ChristianMilitaryWives

(Written by CMW member Megan Eskew)

It’s amazing how God makes Himself known – makes His presence felt… When you go looking for Him, asking for Him to wrap you up in His arms and surround you with His peace… He’s already there. He’s been there the whole time, waiting for you to seek Him.

⁹“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:9-10)

⁷“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7).

God does not say “seek, go over the mountain and through the woods, and then you will find…” No – He says “seek & you will find.” There is no “middle-man”, no catch, no hidden map. We will find God when we seek Him, because He is already there.

I have been earnestly seeking God – the need to feel His presence – since my heart left for the desert last night… I’ve never felt so empty & yet so full at the same time.

Obviously, I am an emotional roller-coaster – lack of sleep isn’t helping – however, I still feel peace. The second my mind begins to wander, and pulse begins to quicken, and the tears well up… God is there. Holding my hand. Wrapping His arms around me. Telling me it’s going to be okay. You see, God holds my husband’s heart. And so when Austin would hold me hand, it’s now God’s. When Austin would wrap His arms around me, it’s now God’s arms. And when Austin would tell me everything’s going to be ok, God reassures me through His Word.

The tears still fall, and the ache is still there where it will remain for the next 12 months. But Austin and I both know that God will take care of our hearts while we are apart. He has a plan for both of us, and will bring us through the fire to make us stronger, make us more like who He wants us to be. The closer we draw to Him, the closer we are to each other, and the closer we are to His heart & His will.

⁹ This third I will bring into the fire;
I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.
They will call on my name
and I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’ ” (Zechariah 13:9)

⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-8)

It is day one of this journey called deployment. There is a long, rigorous road ahead for Austin & I… but the One who made the rocks the road is made out of is our Guide. He is our horse to ride when we are weary and cannot walk anymore. He is our drink when our throats are parched. He is the hand that reaches out when we are about to fall. He is the firm foothold when the ground shakes. He is everything we need.

⁹But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:9-10)

²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life^[b]?

²⁸“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34)

Living for today, remembering yesterday, and looking for tomorrow only when tomorrow comes.

I don’t focus on the “hardest day of my life” – dropping off my husband, not knowing where he will be, what he will be going through, when I will hear his voice again…. – because each day will be hard. There will be even more “hard days” ahead…. but I have peace.

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:6-9)

The bags were packed and loaded in the car… we sat on the couch in the living room, feeling unprepared all of the sudden. The moment seems bearable until you’re in it. We immediately went upstairs and kneeled beside the bed like we have done every night, and went before the Lord in prayer. We did not speak many words – just that Austin would be protected on all sides, from physical & spiritual warfare. To be kept safe & sane, and to be prepared for what each day might bring. For the opportunities Austin will have as the only medic for his platoon, as well as the challenges he will face. And to guard our hearts & minds from the attacks of satan – to keep us both strong, not of ourselves or our own power, but through God’s alone. And to keep us close to each other.

I am so beyond grateful for & blessed by our friends & family – the unending support & love that is extending to us. I could not be doing this without you. Already, God is using you to speak to me, and encourage me. Just a short comment from dear friends does wonders.

I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much in my life – but my tears that begin from anxious thoughts, a worried mind, and a broken heart… fall with joy, peace, & comfort. Knowing that the God of the Universe who created Austin and gives him each breath is with him every step. He is planting his feet on solid ground, even when the world shakes. He is guiding his hands, healing through him, keeping him steady & even, even when the adrenaline is coursing. He is protecting his heart & mind in the midst of warfare. He is surrounding him with a Mighty Fortress.

The song, A Mighty Fortress keeps coming to me… beginning several months back, and again today through a dear friend posting a video on facebook. I did not remember the passage that this song is based off of, and went searching for it. Upon finding the verses, I remembered them vividly – the very verses that I had written on the inside of Austin’s ACU’s just days before. I will never cease to be amazed at how God loves me so much, that He will use little things in my life to remind me & encourage me.

¹ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, ³ though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. ⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. ⁵ God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. ⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. ⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:1-7)

Day one. In my weakness, He is strong. A Mighty Fortress – a sacred refuge, unshakable.

¹ Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.

