Worry? Me? You’re crazy.

24 FEB 12, Deployment Day 35

One thing that has definitely arisen again is the anxiety.  I think it’s not a lot with me not leaning on God, but thinking about it too much – the unknowns – what will it be like working with just Marines, what will it be like working 7 days a week/12+ hours a day, and living on a new base.  Having almost 40 days of no work, definitely makes work seem a little less desired, haha.

I opened my Bible last night while praying through my anxiety and happened to open to Matthew 6.  And as I read, came across the title for verses 25-34:  “The Cure for Anxiety”  Can you say “wow?”  I can… WOW!  Like I should have anticipated anything less from our God when reaching out to Him.

“And who of you being worried can add a single hour to his life?” – Matthew 6:27, NASB

Yeah, that’s what I need to remember, and He is helping me to remember that.  I mean He really speaks to the natural reasons we get worried and anxious.  And it spoke to me as I thought of what His will might be for me, my fears of the illness, my fears of the move to another base and the new job, and other unknowns.  It can be overwhelming in a matter of minutes once my mind starts thinking about it too much…

This is how I would like to be!

“But seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  – Matthew 6:33-34, NASB

Amen to that!  First off, God has been using these days to focus me in on Him – and I strive for that to be a forever thing – not just something I start and drop.  Second, He is right, today has so much going on that I’m called to focus on today’s issues, and let the Lord guide me into tomorrow – for only He knows what tomorrow will bring – and I’ll let Him guide my steps into that new territory.

Seek First

Well, besides getting off this bacterial infection, I am also starting to come down from my anxiety.  He will take care of me – whether I know what it is or not – I am in His will, and I need to trust Him.  So, here I go!  Well, not yet, I may fly tomorrow (Saturday) or Sunday depending on how I am responding to the antibiotics

Thanks for all your prayers and well-wishes as I go through the mental and emotional stages out here – it’s been a rollercoaster – and who knows what’s next! (Well, yes, we do know Who)

Father God, first I want to thank You for revealing to me in Your Word what was needed to be said to my heart, mind and soul to bring peace.  Your Word is food for my soul, and I need it everyday!  Thank you for my family and friends who have been lifting me up to You, and encouraging me with words these past 35 days.  May You continue to bless them, and may I not forget their sacrifice of prayer on my behalf.  Help keep me focused and not stressed, and to trust You for all that it is in my life.  Help me to get through this illness safely without getting anyone else sick.  Bless my beautiful wife and children, keep them safe I pray, and I hope to hold them in my arms soon.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Change of Scenery?

22 FEB 12, Deployment Day 33

Coming off one nasty bug, and I mean shake/shivers/sweating!  I am finally at the end – and it was not fun being this sick while out here.  Also, while out-for-the-count, I gained 2 roommates in our very tiny commode – so, it definitely makes for some cramped living right now.

I also received the news today that I will finally be heading to my actual job either Friday or Saturday.  Definitely nervous to start – since I have been used to not “working” for 30+ days!  I think the nervousness is more along the lies of I have never worked with Marines, so that will be new.  Also, I don’t know what exactly what I will be doing, since most times people are hired for one job, to find out it was a misinterpretation of their resume, then go somewhere else… so, we will see.

I know my wife has been praying for me daily, and I appreciate her so much (and those of you who have been as well!), and it makes me miss her more and more as our love deepens with the distance.  I have been in prayer as well, entrusting everything to God – because I am not in control – He is.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV

Even though I am trusting in Him, I’m still nervous – and that’s okay.  Well, on to getting ready by doing laundry, packing bags, and keeping in prayer and the Word for preparation.  Hoping I will have internet soon after getting there, but who knows!

 

Father God, help me to be strong in my faith.  Help me to be focused on the mission at hand, both the mission You have for me, and the mission to support these men and women in uniform.  Help me to do well at my job and bring Glory to Your Name through my thoughts, words and actions.  May I honor You in all I do, and may I bless others as I do my job out there.  Help keep me calm and my thoughts in order and continue to bless my wife and children abundantly.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

The Big 3-0

19 FEB 12, Deployment Day 30

Well, it’s officially the big 3-0, no not my 30th year of existence (that was last month), but being gone for 1 month, 30 days being apart from the family (30.5 if you count the half day of travel…).

