Graceful She Ain't

So Denise wrote these wonderful blog posts about our evening with David Baldacci, famous author that we had never read.

She did an awesome job, please go there and read all about it:
Part 1
Part 2

But she did not mention my epic fail as a women of grace...that I never said I was.

When I came back from having David sign my new copy of True Blue, his latest best seller, I sat down in true "Sue" form and slammed my knees in to the table leg.

Thankfully no one was at the table at the moment.

Except our drinks.

Our cider punch and coffee.

Did I mention we were at a very nice Country Club?

So here's the dark side of the evening that Denise failed to mention.

Just call me Grace.

Now what are you waiting for, hop over there and read about our crazy, onlycouldhappentous, kind of evening!

I have to edit this to add that apparently David Baldacci is also aware that we are posers.
See THIS.

Are You Beautiful?

I've always loved this verse. I think I see something new in it everytime I read it.

1 Peter 3:1-4
The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands,responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in.

How can we cultivate inner beauty?

I know the obvious answers are...read our Bible and pray. Of course, very good things!!

Let's look at it though in light of our current world.

Are we not daily screamed at as women to be outwardly beautiful?
To matter, you must be THIS size and THAT height with your hair and makeup on just so.

If God delights in gentle, gracious beauty, I think we should too.

I don't think it's UN-important to look good, but I think that (outwardly) beautiful-but mean and angry women are not beautiful at all.

Adding the word "grace" or "gracious" to beauty really ramps it up.

A beautiful woman is gracious. She shows grace to others AND especially to herself.

Are you gracious with yourself?

Are you gracious with your family?

Here are some other words for "gracious":
Elegant
Graceful
Refined
Merciful
Courteous

Obviously absent are things like: complains, resentful, angry...

Of course... and this could turn into a whole book...if we don't feel this (grace) for ourself, it will be very difficult to give it to others.

I think this verse is a powerful key to us walking in God's grace towards us and living loved:

Ephesians 3:16-19
I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will
empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.
17 Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.
19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. NLT

Receive His love and grace for yourself and out of that freedom, your life will show inner beauty!

There will be no pressure to "have your own way" and "right every wrong."

Forgiveness flows freely when we live forgiven.

God loves you. Cultivate inner beauty by living loved.

Your marriage will be stronger for it.
Praying for our marriages,
Sue

Regaining Sight of His Character by Darlene Schacht

I'm so excited to have Darlene Schacht as a guest post today!


Bio from her site:
I'm a forty-something-year-old Christian mother of four whose children range in ages from eight to eighteen. My husband, Michael, and I l live in Manitoba, Canada, where we run a company that empowers writers to self-publish.

I'm currently wrapping up a book project with actress Candace Cameron Bure, which inspires women to reshape their body and soul. Published with B & H Publishing Group, Reshaping It All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness is available for pre-order at Amazon.com.

Darlene also has a new blog called Time Warp Wife:



I asked Darlene to write a blog post for Two shall become One and she sweetly agreed!
Thanks so much Darlene!

Ladies please leave her some love in the comments and make sure to visit her new website and Facebook page for Time Warp Wife.

Regaining Sight of His Character
By: Darlene Schacht

Countless experts on marriage have come out and said, “Men desire respect.” “Men want respect.” “Men need respect.” So what is this buzz word all about? When defining the word, we have to remember that respect is both a noun and a verb. Feeling respect for someone who’s admirable can be a lot easier than showing respect to someone who’s not. And let’s face it, girls, there are times when we all lose sight of the once admirable characters our husbands once had.


Let’s look at ways to put respect in action and start regaining the sight we have lost:

Let him take the lead.
Make your wishes known, but let him, as the head of your house make the final decisions. Joyfully accept the choices he makes. Grumbling, arguing, complaining or pouting are not becoming of a woman, and will turn your husband off.

Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. – Proverbs 21:9

Have a good opinion of him.
Husbands have x-ray vision when it comes to our brains. They know when we truly value them, and when we’re putting it on. If we’re accustomed to judging every move they make, it’s time to bridle our tongue, and grab hold of the reins on our thoughts. Focus on the good, let go of the petty judgment.

Notice him.
As women, there are times when we like to be noticed for the way that we look, while men prefer to be noticed for the things that they do. Start noting the things that he does, whether big or small, and let him know that you appreciate the effort he’s made. For example, if you have a disagreement, and he apologizes to you, make sure that you mention his kindness later.

“Honey, I really appreciate your humble spirit. It meant a lot to me that you apologized,” goes a lot farther than saying, “I’m sorry too.” Kiss…kiss…kiss…

Don’t get me wrong, the kissing part is great, but take time to notice his effort.

Show consideration.
I’ve met a lot of mothers who show little consideration to their husbands when it comes to disciplining their children. Unfortunately I’ve seen a lot of naughty children as a result. When Dad makes a rule like “No eating in the van,” stick to that rule.

