With all the election coverage, we didn’t want you to miss an important interview on The Albert Mohler Program. Two weeks ago, Carolyn McCulley joined guest host Dr. Russell Moore to discuss ”Radical Womanhood and the Local Church.” Be sure to take time and listen this weekend.
Pastor Ligon Duncan has “Some Initial Thoughts on Praying for President-Elect Obama.”
(HT: Justin Taylor)
The following is an open letter from a girltalk reader to President-Elect Barack Obama. Her words eloquently capture our hearts on this historic day.
Dear President-Elect Obama,
Today I shed tears of joy, along with hundreds of thousands of Americans, for the great victory of your election. The significance of this moment cannot be overstated. Our African-American friends have been oppressed and cast aside for generations in this country of ours. Now, may the shame be completely wiped away and may the glory that this nation represents and strives for become a reality for more and more of our once silenced citizens.
I confess I did not cast my vote for you. Not because you failed to inspire me with your speeches, because you did. Not because you do not impress me with your leadership and vision, because you do. I cast my vote for another based upon my concern for another segment of our society which is downtrodden and cast aside, the weak, the innocent; the unborn.
Mr. President-Elect, I pray that your heart would be burdened as well to do all in your power to encourage the life that is even now forming in many to come to fruition, to share in this great moment in our nation’s history. We all know the times are difficult and no one will escape the trials at hand. Just as this is true, so is the gift and privilege we have to live it. May the millions of unborn get this chance as well. May the virtue of responsibility reign as mothers choose to carry the fruit of their wombs to term, to give the gift of life to another. I ask, President Obama, that you would prayerfully consider your pay grade since indeed it has now risen at this moment in our history. May you be the champion of all those who are weak yet share the same right to life.
May God bless you and your beautiful family.
Sincerely,
Margaret Buckley
Albert Mohler offers advice for how to pray on this election day. “Christians face the responsibility to vote, not only as citizens, but as Christians who seek to honor and follow Christ in all things. But, beyond the vote, we also bear responsibility to pray for our nation.”
Here in America all the talk is about the election. But what does the church need to understand at a time like this? John Piper answers this important question from a biblical perspective: “We don’t live for politics,” he insists, “we don’t base our confidence about the future on whoever gets elected.” Click below to watch the entire video.
Several years ago we posted the best women driver awards…here they are again with some new additions. Thanks Angela! Nicole for the girls
Here’s the final batch of ideas…
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My husband has been quoted as saying, “The 5AM Club is the greatest thing for our marriage!” After reading Shopping for Time, I have adopted this habit and it HAS been so good for our marriage. I currently work outside of the home, so the only time I seem to be able to care for our home is briefly after work…if we don’t have a home community or date night. When I get up, I’m able to read, pray, plan and care for our home before I even walk out the door to go to the office. When I’m done at 5pm, I’m ready to come home and give my husband my all…not my left-overs.
Only by God’s grace (and my sister-in-laws calls each morning) am I able to get out of our warm bed and get my day started off right. Sitting at Jesus’ feet first thing sets the tone for my day, leaving me still joyful and energized after a long day at work. I get to focus on my man instead of the dishes and that makes him happy. The sacrifice from 5:00 to 5:05 before the coffee kicks in becomes well worth it when my husband feels like he gets my full attention at night.
Amy
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One thing I like to do is to completely clear a Saturday for my husband. He works so hard during the week, and I usually have a ‘honey do” list for him on the weekends. I like to give him a “honey do” list that has nothing on it. I take away any of my own expectations of what I wish/hope he will do, I take care of our son and allow him to do whatever he wants to do. Starting the day out with a breakfast with just the two of us makes it special too.
Gretchen
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For Valentine’s Day one year (but could be for no reason at all) I decorated my husband’s office door with 10 reasons why I love him. I used butcher paper and each of the 10 reasons were on a different heart. He still talks about that as his favorite gift that I’ve ever given him.
I’ve also left a new CD with a card in the seat of his car during the work day.
Kristen
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Keep a husband prayer journal. Date entries and what your husband is needing prayer for and PRAY. This encourages my husband very much. For him to know that I am aware and asking and praying for his heart. That Jesus would continue his work in my husband and that I am not to be the one to change my husband, but that I trust God to sanctify him.
Schedule social commitments, appointments, projects, and household tasks to happen when he is gone. So that when he is home, you have preserved time, your heart, and your body for giving to him.
When you are with him, pursue his heart with curiosity. Know what questions show him you are paying attention to him. When you ask him a question, look in his eyes, don’t do a task!
