prepare for a godly marriage | pursue relationship with Jesus | build a foundation for a Kingdom-advancing life
Wow. Have you heard the story of Ian and Larissa Murphy? These two demonstrate unconditional love in marriage. When Ian’s brain was damaged in a life-altering automobile accident, his then-girlfriend, Larissa, didn’t give up. Watch their update here:
[vimeo 88485530 w=500 h=281]
If you are interested to read their book or learn more about their story, visit their website here.
Happy belated Valentine’s Day! Although we’ve been a little quiet around here for awhile, we’re getting some posts written to give you some updates. In the meanwhile, here’s an excellent video worth watching for single, dating, engaged, and married alike.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF_5wbmrEsc&w=560&h=315]
Every day we sit down at the table of our lives. 24 hours tick by moment by moment and we decide what we’re going to feast on: the people we allow into our lives, the influences we let in, the voices we listen to, what we commit our energy to, and on the list goes.
When you wake up, are you intentional throughout your day about seeking God and listening to His voice or are you in reaction mode since the time the alarm goes off till it’s time to crawl under the covers again? Or do you see yourself as a steward of the resources God’s entrusted to you? Do you recognize that every moment is a gift?
When you go through your day, how do you interact with the people around you? The ones who are sitting across from you in your day to day life: family, friends, co-workers, roommates, significant others? Is your conversation meaningful and edifying? Or are you just “shooting the breeze” on a regular basis? What would happen if you weren’t “at their table” anymore? Let’s say you got a new job or moved to a new house and your routine changed. How would they remember you? What would they have learned from you or missed about you?
Let’s make an intentional effort today to be a blessing to those “sitting at our tables.”
What about dessert? How do you reward yourself in life? What are some ways you seek comfort or consolation for life’s daily stressors? Are they healthy, productive, God-honoring incentives? Are there any destructive outlets that you run to for solace?
Always remember:
The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
Proverbs 18:10, NIV
My favorite thing about being involved with this ministry is simply getting to know some phenomenal women (who are actually featured in this short clip).
One particular friend, Laura Vencill, is one that blesses me on a regular basis. This ministry actually started in my home when we were both single, yearning to learn what it means to love the Lord with our whole hearts and seeking to prepare on purpose for marriage. We finished with a prayer get-together with one other girl and the three of us looked up at each other and knew God started something special through that prayer time. Beautiful Bricklayers was conceived.
Over the past three years, Laura has been a faithful cheerleader of my writing, speaking, and development as a person. I’ve learned a lot about true friendship from this sweet sister in Christ and it’s with joy that I present to you another video you can share with your friends when you are trying to explain a little better what is at the core of this ministry.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8GrprHqpPw&w=560&h=315]
You’re always welcome to contact us here with any prayer requests, questions, or anything else you’d like to share with us. We’d love to hear from you.
This month, Melissa Pena, recommends Gary Thomas’ Every Body Matters to help us dive deeper into the health theme. She shares more of a summary below so you can be further inspired to worship God with your whole being… including your body.
Every Body Matters Book Review
While the world around pushes for us to lose weight and look our best in healthy and unhealthy ways, the church often opts out of conversations about physical health and well being altogether. Gary Thomas addresses this trend and dives right into the discussion in his book, Every Body Matters. Here, Thomas explores from a Biblical perspective the benefits of physical fitness and how it can profoundly impact our lives as Christ followers. He shares how becoming physically fit can lead to being more sensitive to God’s voice, having more zest for life, and having a fresh attitude of service and love for others.
In addition to discussing the spiritual and emotional benefits of physical fitness, Gary Thomas also shares the true motivation behind all of it. The goal behind getting healthy as a Christian is not that we might look and feel great but that we might be “instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (2 Timothy 2:21). By being disciplined in what we eat and the activities we choose, we train ourselves so that we might be ready (now both physically, mentally, and spiritually) for any good work- for Christ and His kingdom.
I am so grateful to have read this book and very highly recommend it. Every chapter is infused with convicting truth, motivating perspective, and refreshing candor. Every time I put the book down, I felt this deep urge to go for a brisk walk or do some sort of exercise. This book has given me a deeper motivation for being healthy. It’s not about me just getting thinner and more agile but it’s about walking with my God and serving Him with all my heart. For me, that’s just about the best motivation I could ever ask for. I hope you find this book as refreshing and motivating as I did. Press on, sisters!
“Soft people who frequently complain about the smallest annoyances, who give in to laziness and excess, who expect others to work so they can rest, who collapse into passive entertainment instead of active exercise- these are souls custom-made to become all but irrelevant in kingdom warfare. They are no threat to anyone- least of all to Satan.” pg. 127
Something that helps me clear my mind and nourish my soul is to keep three special appointments each week: a business meeting, a fun date, and a time to spiritually recharge. This is not my original idea, but I heard it on a Focus on the Family radio broadcast featuring an older couple talking about their secret to a strong, healthy marriage through the years.
Keeping these appointments would be beneficial to everyone at all stages of life: single, dating, engaged, or married! Here’s my version of that older couple’s idea and how try to integrate it into my weekly routine.