² He is my loving God and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples ^[a] under me. (Psalm 144)

I'd like to take this post to recognize the winner of our Newlywed Valentine's Day contest! The requirements for participation were simply to write a post about a memorable date that the CMW member had had with her husband.

The prize was a "Date Night" gift basket valuing over $100!! The basket included candles, popcorn, sparkling grape juice, a girly bath set, a Blockbuster gift card, a couples devotional book, an audio playbook of The Five Love Languages, a book with creative date ideas, and a specially donated leather-bound journal copy of The Love Dare and the movie Fireproof! A SPECIAL thanks goes out to The Source Bookstore for their donation of the Love Dare and the movie! Thanks also to Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry and Military One Source for some of the other donations!

The winner was chosen by putting all of the names in a bowl...my hubby drew the winner.

And the winner is....

 

Brandon's Girl

(Written by CMW Newlywed Member Meagan Eskew)

From My Utmost for His Highest: “Taking the Initiative Against Depression”

“The angel in this passage did not give Elijah a vision, or explain the Scriptures to him, or do anything remarkable. He simply told Elijah to do a very ordinary thing, that is, to get up and eat. If we were never depressed, we would not be alive — only material things don’t suffer depression. If human beings were not capable of depression, we would have no capacity for happiness and exultation. There are things in life that are designed to depress us; for example, things that are associated with death. Whenever you examine yourself, always take into account your capacity for depression.

When the Spirit of God comes to us, He does not give us glorious visions, but He tells us to do the most ordinary things imaginable. Depression tends to turn us away from the everyday things of God’s creation. But whenever God steps in, his inspiration is to do the most natural, simple things — things we would never have imagined God was in, but as we do them we find Him there. The inspiration that comes to us in this way in an initiative against depression. But we must take the first step and do it in the inspiration of God. If, however, we do something simply to overcome our depression, we will only deepened it. But when the Spirit of God leads us instinctively to do something, the moment we do it the depression is gone. As soon as we arise and obey, we enter a higher plane of life.”

Wow. Ok God. I get it.

I have been struggling with depression lately – being away from all I’ve ever known, feeling alone, not sure at all everything I need to do here, being in a spiritually deprived environment. And most of all, making myself feel guilty for not being happy – I mean, I am oh so happy to be with my husband again, and being able to spend almost every day with him here. However, I haven’t been truly happy all the time like I feel I should be. I’ve struggled with this daily since my arrival…. Loving being with my husband and feeling extremely blessed because of this, but also feeling unhappy for being away from my friends, family, job, church, etc. and trying to figure out this new way of life.

I knew this “depression” would be a reality to face – I felt somewhat prepared and thought I knew how to handle it…. stay positive, stay in God’s Word, pray, focus on your husband, stay busy, it could be worse, on and on and on… all great and true things. However, I still have struggled and didn’t understand why.

Our long-planned trip to Italy was light on the horizon. Hope. Something to look forward to, to get away from all I’m dealing with, and to finally be able to just enjoy being with Austin… Don’t get me wrong – our trip was absolutely amazing I am so thankful for the opportunity to travel with Austin, and see things we never thought we would be able to see. It provided much needed time for us – a get-away. However, for some reason I still continued to struggle with feeling depressed… even standing under an unbelievable, beautiful cathedral, holding hands, taking pictures, eating gelato and pizza… I still felt that I wasn’t as happy as I could be.

Over the course of our 4-day weekend, Austin and I had a lot of ups and downs. I felt myself getting sucked farther into a hole… and I finally felt God’s grip on me, using Austin to reach out and get to the bottom of things. Deep and meaningful conversations followed, and I feel like I finally let go and let Austin completely take care of me, trusting him fully, and refusing to let the doubts that Satan has been using to take hold of me anymore and get in the way of my relationship with my husband. I know I am not perfect, and there will be many times where one or both of us will put up that wall of defense again, or will misunderstand each other and not try to find out what the real problem is…. However, I feel that we have grown leaps and bounds this week, and I am beginning to feel the climb back to the top.

A simple comment made by a friend yesterday really made everything click for me…. His wife was contemplating quitting her job, and his thoughts on it were that she is a much happier person on the days she doesn’t work, and coming home to happy wife is the best thing ever. Even if he’s had a completely horrible day at work, coming home to a joyful wife made everything better.

