The Latest Miller Adventure

I have a cute story to tell you. My family and I were visiting our family in Florida. When we do this, we divide our time between my mother and my husband’s parents. Last week my daughter and I stayed with my mom for a few nights while my hubby stayed with his parents.

On one of these evenings we had plans to meet some friends for dinner. In fact, this was the night Dee (one of our long time readers here at S.U.M.) and I planned to meet for the first time face to face. We’ve known each online for years and talked on the phone, but just seeing her in person and getting to meet her hubby was an unexpected treat!

Okay, back to the story. The plan was that my husband would come and pick me up for our dinner with Dee and her husband and then drop me off at my mom’s on the way back. So I had fun with this and did what any wife would do. I teased my husband. LOL!

Our conversation went something like this (remember, I’m flirting with my husband here.):

I giggled. “So, is this like a date or something? You’re going to pick me up and then take me home?”

He smiled at me and gave me this cute look that borders on being shy. “Yeah, I guess it is kind of like a date.”

“Well, maybe I’ll let you give me a kiss when we get to the door.”

He fell right into my fun and then I left it at that. But my hubby didn’t. Get this. He shows up at the door the next eveing with a single rose! My heart melted. My daughter thought we were too cute for words, and I thought my mother would laugh herself silly when he told her he’d have me home before dark.

It was a precious moment, to say the least and so unexpected. I was so surprised! I really didn’t think much more of our flirtation but it showed me just how responsive my husband can be when I am intentional about our marriage and relationship. The smallest things can make a difference.

This isn’t something that happened over night either. God has shown me constantly how to love my guy the best way possible. Our marriage is better now and we are more in love than ever. All despite our faith disconnect.

Let me share one more precious moment that happened while in Florida. During our time there, I had the chance to do a booksigning at Living Word Christian Store. (They are an independent Christian book and novelty store, which like so many independent stores, need our prayers and support to continue being a presence in our communities.)

About half-way through, my husband comes into the store to see how I’m doing. I explained the store was pretty slow and not many people were stopping at the table, which was facing the café.

He suggested that I move the table on the other side of the aisle so people could see me better as they walked around. Brilliant idea! We moved the table and guess what? More people stopped to look at our book and something precious happened.

I met these two ladies, mother and daughter, who stopped to chat and share a bit about their lives with me and my mother, who was there for moral support (Yay, Mom!). They started talking about their church there in Sarasota and even invited my mother to come. I passed this information on to my mother (she was talking to someone else at the time), unsure if she would even be interested.

You see, I’ve prayed for my mother to find a church she could really love and plug into. She’s still a bit of a newbie to the Christian walk but I know she loves Jesus. I was ecstatic when she called me later to say she’d already made plans to attend this church with a friend in a couple weeks and would look for the two ladies who so graciously shared their names along with the church information.

Without my husband’s brilliant suggestion to move the table, we may have never met these two dear ladies nor would this door now be open for my mother (please pray for her and this church to be a good fit!).

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. God never ceases to amaze me. I can only explain my husband’s complete support of my involvement in this ministry and our book as being God’s divine hand working in his life and heart. I honestly shake my head in disbelief. And not only that, God used my husband to bring about something I’d prayed for and to benefit my mother.

We just never know how God will work or who He will use to answer our prayers. But we do know that He is always working for our good. And I truly believe God loves to surprise us.

Let me tell you, this is one surprised and grateful woman at the keyboard writing this post. I may not have sold many books, but I know great things were accomplished for God’s Kingdom that day.

Praying and believing,
Dineen

The BEST Video EVER!!!! Celebrating Dad

TUNR ON THE SPEAKERS AND GO GET YOUR HUSBAND. Then watch this video together.

I promise this two minute video will have you laughing, rockin' to the beat, and stir a love in your heart for Dad.

Father's Day is Sunday. Be intentional and tell your Dad and your kid's dad that he is a hero. 

Be blessed, Lynn

A Tale Worth Telling

Indulge me today.

Let me introduce the cast:

One- small furry, cute (deceptive) cat
One- small dog named Peanut
One – teenaged girl 16 going on 27.
One – believing mom and keeper of the home.

It started several months back. The rainy season. It’s cold, wet, and dark. One early evening during a light downpour as we sat in the family room watching TV. From the hallway we hear a tiny, “Meow.”

To read the entire story, join me today at Laced With Grace.

 

Weekend Devo—Do You Believe in Miracles?

