The Following are Web Site links and descriptions of resources for those of you who are dealing with an unbelieving spouse. If you know of any additional resources that you could recommend, please let us know. We truly want the ministry of Marriage Missions to be a blessing to you.

• www.dividedheartministry.com DIVIDED HEART MINISTRY works with those who have a spouse who is not a Believer. They ask the questions: “Is your spouse unchurched and seemingly uncommitted? Do you feel incomplete? Is your heart divided between living for god and pleasing your spouse?” This ministry knows and understands your struggles. This is a Biblically-based support group which is based upon Hosea 10:2, “They have a divided heart…”

• www.faithandmarriage.com This is a ministry, as they describe, that is “dedicated to providing the encouragement and support needed when you’re standing for marriage restoration. Even if you are already divorced, or the only one who wants to save your marriage, we know that through the love, power and grace of Jesus Christ, the restoration of your marriage is NOT hopeless or impossible, even after years of separation or divorce.” They have a page dedicated to those who are unequally yoked that you might find especially helpful.

• www.rejoiceministries.org. REJOICE MINISTRIES.COM is a ministry which calls themselves “a spiritual trauma center for hurting marriages.” Their entire ministry, is designed to encourage and give hope to those who are standing in the gap believing God for a miracle in their marriages. They supply its reader’s more than 18 pages of testimonies of restored marriages and over 72 pages where you’re able to read individual letters of praise to God for answers to prayer and testimonies of God’s faithfulness through the various difficulties they’ve encountered in their marriages and families. You can read the testimonies and the stories of restored marriages by clicking into them from the side bar of the Home page of their web site.

• unequalmarriage.typepad.com SPIRITUALLY UNEQUAL MARRIAGE is a web site that explores many difficult and serious topics because as they say, “We can feel overwhelmed with the seriousness of life because our struggles are sometimes enormous. ” On this web site you will find practical help and encouragement to thrive in a spiritually unequal marriage.

• WON WITHOUT A WORD is a ministry designed to help those whose husbands who are not Christ-believers. As they say about their ministry they are, “a haven of peace where women with unsaved husbands may interact with one another and find acceptance, encouragement, refreshment, and support in Christ Jesus, no matter what their Christian denomination may happen to be.” (They also link you to a web site for husbands with unsaved wives.) You can locate them on the internet by clicking HERE.

RESOURCE DESCRIPTIONS:

• BELOVED UNBELIEVER -by Jo Berry, is published by Zondervan Publishing House www.zondervan.com. This book could truly help those who are married to unbelieving spouses. Jo knew what it was like to live with an unbelieving spouse and also interviewed dozens of women who are married to unbelievers. In this book they share the greatest difficulties they encounter(ed) and practical ways to handle the problems.

As Jo shared, “One of the most grievous and difficult situations a Christian woman ever faces is that of being unequally yoked: being married to a man who is not a believer. … She is supposed to live according to the dictates of Scripture, to be a helpmeet and submissive wife, yet at the same time she carries the burden of knowing her husband is neither spiritually awakened nor secure for eternity. She and her husband probably differ sharply about what their lifestyle should be. Many women in this position have shared with me that they feel hopeless.”

And that is the main reason Jo wrote this book because as she said, “There IS hope! There are principles an unequally yoked wife can learn and apply that will make her life easier. She needs to realize that God has placed her in unique position of being His representative to the man she loves. She can also develop a positive mind-set about her mate and her marriage.” That is what the author Jo Berry attempts to help women do throughout this book. If you’re married to an unbeliever we hope you’ll obtain a copy of this helpful and inspiring resource. Buy this book now.