Send an email or a text message especially if he has a difficult meeting or conflict to deal with, letting him know that you are with him.
Have a family dinner that honors him, kids make cards thanking daddy for his work for the family and for God.
Make his favorite cookies and take them to his car while he is at work and leave them on a plate with a sweet note on his seat, for him to find when he gets off work.
Prepare your mind and body during the day to plan on making love. So, if he pursues you have prayed, prepared, and are ready to respond lovingly.
Pursue him sexually!
Know his schedule so that you can pray for him throughout his day.
Find old love letters and photocopy them. Write a sequel to the old one, finding new ways to express the same sentiment. Showing that as God has continued to bless your marriage, your love and commitment is deeper and your respect continually renewed for him. This can rekindle romance to think back to the intial “in love” feelings.
Trisha
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My husband doesn’t always take initiative in setting up get-togethers with his guy friends. So once in awhile I’ll gently suggest that he invite some of them over so he can have an enjoyable time with his buddies. I leave the house to them for a few hours but before I go, I whip up a big batch of chili, taco soup (Paula Deen’s recipe is available online and is absolutely the best!), or some pulled pork in my slow cooker, and dish up all the sides and toppings on the buffet. The guys have a great night together, are well-fed, and I get an evening to myself at the local Starbucks, where I curl up with a good book! This is a fun way to “do him good” while exercising my own interests in hospitality and cooking in a unique way.
Melissa
More creative ideas from some excellent wives…
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My husband works evenings and gets off work at 11pm. I have all the kids toys picked up, kitchen cleaned, sink wiped out, coffee ready for morning (he hates to have to make coffee in the morning), and I leave on some accent lighting so that he feels the calm, welcoming, serenity of home even if it’s after the day is done and we’re all in bed.
When he comes home and I’m already asleep (I really try to stay up for him though), I sometimes leave little love notes on his pillow for him to find when he comes to bed.
I am always complementing his physique and telling him how handsome I think he is.
I pray for him and sometimes I tell him when I’m praying for him so that he knows.
Last night I asked my husband what I do to do him good. He responded by telling me that I spend our money very wisely. I had never thought that was a way of doing him good, but I’m so glad that he has told me. I would have never thought that spending the money that he works so hard for daily, in a wise fashion, was doing him good. I praise God for such a godly husband!
Allison
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One way I try to do my husband good is to have a snack plate made for him every so often when he arrives home from work. It is usually simple…some sandwich meat rolled up, a few crackers, some cheese slices, and his favorite, pickled okra. I have a drink waiting for him as well, like a glass of iced tea. I have it waiting for him in our bedroom, so it is a nice surprise when he goes in there. He has mentioned that he really appreciates it and shows him that I understand his need to have a few minutes at the end of the day to regroup before being “on” with me and the kids.
Aimee
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My husband loves things neat and tidy, which is a struggle for me with 3 very small children. I asked him to call when he’s about 15 minutes from home and we have a fun “get ready for daddy” clean up session! It really doesn’t take that much effort, and the reward of a peaceful living room and pleasing my husband is great.
Jenny
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Every morning (at least I try - depending on how the night with the kiddos goes…) I send him an email at work. I try to get it to him before he is able to sign on to this computer. It has the same subject line each time (an acronym code that I had engraved on his wedding ring) and in it I encourage him, thank him for all that he does for our family, let him know that the boys and I are praying for him, etc and that we can’t wait to see him. I also greet him with something beautiful about the morning drive in.
He LOVES chocolate chip cookies and milk. Sometimes I make them as a surprise, and other times I make time if he asks me to. Either way, when they are finished baking and slightly cooled, I bring him 4 cookies on a plate with a big glass of milk to dunk them in. Always makes him smile!
DH is a student at SBTS. He really gets excited by his classes, so I whenever he gets home I ask him to tell me about the class and he just goes on and on and on about them. He’s especially excited that I’m interested in what he’s learning - esp. when I ask questions of him about something he or the prof. said.
Steph
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Anytime I ask my husband what he would like for his birthday or Christmas or how I could serve him, the answer is always the same. Some form of physical intimacy is always at the top of his list. (It’s his favorite thing to do and it doesn’t cost a thing!) In fact, if I asked him how I could “do him good” he would quickly turn that into a very funny sexual innuendo.