This morning started off well, got to talk with Amanda before she went to bed, and then made my way to chapel.  I had the opportunity to meet a great brother, Chaplain Walker, who took me around base so I could talk about the whole situation.  It was great to talk to someone and get it out there – because fear can be gripping and paralyzing – especially when loneliness and inactivity are the main factors.

Chapel Service

Not to say I have been paralyzed – but I definitely have been gripped (which past posts have spoken to) by it, especially as I closed in on 30 days.  God has definitely been using this time to focus on Him and spend time with Him.  It has been refreshing, since I didn’t spend that type of time with Him before (as I should have).  And I may be able to, God willing, help out at the Chapel musically, and maybe start a study.

Of course, not saying in seriousness – but in jest, that I sit here writing with a massive headache, aching tummy, and feeling flush around the face and forehead… I’m hoping and praying I’m not sick… If I am, well, guess better here than where I would be going.  Luckily I brought myself some DayQuil and NyQuil to help keep some things at bay.

How I Feel Here

I don’t have anything profound to say today, my head is a little foggy since after lunch.  Whatever is next, whether I stay here or go home soon – it’s all in His hands – not mine.

Lord Jesus, first off, thank you for today, and meeting a great brother – may You bless Him and his family during His deployment here.  You know how much I don’t like being sick, and I love being taken care of by my beautiful bride, please heal me, Your will be done in my body.  Help me to get through it, and hopefully no medical intervention.  Please help me to know Your will here, and help me to make the right decisions based on Your Word and prayer to You.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Why?

18 FEB 12, Deployment Day 29

“Then they are to take some blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.  That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.  Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over a fire – head, legs and inner parts.  Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it.  This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand.  Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.”  - Exodus 12:7-11, NIV

When reading Exodus 12 (when speaking to the above verse, reading verses 1-13 to get the whole story here), whether out of context, or if you were a houseguest of the period, or maybe one of the household’s children – you might instinctively as this question:  “Why?”

“And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?” – Exodus 12:26, NIV

A child asking why (or anyone for that matter) makes a lot of sense here.  If you were the parent – what would you say?  Luckily for the Jews, God gave them an answer to say in the verses that followed.  But what about the present day – now we may not be putting blood on the doors and eating fire-roasted lamb… but what about when anyone asks about the joy and hope we presently have in Christ?  Why we act the way we do, or say what we say – why our lives are the way they are?

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect, – 1 Peter 3:15, NIV

This is that we are supposed to do – like the Jews celebrating Passover – we are to have an answer.  Or, as I have seen it translated, Always be ready to give a defense (1 Peter 3:15, NKJV), where we can see “defense” is used as the same as “answer.”  When we think of “defense,” it is not used as in defending from the enemy, like in a war-zone – but having an answer.  So, when children and neighbors have questions about your faith, it’s not time to put up the shields and protect yourself – it’s time to defend your faith (which is what Christian Apologists do, not apologizing for Christianity, but defending it, giving answers to what and why we believe), and give an answer.

This is where I admit my failings – this is where I struggle the most in my faith.  Around other Christians I am fine – because we speak the same language.  Around others… well, not so much.  I dream of having the boldness and the wisdom of apologists like Ravi Zacharias and theologians like John MacArthur – but I’m just plain-old Joe.

Right now, my son is in “Cubbies,” the junior program under AWANA, which is a church program for young children to help them grow up in our faith.  Honestly, I never grew up in this type of learning – I had a lot of questions before I was saved by Grace!  Right now, my son is learning so much more than I did about Christ as a child.  And my biggest fear is when he starts to ask me the deep questions!  I mean, I am a Christian, I read, I study, I know… but I have a tough time communicating it to others verbally.  It’s hard to translate experience into viable words that others will understand, and I’m still learning why I believe what I believe – especially after traveling the US, and seeing what different church’s say and do – you really question yourself, and I’m still growing as a Christian!