I’ve heard this my whole life… but it never made so much sense to me. I see so clearly how my attitude and the way I handle things – from the way I greet my husband when he walks in the door, to simply having a smile on my face while I cook dinner, or even having a good attitude even after another delay with housing – how I let things affect me, has a huge affect on him and our marriage.

God is working… I love it I’m finally seeing how things are working together for good… While I realize that the struggles and my circumstances have not changed, and I will continue to face more unknowns and frustrations, I know that God is using them and working out my walk with Him through them, as well as strengthening my walk with my husband. Another Genesis week… and it’s beginning with me. Austin came home to a happy wife yesterday, and it made all the difference in the world. Even after a frustrating day of more housing delays, it was a good day. The circumstance did not change, the frustration did not change, and I still shared this with Austin… however, the way I went about it – not immediately “going off” when he got home (“you’ll never believe what happened today!”) not going on and on about it, and not complaining or voicing my concerns about something that he can do nothing about. I shared with him what happened, what my concerns where, and asked him his thoughts about it. We came up with a plan of action, made a decision, and that was it. We ate dinner, watched a movie, talked with his mom and grandma on skype, and had a wonderful evening together…

I am finding the joy in the every day things – not because I’m trying to stay positive, or because I’m trying to get myself out of a depression, or because I’m trying to make my husband happy, or I feel like I have to – I am finding the joy in welcoming my husband home, in holding his hand, in eating dinner together, in cleaning our room, in picking up after him, in laying out his clothes, in every little thing, just because I can. Because I am seeking my joy in Christ and Christ has blessed me with these everyday things – to experience joy. I have been seeking Him and asking for answers… how to handle this, how to communicate better, how to be happy, how to serve and respect my husband, how to be not depressed anymore…

It was in my depression that God showed me how to find my joy again… Arise and eat. Do the everyday things with my husband and realize the fullness of life that I have been given. I have a great capacity for joy and exultation, and I am loving embracing this new-found joy and sharing it with Austin.

I'd like to take a moment to make you aware about the fact that CMW is endeavoring to raise up groups of Christian military wives that meet in small fellowships, all over the country.

One of the groups that has been started is our group at Fort Knox. Fort Knox Christian Military Wives Fellowship is open to all Christian military wives in the Fort Knox, Radcliff, and Elizabethtown area. The group exists to provide Christ-honoring fellowship, prayer time, fun, and moral support to military wives of all ages. It is a ministry of the organization Christian Military Wives (christianmilitarywives.com).

Our get-togethers are always going to be spiritually-minded. We are not a group for gossip about other women or tear down our husbands. Ladies I would ask that at our meetings you refrain from un-Christian behavior and language. We are trying to establish monthly (and possibly bi-monthly depending on schedules) fellowship times and meetings.

If you are interested in joining our group and meeting other ladies in the Fort Knox area for fellowship, there are a couple of different places you can find us:

1. Here on CMW. If you haven't yet become a member on our website, please do so! (christianmilitarywives.com) Once there, you can find us under the "groups" tab at the top, or simply follow this link: http://www.christianmilitarywives.com/groups/profile/103

2. We have started a group on Facebook, to make it very simple to find new members and make it easy to include everyone in all of our events. You can find the link to our group here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=188530807080&ref=ts

I hope that you will check out our group!

Thank you!

CMW Newlywed Group Valentine's Day Giveaway

“Date Night”

One thing I have learned that is very important in any relationship is dating...especially the dating that comes after you marry your spouse, although the dating before marriage is important too!

With Valentine's Day coming up next month, the CMW Newlywed Group is having a free giveaway to one special military wife. This contest is open for participation for any military wife married 5 years or less.

Participation is easy:

1. Become a member on christianmilitarywives.com. Once you have joined you can find the newlywed group under the “groups” section under the “socialize” tab. The group is entitled “Newlywed Military Wives” and the direct link for the group is here: http://www.christianmilitarywives.com/groups/profile/94

1. Once you are on the group page, scroll down until you see the section entitled “forum.” You should see listed the most recent forum topics. Click on the one entitled **DATE NIGHT** Valentines Day Contest

    

2. Respond to this topic with a post about a special and memorable date you have had with your husband...It can be before you were married, or since. It can be as special as your proposal story or as simple as "Dominoes pizza in the candle light..."