• BETWEEN TWO LOVES: Devotions for Women Whose Husbands Don’t Share Their Faith, published by Zondervan www.zondervan.com. In these hope-filled devotions, Nancy Kennedy offers empathy, solace, confidence, and joy. With Scripture as her touchstone, Kennedy points you to the God who wants to help you reconcile your love for him with your heartfelt love for your husband. In this book there is hope and encouragement for the woman in a spiritually unequal marriage. With a light-hearted, upbeat style and empathy for the spiritual single, author Nancy Kennedy brings the perspective of one who is still praying for her husband’s spiritual condition but who hasn’t let that hamper her from serving the Lord and her family with a joy-filled and faith-filled heart. Buy this book now.

• PRAYING FOR YOUR UNBELIEVING HUSBAND… 120 Reflections, Prayers, and Action Steps -by Michael and Diane Fanstone, published by Servant Publications. These 120 devotions address the real-life concerns of Christian wives who feel torn between keeping peace in the home and living out their faith, especially when children are involved. Each reflection, which is based on counseling experience of the authors, is followed by a practical suggestion for enhancing home life. A daily Scripture passage and prayer provides a spiritual “lift” for those who need comfort and encouragement.

• SPIRITUALLY SINGLE… Living with an Unbelieving Husband -by Jeri Odell, published by Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, Missouri. As the author Jeri Odell (who has been married for 29 years and has persevered alone in her Christian walk for nearly 23 of those years) says, “This book is written for you, my sisters in Christ. My 20-year journey as an unequally yoked Christian woman has left me with many memories to share. some of those are sad, some happy; all carry the fingerprints of Christ. I pray that you’ll see Him in each life lesson, for without Jesus I would have no story to tell, no victory to claim. My hope is that you’ll avoid the mistakes I’ve made. I recently read this quote: “If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.” Please heed my warning, learn from my failures, and do it right the first time. Buy this book now.

• SURVIVING A SPIRITUAL MISMATCH IN MARRIAGE -by Lee and Leslie Strobel, published by Zondervan www.zondervan.com. In this book you will read of the Strobels who were high school sweethearts whose marriage seemed to have been made in heaven. They enjoyed a good life with two children and experienced few problems until Leslie became a committed Christian, much to the dismay of her husband, a confirmed atheist.

The Strobels struggled along in this “spiritually mismatched” state for quite a while until Lee made the conscious decision to become a Christian as well. The Strobels do not advise couples who strongly disagree about religion to marry, but their book offers useful advice to couples who are spiritually mismatched, either from the beginning of their relationship or through a change in belief. Ideas about raising children and advice for single Christians are also included. Written in the first person, usually by Lee, the text is readable and helpful.

• THE CASE FOR CHRIST… A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Christ -by Lee Strobel, published by Zondervan Publishing House www.zondervan.com. An explanation from the author: “Maybe you too have been basing your spiritual outlook on the evidence you’ve observed around you or gleaned long ago books, college professors, family members, or friends. But is your conclusion really the best possible explanation for the evidence? If you were to dig deeper—to confront your preconceptions and systematically seek out proof—what preconception and systematically seek out proof—what would you find?

That’s what this book is about. In effect, I’m going to retrace and expand upon the spiritual journey I took for nearly 2 years. I’ll take you along as I interview 13 leading scholars and authorities who have impeccable academic credentials. I’ve crisscrossed the country to elicit their expert opinions, to challenge them with the objections I had when I was a skeptic, to force them to defend their positions with solid data and cogent arguments, and to test them with the very questions that you might ask if given the opportunity. In this quest for truth, I’ve used my experience as a legal affairs journalist to look at numerous categories of proof—eyewitness evidence, documentary evidence, corroborating evidence, rebuttal evidence, scientific evidence, psychological evidence, circumstantial evidence, and yes, even fingerprint evidence. Buy this book now.

• THE CASE FOR FAITH… a Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity -by Lee Strobel, published by Zondervan Publishing House www.zondervan.com. This is the perfect book for the intellectual, the doubter and the inquisitive. It’s a great faith builder. With the tenacity of a tough interrogator and skill of a clear communicator, Lee Strobel addresses several tough subjects on his quest for answers. Some of them are: Since evil and suffering exist, a loving God can not — Since miracles contradict science they can’t be true — God isn’t worthy of worship if He kills innocent children — It’s offensive to claim Jesus is the only way to God — A loving God would never torture people in Hell, and more. He also addresses evolution, violence in church history, and doubting. Buy this book now.