I want to be an example of a follower of Christ, not just labeled as a “Christian,” but someone who is “like Christ.”  I want to reflect Him as a son, husband, father, and as a person people see outside those walls.  I want to be able to give an answer.

Lord Jesus, I’m still learning, I’m still trying to figure out why I believe what I believe.  I want to be all that You have called me to be in this life.  Above all, I want to live a life that reflects You, and a life that speaks into others hearts and brings them to the saving knowledge of You.  Help me to continually hunger for Your Word, and give me the wisdom and knowledge to speak boldly and lovingly about You.  I know I am fearful to speak of my faith to those around me, and I always pray my life is loud enough about You that I don’t have to say anything – like St. Francis of Assisi – but I know my life is not there yet.  Help me Lord to be more like You, so that I am not just another “Christian” hypocrite that says “I love Jesus” with my mouth, but not with my actions.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

It’s not you, it’s me.

16 FEB 12, Deployment Day 27, Part 2

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. – 1 Timothy 6:10, NIV

Look money, I think we should see other people – me, my wife – and you, the bank.  It’s not you, it’s me.  We have issues, and it’s time for us to part ways (in a manner of speaking).

 

Now, as with most couple, my wife and I are opposites with money – I the spender, she the saver… opposites attract, right?  Right?  Well, yes, but money is a big distractor no matter if you’re the same or different.  From casual spending, impulse spending, saving money, giving money, loans, credit – everyone sees it differently, although some may agree, it probably took some time to get there.

Now myself, I am one to increase the means as the pay goes up, and look forward to moving up, because that equals more pay.  I become very selfish with what I make and what I have – yeah, there’s the mistake.  Selfish me.

Whoever loves money never has money enough; whosever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.  This too is meaningless.  -  Ecclesiastes 5:10, NIV

How true the Word of God is (who would have thought!).  That money can begin to affect you and those around you.  I didn’t realize the stress it caused my wife, and by the time I was stressed about it – it’s too late.  I find myself using credit cards to get what’s not needed, and then looking forward to bigger pay checks to make it all better… but it doesn’t get any better when it’s a habit.

Being out here has helped, minus the gift buying – but the thinking is still there – the thoughts of, “hey, I’m getting a really big pay check, I deserve to spoil myself a little” pervades subtly.  And this is not fair to my family – that’s one of the reasons I am here – to save it all up!

As the Lord has been dealing with me in my life about prayer and reading the Word, and through this, as the light of Christ permeates my life, it brings to visibility areas I still struggle with – and where better to deal with money woes – then somewhere not in America!  Not saying I’m all cured, but a work in progress.

I want to be a blessing to my wife and children; to not only provide (which I presently do) but to be able to, by God’s strength (and not my own, obviously), to leave them something – financial security.  Not for when I die, but for the present time.

My priorities need to be:

1.  God
2. Wife & Children
3. Family
4. Friends
5. Work
6. Everything else

Lord, one thing I know is that my priorities are askew; especially with money and its place in my life.  Help me to be smart with money, not a slave to it.  Please be in our finances Lord, and help me to learn to be a financial blessing to my family, and be able to serve Your people and the world with all You have blessed us with, both physically and spiritually.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Grounded by Friends and Truth

16 FEB 12, Deployment Day 27

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13, NIV

Friends are a wonderful gift from God.  Both old and new friends are just what the doctor ordered, when that doctor is God – He uses them to encourage the discouraged, and bring some joy into the life of the fearful.  Although I have had a roller coaster ride when it comes to being out here, friends have helped keep me grounded when my emotions and mental processes wanted to take flight.

Seeing a fried from Colorado has been nice, even though he will be working a lot, it is nice to have a familiar face around for now.  I will admit, a part of me is looking forward to what (hopefully) will happen here, but a part of me is also wanting to put the feelers out for other work (always good to have a part B, C, D, etc…).

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.  The Lord, the Lord Himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. – Isaiah 12:2, NIV

I’m trusting God, it’s hard (especially as a man), but I have to – who else am I going to trust?  Me?  Man?  Well, I normally trust those two on instinct – but I am trying to discipline myself into having the habit of trusting God with everything.

