Not A Fan Of Christian Movies
Christian movies, oh Christian movies. I have not been a fan in my life. To me it’s hard to watch these actors act out life situations that are real, but through dialogue that is soooooo unbelievable. It’s almost like the movies treat us like we’re children, talking in simple and easy ways. Tough time? Oh, just read your bible, just pray. So you see the main character finally break and realize, ah, yes, this will work, then life gets better. Now, there are times when this is true in life. There are times when the hard times do dissipate like the morning fog and everything is hunky dory. But most of the time, they just don’t feel true to life.
This morning, I rewatched Fireproof. It came out in 2008, while I was a 26 year old engaged woman girl, going through pre-marital counseling and getting ready to marry this awesome guy. I think we watched it together once it was released on DVD, so we would’ve been very newly married. I remember watching it thinking it was a great movie. I thought the acting, story and dialogue were alright, but still felt like a cheesy Christian movie….but a little better than others I have seen over the years.
Today I watched it through eyes that have experienced 1907 days of marriage, days that have been filled with untold joy, untold sorrow, easy times, hard times and everything in between. I watched with eyes that have seen others walk through separation, divorce and extremely hard times. I have cried with others who have been hurt deeply by marriage relationships.
Rewatching this movie, I realized how amazingly accurate it is; how true to life, real marriage life. The ways that we get into patterns and routines and think the other will never change. The ways that we think WE are right in every situation and if only THEY would change, the marriage would be so much better. So here I was, a self-proclaimed “Christian movie hater not a fan,” bawling my eyes out. Feeling a burning desire to write about what I had just watched.
I am nowhere near an expert. I know I will never attain that elusive “perfect marriage.” I will never be an expert in marriage. Nor will I ever be the perfect wife. Bret will never be the perfect husband. But, my heart has been set ablaze with a desire to help others in their marriages. To be there in the tough times, to remind them of the good times and through it all, give their marriages ultimately back to God.
I’m not here to tell you go watch Fireproof so it can change your life (but you’re more than welcome to do so. Watch it with your spouse while you’re at it. Tell me how it changed you both.) I’m not here to tell you that marriage is easy. Listen to this for more on that.
I’m not here to give you an easy answer. I’m here giving you an honest answer to your marriage struggles.
Marriage is hard. It requires a daily (nay, hourly) decision to choose your spouse and God’s ways over your own. It takes work every day. It takes putting to death your sin and your desire to have everything your way.
Do the work today. I dare you.
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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
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Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
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