    

The prize: A "Date Night" couples basket...contents valued at over $100, including the following: candles, girly bath stuff, popcorn, two devotional books for couples, a Blockbuster gift card, and more.

The contest will close January 31st and I will announce the randomly-chosen winner February 1st. I hope that you all can participate!

 

~Aprille (CMW Newlywed Ministry Team Leader)

Just in case you were wondering, no, the title of this article is not a typo.

I thought it would be apropos to write a "first of the year" article. But, the truth is that when it comes to New Year's celebrations, resolutions, and excitement, I'm kind of a “scrooge”...(If you will allow me to steal a Christmas phrase and apply it to New Years.)

While I enjoyed staying up until midnight and getting my first New-Year's kiss EVER, once I crawled in bed dead tired I wondered why I had bothered staying up so late. After all, January first is just another day.

Some people may say I am sadly unmotivated, as I haven't made a “New Year's Resolution” in probably 5-10 years. And the ones that I have made I don't think I've ever kept.

See, when you make a New Year's Resolution, this is usually what happens...LIFE! You decide to read your Bible every day, go on a diet, exercise daily, wake up on time and never sleep in, or a myriad of other tedious goals...and then you get sick, get invited to a party, your husband calls in the middle of the night, you get in a car accident. Things just inevitably happen to keep you from sticking true to all of those high goals. So after you fall asleep during your Bible reading, eat that all-too-wonderful slice of chocolate cake, and lounge on the couch watching movies all day, you feel like a failure and wonder why you ever tried. After missing a day of success you feel like it's much easier to just live your life the way you always have.

(Is anyone else relating to this?)

But life doesn't have to keep us from living successfully. Yes, it can throw a kink in our well-made goals, but it doesn't have to make us quit.

This is why I have adopted a slightly different philosophy for my life: I take things “one day at a time.” See...what is a year? 365 days is all it is. While keeping a promise or a goal every one of those days is nigh impossible, making improvements each day is much more attainable.

The time where I realized this concept the most was when my husband was deployed for a year to Afghanistan. I would wake up in the morning, look at my countdown calendar, and be filled with despair and wonder how I could possibly make it through the next “x” amount of months. But each time I would try to shake my head of all the negativity and focus on TODAY. I would say to myself, “Aprille, just try to make it through today, and don't worry about the rest of the deployment.”

I had a lot of bad days, but I probably had more good days than bad. Each time I found myself discouraged about the deployment, I would write it off as “just a bad day...tomorrow will be better.”

So, if you have made some grand New Year's resolutions, I admire you for your courage and dedication. But let me encourage you by saying this: Don't let one day of life, failure, or fatigue keep you from reaching your goals. If you find yourself faltering, go to bed, sleep it off, and try again tomorrow. Take this year one day at a time, and I think you will find that at the end of 2010 you will be a better person because of all you have gone through.

“Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it.” (Anne Shirley)

I cannot go throughout this Christmas season without mentioning how greatful I am that I get to spend my favorite and most precious holiday with the one who means the most to me...my husband. Having gone through multiple holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries without him, it means so much more to me that he is home this year! There isn't any way I can completely express my emotions and my thankfulness for this, but I have tried in "the makings of a song." I meant to work on this more in the last week but I just haven't found the time. The song does have a tune but nothing I can share yet, so right now the lyrics will have to do. I hope that this song will be a blessing to EVERY military wife, whether her husband be home or far away this Christmas.

Last year the war took you so far away

You were serving your country on Christmas Day

I stayed behind and sent Christmas to you

Apart once again, we tried to make do

Chorus:

But you were close to my heart, near in my thoughts

Our love grows stronger, no matter what

Each year that passes, I simply recall

Having you in my life is the best gift of all

 

This year you're home and I'm happy to say

That we'll be together on Christmas day

I'm wrapped in your arms and our gifts we can share

Time spent with you is a treasure most rare

Chorus:

And you are close to my heart, near in my thoughts

Our love grows stronger, no matter what

Each year that passes, I simply recall

Having you in my life is the best gift of all

 

Next year we aren't guaranteed Christmas day

You could be home or be so far away

We'll snuggle and laugh, or just try to make do

I'll kiss you, or miss you, but this much is true:

Chorus:

You'll be close to my heart, near in my thoughts

Our love will grow stronger, no matter what

Each year that passes, I'll simply recall

Having you in my life is the best gift of all

The Wives Who Wait

Twas the night before Christmas
And there all alone
I saw a young woman
Who sat by the phone

For what was she waiting
On this holiday night
Where were the stockings
Christmas tree, lights?