Lord, I pray that I would lean on You and trust in You like I know I should.  That it would be 100% faith and trust in You – not in myself, not in the Army for my job woes, and not on man in general.  You are my hope, my rock, and my salvation – please help me to focus on You always.  I thank you for the friends you have put in my life to help ground me, and help me remember the hope I have – and that when it comes down to it, it’s “no big deal,” and it “is what it is,” because I am not in control – You are!  Thank you for them, and I pray you would bless them greatly.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

The Anxiety Cometh

15 FEB 12, Deployment Day 26

Getting through the mental part of the deployment is very hard.  I am new at this – definitely not a seasoned veteran like many of the men and women around me.  As a “newb” here on deployment, I have a wide range of emotions.  Now, you’d think you would have a handle on your emotions after the tearful good-byes with family – but when you’re going through the mental processes of being out here, it can definitely bring the emotions to the forefront.

I have been here almost 30 days, and striving to make it at least 180 days, with the ultimate goal of 365.  What you don’t know is that it has been about 30 day’s worth of waiting (and no end in sight as of yet…) to start my actual job out here.  It’s a short story, but sufficed to say it’s not in my or my company’s hands with the waiting…

Out here, I am what they call a “transient” – a person who is just coming through to head to another ultimate destination.  So far I have been here much longer, with nothing to do and nowhere to go.  It’s not the most glorifying position to be in – no work to take up your time, seemingly no purpose, and not contributing to the overall mission.  That sucks.

Now, I will say God has a plan, and so far that has been to refocus me on Him, His Word, and prayer.  And through that, I still find myself getting anxious, nervous and antsy… Wanting to do my job and be more distracted – you know, to earn my keep out here and contribute to the overall mission of supporting these men and women in uniform.

 “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty – Zecheriah 4:6, NIV

This is something I need to live by (well, I need to live by the whole Word of God!), since even Christ said when tempted while fasting, Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 – and Jesus was referencing Deuteronomy 8:3).  There is so much I still have to learn!  Even when I feel this way – mentally and spiritually drained – that He is there, always there, and I need not fear (Psalm 27:1) for He is before me and behind me…  wow, I’m amazed I just found this scripture:

The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  -  Deuteronomy 31:8, NIV

Again, being the Word has brought some great encouragement!  I mean I know better, but I am still human – I still will fear, be unsure, and question that which I know is true I my life.  Why?  Because I have flesh!

Lord, please take away this anxiousness and anxiety from me.  I find myself being nervous which grows into fear, and for what?  I know I should not fear – because You are with me, but I know I let the stress in my mind affect my emotions.  Give me strength Lord to rise above this situation and find Your reason and will during this tie.  Help me to make the most of this time:  to be in Your Word, to be in prayer, to be a witness of Your salvation to all those around me.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

I Love My Wife

14 FEB 12, Deployment Day 25

I want to take this moment to thank the Lord for my beautiful bride, my best friend and co-laborer in the life.  Happy Valentine’s Day to the most amazing woman I have ever known.  A woman I am blessed to call my bride, a true woman of courage and grace, mother to our two beautiful children.

My Wife and I

This is her (Proverbs 31:26-31, NIV):

She speaks with wisdom,

   and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household

   and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children arise and call her blessed;

   her husband also, and he praises her:

“Many women do noble things,

   but you surpass them all.”

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Honor her for all that her hands have done,

   and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

With all that she has had to put up with (mainly me!), and raising 2 children, working on a PhD – she should be paid a top executive’s salary!  She should also be praised daily by me for all that she does for our family.  We both sacrifice to have a house, pay the bills, and have food on the table – but she has the most important job of all, being a mother.

Amanda and our boys

Now this isn’t mother’s day, but on this day, I want to love her by praising her – for through all we are going through (my deployment, her career and schooling), she is truly holding down the “fort” at home – and that my friends, is no easy task.  She truly is a Proverbs 31 wife, and I am blessed to have her as my wife, and our children are blessed to have her as their mother!

