Tragedy

August 9

Tragedy hit our lake this weekend when a 9 year old boy drown after jumping off a water trampoline.  We happened to be boating by and saw all the rescue/dive/sheriffs boats. Our hearts knew it was probably not good news.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to this NC family.

"My soul weeps because of grief; strengthen me according to Your word."

Psalm 119:28 

We've had a flurry of people participating in water activities this summer here at Shiloh. The kids always beg for us to allow them to swim without their jackets.  I told one 11 year old visiting from our church, I'm sorry to be so mean, but it's just not worth the heartache that could come if something happened to you.  She was sweet and replied, "You're not mean Mrs. Boo, you're just doing what you think is right."

Let's pray: Father, we come to you on behalf of the family of this little boy, asking You to be an amazing Comforter to so many people filled with sadness. While, most of us cannot imagine the grief consuming these parents, for others of us it stirs up a reminder of the depth of pain that comes from tragedy. Equip us to love one another well and to speak of the hope we have in Jesus. In His Name, we pray, Amen

More about encouraging your husbands from Revive Our Hearts.

Day Eight 

How are you doing with the "30-Day Encouragement Challenge"? 

In case you've forgotten, here's the challenge: 

• ·  You can't say anything negative about your husband . . . to your husband . . . or to anyone else, about your husband. 
• ·  Say something that you admire or appreciate about your husband . . . to your husband . . . and to someone else, about your husband! 

"But who can find a faithful man?" (Prov. 20:6b) 

Faithfulness is a wonderful but rare quality today, especially in regard to marriage. Do you understand how important this quality is? Your challenge is to continue to root out all negative speaking, and plant seeds of encouragement instead. You may be amazed at what will grow. 

Contemporary culture often entices men to be unfaithful to their wedding vows and spiritual commitments. Appreciate your husband's faithfulness—how he is loyal to you.
Let him know that you are glad he has "stick-to-it-iveness" in your marriage. Appreciate his faithfulness to God. (If you have an unfaithful husband, this is a difficult area for you. Pray, speak the truth in love, remain faithful yourself, and discover ways to encourage faithfulness in your mate. The Bible says that husbands may "be won by the conduct of their wives" [1 Pet. 3:1]. You may also want to seek counsel from a mature, godly individual or couple.) 

Journaling Thought: Recount the ways your husband is faithful to you-big and small.

Day Nine 

"Be swift to hear, slow to speak." James 1:19b

We are often so busy speaking that we don't take time to listen. We are so quick to offer a comment—negative or positive—that we don't really "hear" our husband's heart. 

Remember: we have two ears and only one mouth. We need to listen more! 

As you continue in your 30-day challenge, not speaking negatively and focusing on positive encouragement, hear the Lord's admonition today: "Be swift to hear." 

If listening is a real problem for you, play a game with yourself. See if you can listen to your husband for one whole day, only speaking when asked a question. If your husband notices the difference, explain that you are learning to listen more—not only to God, but also to him. 

One easy way to express admiration for your husband is to ask a question about something he enjoys, and then listen to his response. If it's an area of personal familiarity, keep asking questions until you learn something you didn't know, then tell him, "Wow, I didn't know that!" 

Make listening to your husband a priority today-eve if you have to put it on your schedule!

Journaling thought: List some questions you can ask your husband today.