In the vein of Lynn's wonderful Donovan Chronicles, I have a funny story for you about the Miller Clan. The other night my family and I tried out a new Chinese restaurant—new to us. I'm always looking for good Chinese food, which I seem unable to find in my neck of the woods. Doesn't make sense since we live in Silicon Valley, but I think it's more about that I grew up on the East coast and Chinese food is different there. We called those soft fried noodles Lo Mein. Here they call them Chow Mein. And the best sauce for egg rolls—Duck Sauce—you rarely find it.

Anyway, we checked out this restaurant and enjoyed our meal. (Thumbs up!) With our bill we got our traditional fortune cookies. Always a good laugh to see what these silly pieces of paper say, but I will tell you God has used a couple of these in the past to show His sense of humor and give a small affirmation. God can use anything!

My husband opened his, then chuckling, holds it out for me to read. "You will soon witness a miracle."

I totally forgot I was in the middle of a restaurant and laughed out loud (a big guffaw!), snatching the fortune and declaring my plans to blog about it—about how my atheist husband got a fortune about miracles. I love God's sense of humor.

The story gets even better. Yesterday's Air 1 verse of the day was this:

"Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people!" ~ Psalm 66:5, NLT.

God has this way of using stuff like this to let me know He's up to something, and it usually comes in threes so I'm waiting for the third one. (grin)

In the meantime, I know God is working in my hubby's life in ways I've yet to see. All I can say is, "Bring it on, Lord!"

Praying and believing,
Dineen

What a Twitter?

Do you tweet?

Well sometimes I get over to my TweetDeck and try to keep up with all the incessant yet compelling whirs and whistles. I will open up the Twitter deck and the next thing I know I find myself lost in a vortex of crazy conversations, hash tags I don’t understand and giggles for more than an hour.

Sheesh.

Time flies when you are twittering with your friends *grin.*

Well a few days ago, I received a private message from a Twitterer (is that a word?). This obscure Twit was calling me out on something I said in a post that I shared on the Deck. They were anxious to correct my "flawed" thinking regarding this scripture passage:

2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

The Twit(er) responded to my post about this scripture: BTW, unequally yoked is not the way you interpret that verse..

I read this then laughed so loud that I scared the dog who was quite perturbed to be awakened from his afternoon nap.

All I could think to myself was, “Seriously? I mean really?”

You may have heard debate over the application of this scripture. One interpretation is this verse is not specific to marriage and that in fact, Paul, is specifically directing these words to business partnerships.

May I say just a few things in response to my TweetDeck messenger: Without a doubt and unequivocally I will confirm that 2 Corinthians 6:14 applies to marriage.

This is 19 years of experience talkin’.

It also applies to business partnership and a few other things that believers and unbelievers should not mix. If you doubt me, ask ANYONE who is in love with Jesus and in love with a spouse who is not.

Period. The end.

Have a nice day. Lynn

*grin*

Today I am flying to Northern California to stay with Dineen and be part of our very first book signing at Berean, San Jose. I will be Tweeting photos of Dineen and I and sharing the funny and also profound things and moments I discover on the way. Follow me on Twitter @LynnDonovan.

We will also be posting updates and pictures directly from the booksigning on our Facebook Page from our @sumarriage Twitter page. Join us! :-)

A Perfect Day... *grin*

Here it is....

Free To Be Me Social Network

Free to be Me Blog

I Like Big Bibles and I Can Not Lie

Yesterday in honor of Father’s Day we experienced: 

Every year ~ fantastic. Here is a taste.

Prepare to experience an urge to dance, giggle and jump up and down. You will want watch every second of this video. I promise.

Have a fantastic week. Be blessed, Lynn

A Shaghetti Western Marriage Monday

e-Mom of Chrysalis Is hosting Marriage Monday.

Our topic: "Friendship in Christian Marriage." How do you and your husband celebrate your friendship together. Scripture teaches us to phileo our husbands (Titus 2:4). This is a human brotherly kind of affection and love. For most men, phileo translates into side-by-side companionship. What do you two love to do together that fosters good feelings between you?

Hop over to Chrysalis to read more Marriage Monday.

I have spent a number of hours thinking about this topic. Friendship is a word that can encapsulate a vast number of meanings. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what defines a friendship. It can change over time. Friendships differ with each individual.

So, of course, I asked my man. “How would you describe our married friendship?”

Now, I need to tell you that asking my man this question, this particular week, was dangerous.