I wish I could do more than flowers, candies, cards and these words – but for now I will thank the Lord daily for her, and I will pray for her daily – because she deserves that and so much more.

I love you Amanda Jeanne.

Lord, thank you for my wife – a gift from You that I definitely do not deserve.  May You continually bless her, and bless everything she does this day, and every day.  Help me to never take her for granted, and to love her the way she needs.  Help me to be the husband that You have called me to be for her – because it is only through You and Your strength that I can love her as You love.  Thank you again for this woman you brought into my life – may I always treasure her, and may You continue to bless and guide Her, and shine Your love upon her.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Another day in Kandahar

13 FEB 12, Deployment Day 24

Hello all from the beautiful land of Afghanistan, well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder – and I’m sure some locals here think of the land here as very beautiful.  My description would be “Beau-dusti-ful.”

Me at the KAF USO

Now, it may be dusty, sunny, breezy, and a desert… but it’s okay.  I could be somewhere much worse and farther from the safety of this place.  It is still scary that, with all the “creature comforts” at Kandahar Air Field (KAF), that people (including myself) forget you are in a real war zone.  It is when you see the soldiers/sailors/marines/airmen with their weapons slung and pistols on the hips you remember that this is for real.  You can see the damage from rocket attacks around the base, and the weary soldiers who return from missions outside the “wire” and it is a constant reminder that this is for real – and don’t slack – stay alert.  Stay alive.

A Typical Day at KAF

I won’t shy from it – I miss my wife and children very much.  Some ask why you are there.  Well, it is for a few reasons (not just 1!):

• 1.        I’ve always wanted the experience to deploy:  Throughout my time in the military (1999-2010), I never got the chance to deploy, due to my “war-time” job being where I was at the time.  I have always wanted to serve my country in the front lines.
• 2.       I need the experience to move up:  With the country being at war since 2001, deployment experience in my line of work over the past few years has gone from “recommended” to “required.”  And if I want another job, or the possibility of upward promotion, I need the experience.
• 3.       I want to better our financial position:  Yes, as a contractor you get paid well, especially in the war-zone.  And I wanted the opportunity to pay off our debt and give us a solid financial rock.

Now, this wasn’t a quick made decision – it took years of prayer and logistics for my wife and I to agree and feel comfortable with me doing this.  The Lord has blessed us with the ability to hire a nanny last year to help us out, since we both work full-time.  It is by the grace of God I am here, and that He has provided me with this job and the ability to take care of my family financially.

A Bulgarian MRAP Force

With that said, it has definitely been a struggle being separated from the family.  Being here, you really appreciate what you have at home, especially the really good “creature comforts” of American life… in America!  Yet, one thing I have been able to focus on more here… is God.

Here I have been doing what I had been failing at miserably – praying and reading the Word daily.  Here I am, a “Christian,” yet I didn’t have the discipline, or decency to have a real relationship with my Savior Jesus!  I mean, I tried, but I was lazy – using excuses like work, tired, TV, movies, etc. to keep myself from my spiritual duties as husband and father.  It definitely was not a daily occurrence, and my wife and I tried to get a battle-rhythm – but to no avail.

Here, I have the chance to make a discipline out of it – to make it a real habit in my life – to pray and read daily.  Not just pray little prayers, but fervently praying for my wife and children.  Through the miracle of the internet I have the ability to talk and see my family, and it is this way that I can pray with my wife – which is something we longed to do, but could never find the time and energy to do.  I’m still baby-stepping into this part of my life again.  Finding joy in all things, as the following scriptures have encouraged me lately:

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV

If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.  If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.  Amen. – 1 Peter 4:11, NIV

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. – 2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV

Like the scriptures say in the 5^th Chapter of Ephesians:

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.  Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.  But everything exposed by the light becomes visible – and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.  This is why it is said:

                “Wake up, sleeper,

                Rise from the dead,

                And Christ will shine on you.”