• THE POWER OF A PRAYING HUSBAND -by Stormie Omartian, published by Harvest House Publishers, www.harvesthousepublishers.com. In 20 short, easy-to-read chapters, Stormie Omartian shares how you can intercede for your wife in areas where she longs for your prayers—her emotions and moods, her spiritual walk, her motherhood, her priorities, her sexuality and more. There’s also advice and personal stories from well-known Christian men, prayer ideas, and words from Scripture that will help you shape your requests to God. and as you depend on Him in prayer, He will lead you and your wife into fruitfulness, fulfillment, and everyday happiness! Some of the contributors to this book are: Neil Anderson, Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael Goldstone, Michael Harriton, Jack Hayford, Michael Omartian and more. Buy this book now.

• THE POWER OF A PRAYING WIFE -by Stormie Omartian, published by Harvest House Publishers www.harvesthousepublishers.com. What a wonderful book this is! Stormie Omartian shares in this book how God has strengthened her own marriage since she began to pray for her husband concerning key areas of his life. Every woman who desires a closer relationship with her husband will appreciate this refreshing look at the power of prayer in marriage. Along with real-life illustrations Stormie also includes sample prayers and “power tools”—verses that inspire and encourage—to help wives rest in the assurance of God’s wonderful promises of restoration, renewal, and growth in marriage.

Something that Stormie says about this book is important to note. She says, it’s “not a means of gaining control over your husband. In fact, it is quite the opposite. It’s laying down all claim to power in and of yourself, and relying on God’s power to transform you, your husband, your circumstances, and your marriage. This power is not given to wield like a weapon in order to beat back an unruly beast. It’s a gentle tool of restoration appropriated through the prayers of a wife who longs to do right more than be right, and to give life more than get even. It’s a way to invite God’s power into your husband’s life for his greatest blessing, which is ultimately yours, too.”

She goes on to say, “Many difficult things that happen in a marriage relationship are actually part of the enemy’s plan set up for its demise. But we can say, ‘I will not allow anything to destroy my marriage.’ …’I will not sit idle while an invisible wall goes up between us.’ ‘I will not allow confusion, miscommunication, wrong attitudes, and bad choices to erode what we are trying to build together.’ ‘I will not tolerate hurt and unforgiveness leading us to divorce.’

You have the means to establish a hedge of protection around your marriage because Jesus said, ‘Whatever you bind on earth will be loosed in heaven’ (Matthew 18:18). You have authority in the name of Jesus to stop evil and permit good. You can submit to God in prayer whatever controls your husband—alcoholism, workaholism, laziness, depression, infirmity, abusiveness, anxiety, fear, or failure—and pray for him to be released from it.” To that we say, “AMEN!” This is a terrific book that we highly recommend! Buy this book now.

• WHEN A BELIEVER MARRIES A NONBELIEVER -by Bebe Nicholson, published by Priority Publishing. This book is designed to present a clear, distinct course of action the believer can follow to influence an unbelieving or “unspiritual” spouse toward greater faith. Although it is God who ultimately draws us to Him, He uses us for the accomplishment of His purposes here on earth. Just as He works through missionaries who spread His message to the remotest regions of the world, he will sometimes work through the believing spouse to share His message of true salvation and joy with the unbelieving partner. Buy this book now.

• WHEN HE DOESN’T BELIEVE … Help and Encouragement for Women Who Feel Alone in their Faith -by Nancy Kennedy, published by Waterbrook Press. When He Doesn’t Believe, supplies hope for every wife who wonders if God has not heard her prayers for her husband’s salvation. Nancy writes with humor and yet it is straight from the heart, and you will find that your own heart will be touched by her words. She also provides Biblical tools, websites, and books for additional help and information. Buy this book now.

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