Proverbs 31 Woman Links

Hello there!  I hope you all had a good day.  How has this week been so far for you in the praising and praying for your man department?  I really need to be intentional about both of these things or I easily forget or just get too busy.  Any tips?

I was just sitting with Ian in his room as he isn't feeling too hot and needed some extra love.  I was checking out a couple things on my phone and came across this blog which looks really good.  It's focused on encouraging women to become what God laid out for us in Proverbs 31.  Just thought I'd pass it on to you all.  Here are a couple articles that I read that are really applicable for this week:

* http://devotions.proverbs31.org/2010/02/love-respect-and-admiration.html (on building up our husbands instead of tearing them down)

* http://devotions.proverbs31.org/2010/09/things-that-seem-so-small.html (on being aware of how the small negative interactions can really sabotage your relationship)

Lots of love to you all!  Have a great day tomorrow!!!

Happy Monday!

Good morning sisters!  How are you all doing this week?  How was your week last week?  How's Noah doing, Vanessa?  How about your job?  Mindy, I noticed you went to a couples retreat a few days ago?  How exciting!  How was it and how are your girls?  Kelly, how was your first week back at work?  I thought about you a lot and prayed for you last week.  How is Audrey doing with Aaron?  How are you feeling Jamie?  How's your family and how are things with Dale's new schedule? 

I'd really love for us all to be able to pray for each other through this study.  How can I pray for you all this week? 

Sending you all lots of love and hugs this week!!!

Week 2: Prayer Challenge

Pray that your husband’s relationship with God and His Word will bear fruit in his life. Pray that he will be a man of wisdom and understanding, fearing the Lord.

Prov 3:7
"Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil."

Prov 9:10
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."

Ps. 112:1
"Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands."

(http://www.reviveourhearts.com/articles/31-days-of-praying-for-your-husband/)

Week 2: Encouragement Challenge

"...through love serve one another." Gal. 5:13b

How did you do last week with your first day of blessing and encouraging your husband? Was it easy? Was it hard to hold your tongue when you wanted to say something negative? We hope you're off to a good start. (If you blew it, don't give up start again this week!) There are so many practical things you can praise, if you look for them.


This week, find some way that your husband is serving you or your family. Does he help around the house? Take care of the car? Fix things that are broken? If your budget allows, give him a new, small tool with a big bow attached. But make sure he doesn't think it's part of a "Honey Do" list!


Maybe your husband's not a handyman, but does he run errands for you? Let you go first? Take care of you when you are sick? Help you make decisions? Praise him for his willingness to serve others. Let him know that you see his unique service as a great strength.


(http://www.reviveourhearts.com/articles/30-day-husband-encouragement-challenge/)


What do you you ladies think?  How did you all do last week?  How can you serve and encourage your man this week?

Happy (Late) Valentines Day!!!

Hi there! I hope you all had a great Valentines Day!!! Did you guys do anything fun? As I was doing some Valentines stuff with Ian, I was thinking about my marriage. I had written all of the Love Is . . . attributes from 1 Cor 13:4-8 on little hearts for Ian and we were talking about them and about what love really means. I was thinking about how often I fail at demonstrating real Christ-like love to Bill (which is the way I really should be teaching those attributes to Ian in the first place). How often am I impatient, how often am I rude or think something unkind?

Something I try to do in parenting situations - especially the frustrating ones - is go through each fruit of the Spirit and question whether it was evident in how I dealt with the particular situation. Was I loving? Were my actions gentle? Was my tone of voice kind? I'll be honest, I don't do that as often in my marriage, I often take the filter off for Bill. Poor guy. So anyway, I really want to change that. I want to be more intentional in my interactions with my husband. I'm sure you all are much better at this than I am, but if anyone wants to join me in this you are more than welcome. :)

I am going to do my best to weigh my interactions with Bill - especially the frustrating ones - against these verses:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Cor. 13:4-8

and these fruits of the Spirit:
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control.

Which ones do you struggle with? How can you be more intentional in your relationship?

Week 1 Verses

Here are the verses for this week that go along with the prayer challenge:

2 Peter 3:18
"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen."

Prov 4:23
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

How are these verses an encouragement to you as you minister to and pray for your man this week?

Week 1: Husband Encouragement Challenge

"The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life." Prov. 31:11-12 To refresh your memory . . . here's the 30-Day Encouragement Challenge: for the next 30 days:

• You can't say anything negative about your husband/husband-to-be . . . to your husband . . . or to anyone else, about your husband.
• Say something that you admire or appreciate about your husband. . . to your husband . . . and to someone else, about your husband!

To help you get started, have you ever thanked your husband for "choosing you" above all other women? He found you attractive as a person, and appreciated you. Though many circumstances in your marriage may have changed, let your husband know that you are glad God led you together, and that you want to be a blessing to him for the rest of your marriage. Let him know that he can trust you to be in his corner.

One of the best opportunities to express your gratitude is first thing in the morning. How do you greet your husband each morning? Is he confident in your love? Give him a "wake up call" that he'll never forget-a big "I love you" and an "I'm so glad I'm your wife!"