(In the interest of full disclosure, Miss Pitifully-Low-Tech-Fountain here has no earthly idea how a blog tour works--or what exactly it is--so if you're wondering, don't ask me! But I'm honored to be have a part in recommending this excellent new book by my dear friend, Juana Mikels!)
My sweet friend, Juana Mikels, has written the story of how God saved her marriage and redeemed her life in her new book, Choosing Him All Over Again. I won't give anything away, except to say it's a beautiful example of how our God can take even the most hopeless circumstances and bring glorious resurrection hope and transformation!
It's been said that God often does His best work in a graveyard...and it's so true. Juana's is such a story of an utterly dead marriage being brought to new life. And our family has had the privilege of knowing and loving the whole Mikels family for many years, so we know firsthand that when God saved their marriage, He also planned a very special family that would bring glory to His name. God always has a plan, doesn't He, and His plans are always for our greater good and His greater glory.
One part of the book that particularly encouraged (and convicted!) me was Juana's "Eleven Checkpoints to Refresh Your Marriage." Just to give you a little taste of the book and to encourage you in your own marriage, here's a brief summary of those eleven points:
"(1) I will say 'I love you' to my husband at least once every day. (2) I will not bring up my husband's past failures today. (3) I will put from my mind any weak points of my husband, which I cannot change, and concentrate on my husband's good points. (4) I will seek to bring laughter into my husband's life today. (5) I will give my husband some little gift today, whether a tangible one, or a word or deed. (6) I will not end this day angry with my husband. (7) I will practice loving patience. [Editorial comment: Geez. I have a looooong way to go. Thank You, Jesus, for grace!] (8) I will practice courtesy towards my husband. (9) I will seek unity of interest. (10) I will make some comment today which points to God's wonderful tomorrow. (11) I will pray for my husband before the day ends."
Good stuff, isn't it? Practical, convicting, and love-enhancing. And in many ways, these would work for all of our close relationships. So, help us Lord!
"(1) I will say 'I love you' to my husband at least once every day. (2) I will not bring up my husband's past failures today. (3) I will put from my mind any weak points of my husband, which I cannot change, and concentrate on my husband's good points. (4) I will seek to bring laughter into my husband's life today. (5) I will give my husband some little gift today, whether a tangible one, or a word or deed. (6) I will not end this day angry with my husband. (7) I will practice loving patience. [Editorial comment: Geez. I have a looooong way to go. Thank You, Jesus, for grace!] (8) I will practice courtesy towards my husband. (9) I will seek unity of interest. (10) I will make some comment today which points to God's wonderful tomorrow. (11) I will pray for my husband before the day ends."
Good stuff, isn't it? Practical, convicting, and love-enhancing. And in many ways, these would work for all of our close relationships. So, help us Lord!
I have to add one more editorial comment: while writing this, I thought to myself, Oh my, I hope my husband isn't reading this as I'm a bit nervous about setting the expectation bar way too high! Okay, just kidding. But again, rather than beating ourselves up about how far we may have fallen short, let's ask the Lord Jesus to help us love like He loves. We absolutely can't do it...but He can! He's not just our perfect model of agape love--He's the infinite Source...and Provider...and Encourager...and Enabler. He is Love Incarnate.
He can help us to love our spouses with joy, with enthusiasm, with unselfishness, with His Christ-like mindset that always makes the most of the good and the least of the bad. Bottom line--think of how infinitely much Jesus has forgiven us and how extravagantly much Jesus loves us, so how can we not forgive, love, and cherish the spouses the Lord has so graciously given us? All by His grace, all for His glory.
He can help us to love our spouses with joy, with enthusiasm, with unselfishness, with His Christ-like mindset that always makes the most of the good and the least of the bad. Bottom line--think of how infinitely much Jesus has forgiven us and how extravagantly much Jesus loves us, so how can we not forgive, love, and cherish the spouses the Lord has so graciously given us? All by His grace, all for His glory.
So, thank You, Lord, for using Juana to give us these wonderful reminders of tangible ways to love and encourage our husbands! Help us to put them into practice....which means help us to love like Jesus loves.
To God be the glory.
(By the way, you can get a copy of Juana's book by clinking on this link HERE. (http://ambassador-international.com/books/choosing-story-romance-redemption/) or on Kindle HERE.)
Thank you Emily for spreading the word about the book. You will laugh with me on this: my publisher called to day and seems a Christian magazine wants more details how I do the 11 checkpoints. I am starting the article with, "I don't! It just helps to have something to shoot for! I keep it in list form & read it after quiet time to remind me to keep Terry top priority because I need help SO BADLY to do what I need to do! Big difference in having the checkpoints to shoot for versus doing it all the time! NO WAY I can do that:-)!! Only God can meet all our spouses needs!
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