Your actions toward your husband are a living gauge to growing souls. They watch how we comply, and live accordingly. My husband has said things from time to time that I haven’t completely agreed with when it came to raising our children. One instance in particular was when I arrived home from a writing conference to find out that: “Dad told us we don’t have to do chores anymore!!” Apparently, he was having such a great time keeping house while I was gone that he decided to take over for the kids. Monday morning came, Dad was off to work, and the kids had stopped picking up after themselves.

Times like these call for a private meeting of the parents who work as a team. I make my request known to my husband, and together we weigh the pros and cons before going back to the kids with plan B.

Think highly of him.
It can be difficult at times to think highly of a man who’s stretched out on the couch with a bowl of chips on his chest, a remote in hand and little to no contact with you. Understood. We all have times when we’re frustrated that our man isn’t quite the prince charming we met years back in Wonderland. Bottom line is that in most cases, he hasn’t changed--our perception of him has.



Flowers, dates, kissing in the back-seat of a car, and wearing designer jeans, does not a Prince Charming make. But being there through the birth of your child, working hard to take home a paycheck, bringing his family to church, and taking care of you when you’re hurling over the throne, are noble features to be desired in a man. If he has done any or all of those things, he’s worth a second thought. Start to view your husband with high regard, and you’ll find much to be thankful for.

This Just In...

Hello!
Well it's my first Monday with Lauren in school and I'm working in the office all day trying to catch up to the stuff I put off all summer.

Today I'm over at the Internet Cafe' posting at the Ministry Counter.
You can read the post here:
"Size Doesn't Matter"
Here's an excerpt:

"So often I talk to women who lead Bible studies, seminars or even Praise and Coffee Nights, and they are frustrated at the low numbers of women that come out to their events. Unfortunately, this can often come from our own insecurities as we look at our small groups as a form of rejection. Sadly, we can relate the size of our group to our own self-worth."

I also want to make a huge announcement!

Wait for it....

Ok, I can't take it anymore!
Praise and Coffee has partnered with the online ministries of Inspired Hearts!

Inspired Hearts Media is the go-to place for Christian women in the online community. This diverse group of women has been brought together by God to unite as one in purpose.

Here's a clip from their website:
"...They quickly realized that as the body of Christ, we are better together than we are apart so they partnered with other online ministries to bring you Inspired Hearts Media, a company seeking to bring you everything you need to grow and thrive spiritually using online media. With other ministries on board and supporting one another, they are able to reach millions of women on a monthly basis."

Melissa Mashburn (co-founder of Praise and Coffee Nights) and I are super excited about this new partnership.
They are such an amazing group of women, you have to check out their website.

Also, this page shows some of the gals behind Praise and Coffee...an incredible team of women! Behind the Media

We are all looking forward to what God has planned for this next year.
Look for:
~Online magazine
~more videos
~more Praise and Coffee Nights starting in YOUR area!!

If you are interested in starting a Praise and Coffee Night in your community, go to THIS page.

All you need is a couple of girlfriends!

I'm Tired of Being Told What to Believe...are you???

Last night my husband and I watched a special on The History Channel about September 11, 2001.

It captivates me. The images and sounds bring me back to the emotions I had that day. It was like cold water being thrown in my face, it woke me up.

The fear, the uncertainty. The overwhelming sense that we would never be the same. Never.

These emotions come as I feel there is a whirlwind of confusion in our world and especially the church today. All the voices screaming different opinions.

The right wing.
The left wing
The centerist.

Some are chanting the praises of the Glenn Beck, and the "Restoring Honor" movement.
Others consider him a type of false prophet and even "breaking up" with him.

There are those saying we need to get into church and stay there.
And those saying we need to BE the church...regardless of where we are.

So many voices and opinions can get tiring to say the least.

I'm not writing this to tell you WHAT to believe. You have to iron that out yourself. Frankly I'm sick of being told what to believe. I hope you are too!

But I want look at a few verses that help me keep my feet on stable ground.

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Period. No question.
Don't follow a movement, don't follow a person, follow Jesus.
He is the way. the truth and the life.
Salvation is not found anywhere else.

If salvation is offered with a list of requirements...throw it out. It's not truth.

John 13:34
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you,
so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my
disciples, if you love one another."

And again, Jesus' words tell us:

Mark 12:28
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating.
Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the
commandments, which is the most important?"
29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

These are foundational. There are many more, but if we look at these three verses we have a real good idea what is most important.

9/11 was a wake up call.

In the same way, I believe we as the body of Christ need a wake up call today.

1 Cor. 3:3
You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling
among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when one
says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?

5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through
whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted
the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants
nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things
grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and
each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow
workers; you are God's field, God's building.

Time to follow Jesus.

Could you do that?

If the churches were all shut down today, could you do that?

Do you know enough about God's Word and truth that you would know how to live?

