Get back to the basics of life - RESTORE! Restoring order will open the door for a revitalized energy that comes from freedom from chaos. You must work for this freedom because it’s not going to come through whining. The first step is to admit your life is more in survival mode than thriving mode. If your days run into each other and you can’t remember your schedule from day to day, chances are you are just surviving. You are enduring each day to the best of your ability but are worn out, have little time for self-reflection and have no time for things that probably really matter. You’ve lost family and friends due to missed gatherings because of a repetitive excuse, “I’m too busy.”


Thriving requires you to desire to achieve beyond the ordinary. Dan and I live a life that is far from ordinary. We are always pushing ourselves to take risks that most people probably wouldn’t attempt. We  haven't always thrived however. We’ve been there in survival mode just like the rest of you - severely exhausted, overbooked, and barely surviving. We decided to take our lives back.

Today we have new energy from the freedom we obtained in our schedule and lives. This freedom and energy is fueled by new passions. When new passions burn within, there’s an outward glow that changes your appearance, your swagger. Survival mode has disappeared and every thought is INTENTIONAL. Every action is with the ultimate intent to THRIVE.

We feel humbled to be able to teach about the peace we’ve been able to grab hold of. It’s the start of a new revolution in our lives and the lives of those around us. This unstoppable impact will not allow anyone in our paths to be satisfied with ordinary. There’s too much too experience, too much to do. There’s a harvest of souls that are depressed, lonely, broke, lost, angry, hopeless. Join us on how to restore your life, begin to thrive, and most importantly, begin impacting your community.

Join us at True Life Church 5:00 p.m. Sunday, July 27 for the start of a new Thriving Series. You won't regret taking this time out of your schedule.

We will also be hosting a Financial Health Seminar  to help attendees get their finances in order. Whether you are bogged down by debt, looking for extra income, or looking for new order in your household, this is the place you want to be! This 1/2 day event is FREE and we have speakers discussing: financial freedom, entrepreneurial living, career coaching, extreme couponing, and budget cooking.

On my last blog, “Poof! Up-Up-Away,” I posed a challenge to couples to take more time to appreciate each other and to lessen the load on your schedule. If you accepted the challenge, how are you doing?  

I’m off to a good start….This weekend my family was able to spend some much needed time with our grandson, Gabriel. Though we could have done a million other things, we put Gabriel as a priority. That was definitely time well spent But that was just the start: I was also able to have coffee with a friend, watch a baseball game with a bunch of friends, eat some ice cream with great people, listen to the Word of God, take a long Sunday nap, and rescue my child from a broken down car. We finished the weekend watching the Honors Flight DVD, appreciating our veterans and remembering the sacrifices of great men along with the great sacrifices of my own family (my husbands an Army veteran). Overall I think it was a very successful weekend!

This week I’m committed to:

• ME TIME: Working out two days this week over my lunch period and two days this week in the morning/night so I can lose 1 ½ pounds this week.
  
  
• GIVING TIME: Doing something special for a very special woman who helped me
  
  
• FEEDING TIME: Church Wednesday night with my fabulous bro and sis in Christ
  
  
• FAMILY TIME: Getting my toes done with my sister and my mom
  
  
• LAUGHING TIME: Spending time with the women of my church Thursday night
  
  
• ROMANCE TIME: Date night with my husband Friday night
  
  

I’m asking everyone to keep me accountable to this challenge. I’d love to keep you accountable too! Send me specifics at info@wholearmorministry.com and we can challenge each other.

Every year I tell my husband that we need to slow down in our lives. Yet, year after year it seems as if our schedules become even more cluttered and more overscheduled. How can we have “normal” lives if we are working all day, checking our emails all night, working on projects until midnight, and not taking breaks on weekends or even during vacations? Last night I posed the question of possibly committing to NO technology over our vacation. My husband immediately turned white with fear and didn't even reply to my request. Why can’t we unplug? If I can find any comfort in the answer, at least I know we aren’t the only couple that struggles with constantly being plugged into everything. That still doesn’t make it alright though!

We set aside time for God, but it’s never enough. We set aside time for each other, but it’s never enough. We rarely set aside time for our entire family, and with two young college-bound men for sons, we may be missing our last opportunities with them. We have goals, ambitions, work demands, church demands and physical demands. Honestly, most nights I want to break down and cry because of the overwhelming number of tasks and deadlines we need to complete.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (MSG), the word says, “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth. A time to (for):

• Birth and another for death,
  
• Plant and another to reap,
  
• Kill and another to heal,
  
• Destroy and another to construct,
  
• Dry and another to laugh,
  
• Lament and another to cheer,
  
• Make love and another to abstain,
  
• Embrace and another to part,
  
• Search and another to count your losses,
  
• Hold on and another to let go,
  
• Rip out and another to mend,
  
• Shut up and another to speak up,
  
• Love and another to hate,
  
• Wage war and another to make peace.”

