Lynn I loved how you showed that even though a husband may try to draw his wife into it to "enrich" their sex life, it actually creates a vicious suction pool of addiction and despair. That is sooo true. Wives should not enter into it even one bit, or their own consciousness will begin to burn, their relationship with God will be burdened and their husbands will be in big trouble with God, I pray! The only thing I wasn't as crazy about was the first question. She asked, "if it's not all about sex, then what is it about?" And I felt like you responded with an explanation of a man's sex drive. I felt like it was saying...it's about sex. He can't help it, this is what he likes to do, even though it doesn't please God. That's still just "sex." What I would say to a woman... Read more →

Sunday my husband opened the back door to go outside to do some chores. As he opened the door, this is what he found lying on the doorstep. Now look at little closer. Can you read the words? Is reads: BAPTISM! I think God is hilarious! The delivery from the sky of this particular balloon is irony taken to a supernatural level. God is funny. Really, He is. He knows how much I love to laugh so He sends a “Baptized” balloon to my unbeliever on a Sunday morning. My husband brings the balloon in wearing a befuddled look on his face. He shows me and I can’t help but to bust out with knee-slapping merriment. I laugh so hard I actually snorted. How ironic. Can you believe God would send a special and private invitation to my man? The arrival of this balloon was perfect. It prompted a pointed... Read more →

This scripture started it all: Deuteronomy 23:14 For the LORD your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you. If you remember I began this journey back in April and we have looked at what is indecent in our camp and can those indecent items –attitudes- be a cause for the Lord to turn away from us. Part I Part II Part III Part IV Idol story – Subtle Stealing (Click to read previous posts) A couple of posts back I told you we would explore something indecent which is prevalent today and has very easy access to our homes; pornography. I have been researching this subject and have asked the psychologist I work with here at Spiritually Unequal Marriage a few... Read more →

Hi and welcome everyone to Thankful Thursday. Some of you have been participating in Thankful Thursday for quite some time. You may remember that in March I wrote a Thankful Thursday post about a new garden. You might recall we changed our backyard landscape from grass to a vegetable garden on the left and a flower garden on the right side of the yard. So why is a garden significant? I left the Corporate world of banking a few years ago. Prior to that I was a driven, wanna be, yuppie. Never, in a million years, would I have thought of myself as a stay-at-home mom, planting a garden, ironing clothes, cooking, cleaning and enjoying it. No…. LOVING IT! The Lord, my Father, has been so very kind to me. He showed me a life I didn’t know I could have. To date, the tiny garden has produced a couple... Read more →

The last two weeks I’ve talked about the significance of waiting in our spiritual lives. Click here to read part one. Click here to read part two. Today I’ll continue with the final attitude of waiting. Waiting Expectantly. We all inevitably have times of waiting for God to move. Through time and trial, we learn to wait patiently as we come to understand God’s faithfulness, and trusting God seems to be the heart and soul of just about any issue we face in our lives. But how much do we trust God? How far are we willing to trust him? With each attitude of waiting, our trust muscle gets stretched more and more. We may be able to wait patiently, for the most part, but what about waiting expectantly? What exactly does that mean? Waiting expectantly crosses a belief barrier. We can wait patiently, unsure of what God has in... Read more →

I am attempting to gather my thoughts from my jet-lagged brain this morning. Amazing, fantastic, humbling, AWESOME…… These simple words are inadequate to describe this weekend at the She Speaks Conference. What I know for sure. God changed me. I will never, ever be the same….. I saw the Lord a fresh. I grasped in some small measure how really BIG God is and just how small I am….. and it was so very good. (Photo: Angie Knight, The Knightly News, Joanne Kraft, Blessed, and Lynn Donovan, Spritually Unequal Marriage also contributors at Laced With Grace) I can’t begin to thank you enough for the prayers of support. THANK YOU. You words spoken for little ole’ me were priceless gems in my life. Each breath, word you uttered for me, the Lord heard. My appointments with the publishers, for whom you prayed, went so well. Now I turn my project... Read more →

