Indivisible 

One Marriage… One Family… Under God… Indivisible

When I was growing up I heard war stories from both of my grandpa’s. Both veterans of WWII. One proudly served his country as a member of the Navy and the other as a member of the Army.

Grandpa H was always more willing to tell his stories. I think it was how they processed the whole thing and how they learned to deal with all they experienced.

These stories felt like such a rich part of my family history and I loved hearing them. A part of who I came from. These stories were personal and as close to the scene of a war as I had become.

I love both my grandpas very much and was proud of them for leaving their families. They left behind the safety of their homeland to fight for the freedom and safety of the world.

One thing I never got to ask them was if at any time they were scared. I am sure they must have been, but it probably never occurred to me because they both always seemed so brave.

The Movie Indivisible

This past month I had the opportunity to preview the extraordinary movie Indivisible.

Indivisible releases in theaters nationwide this Friday, October 26.

Join me for this sneak peek into Indivisible.

With both of my grandpa’s being veterans, I was immediately drawn in. Anytime, you can get a glimpse into the life of another gives you the opportunity to grow in your compassion for their struggles and joys in life.

This real-life story of Army Chaplain Darren Turner and his wife Heather was such a beautiful story of the real struggles and restoration that God can deliver through them.

I appreciated the view from the other side

I have seen war movies before, but what I really enjoyed about this movie was that it took compassion and human dignity to a whole new level. Because I was instantly drawn to these people, I was rooting for them the whole movie.

I was hoping that the distance and hardship of war wouldn’t change them. Having never been in a war or actually been in this situation, my compassion has always come from the outside.

Indivisible brought me in. I couldn’t just be a spectator, I had great hopes and expectations for this family. This movie brought me into their lives and their family. It showed me the deep struggles with marriage and faith our brave soldiers and their families actually face.

It makes me wish my grandpas were here, so I could not just hear of their bravery but how they have lived each day with everything they have had to witness. I want to know how those struggles changed and shaped them and how God used it to make them the men they had become.

Right away these characters hooked that special place in my heart. (Just a side note, I was bawling after 30 seconds into this movie). Not just the main characters, but all the brave men and women and their families, I wanted them to win. I wanted everything to work out for them in the best possible scenario.

We want life to be just that way.

But we know war is not like that.  The harsh reality is sometimes things seem unbearable. Families are divided by war with their lives rattled and their faith rocked.

Indivisible is a Must See Movie 

Indivisible is a must-see movie. This movie tore at my heartstrings from the get-go. I was invited into this very intimate time with this family. I was able to share in lives that I have gained even more compassion for.

It an opportunity for all people to see an inside view of most of us take for granted. The rights and freedoms that we have didn’t come free, they come at a cost. For some, the cost is so great and even at times unimaginable.

Why I wholeheartedly recommend this movie? We get the unique and privileged experience to be immersed in the lives of others. Not just anyone, but soldiers and their families. Magnificent men and women that risk it all to allow us great freedoms.

That is something that can’t be given away easily or taken for granted.

For more information, you can click here to go to the official page of Indivisible the Movie and find showtimes and screening locations near you. 

Giveaway!

I am so excited and honored to be offering to one reader the opportunity to go see this extraordinary movie. I have 2 tickets to give away.

Read the disclosure below for full details from Flyby Promotions. Anyone, 18 and over in the US, who comments on this post, will be entered into a drawing to win two movie passes.

This giveaway will go until Tuesday, October 30, 2018, at 12:00 pm. Then, I will draw a name and contact you via email. Please leave a valid email address you want to be contacted with when commenting. (No need to post it publicly, I will get it from my comment system.)

You will then have 24 hours to respond to my email offering you a code for 2 Fandango movie tickets for Indivisible.

I am so excited to be giving this away. In the comments, you can take the opportunity to mention any family and friends that have served in the military that you would like to honor.  Or you can comment about what it is you enjoy about seeing into the lives of others and how that changes you.

