God | Wives of Faith

Archive for God – Page 2

My First Deployment

Posted by Liz on Monday, August 9th, 2010 in Deployment | Comments (0)

Almost eighteen months ago, my husband left for isolated duty in Attu, Alaska. I did not know at the time, that his original twelve month tour would be extended. This time period was challenging but a great opportunity for my personal growth. As I look back on this time period, I remember the quiet days that seemed to zoom by.

Before my husband was deployed, I decided to go to grad school. I had just left active duty and I had a brand new baby. My academic advisor told me how she was able to go to grad school without comprising her family time. I would catch lectures while the baby was sleeping and write papers at night or early in the morning. I had it all planned out. I would spread out my time and work on college at least two to three hours a day. I thought this schedule would be easy for my lifestyle because I was used to getting up at 0430 everyday when I was on active duty. I am proud that I completed an MBA and graduated with honors while my husband was deployed.

There was another area in my life that I needed to work on. I decided to use my extra time for spiritual growth. My goal was to read the Bible in a year. I was amazed by the joy I received in learning God’s revelations and his plans for his people. I was humbled and honored to be one of his chosen people. I felt his light and his love for me. I grew closer to the Lord and I felt safe. All of my deployment fears melted away. I took long road trips with my son up and down the east coast to visit family. I felt comfortable wrapped in the arms of the Lord.

Deployment was challenging because I had to learn how to ask for help. I had to learn to lean on my family, friends, and the Lord. The most important lesson I learned from deployment is that if you take the Lord our Savior into your life, you can accomplish anything. I would like to share with you my favorite Psalm that also lifts my spirits, Psalm 23:1-6:

The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

================================================================

Liz is both former active duty and a military spouse! She served six years on active duty in the Coast Guard herself, and her husband has over 9 years of active duty service in the Coast Guard.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Ventura County WOF Book Club

Posted by LMiller on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 in Bible study | Comments (0)

Ventura County Wives of Faith

Book Club

When: 3rd Friday of every month

Next Meeting: Friday, August 20

Time: 6:30-7:30 pm

Location: E-mail Leanne for location

What: Chapter 3 of God Strong, by Sara Horn

Childcare Option: The base offers a free Parent’s Night out from 6-9:30pm. Sign up in person at the Mugu or Hueneme CDC (1-5 years) or Youth Center (K through 12 years). First come, first serve basis. Sign up before August 18. Babies under 1 are welcome at the Wives of Faith meeting.

Note: Come even if you have not read. We will continue to get to know one another, connect as military spouses and encourage each other in our faith.

Looking for host homes: Are you interested in hosting a WoF meeting? I need homes for Sept. 17, Oct. 15, and Nov. 19. E-mail me if you are willing.

Contact: Leanne Miller

Email: lmiller@wivesoffaith.org

For more information, please visit: www.wivesoffaith.org

Wives of Faith is a faith-based military wives support group that exists for the purpose of connecting all military wives in all branches of service including active, retired, Reserve, and Guard, who are looking for encouragement and friendships with others sharing similar life experiences!

Popularity: 2% [?]

August August

Posted by Pattie on Monday, August 2nd, 2010 in Faith | Comments (4)

Upon first glance, this may seem like a redundant title. However, if you will, consider the following:

august (adj): inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity or grandeur; majestic

2010 has been a year of changes for my family, as well as for many on our Wives of Faith board and blog team members. One might argue that it’s easily explained with a glib, “Oh, well, we’re military wives, we always deal with change.” True, but at the same time perhaps it’s not as simple as that.

Which leads me to August–or, an august August.

I’ve been reading a very interesting and thought-provoking book called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It’s gotten me thinking about happiness, how I make or break my own attitude, and how I can count my blessings and focus on the happy things, rather than the things that rob me of happiness.

The chapter for the month of August, incidentally, deals with what she calls eternal values. One of the ways Rubin decides to count her blessings is to foster an awareness of gratitude in everyday life.

My challenge for all of you reading this blog is this: look for the august in August. Search for things inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity or grandeur; or majestic.

Incidentally, our monthly theme here at Wives of Faith for this month is A Joy-Filled Life. We’ll be looking for ways to find the joy in our day, in our lives, sometimes in spite of our circumstances. Also, we’ll be touching a lot on our other theme for the month: deployment. We have some wonderful articles forthcoming on that particular topic, which is always timely as every day on our Facebook page we hear from wives who are dealing with deployment.