Be careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  (Ephesians 5:8-17, NIV)

As I was saying here, like this passage says – I feel so much more alive when I am in the Word and praying…  like the moon reflecting the sun, I feel as though I am beginning to reflect Christ in my life.  It truly is a process, to make this a habit – it takes discipline – which is where I have my troubles, especially at home.  have my troubles, especially at home.  Here I have work/eat/sleep – and that’s it.  It is during this year I am focusing on making it more of a habit – my lifestyle of Faith.

Lord, may you continue to grip my heart to be closer to You.  To have a real relationship with You, not just a superficial one, or a “break-in-case-of-emergency” one – but a true Creator to creation relationship.  May I continue to have a hunger for Your Word and Your presence in my life – and when I don’t, give me the strength to choose You over the ways and things of this world.  Help me to better reflect You, and not reflect me.  Help me to be a better husband to my wife, and father to my children – that they may see You in and through me.  Help me to continually pray for them, and to be a true spiritual leader in their lives.  Thank you lord for what you’re doing in my life today.  I look forward to tomorrow!  In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

A Problem with Prayer

I routinely receive the daily devotionals from “Family Life” that is from the Moments With You book.  It has really challenged myself (as a husband and father), and both of us as a couple.  Today’s was no exception (I will delve into it after the posting):

________________________________________

May 5

Rising to Pray

Where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.
Matthew 18:20NASB

We believe—and have learned from long experience—that the true secret to spiritual intimacy in marriage is praying together. Yet surveys from FamilyLife’s Weekend to Remember conferences indicate that less than 8 percent of couples actually do this regularly.

This really troubles me. It means that 9 out of 10 Christian couples today are resisting the number one thing that could draw them closer together spiritually.

I often receive encouraging emails from couples who understand the power of this daily spiritual discipline. One gentleman said he purchased a picture frame and places it on his pillow the moment he rolls out of bed in the morning. Inside the frame is a special reminder of something very important to do before he goes to sleep each night: “Have you prayed with Janet today? It’s not too late.”

Another guy wrote to tell me he had tried praying with his wife at night before bed, “but I would always find an excuse not to. One day God really convicted me that I needed to step up as a husband and commit to pray with my wife nightly. I came home that day and told her of my conviction.”

In tears the wife said, “I’ve been praying about this for months, but I didn’t want to tell you and pressure you into it. I wanted God to do the work in you.”

I want to challenge you to begin praying together daily. I can promise you, on the authority of the Scripture, that if you pray together daily for two years, you will not be the same couple that you are today (see Matthew 18:19). Inviting the God of the universe into your marriage on a daily basis will change things!

Discuss
Settle this in your heart right now: Are the two of you going to pray together every day, no matter what comes between you or threatens to seem more important?

Pray
Expecting immediate opposition from the enemy, ask God for the courage to be obedient in prayer. And thank Him in advance for what He’s about to do in your life together.

______________________________________________

As you can tell, this isn’t the easiest devotional to read through and just go on with your day.

______________

This post was originally started on May 5, 2011… it has been a long time since I last attempted to do this blog.  Alot has happened since then, not counting this deployment I am now on (presently stationed at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan – but we will save that for the next post).

This has been a real struggle for both my wife and I, with the excuses of school, work, kids, church, TV, Movies, and tired/laziness.  We have attempted (half-heartedly, especially on me as the leader of the household), to do prayer time, devotionals, reading of the Word in general – but it just doesn’t survive the way life moves in our daily lives.

One of the hardest things to do after faltering in this area of our life, is the discipline of it.  Doing it daily, is extremely hard when you haven’t been doing it much at all.  Since being on this deployment to Afghanistan, I have been trying to make it a habit – a discipline in my life – of praying daily, for my wife, my children, my deployment, and our marriage as a whole in Christ.

I thank the Lord for my time here, although it is hard to be apart from my family, it has given me the desire and the ability to focus on Christ, His Word, and pray daily.  It hasn’t been easy, but thankfully I have been able to pray with my wife over the phone and Skype, and with the help of some devotionals (like the one above) and “Power of a Praying Husband” study – I am finding the words to say – and then doing it.

Thanks to those that have been praying for us.