Movie Synopsis:

INDIVISIBLE is the extraordinary true story of Army Chaplain Darren Turner and his wife Heather, whose lives are fully devoted to serving God, family, and country. But when war etches deep battle scars—both overseas and on the home front—the Turners’ rock-solid marriage is shaken to its core.

Carrying burdens the other can’t comprehend, they must decide if they’re willing to face one more battle: the fight to save their marriage. From the director of The Grace Cardand the studio that brought you Fireproof and War Room comes INDIVISIBLE, the story of one marriage … one family … under God. Starring Sarah Drew, Justin Bruening, Jason George, Tia Mowry, and Madeline Carroll, INDIVISIBLE opens in theaters October 26.

Winner guidelines for 2018:

Update: Marcy K, You are the winner of the Indivisible tickets courtesy of FlyBy Promotions! Congratulations!

The post Indivisible Review and Giveaway appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

Beginning a new life as a married couple, with the person you are madly in love with, is exciting. It is something that words can barely describe. It is something, that until you experience it, you don’t fully comprehend it.

This next month I am celebrating thirteen years with my amazing husband. My best friend. My confidant in Christ. I made this video for him for a wedding surprise. We played it before I walked down the aisle. Since you all missed it, I am inviting you all into our big day.

Wiebel Wedding Movie

This is Us 

Thirteen years ago. I look at those two kids and wonder who those people are. We have not only gotten older, but our lives are also very different. We now have three kiddos that keep us very busy. Our greatest conversations revolve around God as we discuss what He means in our lives.

In these pictures, I loved him but now I love him. He has my heart and is truly the other half of myself.

Before we got married, I never understood the verses used in marriage ceremonies.

The verses come from Genesis when God made Eve from the flesh of Adam and then Jesus teaches them again in Mark 10 about the sanctity of marriage. I naively thought they were just part of ceremony and tradition. Now they are real to me.

For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Mark 10:7-9

Now that I am married and have some years under my belt, I understand my husband and I are one, united by Christ. I am living this out in my life. As I chose to respect the man that he is and he chooses to love me for who I am, flaws and all. I know I was surprised I had so many, too.

The secret to My Heart

I want to tell you the secret to this guy snagging me. Although there were many wonderful things about him, there was this one thing that made him unlike any other.

When my husband and I first started dating, we would stay up at late at night and have long talks.  We would share our lives with each other. Our hopes and dreams, you know all the mushy stuff.

It was that time in a new relationship when your past and ex-relationships may come up. You know the dreaded moment when you feel like you really like someone and the last thing you want to do is talk about anyone else.

Great Conversations

Honestly, I believe those things can be completely unhealthy for a relationship and if they need to be discussed they need to be of mutual benefit. Once something is said, and this goes for many things, it cannot be unsaid or unheard. And it takes absolute maturity to have that conversation.

Does your new interest really need to know about past relationships? Whether you said yes or no, why do you feel that way?

Even though I believe in honesty and transparency, some things just do not need to be said. It was not that I was trying to hide things from him. I just could not see how it would help us move forward. I was who I was in spite of my past. Treading that water was not of interest to me. Those people were not of interest to me so why did it matter.

So one night as we are in a conversation, he said to me, “I don’t need to hear about your past, about your exes and stuff you did. All of that has made you who you are and I like that person.”  Awwwww! I know you are Awwwing with me right now, aren’t you!

What a Gift

This was beyond sweet. This was a gift. He was going to like me regardless of any history. Any baggage that I may have carried in.

He was mature enough to handle my past and I was of his. We just did not need to discuss it. It had no benefit. We would continue this path no matter our past.

Who was this man?

The gift that he gave me that day was whispered and treasured in my heart. Come as you are.

What would this mean for me and our relationship as we were beginning a new life?

What would that mean to you?

The One Who Whispers Come As You Are

This sweet phrase is some exciting news for all of us. God is an amazing Father that gives us that same exact gift. He says to us come as you are and let me love the person that you have become.

No matter our past or our current, God is willing to take us in just as we are. He is willing to love us in spite of who we are when we come to Him.
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For a long time, I was afraid to face God. Even though I was a Christian, I was on the run. I was afraid to face the person that I had become. If I had only realized then His pursuit of me was with those exact words, come back to me as you are.