So one Valentine’s Day I made him a little coupon book. Each coupon had a different, creative, intimate experience. Of course the coupons weren’t necessary because it is a part of our daily lives, but he loved the idea that I was thinking along the same lines that he was and was taking creative initiative. If I think about it, invest time, thought, and energy into it and add a little creativity to it he is very blessed.
Name Not Submitted
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The idea is to let my husband know the many reasons that I love or appreciate him. I decorated a little box that sits on his desk at work. It says “How do I love you?” on the top. Then, about once a week, I put a little piece of paper (cute or plain) into his lunch with a short description of one way that I love or appreciate him. His box slowly fills up and he can look at them whenever he needs some encouragement during his workday! I’ve found that it’s helpful to keep track of what I’ve already given him so that I don’t repeat things.
Jessica
Another list of great ideas. You guys are good at this!
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As a mother of little ones, a friend and I were feeling challenged in the area of romance so we took turns surprising our husband by planning a surprise romantic evening. I dropped my little ones off at a friend’s house before my husband got home from work. He came home to a dark candlelit house with notes leading up to the bedroom. It was a lot of fun my husband enjoyed it.
Wendy
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I bought a book of postcards that I can address to his office. I am horrible at writing notes but it is really easy to tear out one of the postcards and jot a quick “I love you!” down and toss it in the mail.
When my husband has a late meeting and is not able to come home for dinner, I bring dinner to his office.
Lisa
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I put the ESV Bible onto an iPod, and bought and iTrip so it would run through the speakers of his truck. He travels a lot from job site to job site each day, and he listens to hours and hours every day of Scripture. He says he has never felt more spiritually fed. I also put lots of good audio books & sermons on his iPod. He continually thanks me for this little thing!
Love-making, love-making, love-making, love-making! I highly recommend this as a “doing your husband good” idea!!! (it’s worth 100 times more than a note in the lunch box, he says!!! haha)
Anna
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Stay current and age appropriate in clothing, hair and makeup. (We both think the husband is honored when the wife cares about her appearance)
Be a student in your areas of responsibility. Research home organization, meal planning, scheduling, packing for travel, moving and camping. My husband says this frees his mind that I’m serving in these areas, thinking through details and streamlining things.
Take Naps! Or do whatever it takes to be happy and refreshed when he gets home.
Keep lingerie fresh and interesting (don’t save money here, thinking no one will see this bra I’ve had for 5 years, I’ll spend money elsewhere. He sees it!) I’ve coordinated lingerie costumes to holidays and he anticipates the surprise.
Plan a romantic stay at home for him, find a place for the children to go for the entire evening, on the way home from dropping them off, pick up great take out food, tidy, not clean the house, create a special I’m all yours look and surprise him when he walks in the door.
Every time at the grocery, pick up something especially for him, nuts, olives, drinks, pastries, a football magazine etc.
Be available to go out to lunch with him during the week.
Back massages or scratches.
Love and enjoy the children, tell him evidences of grace in their lives from that day besides the areas they need to grow in.
Have his favorite snacks or treats for watching sports.
Be on time.
Love God more than anything!
Karen
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When he comes in from work, no matter what the kids and I are in the midst of, we all stop and run to the door to greet him. He has said that this makes him feel loved and erases the memory of a bad day quickly.
When I make him a lunch, I usually tuck in a note of encouragement. (an oldie but a goodie!!)
My husband travels often. I try to tuck in a card or note without him noticing. Also, adding a Hershey’s Kiss for every night he is gone is fun. That way, he still gets a kiss every night. (Make sure to put the chocolate in a separate baggie. Otherwise, he will be spending a few extra hours on the road in the laundromat.)
My husband LOVES football. I can remember grumbling about this addiction (oh, I mean passion) just a few years ago. I am so grateful to God for helping me to see even this as a way to love my husband. I now show an interest in the games (either by watching them with him or releasing him to go to a friends house with a better TV than ours) and have even made a few fantasy football decisions for him.
Aleece
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My husband is an economist, and he was always wanting to talk to me about work. I didn’t really understand all of what he wanted to share, so I bought some books on economics and studied up so I could understand what he was sharing. My husband loved that I took the time to learn about what was so important to him.
Sarah
Titus 2:3 exhorts the older women to teach the younger women. Today we can learn from four wise, older women—all have been married for more than twenty years—about ways each has learned to do her husband good.