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" — Esther 4:14 (NIV) Against opposing odds, Esther met the call set before her and risked her life to save her people. At first she baulked, but her cousin Mordecai pointed out that she had everything to lose and nothing to gain by remaining silent. Seeing the situation through his eyes helped Esther see beyond herself. Often when we look at our spiritually mismatched marriages, we see a situation we have no control over and no hope of ever changing. We need God’s help to see beyond our own limited vision and perspective. This is probably the most challenging part being unequally yoked, to keep our... Read more →

If you are reading this on Thursday, June 19th, I am likely in an airplane headed from California to North Carolina. I am attending the She Speaks Conference hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries. This opportunity is only possible because of my Jehovah-Jireh ~ the Lord our Provider. My precious mother paid for my tuition. My adorable husband gave up one of his free first class tickets to fly me. It cracks me up the way the Lord works. He works through my unbelieving spouse time and again. One day, after my husband’s confession that Jesus is Lord, my guy will know fully how God was working in his life and mine all along. I love you my husband. Mother, you are an amazing woman and I love you. Jesus, you are my life. Thank you! I praise you my Jehovah-Jireh. I give you thanks for the abundance in my life.... Read more →

Last week I talked about the significance of waiting in our spiritual lives. Click here if you’d like to read that post. This week I want to explore the next attitude of waiting. Waiting Patiently. Our natural tendency leans toward a continuous sense of movement. When we feel our progress stalling, we grow agitated and antsy. Think of traffic. You’re moving along, thinking you might actually get home, or wherever, in a decent amount of time. Then one after another, you see those taillights glow a bright red and you moan along with the hum of your breaks. So much for that idea. Now you’re stuck, creeping along with no idea what’s causing the hold up or how long a delay lies ahead. You’ve just lost control of your agenda. And now you have to wait. You can bang on the steering wheel, curse at the delusional driver who just... Read more →

Good Monday Everyone: Over the weekend I told you the story about jogging, a rooster and a car. Scroll down if you missed it then come back. I mentioned the movie, Facing the Giants. There is a sceen in this movie that can put tears in my eyes. It is powerful when you realize that the Lord our God, stands over us shouting these very words into our lives. Your very best. Don't give up. You can do it. I RARELY post a video because we are all so busy. It takes effort to quiet ourselves for more than five minutes and focus on a video. This one is worth it. Might I suggest you turn up your speakers to "loud." Let the full impact of the sceen affect your day today. Then stand back and see the power of God at work in your life. Be Blessed, Lynn Read more →

The sky was brilliant and the birds were singing. I stepped out into the brisk air for my early morning jog yesterday. Now don’t be too impressed. If you saw me jogging toward you on any given morning, you would probably dive behind a bush to avoid me. All fashion sense is forgotten when I put on my jogging clothes. Yesterday I wore black nylon shorts, and a tank top. My shorty socks hid under my jogging clodhoppers. I clipped my hair up in this funky grabber clip. It doesn’t hang nicely down my back like other joggers out on the path. No, it pokes straight up out of the clip. I resemble a rooster with an attitude while running down the street as it bobs up and down. Then there are the white legs. I shudder to think about any poor pedestrian who I might pass and is not... Read more →

Isaiah 44: 6 "This is what the LORD says— Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Today I want to follow up to my post yesterday. Yesterday I told you about a recent conversation with my husband. Conversations about faith are rare in our marriage in order to keep the peace *grin*. In this instance my husband’s heart opened to listen. On this particular evening he listened and asked questions which I didn’t realized he wrestles with. Scroll down to read and then come back because I would like your perspective. Several days after this conversation, I was dissecting it all. You know what I mean. Those of us who live unequally yoked anguish over these talks. We anguish and struggle, looking for any hint of movement in their position about faith. We ponder... Read more →

Living with an unbeliever actually has its advantages in some small ways. I think the Lord desires me to live in this awkward place of wholly loving Him and yet still attached to a world who does not know he exists. He constantly brings situations before me to stay sensitive to those who are lost, those who are searching, and even those who are running from God. This past week I was privileged to participate in a discussion with my unbelieving spouse about God. His searching really boiled down to some confusion about who God is. You might also find this interesting. My husband told me he hears so much about God’s love that he is confused. He went on to say that he is always told by believers and through the messages at church when he attends that God is love. God loves us like a father loves his... Read more →

