Three Pitfalls of Communication in Marriage

Some of the valuable things I have learned about communication in my 22 years of marriage...

1. Listen...with your ears not your mouth.
We can get so wrapped up in telling our side of a story that we never stop to listen to what our spouse is trying to tell us.

Proverbs 12:15
Fools think they need no advice, but the wise listen to others.
NLT

2. Watch Your Words
Use words like, "that made me feel _________" instead of accusing words like "you are so mean and awful..."

3. Don't say..."Never" and "Always"
Rarely are they ever used truthfully and they are words that put up immediate walls.
Your husband knows that he doesn't always say ______, so when you accuse him of it, he will immediately close you out and not hear the rest of your complaint.

Hope these keys help!
I'm praying for our marriages!
Sue

Priscilla Brings It!

I love this, and love her!!

God ruin me for everything else...

She Won, She Won!!!!

Hello!
Most of you know my good friend Denise of "Life With Four Boys" she is a regular guest poster here on Praise and Coffee, well she was chosen as the Morning Mom on our local tv station WXMI FOX17!!!

I'm so proud of her!!!

Jump over to her blog today to read all about it and if you are in the area, tune in to see her!

Loving Me Some Kahve' Koffee!!

If there's one thing you know I love, it's coffee! So when Kahve' Koffee offered to send me some of their coffee to try, I jumped at the chance.

Kahvé Koffee is proud to introduce their exceptional gourmet coffee blends into the consumer retail market. Our coffee has previously been sold predominantly to premier restaurants and cafes, but we feel that now’s the time to expand beyond local Boston businesses to a wider population of coffee drinkers craving a high-quality roast that they can enjoy at home.

It's excellent coffee, wonderful smooth flavor. I didn't even need my flavored creamer with this!

And now you can try it too at 15% off with their exclusive coupon code, just for you!
Go to: Kahve' Koffee
And use the code "BLOG15" for your special discount.

Thanks Kahve' Koffee!!

Insecurity and My Marriage

Originally posted April 2009

So ladies, who fills your cup?
Who or what dictates what kind of day you are going to have?

I spent a few years allowing the emotions of my day to be hinged on how my husband talked to me and treated me.
If I felt loved and accepted by him, it was a good day.
But if I felt I had let him down or he was angry or disappointed with me about something, it was a bad day.

I lived my life through his eyes. My security came from him alone.

I struggled with this until I learned that my esteem and security were supposed to come from my God. In fact, the way that I was living was putting a huge strain on my husband and our relationship.

I put him in a position that God never intended him to be...my all in all, my everything.

I found out that God wanted to be My Everything, and in fact it was wrong to put any person in that position in my life.

I let him and others dictate the mood and atmosphere of my life and home.
One negative look or comment could send my emotions spiraling down.

Thankfully, I was in a Bible study that set me on the right track. God's Word taught me that my joy needed to come from my relationship with Him and that nothing and no one could take THAT joy away.

I learned to walk close to God and let His Word be my barometer.

1 John 3:1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
NIV

I was God's child, His precious daughter. He loved me enough to send His Son to die for me. The more I learned about the Lord, the more I loved Him and understood His love for me.

This very insecure woman found security in God her Father. He became my All in All...and continues to make that so real to me everyday.

However, I still have days when I need to remind myself that my joy comes from the Lord and nothing or no one can take that away. I choose to walk this life...it won't happen by accident.

I need to fill my cup with the Lord and His goodness so that I am not draining my husband and friends...wanting them to fill me. Blaming them for my bad days.

Lord, help us to find our joy and security in You and You alone. The other relationships in our life are so meaningful and rewarding, but they are not what sustains us, that is reserved for You.
Help us to run to you first Lord, fill us, and let us pour Your love into our families as it overflows from out hearts.

I'm praying for our marriages,

The Latest Praise and Coffee Newsletter is Here!

I'm so excited to share our latest Praise and Coffee Newsletter "Connections" with you!

Click on it and it will become full screen, hit "esc" to come back to this page.



This is only the beginning girls, I want this to grow into a newsletter that's filled with the cool and wonderful things that God is doing at Praise and Coffee Nights across the nation!

If you host one or have attended and have a story to share, please email it to me...I'd love to read it and include it in the next newsletter this summer.

You can always read the newsletter on our main website Praise and Coffee.

AND...for those of you near Plainwell, MI...tonight is our Praise and Coffee Night, hope to see you there!

Hope for Women in the Shadow of Pornography

I had such a huge response last week on the subject of pornography I wanted to give you another site that is very helpful...

More than Desire ~ hope for women in the shadow of pornography

It has tons of information about the struggle of pornography from the view of women and men.

I'm praying for our marriages,
Sue