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One way that I regularly strive in to do my husband good is by not complaining about my work in the home, but instead embrace it with joy. We have a large family, and the duties that fall on my shoulders throughout the day are many. Early on in our marriage, when I was just learning homemaking and trying to do a good job, I would feel overwhelmed by my tasks. With young children underfoot, I would be tempted to think that my husband should do more to lighten my load, even though he was gone all day working hard to provide for us himself. I learned then that I need to submit my heart to the Lord daily to undertake my responsibilities to serve my husband and family with a willing and joyful spirit. I accepted the fact that it is not my husband’s job to lighten my load, but my responsibility to take my “load” to the Lord and let Him lighten it by my finding that “the joy of the Lord is my strength.” I have to remind myself that I am my husband’s helper and not the other way around. This is not to say that a husband should never help his wife, but when we embrace our “helpmeet role” with faith and vision we can better appreciate the way the Lord designed marriage to produce the most fruit. By my being efficient in housework, consistently training our children, diligently home educating them, teaching them to honor their daddy, and being a cheerful homemaker and wife, I can bring tremendous joy to my husband when he returns home from a hard day at work. As Proverbs 31:11 says, “The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.”
Mary
Happily married to Dan for 27 years and blessed with 11 wonderful children.
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My hubby loves words of affirmation, so love notes and cards mean a lot to him. (He even saves them all!)
Last Valentine’s Day, I used some heart-shaped vinyl “stickers” and a red dry erase marker and I decorated our bathroom mirror with some of the things I love about him…Things like “You’re a Great Dad” “You’re a wonderful provider” “You are a godly leader of our family”, etc. My big and colorful message did surprise and please him. (My teen guys thought it was neat, so I secretly did a little one on their mirror also.)
Sending love notes (complete with heart stickers and lipstick kiss imprints on the outside of the envelope) to his work
Making sure to take care of little things he asks you to do (like mending, running errands)
Buy a new nightgown that you know will please him
Clean his car—inside and out——-polish everything!
Say nice things about him to others (in front of him AND when he isn’t
present also)
Clean out his closet or clean and straighten his bookshelf
Plan a dining room date for just the two of you (the kids get to eat in front of their favorite movie in another room, while you and your husband have couple time!) Don’t forget the candles!
Bake his favorite goodies—-often!!
Clean out all his drawers and neaten all his clothes.
Ask him what he is in need of as you go shopping.
Tell your children (often) how blessed they are to have him for a dad.Tell them how much they should appreciate all that their dad does for them (and name those things specifically!)
Keep a dry erase board on the refrigerator—-to write little love notes to your hubby
When he travels, hide little love notes all through his luggage (in pockets, shoes, socks, shaving kit, books, etc)
Try to take care of (even learn more of how to do) household tasks that are hard for him to find time for, or maybe doesn’t enjoy doing (like painting walls and trim or shampooing carpet). We are ladies, but we can work hard and learn how to do those things.
When he comes back from a trip, make him a large poster telling him all the things you missed about him!
Write love note (G-rated, of course) in large sidewalk chalk letters in your driveway (may be good to use in combination with the in-house date—above!)
Kidnap your husband from work and take his somewhere special (you will have to get his boss’s permission!)—-Elementary-aged kids really love helping with this—including a “ransom note” made with letters cut out of magazines!
Draw hearts in the snow on his car or in the snow of your driveway.
Go in (secretly) to his work office in the evening and decorate his whole desk with cut-out red and white heart and love notes (Good way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!)
One of our “love traditions” is the TEA BOX—- when we were first married, we took turns buying one another small fun items that would fit inside of a tea box (you could use any kind of small box). It was a way of saying, “I love you and was thinking of you today.” As life got busy with children, we let that tradition slip by the wayside, but in the past year and a half, we have started it up again (We just celebrated our 25th anniversary). It is so fun to buy special little things for him AND to see what he finds for me also. (And he is always so glad when he has found something that especially pleases me!)
Valerie
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I am most happy in my marriage when I am making my husband happy and so my doing him good ends up doing myself good. I learned this early on in our marriage, 30+ years ago. When children came along I was very task oriented. My husband after dinner would ask me to sit with him with a cup of coffee. At first my inward response was, “I have too much to do…” or “the kids need…..”. But then I realized that this was something my husband desired of me and therefore was more important than anything else. And so began a daily ritual of after dinner coffee and conversation. For 1/2 hour each day our children observed that mommy and daddy had each other’s attention and they would be best served by waiting their turn. I am so thankful for these times. Yes, I was initially doing my husband good, but I was doing myself good and I believe doing our children good.
Gayline
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We have been married for 22 years and my husband still says that he loves when I smile at him as he enters the room. It’s free, it takes about 5 seconds and it honors him!
Marcia