I saw one little tear
As it rolled down her face
And she curled up in a blanket
Then looked round the place

Something was missing
Someone not here
In her face I saw sadness
Did I also see fear?

I paused and I wondered
What could it be?
That would cause a young woman
To look so lonely

How could anyone so precious
Choose such a life?
Then I realized this woman
Was a soldiers wife.

Her gift for this Christmas
Is to hear that phone ring
“Hey baby, I miss you
Don’t worry about a thing”

Each day I thank God for the soldiers that serve
Ever willing to fight and lay down his life
But how often do I ever remember think
About the young woman who is that soldier's wife

Thank you God for these women
They are just as strong
They sacrifice daily
And without help get along

So God please protect our soldiers
On this holiday eve so late
And give an extra hug
To their wives who wait

(written by Jeannie Lining, my mom, during OEF deployment 2008)

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, in our newlywed group we had a contest called "A Thankful Wife." The purpose was to foster thankful spirit's toward the men in our lives, and to God for what He has done for us through our husbands.

We had thirty participants and the posts that they made were so encouraging I though I would share just a few highlights with all of you. I pray that they will encourage you to look at your husband in a new light and a thankful spirit.

I am thankful for my husband because he is a godly man who loves the Lord and always puts Him first in our family. He is the spiritual leader in our house.

When I was praying for a husband, I had so many things that the Lord seemed to put in my heart to desire in him, and he is every one and so much more!

He makes the flowers bloom in the garden of my heart.

Despite my flaws, he reminds me everyday how much he loves me and is always praising me and lifting me to believe in myself---even when neither one of us is having our best of days...that is very humbling...

I am thankful for my husband because he has brought me closer to Christ and taught me what unconditional love is.

God truly sent me my other half when he sent me my husband. Words will never be able to fully express how thankful I am for him and how grateful I am that he is in my life.

He is so dedicated to our family and works so hard and sacrifices so much for us. He gives our family so much, I wish that I could give back to him what he has done for us.

I am thankful for my husband because he has always been there as my friend, best friend and then husband. I am thankful to be married to a man who respects my strength but is there when I am feeling weak.

He is a great example of 2 Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." I see that transformation into the likeness of Jesus in his life, that journey from glory to glory. It is exciting and breath-taking and wonderful.

He is my soul mate, and my second half.

He treats me like his queen, like a dove he loves and protects. He is a God fearing man who loves the Lord with all of his heart, and wants his children to see a good example of what a man after God's own heart is.

I find a new reason to love him everyday.

I am so thankful for my husband for his quiet strength, his tenacious spirit to get through any and everything even though it may not be a pretty process.

I am thankful that I get to feel his love every day and I can love him in return.

We are true partners in life and love.

He has the kindest heart, the warmest smile, the most love anyone has ever shown me.

You know, it is one thing to marry the one you love - but it is entirely different to love the one you marry. This year we will be celebrating our first Christmas together and two days later, our first anniversary. I'm thankful for my husband because this year, together we've learned the difference.

We would like to give a big congratulations to our winner ~EM~! and here is her post:

I am thankful for my husband because he loves me and accepts me for who I am. Finding out I have Fibromyalgia has been a journey for both of us especially because I used to be physically strong and athletic, but he took the high road and just accepted it for what it is, accepted my new found limitations, and he constantly makes me feel good about myself even if I'm having a bad day and wasn't able to do as much housework as I would like. He never sets unreachable standards for me and constantly tells me how much he appreciates me and loves me. He's also the best dad to our kids and is wonderful about giving me a break when needed and letting me sleep in on Saturdays! It's the things that may seem so trivial that mean SO much to me! He is such an amazing man, and I am absolutely blessed that he is my husband and my best friend!

1 cup of sugar to 1 bag of cranberrries
and 1 apple

boil the above ingredients til the cranberries split. then strain using a foley food mill. It's soooo yummy! And the apple is the trick because it counters the tartness of the cranberries.