Most of you know that on Wednesday I will be a speaker at A Woman Inspired. I will be speaking about Marriage. What you may not know is that every time I prepare to speak about this topic, my marriage becomes victim of attack. The enemy wants nothing more than to destroy our “uniquely yoked” marriage.

With this said, you can bet there has been some “tension” in our relationship last week. However, we survived the crankiness, okay, my crankiness… *grin* The Lord is faithful indeed and His angels stood guard over our home and marriage.

Back to the story. I asked my husband, “How would you describe our friendship?”

He was standing next to me and shot me a sideways glance. Girls, you know this look. This is where he is afraid to answer. Sort of like when we ask him, “Do I look fat?” ~Deer in headlights!

I started to grin, then the hilarity of the situation got the best of me and I busted out in giggles. He was grinning too. I KNEW what he was thinking.

I turned to face him smiling, ear-to-ear, “You think married friendship is like an old Clint Eastwood movie, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Don’t you.”  queue: whistle -- (woo-eee, woo-eee, woooo...wah, wha wha)  

I could tell by the look on his face I was exactly right. I said, “You have only seen the bad and the ugly lately, right?” He just smiled.

Oh, girls I grabbed that man and hugged him with vigor. He puts up with an awful lot at times.

This exchange is what married friendship is all about. I can be bad, I am often ugly, and he still loves me. I am safe to be the authentic me, good, bad, ugly. He is safe to be the same.

I can’t leave God out of this equation because without the life-changing power at work in me as well as working in and around my unbelieving spouse, our marriage would not be a safe place to land.

Our marriage mostly lives in the “good” part of that old Spaghetti Western. But on those days when the bad and ugly are present, we know our friendship will triumph because it is deep, lasting and honest. Our life-long friendship is rich because the Lord is alive and well in the midst of the Donovan home.

Be blessed, Lynn

Men's Brains - Women's Brains Now we finally know!

Next week at A Woman Inspired Conference, I will be talking about the "Ultimate Odd Couple" - The Donovans. I wish I could include this video because it sure explains A LOT! It is hilarious. Enjoy! Be Blessed, Lynn

The Soap Cup and a Rapture - Marriage Monday

I pulled into the garage this afternoon after visiting the Farmer’s Market and snagging a frozen vanilla yogurt cone from Golden Spoon. The temperature outside was a magnificent 84˚. My daughter tagged along. We chatting about everything and nothing.

As the garage door rolled up I spied my husband in the laundry room which is actually a hallway from the garage to the house. Okay, I admit it. My guy is a treasure. He does the laundry….. Every week…..

Can I get an Amen!

My teenager and I walked into the small room.

“Wait!” my husband insisted. “I have been waiting for you to get home.”

I shot a sideways glance at Caitie, wondering, What in the world????? Which prompted my obvious response, “Whyyyyyyyy” I spoke slowly, cautiously. Wondering if I might be facing trouble. Naw, I couldn’t be in the doghouse. After all, I remembered to bring home a Mint Chocolate and Cappuccino yogurt just for him.

“I’m going blind.” He spurts out.

“Say What?”

“I dropped the laundry soap cup. I heard it bounce once. Then…..It disappeared into thin air.” His hands flew up with flair as he spoke. “Help me find it. I have been looking for ten minutes. I need both sets of your eyes.”

I am not kidding when I tell you the three of us looked like chickens pecking in dirt. Our heads were bent, checking behind the door, under the cabinet, behind the washer and dryer. To no avail.

After another 10 minutes and three people with cricks in their necks the soap cup was officially gone. I looked at my husband. “I can’t believe the three of us can’t find a soap cup in this tiny room.” I stated flatly - truly perplexed as to how it could simply disappear.

He looked at me with a grin on his face and mumbled, “It’s been raptured.”

I busted out laughing!

My daughter joined in. She laughed and said in her teen sarcasm, “Dad, what? Did the cup become a Christian?”

We all roared. My family is a hoot.

This silly exchange wasn’t disrespectful. It was a moment where I can see the glory of our marriage through the eyes of the Lord. In years past the mere mention of faith matters brought tension and usually a fight.

Not today. My man has come to respect my faith and even delight in my beliefs in the rapture, heaven, and Jesus. (My friends, I think my guy is not far from the cross.) Even better, I am able to relax and not worry about my husband’s faith journey, nor take offense if he tells me the soap cup raptured out of this world *grin*.

We are a happy couple.

The glory of our marriage is the very presence of a glorious God at work and evident every. single. day in our lives.

Be Blessed, Lynn

For more Marriage Monday, Please visit A Pair of Bartlett’s.