Do you have relationships with other believers that would keep you strong?

Could you live this verse without a church building?

Hebrews 10:25
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

I'm NOT saying we should do this without attending church, but if we don't know how to do this without attending a church on Sundays...we're in trouble.

It's time for many of us to wake up and pay attention.
What do we believe and why?

Are we standing on our own two feet with our convictions or are we mindlessly getting caught up in all the voices trying to persuade us?

What do you believe?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

EDITED to add:
I want to clarify that I'm not saying the articles I linked are wrong...I was just throwing up articles that gave the different viewpoints. I happen to agree with some of those viewpoints.

Wednesday is the New Tuesday

And brown is the new black...but that's for another day.

Did the holiday mess anyone else up?
I knew yesterday was Tuesday...all day...but I stayed in a Monday mood and couldn't shake it. That's not all...I completely forgot about Two shall become One ~ Tuesday!

I was laying in bed this morning at 4~something or as my friend and Praise and Coffee hostess Mary Hess says "dark-thirty" when I realized that I completely forgot to post a guest post from Denise yesterday!

So I grabbed my iphone, sent Dee a message apologizing and rolled over only to fall asleep 5 minutes before I had to get up.

Today is Lauren's first FULL day of school, Daddy took her. LOVETHATMAN!

Was that random and off the subject? Yes. Sorry, I am tired people.

ANYWAYS!

Here is Denise's post...

Well hello everyone! Happy to see you here at Praise and Coffee and hopefully I can keep in touch with you a lot more as summer comes to an end…as sad as that makes me.

Sue asked me to write about my birthday that Jason and I celebrated last month. I have hemmed and hawed so long on this post that my husband is wondering if I did have a good time after all.

Which I did.

My birthday fell on a Saturday and we had not one thing planned. Jason had worked a third shift and was sleeping but he had mentioned maybe we should go out for my birthday. Um, YES! My parents happily offered to take the boys and my husband went to sleep and I had no idea where to go, what to do…

So a friend researched places to go and found a wonderful sounding place on Lake Michigan. It seemed perfect…except that Jason was so tired he slept until around six that night.

I didn’t know if we would have a night out or not.

But here is the thing…I had an opportunity to get mad. And I was disappointed, but I chose to think about all the hard work he had done to support us that caused him to sleep. Whether we made it out or not didn’t make him a better or worse husband, my attitude would make it a good or bad night even if we just stayed home and cuddled on the couch and ate hotdogs and mac and cheese. But, when he did wake up, he hurriedly got around and we headed out…

On a date.

With my husband.

For my birthday.

For one whole night we were not Moma and Daddy, we weren’t the couple with four boys in tow, we weren’t rushing around our little hobby farm to fall exhausted into bed. No, we were just a couple having a fun night out, eating food we never eat; at a restaurant (that we never go to) that was also hosting a wedding that we happened to be sitting next to and jamming along to the fun DJ.

It was a beautiful night.

It was filled with us laughing, walking a pier at sunset, and completely accidentally bumping into old friends we hadn’t seen in a year.

Days later we were still talking about the good time we had.

Who am I kidding? WEEKS later we are talking about the fun we had!

There were two things I learned from this rare date night with my husband…

1. My personal pity party I could have chosen for myself would have ruined the day. If I’d chosen to claim, “it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to” I would have ruined one of the funnest nights Jason and I have had in, well, we can’t recall.

2. There is nothing more fun and romantic and invigorating to your marriage then spending a whole night and day away from your kids not once referring to the other as Dad and Mom. You get to spend a day as a couple, not just spouses, and that, my friends, is a good time.

And I could have missed it all if my attitude had stunk. How sad would that be?

September Praise and Coffee Giveaway!!!

It's Septemeber!! I love Autumn in Michigan!
The humidity goes on vacation, the leaves turn gorgeous colors and dance all over my fields, and Lauren gets to start Kindergarten; a goal she's had all summer.

Not to mention (but I will) carmel apple cider lattes, cinnamon donuts and crock pot foods!

We had a really great summer but I love our seasons and Michigan out does itself in Autumn!

What is your favorite part of Fall???

This month our giveaway includes, the fabulous CD by Mercy Me:

You'll also receive some delicious COFFEE from our friends at Barista de Casa!!!

Follow them on Twitter: Barista de Casa

AND....if all that was not enough!!!!!...

This fabulous set of gift cards by Becky Schultea!

To enter the drawing, it's simple:
1. Leave a comment on THIS post. Drawing will be September 10th and the winner will be posted on THIS post then.

2. Make sure I have a way to contact you if you win.

3. If you have any of my blog buttons on your blog, let me know in your comment and you will be entered twice.

4. Note: Past winners are eligible to enter again 1 year after they win.

Feel free to tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter about the giveaway and thank you if you do!!

Edited to Add:

The winner is Sarah of "Gentle Recovery" Check out her blog!