FIREPROOF

Saw the movie.
Cried a lot during the movie (hey, I wasn't the only one!).
Loved the movie.
Thinking.
Praying.

Jennie Garth

Ahem. Remember when I said my life should be made into a Lifetime Original Movie?? Well, minus the scary pregnancy and loss of a baby, it kinda has. Of course, I'm talking about Fireproof.

The Story:
At work, inside burning buildings, Capt. Caleb Holt lives by the old firefighter's adage: Never leave your partner behind. At home, in the cooling embers of his marriage, he lives by his own rules.
Growing up, Catherine Holt always dreamed of marrying a loving, brave firefighter...just like her daddy. Now, after seven years of marriage, Catherine wonders when she stopped being "good enough" for her husband.
Regular arguments over jobs, finances, housework, and outside interests have readied them both to move on to something with more sparks.

Check out the trailer at http://www.fireproofthemovie.com. And go see it. I hear it's good, like Facing the Giants was good, only better. I'm going to see it Friday night on a date. Okay, just kidding. No date, that would be awkward!

The Death of a Marriage

My heart is so heavy for married people. On Thursday I was listening to the radio as people called in, asking for prayer for their breaking marriages. After one phone call, the DJ played Held, by Natalie Grant. My heart broke for all of the people who are experiencing the pain, the feelings of abandonment and failure, and the shock that comes with a dying marriage. My friend told me today about a street in her neighborhood that has 7 houses for sale on it. These are not homes in foreclosure, they are homes of broken families. SEVEN on ONE street!
It saddens me that Satan is doing such a great job of breaking up families. I hate him. He is such a creep. The lies, oh the lies he tells. The world has bought into these lies at such a high price.
If only I knew then what I know now. Only God can satiate me. Only God can love me unconditionally. Only God can give me joy. How can my husband possibly live up to being God for me? If that is my expectation, he will always fail. The lies are in the little things. The "roles" that husbands and wives give each other (or take upon themselves). How can we have a joyful, loving marriage relationship when one is wanting to have power over the other? It just won't happen.
An author of a pre-marriage curriculum in New Zealand found my blog by googling "fight for my marriage" and sent me an email with some questions. He said what a lot of marriage experts say, "We teach that poor communication is the downfall of most marriages. Would you agree? If not, what do you think it is?" I said that I believe it is selfishness. We tend to place expectations on our spouses and when they're not meeting our needs, we get angry. The anger turns into resentment and we naturally turn to another source that can meet our needs...and if it's not God, it's not meeting our needs. The cycle continues on the road to divorce. Well done, Satan.
There are people all around us whose marriages are dying a slow and painful death. Most people don't talk about it. I am praying for those people. Please join me.

Single

I am reading Passion and Purity for the 2nd time. Here is something I keep reading over and over:

A girl wrote to me recently, "It seems that time and patience are such key elements to following the way we were intended to go. I think with a good deal of awe upon the fact that you and your first husband waited so long in such careful seeking of obedience, and I wonder, with a lack of knowing inside, whether that is what is required."

I could not tell her that the same duration of waiting was required of her. She will have to take Christ's yoke upon her and learn of Him. I do know that waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one's thoughts. IT IS EASY TO TALK ONESELF INTO A DECISION THAT HAS NO PERMANENCE--EASIER SOMETIMES THAN TO WAIT PATIENTLY.

Truly my heart waits silently for God;
my deliverance comes from Him.
In truth He is my rock of deliverance,
my tower of strength, so that I stand unshaken...
Trust always in God, my people,
pour out your hearts before Him;
God is our shelter.

On Silence:

Never pass up an opportunity to keep your mouth shut.
Keep your mouth shut and show your good sense.
The man who talks too much meets his deserts.
When men talk too much, sin is never far away; common sense holds its tongue.
Don't talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow!
And...
You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

And so, I wait.