Business Meeting: Every Tuesday night, my husband and I have a time to connect about the logistics of our lives. This is a simple version of our agenda: Prayer, Recite out loud our family vision statement, Review: finances, calendar, social and ministry happenings, goals, old and new projects, and we even have a little point system that helps us with motivation (If you are interested, I’ll post a video about our point system below). Prior to our meeting, I update our books, and make a new agenda for the meeting. Yes, I know it sounds totally stale and, well, business-like, but it’s such a freeing thing for us to do in order to stay on the same page and not feel like our lives are out of control. If you are single, this is such a great way to keep short accounts with yourself and your own schedule, goals, and finances. Having your own business meeting is an excellent habit to get into now that will yield great dividends in the long run.
Date Night: Hanging out and having fun probably seems like a “no-brainer” easy thing to do when you are married, dating 
or engaged, but I want to encourage those of you who are single to have date nights too. When I was single (and was not even getting asked out very often), I would make an effort to get dressed up (heels, makeup, hair, and all) and go to a quaint cafe or oceanside restaurant with my bible and journal and I would call it a God-date. Seriously, I had so much fun and I really felt my worth and my beauty. Even though I usually ordered only a dessert and some tea (I had a tight budget), I engaged with the Lord through the experience. Other times, I would bundle up for a sunset walk along the beach. I listened for the Holy Spirit’s voice to tell me what He thought of me, to confide in me whatever He wanted to say, and I can honestly say that those dates were some of the sweetest ones I’ve
ever had in my life! Just because you don’t have a “significant other” in your life doesn’t mean you don’t get to go on crazy-awesome dates.
Spiritual Recharge: This is a rest time, a Sabbath time, a time to reflect on the last week and get fueled up for another one, but even more than that to enjoy the present. We tend to have either all-day Saturday or Sunday to do this. We block out the day so that we don’t schedule anything that would be draining and we only allow life-giving activities. For us that means: going to church, taking a nap, going for a run or swim, reading a relaxing book, working on a creative project, having friends over for lunch or dinner… you get the idea. The point is: set aside an appointment on your calendar to recharge and reconnect with the Lord. He commands us to take a Sabbath rest, not only because He knows we need it, but because it helps us to remember that He is the One who makes the universe function, not us. We are just not that important (whew, praise God for that!!).
For those of you who are interested to hear more about our weekly points system, here’s a brief summary of what we do:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTrdL41_WWM&w=420&h=315]
A little over two years ago, my husband and I sat deeply engaged in conversation with a friend who shared some of his PhD in Nutrition knowledge with us. I remember feeling my head swim with information and resources. Part of me felt skeptical about all the organic food talk and all the changes he challenged us to make, but I decided to be open-minded and to do some of my own research.
We started by watching documentaries (see below for trailers), then we set off early on Saturday mornings to explore our local farmers markets, then we sat down with a rancher we met there and he taught us the value of organic grass-fed beef, then I began buying almost all organic produce, chicken, and eggs, then we cut out processed foods (ie any snacks you can buy prepackaged), and the levels get deeper and deeper…
Meanwhile, our sleep got better, we had more energy, our portion sizes were better controlled because each serving had more nourishment and our body didn’t ask for more food as quickly, my acne was beginning to clear up, and we experienced an overall improvement in our health.
Why am I sharing all of this with you? Not to boast about our food savvy or healthy habits, but to share a glimpse into a gradual life change with many benefits that are available to you too! Regardless of whether you are single or married, you can be a good steward of your own body and bless, not only your own life, but those around you now (roommates, family, friends) and in your future (husband and children).
Here are a few links to get you started (or to dive deeper) in your healthy (hot and holy) living:
Food Documentaries worth checking out:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0&w=560&h=315]
“In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults… Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM7D53z_Gqo&w=560&h=315]
“IN ORGANIC WE TRUST is an eye-opening food documentary that follows Director/Producer Kip Pastor on a personal journey to answer commonly asked questions about organic food: What exactly is organic? Is it really better, or just a marketing scam?
The film digs deep with farmers, organic certifiers, scientists, and organic critics to explore the content beneath the label and the truth behind the marketing. It takes a balanced approach to clear up misconceptions about organic food while highlighting practical solutions that are transforming the way we grow and eat.”
If you have Amazon Prime, many of these are available on Amazon Instant Video, like this one: 
Also, here are some excellent food blogs and websites to check out:
The Weston A. Price Foundation
We are part of the following food co-ops from which we order our organic food:
We also buy raw milk, honey, and eggs from a local farmer and beekeeper. Getting your “real food” sources and systems take some time and deliberate effort, but it’s worth it! Take one step at a time and don’t rush yourself.
This girl just inspires me. She lives out simple obedience. Talk about “love and faithfulness” displayed in such a beautiful way through this radiant young woman.
Have you read her book? Katie Davis just shines for Jesus through her words AND actions!
Even if you have read this wonderful page turner, listen to her story below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1fPzLAE6TU&w=560&h=315]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui4xZP2TQjk&w=420&h=315]
Hearing how she lives and
loves, what does this do for your perspective?
Take that one step of obedience. GO for it!
I hope you are inspired too.