God’s word is great at providing clear direction as to how we are supposed to keep order in our lives. He gives us these guidelines to show not only the limitations we need to set on ourselves mentally and physically but also so we can give time for the spiritual. How is it that God gives such easy direction on how to live a stress free life yet we won’t listen? He’s even given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to comfort us and we still find ways to take control back over.

I would like to challenge you to join my family over the next 30 days. Commit to making some changes in how you schedule your life. Don’t find yourself regretting the years that mysteriously passed by. Even if you have to schedule specific time in your calendar so you set the time aside…DO IT! Over the next month, think about the opportune time to do things such as time for:

• Family outings
  
• Grandparents/grandchildren
  
• Alone with a spouse
  
• Game night with the kids
  
• Walk in the park
  
• Time away from technology
  
• Night camping in the yard
  
• Visiting with a neighbor
  
• Volunteering
  
• Surprising a friend
  
• Saying sorry to a long time enemy
  
  

If we try to work these things in for just one month I believe it will become contagious! What a great time to start too during the summer months! Don’t take time for granted. Enjoy life and love others! The dirt and clutter will always be there for you to clean. The laundry will continue to build up. The grass will always need mowing. Relationships are priceless however and you don’t always have tomorrow.

If you accept this 30 day challenge, email us at info@wholearmorministry.com or tell us on Facebook. You can always find out more information about us at www.wholearmorministry.com.  




This week my husband shared the most meaningful observation with me. He said we spend a lot of time together but he couldn't imagine it any other way. He even commented "You are my best friend and I love sharing life with you." He then proceeded to share that a lot of men he knows spend more time with their male friends then their wives. That most men use their male friendships to escape out of their marriage. 



I don't want to mislead you to thinking our marriage is all about "us" because it's very important to have friends you can share other interests with. Our time together however is critical to us staying connected at a different level with each other. We spend time talking, sharing business ideas, discussing ministry, remodeling the house, going to concerts, fishing on the lake, talking over dinner and so on. If I don't have that time with my husband I get very lonely and less confident in our marriage.

Would you consider your spouse your best friend? If not, why? What would it take for you to get to the point where your spouse's company is a necessity?

Here are some solutions to turning your marriage around from just being married and living out your time like a job, to have a relationship that is meaningful, interactive, and full of connection and intimacy:

Be the instigator: Schedule date nights and time together. Be the one with the ideas and motivate your spouse.

Be positive: Who wants to spend time with someone who is always negative. Be happy and find the brighter side of life's events.

Show interest: Just showing interest in your spouses hobbies will build a connection in your relationship.

Take a trip down memory lane: Do things you used to do when you first met. Reconstruct the date that was the most significant in your relationship.

Be fun: Simply just enjoy life and have fun.. Demonstrate a spirit of joy and happiness.

Be selfless: Put the needs of your spouse before your own.

Be intimate: Don't overschedule so you have no time left for intimacy. Intimacy allows for that strong connection to stay fastened. You remain comfortable and confident with each other as you continue to share in this one-on-one time.

One way to lead your marriage to destruction is to put technology before your spouse. Today this trend is becoming more common. Why can't we put our computers and phones away and just spend time with our spouse? What happened to the days where couples communicated face-to-face without distractions?

Don't let this happen to your marriage. Take time to reflect on your relationship and be honest with yourself about your technology use. Are you finding more enjoyment in your technology then in your spouse? Are you more excited to spend time on the computer then talking with your spouse? Are your Facebook and other "social media" friends more important to you then your spouse?

Being on the receiving end of this type of relationship can be extremely lonely. There are times when personally I feel like I mean little to my husband or that I no longer interest him because of the time he spends connected to other things besides me. Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever considered how your spouse feels when you always have your face pointed at a screen? Is your intimacy suffering because of it?

I challenge you to fast from technology and reignite a spark in your marriage. Don't downplay the significance of your misuse. Once loneliness enters a marriage, depression or adultery is not far behind. Be proactive and take your marriage back! Put God first and then your husband or wife! Technology MUST be last.