Tag: marriage

Infertility Encouragement

Posted on by Evangeline

Infertility Sucks coverToday, I’m sharing an excerpt from my book, Infertility Sucks!How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage During Infertility.

Infertility is stressful. No doubt about that! When you look for articles with helpful information, most articles about the impact of infertility on marriage are full of doom and gloom. They tell you to expect breakdown in communication, permanent loss of joy in sex, etc. As predictors of what can happen, they fall short of supplying any hope for a loving, long-lasting, and strong marriage after this struggle has “run its course.”

BUT, THERE IS HOPE!!!

Here are three of the 7 tips I share in Infertility Sucks! that will help you manage the stress of infertility:

  1. Discuss how you can help each other feel safe in sharing difficult and emotional thoughts. This may take time to achieve, depending on how you’ve dealt with them so far and how open your lines of communication are right now.
  2. Pray together. If you’ve not done this before, it may feel awkward at first. To help reduce the awkwardness, write out the prayer you want to pray and use it as a starter. Consider scheduling the time and then be sure to respect your spouse and keep the appointment. Husbands, I encourage you, as the spiritual leader of your family, to be open to initiating these prayers. The side benefit of doing so is that your wife will find it VERY sexy!
  3. Be proactive. Take some time to think and then discuss with your spouse what your response will be to troubling circumstances. Define and put in writing your “will do’s” and your “will not’s”. For example, decide now that divorce is not an option. Infertility can begin to put a squeeze on your finances as well and that adds another level of pressure that must be addressed with open and honest communication. Seek God for direction as you make decisions about managing your money wisely as you continue to have doctors visits, procedures and treatments. Setbacks from these things can bring about an enormous amount of stress. Be proactive and secure your relationship on a foundation of commitment to each other and to Jesus.

Of course you’ll find lots of other tips, activities, practical examples, and encouragement in Infertility Sucks!

I’m honored to give you another opportunity to hear some words of encouragement tonight (1/23/14). Sonja Sells will interview me on Blog Talk Radio’s Breath Inspired broadcast. You can listen on your computer or mobile device. Here’s the link:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/breathinspiredradio/2014/01/24/inspiration-for-today-w-hope-coach-evangeline-colbert-advocate-sheryl-tate Breath Inspired Logo

Join us tonight at 8pm EST.

Thanks for your support!

Ebook — Infertility Sucks! — is Now Available

Posted on by Evangeline

Infertility Sucks AVAILABLE

“Infertility Sucks! How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage During Infertility” is now on the bookshelves of your virtual bookstore!

It’s available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com. Look for it to be available soon on iTunes and Barnes and Noble.

Here’s the description of the ebook:

“Infertility Sucks!” is written from the perspective of Evangeline Colbert’s victory over infertility. It gives practical advice on how to address the spiritual aspect of infertility, how to manage stress in the midst of infertility, and how to make sure your marriage not only survives but thrives.

Infertility is a huge stressor in a marriage and many couples don’t survive its pressure. Numerous couples suffer in silence, experiencing incredible shame, pain, and disappointment month after month. Couples will gain insights from chapters covering: Seven Strategies to Manage Stress in Your Marriage, How to Maintain Hope During Infertility, The Advantages of Affirmations and much more.

A prayer for those desiring children is included along with much more information about the spiritual aspect of infertility.

There are also activities included in the book to get you started in taking action to increase your hope and to protect and strengthen your marriage.

 You must have tenacious hope in this struggle and “Infertility Sucks!” shows you how.

Please share this powerful resource with others by clicking on any of the social media links below.

Buy Infertility Sucks! How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage During Infertility NOW.

Infertility Sucks! – ebook

Posted on by Evangeline

Infertility Sucks cover

I’m pleased to announce that my ebook, “Infertility Sucks! How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage During Infertility,” is done!  This book encourages couples whose lives are affected by infertility. It gives practical tips on  how to manage stress in the midst of infertility, how to address the spiritual aspect of infertility, and how to make sure their marriage not only survives but thrive.