I invite you to bookmark our site and keep coming back throughout the month. We’ve got some exciting new features, new and relevant content written by military wives for military wives, and a blog redesign all on the horizon!

Sincerely,
~Pattie~
Wives of Faith Blog Editor

(Side note: Gretchen Rubin is not a Christian, rather a self-described “reverent agnostic.” Nevertheless, I believe that this book still affords Christians a good jumping-off point for determining our overall outlook on life and attitude about being happy, even if only one chapter specifically deals with spirituality.)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Sometimes Life is Hard

Posted by Pattie on Friday, July 23rd, 2010 in Faith | Comments (1)

Sometimes life is just plain hard.

Chances are if you’re reading this, you’re either a military spouse or you know one. You’re probably nodding as you read this. Yes, oh yes, life is hard.

Military personnel leave their homes and families for necessary training. They leave for duty across the sea (or on its surface, or within its depths), for duty in the air, for duty on dry and parched land, for duty on flooded land.

And for family members left behind, it’s hard. Cars break. Appliances go wonky. Children get sick. Storms both physical and emotional take their toll on tired and wounded bodies and hearts.

Sometimes life is hard.

The question in response becomes, What do you do about it?

Outside of the physical responses, like calling AAA or appliance repair, the doctor’s office, or just plain hunkering down in the house . . .

When life gets hard, where do you turn? Where do you go? What do you do?

I hope and pray that you turn to Jesus. Do you know Jesus? Really know Him? I’d encourage you to learn. Begin by reading the gospel of John. Get to know the Son of Man, Jesus the Christ. Then invite Him into your heart and life, into the middle of your busy, crazy day. Just as you are.

I just know that having Him close to your heart will make life just a little less hard.

________

Do you know what it means to be a Christian? The plan of salvation is very simple and can be boiled down into three steps:

Admit you are a sinner. (Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.)

Believe in your heart that Jesus lived, He died as a sacrifice for your sins, and He rose again. (Romans 10:9-10: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.)

Commit your heart to Him. (John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.)

For more resources, you can visit the Wives of Faith Statement of Faith, Roman Road to Salvation, or How to Become a Christian. You can also go to a local church and speak with a pastor, or if you’re on base or post, visit the chapel and speak with a chaplain.

Popularity: 2% [?]

July Blog Spotlight

Posted by Amber Parham on Thursday, July 15th, 2010 in Resources | Comments (0)

I’m helping Pattie out with the blog spotlights for a while. Here are three military wives that you might like to add to your reading list. I hope you enjoy these blogs as much as I did.

Lori Bell founded the National Association of Military Moms and Spouses (NAMMAS) in September 2009. The NAMMAS site is packed with articles on topics ranging from Career & Business to Relationships. She’s also the Military Spouse of the Year for 2010.

One of my favorite posts My Husband’s Better than Yours: How to Deal with Bratty Military Wives offers a humorous approach to deal with the variety of personalities that we are certain to meet. Discover the Power of Finishing What You Start offers 5 great reasons why along with a challenge to pick that old project back up.

Lori wants us all to learn how to ‘prosper where we are planted’. Stop by to browse the useful topics or become a member of NAMMAS.

Monica, a Chaplain’s Wife and homeschooling mom, tells their family’s story at Daily Dwelling. Her latest posts follow her commitment to get back in shape after having children.

”I feel as if I have been pregnant for the last five, no six years. And it has taken a toll on my body. So, with my husband’s help and support, I’m going to get back in shape. Now that I’m six weeks out from giving birth and have been cleared from exercise it’s time to get to work!”

Holly, at Household Six fills her posts with scripture and grace. My favorite quote is from her post Love Gifts…!:

“Just as Rilla lovingly laid her precious bird at my feet with a wag of the tail and happy eyes (promptly pitched over the back fence!) hoping I would understand that she loves me, I need to be willing to see the love of others even when it’s not obvious!
And most of all of the Lord even or maybe especially when He seems far away, deaf, slow or uncaring! Asking Him to open my eyes….”

Be sure to stop by and tell these ladies “Hello!” If you have a blog that you would like to be spotlighted, stop by this post.