Win today’s giveaway! Just tell us what you did (or are going to do!) for today’s Project by 7:00 PST on Tuesday and you will be entered into the drawing for today’s book: A Wife After God’s Own Heart

One secret to marital bliss is for a wife to love her husband the way God designed for her to love him—even with his shortcomings. God hasn’t called a woman to change her husband, but to focus on her calling as a wife. And the rewards for doing so are rich! Elizabeth provides valuable and practical insights on 12 key areas of a marriage, including…

• What it means to be a husband’s helper
• What submission is and isn’t
• Nurturing joy in your home and family
• Excelling in your work…and making time for fun as a couple!

So leave your comment below to be entered to win!

While this is the first day of our project, if you have friends who want to join in, let them know that they can jump in any time. You don’t need to have The Husband Project book in order to participate, but you definitely will get more out of this(and be able to plan better) if you read along. You can order it on Amazon or for a special price on my website.

And our winner of yesterday’s giveaway Becoming the Woman of His Dreams is ALH1203! Please e-mail my assistant Kimberly at kimber@kathilipp.com and she will put it in the mail!!!

Let me just say, I am so proud of all of you for thinking outside the box and doing what you had to do to bless your man! I love the observation that Cami made on the first day:

“Day one of the project and I already feel better about him and how much he does for our little family.  It helps to think outside of myself and what I need to get done in the day.”

Project #2

Back in the Day

Do Something He Enjoyed Before You Got Married

Your Project:

Initiate an activity that your husband used to love. Whether it’s his favorite hobby, sport, or pastime, it’s time for you to get involved – be his buddy today.

“Lust is easy.  Love is hard.  Like is most important.”  ~ Carl Reiner

Most guys don’t spend a lot of time hanging out with their buddies—you are his buddy. He married you to have a built-in friend who he can do all those fun things. (The fact that the two of you can have sex is definitely a bonus…)

It’s vital for men to build friendship into each other’s lives, and as wives, we have a responsibility to encourage our guys to hang out with other good guys. However, in most marriages, our husbands will be looking to us to do life with.

It’s time to think about those things your husband loves to do with you—his buddy. Maybe it’s hiking up a mountain, hanging out at Best Buy, or watching his alma mater’s football team play at the local high school. It doesn’t matter if you like it or not—your fun will come from watching the look on your husband’s face as he reclaims some of his long forgotten loves. (Video gaming anyone?)

If you need to keep it really simple today, maybe just get him talking about something he used to love to do – or even just watch what we call in our house a “boy show” (something on the science channel where something is blowing up…)

Prayer for Today

Dear God, I pray that my husband can view me as his friend and lover, as you have designed.

“A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away.” ~ Phyllis McGinley

Getting Creative

·         Many a man’s hobby has gone by the wayside due to matrimony. Is it possible that it’s time you learned to golf or fly fish? Don’t try to beat him, just join him.

·         Possibly the only thing your husband would enjoy more than playing chess with you is teaching you how to play chess.  Ask for a lesson so he can teach you something that he is an expert at (or really loves). Just your willingness to learn will be a huge boost to your guy.

·         Pick up a magazine about your guy’s now dormant hobby. Ask him questions about why he loves it so much. Learn a couple of technical terms so that you are better able to discuss it.

·         Do a little research. Find out what the definitive website is on your husband’s favorite subject. Maybe there’s an event in town, a lecture to attend, or a game to watch.

Project Reports

My husband is a public school principal. He is great at what he does but the job is taxing emotionally. We have two children, a 16-year old daughter and a nine-year old son. They both want his attention and he spends a lot of time with them. He also has a wife who has her own set of needs. All that said there is not a lot of time for him.

When I plan something that I know he will really like, a hike on a beautiful trail, something we did a lot more of pre-kids, his face lights up. A heaviness is lifted from him and he begins to look at maps and google earth. He is completely into the adventure before him. It is fun to see him get so joyful over the thought of taking a hike, of all things. I love pleasing him that way.

Sue

 “Watching sports on television was definitely something my husband enjoyed before we were married. Sports bar ‘dates’ with the guys during football season were pretty common. Now ten years later, all the buddies have become dads themselves and are too busy to enjoy watching games away from home. When football comes on the TV at home, I usually head for another part of the house in search of a project to keep me busy for a couple of hours. Nothing better than going out shopping on SuperBowl Sunday – the stores are empty! Last week I stayed put and watched a game with him and the boys. A couple of times during the game my husband had to leave the room to take calls from work. He was so surprised to come back into the room each time to 1) find the TV still on (I usually turn it off), 2) the channel hadn’t been changed (the kids usually put on cartoons), and 3) I knew the score! Brownie points for me.”

SL

“My husband use to scuba dive but he hurt his ears and can no longer do that. I asked him about a hike with me and the kids and he LOVED the idea. It was FOUR hours and a pretty strenuous hike. I had our toddler on my back for at least a good 3/4th of the time for safety reasons. My 11 year old loved every minute of it and we brought plenty of food and water. We all enjoyed the great outdoors and it’s something I know we as a family need to do more often…THE GREAT OUTDOORS!”

BB