“Infertility Sucks!” will hit the virtual bookshelves on 12/1/13.

And, because you have been great about supporting me, you get to take advantage of a discounted price on Smashwords.com. Just go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/379472, enter the coupon code PR93P on your order, and you’ll receive a 30% discount!

Please help me get the word out:  “SHARE”  this post (using the buttons below) so that others on Facebook , Twitter, Google+, etc., are made aware.

You never know who in your sphere of influence is silently suffering through infertility or who may know someone else who is. This book could be just what they need.

Thanks for your support!

And the Winner is…

Posted on by Evangeline

Many thanks to all of you who voted on what the cover of my next book, Infertility Sucks! How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage During Infertility, should look like (see my 10/22/14 post) .

Too many marriages end up scarred and sometimes broken due to infertility. This ebook, which will be released before the end of 2013, will give you practical tips about how to manage stress in your marriage in the midst of dealing with infertility. It will also encourage you, strengthen and increase your hope, and will give you meaningful affirmations to speak over your life as you wait with confident expectancy for the blessing of a child.

You can request a FREE excerpt of Infertility Sucks! How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage During Infertility  at www.evangelinecolbert.com. Soon, the ebook will be available to purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes.  When you visit my website, be sure to also request information about our upcoming iHope Infertility Retreat in Spring 2014 and iHope Coaching (our spiritual empowerment coaching service).

Now, back to the cover.

The winner, by a 2-to-1 margin, is:

Infertility Sucks cover FINAL

[FYI– the subtitle will be added to the cover design.]

Thanks again for all of your comments. They will help me make this book the best it can be!

And now, a question for you: What kind of information are you looking for about maintaining hope during infertility?

I’d love for a future post/ book/article to address your specific concerns and needs. Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below or, if you prefer, email them to me at Evangeline@evangelinecolbert.com.

Related articles

One Heart, One Way

Posted on by Evangeline

One Way sign jpgPhoto courtesy of Microsoft Images

This past week, a friend dealt with circumstances that were a real struggle in her marriage. It was a time when many choices could have been made that would have caused deep regret for years to come. Fortunately, she is a believer in Jesus and sought God for wisdom FIRST and made difficult choices that were in line with His will for her marriage to heal and prosper.

When I’m faced with a struggle or have friends dealing with a challenge, my tendency is to find and pray a scripture that addresses it with a promise from God. In this case, I prayed Jeremiah 32:39  [NLT], “And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants.”

This was a promise we needed as my husband and I dealt with infertility. Having one heart and one way in facing infertility is key if a marriage is to survive the emotional, physical and financial strains. It’s so easy to get so involved and pre-occupied in the struggle that you don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Being surrounded by darkness and not seeing where you can go means that you’ll go in any direction in the search for a way out. If a husband and wife can’t agree on what to do, where to go, and how to get there, it’s easier to go in separate ways and therefore experience increasing distance between them. But what if the decision is made FIRST to only go in one direction together, giving each other encouragement and keeping in mind the same goal?

God’s promise in Jeremiah 32:39 was that the result of having one heart and one way would be good not only for the husband and wife but also for their children! Putting God first means that He will give wisdom so that you know what to do and where to go together to get out of the seemingly endless dark situation.

Looking to Jesus and therefore going in one direction together will increase the likelihood of reaching the light at the end of the tunnel much sooner and happier and make the outcome of the struggle much more rewarding.

What’s the Answer?

Posted on by Evangeline

What’s the answer to your problem today?

Do you think your answer depends on what the problem is?

                • Infertility
                • Unhappy Marriage
                • Lack of Money
                • Poor Health
                • Hopelessness
                • Strained Relationships
                • Failing Business
                • Loneliness
                • Depression
                • (Fill in the blank)

Regardless of the problem you face today, you can make it through because JESUS is the answer to any and all of your problems!

Be encouraged by this classic song by Andrae Crouch, “Jesus is the Answer“.