In Revelation, there are several beautiful pictures of Christ and the new heaven and the new earth being revealed as a bride to her bridegroom.

Maybe it’s just me, but when I attend a wedding, I always look at the groom as the bride is entering the room. There is nothing more revealing about the way a groom gazes upon his soon to be bride. The first moment when he sees her with fresh eyes is such a precious moment.

No matter how many times he has laid his gaze upon her, there is something about that moment. The moment his eyes connect with the beautiful bride that is about to become the other half of his one flesh.

A Perfect Picture of Christ

This is a picture of Christ. We are His bride. He looks at us with the greatest of love. He desires our oneness and our devotion to His heart.

Jesus offers us all this beautiful gift.

Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.

Our past, as we walk down the aisle into our Father’s love, disappears. As far as the east is to the west when we repent and turn to Him, so far does He throw our sin away. He sees us as the beautiful bride adorned in His grace and mercy. Gazing at us through the scope of His Son, Jesus. He showers us with His Holy love and we become His.

God created the sanctity of marriage, the bond between a man and his wife and it is one that is not to be torn apart by human hands. (Matthew 19:6) It is a bond that is created in Heaven, even if it doesn’t always feel like it. Marriage is a gift and something amazing to be treasured.

Believers are the Church, the bride of Christ. This beautiful verse in Isaiah assures of God’s bond with us.

“From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.” Isaiah 43:13 NLT

Do not let your situations from the past or from the present, or what you foresee yourself facing in the future keep you from coming to the Lord. He knows who you are and He loves you anyway. Hear His voice. See His Word. He says to all who all willing, “Come.”

Prayer for Meditation

Lord, I am in awe of the changed heart you have given me. In awe that you would know every detail about me and love me just the same. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for loving us in spite of who we are. For not turning from us in our hour of greatest need. Thank for simply inviting us in to come as we are and become yours. Adorned in your love. A love we don’t deserve but you freely give us. We praise Your Great Name, Amen!

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Linkup with Sitting Among Friends Blog Party 

Blog Parties are such a great place to meet people and build connections around the web. This is one reason, I love this party. It would be a blessing to visit another friend in the linkup and enjoy their posts.

I would love to sit down face-to-face with you but since we can’t do that I love to meet you here. I love to hear your stories and see your work.

This is a Christian based website and so is the material that I promote here. Please remember that when linking up. I do reserve the right to remove posts.

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This linkup will go for two weeks! Be sure to stop back next week, too, and link up your new posts! You can have up to three posts per linkup!

Beginning a New Life 

The post Beginning A New Life: Come As You Are appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

If anyone has been married for more than five minutes they know that it takes work. Give and take. Sometimes more giving and less taking.

From the Old to the New

A Three Strand Marriage

Two Chairs Become One Bench from Jaime Wiebel on Vimeo.

I am going to be sharing a Featured Friend, weekly! I love that so many of you come and share with us every week and I would love to highlight your work! The friend that I have chosen this week is… Lori Schumaker. 
Lori is the blogger at Searching For Moments. She writes beautiful posts and hosts a weekly linkup called Moments of Hope. That is exactly what you get when you visit her page. You will not leave there without the knowing the Hope that Christ has placed in her heart. I am so glad you are here this week, friend!

While you’re here, sit down with some of my friends.

WOW! I know Summer is busy so I thank you all for coming here and for the 95 Amazing posts. This party has been wonderful and it is thanks to you, friends, who link-up with us and those who stop by and read and SHARE! Thank you!

You all are amazing writers who share DIY’s, Recipes, Photos, Giveaways, Homeschool and Family and Faith. Many of you have amazing journeys of faith and I praise the Lord we are able to connect here! 

Friends are here to encourage and challenge us in our walk of life, so enjoy!

There are easy share buttons to your left or at the bottom of each post (mobile) and after you link-up. Thanks for sharing! 

Thanks! From all of us at  #SittingAmongFriends 

The post Two Chairs Become One Bench & Sitting Among Friends Blog Party #31 appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.