Friends,

I will need your help tonight. Keep me in your thoughts, especially at 7 pm EST.

I am set to have dinner with my H's family...combination reunion/birthdays. He is one of ten kids. While there are good members in it, they don't blink at family members who use drugs, abuse alcohol, have extramarital affairs. They have a laissez-faire attitude which drives this Christian girl nuts.

I love my H and he assures me "I'm not them anymore"...he was like them very much until we married...now he is slowly, slowly changing...kicking and screaming, sometimes.

So many bad memories will raised, so many old wounds open tonight when the beer begins to flow among them. I don't want to hear it or see it.
I wanted to stay home but I also want to be a good wife to my H.

I feel I am between a rock and a hard place. I can't not go and it's pretty impossible to tell my H not to see his family because they're hazardous to our marriage. It would be forcing him to choose, and I'm afraid of that choice.

I beg you, please pray for me tonight. I don't want to be hurt anymore by substance/moral issues.
And I don't want to be with people who have those issues, but I have to be.

I ask God to bless you all for listening. I believe in the power of prayer.

Thank you sincerely
aaa

Yes, you don't want to make him choose. Instead you want to show him that life can be even better than that.

Instead of a overt or even tacit condemnation of their lifestyle choices, simply be passionate about living a Godly life.

You have to love people where they are. I'm learning this slowly myself as my wife moves out to have some space.

So I'm certainly not speaking from a positive experience, but instead I'm waking up to learn I was the bad example.

My personal opinion is that it is much more powerful to be FOR something than against it. So be FOR living a Godly life even more than you are against living an un-Godly one.

That has to go farther in the long run.

TB

Heavenly Father, we praise you holy name. We come to you lifting up aaa and ask for a miricle of change and strength in her husband. Father, give aaa such a powerful heart of love and compassion, that no darkness can stand against it. Father, reach down and put them on the path of righteousness for Your names sake. Lord, I ask that you would lead them and guide them to Your perfect truth. Because who the SON sets free, is free indeed. In Jesus name. Amen

Java and singleguy,

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your thoughts and prayers.

I got through last night...stayed for one hour, no horrible incidents seen. It is hard to feel like you're the oddball in any scenario, so I want you to know your thoughts and prayers do mean the world to me.

Thank you so much. I know prayer works.

aaa

aaa,
I am glad to hear that everything went OK the other night. Prayer is very powerful. Read this one as an example of His Awesome Power Thank you to everyone on the Prayer Request forum.
As a group, many MBers pray and fast on Wednesdays for the restoration of our marriages and lives. We welcome you to this, if you wish.

May God shine His Blessings on you and your family,
TTSMM

I heard something in worship this morning that made me think of your situation.

Remember that Jesus did not avoid being with Tax Collectors, Drunks, Adulterers, etc. He had time for these people and loved them, in spite of their "flaws"

Because the truth is, we all have flaws. Society may simply accept some more than others.

Jesus accepts all of us, regardless of those flaws.

I'll provide the scripture later, as my daughter wants to go outside and play. I wanted to get this thought down before it escaped me.

javaContour

Keep us posted, aaa. I read your threads and am pulling for you.

Java is right, we can hate the sin but must love the sinner. But remember, when Jesus dealt kindly with tax collectors who swindled, women who fornicated, etc, he was kind to them and said he didn't judge them but then he said, "Go thou and sin no more"....in other words, once a person sees the light of the Lord God, they should change. May you be a model of light for your H,
and prayers to all on this board.

love
Jo