How much time in a day do you spend waiting for something? We wait in car lines to pick up our kids. We wait in line to pay for our groceries. We wait for our food to arrive at a restaurant. On a spiritual level, I’m beginning to think we spend a lot of time waiting there as well. We wait for God to answer our prayers. We wait for unbelieving loved ones to finally embrace Christ as their Savior, and most importantly, we wait for Christ to return. I also think this kind of “spiritual” waiting is the most difficult. If you wait in a car line, you know your kids are going to come (at least you hope so!). At the grocery store, you know you’ll eventually get your turn at the cashier. And as far as restaurants go, wait too long and the waiter (now there’s another... Read more →

more at twiigs.com... more at twiigs.com... Thank you for taking time to help me. I am praying for all of you. Be blessed, Lynn Read more →

I have been writing about marriage for over two years. I believe in marriage as God designed it. I believe with all of my heart. Because of my strong convictions about the sanctity of marriage I am compelled to share my thoughts about current events with regard to marriage. I know my words will draw a line in the sand. I can’t help it. I will not remain silent. Article Headline June 5, 2008, The Californian, my local newspaper: Court removes last hurdle to gay marriage As I scanned this article, my soul literally grieved. I felt pain. I am certain most of us don’t realize this change in our state will affect the world. I am convinced this single decision is a pivotal moment in our world and societal history. This one single change in our law will forever change marriage as we have known it. On June 17th... Read more →

These last few weeks have been a true trial of faith, more so than ever before. One thing I'm realizing is that when my faith falters, it's because I've misplaced my hope in circumstances, people, or a false belief. Take a look at these Scrptures: "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you." - Psalm 39: 7 NIV "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." - Psalm 42: 11 NIV "Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you." - Psalm 25: 4,5 NLT "No one whose hope is... Read more →

What's in your camp? Does this title make you think of the Vikings and a credit card? Hmmmm Perhaps it is just me…. This scripture started it all: Deuteronomy 23:14 For the LORD your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you. If you remember I began this journey back in April and we have looked at what is indecent in our camp and can those indecent items –attitudes- be a cause for the Lord to turn away from us. Part I Part II Part III Part IV Idol story – Subtle Stealing (Click to read previous posts) Throughout the series you have offered wise and scripturally based comments. I am humbled to serve among you. I have gained perspective from your... Read more →

“You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed." ~ Psalm 18:35-37 This week Iris has selected gentleness as our theme. I am so glad she did. I am thankful for the gentle touch of my best friend here on earth, my husband. I am thankful for my daughter who walked into the kitchen this afternoon and said, "hug." She held out her arms and I ran into them then squeezed her tight. This is quite something as she will be a teen in two weeks. I am thankful for the gentle notes of love my Savior sends daily. A bunny on my walking trail. A... Read more →

“I feel like a failure.” “I can’t seem to do anything right.” “Why can’t I overcome this?” “How can God still love me when I keep screwing up?” Do any of these statements sound familiar to you? I know I’m very familiar with the first one and lately, that last one has crept in. I’ve also heard this same theme coming from many friends and dear people I have the privilege to minister to, and I have a feeling many of you, our readers, are struggling with these feelings as well. First of all, it’s pretty obvious to me the enemy is working overtime lately. The “hits” are coming more frequently and with much more strength. (Gee, wonder what’s up with that?) Plus we live in a societal system that seems to constantly judge who we are by it’s own twisted standards (another tool cleverly manipulated by the enemy to... Read more →

I opened up my email this morning, read this passage of scripture, and felt the Holy Spirit open up an area of my life which needs cleaning. This is what I read: Colossians 4:6 (NIV) Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. The Holy Spirit hit me smack dab in the face with this thought, Lynn, it is time to control your tongue and I want you to begin with just one person. Immediately a single name came to mind. ...hop over to Laced With Grace. I want you to experience, The Water Drop Experiment too! Also, all of my friends at Chrysalis are praticipating in Marriage Monday, The Wedding Day. Head off to read some great stories and share your own. Be Blessed, Lynn PS. For those of you waiting for the continuing posts on What's... Read more →