Friends in Faith
At our date night on Sunday we had a panel of couples married 30+ years. Our next date night is Sunday, November 13 at 5:30 at St. Pat's. All are welcome!!
Here is a summary of the panel’s list of small steps which has graced their marriages with BIG Rewards: from 155 years of combined experience and in no particular order.
The top four: Be committed, Forgive, Communicate and Pray (Put God at the center, He has a plan.)
Never let the “sun go down on your anger.”
Communicate. Speak what is in your heart. Your spouse can’t read your mind.
Forgive.
Realize that your spouse is different than you. (Male/female) Just because you feel one way doesn’t mean they do too.
Go to church together.
Tell your spouse what you need. Ask. Your spouse can’t read your mind.
HUMOR! Be ready to laugh at the situations you get into. And be ready to laugh at yourself first.
Give them little love notes.
Never think the D word. Be committed to making your marriage work.
Go to a Marriage Encounter or retreat. (This was mentioned by all 4 couples!!) Enrichment-Focus.
Write letters to each other. (Texting works for this too, but don’t it means more when you say it in person!!)
DATE your spouse. REGULARLY. Make the time!
Make them your priority. EVERYDAY!! At some point it will be just the two of you again.
Make a “cup of blessings” (put notes about memories/blessings of daily life into a box or container as they happen). Pull them out on the not-so-good days of life—helps to remind us of the joys in our lives.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate. But tell it to your spouse, not your friends, your siblings, or the world. Keep it between you.
Seek enrichment. – Date Night, Marriage Encounters.
Like them. Know them.
We are each others best friends. Treat them even better than your other friends.
Don’t put other people in the middle. Talk to your spouse first.
Prayer is intimacy.
Give them a kiss before going to bed. EVERYDAY!! (Even when you might not want to—don’t let the sun go down on your anger). Forgive!
Choose your words with care. Communicate with Love. Be compassionate.
Come to date night :)!!!!!!
Be ready to change, every day is a new day. Struggles and conflicts are life.
Sign each other with the Sign of the Cross before you go to bed.
Have meals together. Sit down together as a family. Go to church together—kids too!!
Work side by side—be attached. (Did anyone notice that all 4 couples work together every day?)
COMMITMENT, Love no matter what!
Pray together, at meals and before bed.
Have a half full cup—on the top.
Be willing to share your cup with your spouse—fill each other up.
Be able to make your spouse laugh.
Communicate.
Pray to give God your worries, anxieties, and with praise and thanksgiving—in glory and honor
Rely on God.
There is always someone or something else that is worse than your “bad”.
Look for the gifts of each day.
LISTEN. Don’t answer a question before it is asked. Your spouse might be thinking something different.
Walk in the other persons shoes. Try to think as they are thinking.
FORGIVE. And forget. Have a Bad memory. Don’t keep bringing up the “same old, same old.”
Let it go. Let God have control.
PRAY TOGETHER.
Make your own dream/goal lists and share them with your spouse. Set goals together. Write it down!!
The top four: Be committed, Forgive, Communicate and Pray (God at the center, His plan.)
Thank you to Gary & Dorothy, Tom and Mary and Deacon Joe & Francie for sharing their insights.
Blessings on your marriages,
The DATE NIGHT TEAM—Stan & Charlotte, Jay & Vickie, Jim & Kris, Deacon Joe & Francie
Showing posts with label date night. Show all posts
Showing posts with label date night. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Invitation
Women of Faith:
You’re invited! You are invited to finish reading this invitation.
You’re invited to attend church each Sunday. Ex 31:12-17 & Heb 10:25
You’re invited to pray daily. Eph 6:18 & Col 4:2
You’re invited to accept your sufferings, just as Jesus accepted his. 1Peter 2:19-21
You’re invited to accept Jesus’ forgiveness and mercy. Mt 18: 21-22
You’re invited to serve one another. Mt 7:12
You’re invited to enrich your marriage. (Come to date night this next Sunday at 5:30 at St. Pat’s. (Email or call for daycare). Eph 5:25-26
“He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come…..Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find. The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests…..Many are invited, but few are chosen." Mt 22: 1-10
Do we say yes to the invitation?
Yes to bringing Christian messages into our lives. Mt 10:40
Yes to attending church each week and being fed food for eternal life. Jn 6:53-58
Yes to praying; asking and allowing God to take control of our lives. Mt 7:7-8
Yes to our sufferings; the acceptance of God’s will. Mt 6: 9-13
Yes to forgiveness; and yes to forgiving; compassion and the acceptance of His mercy. Mt 6:14
Yes to service; the acceptance of gladly working for God’s glory. Mt 25:35-40
Yes to strengthening the love within our marriages; accepting God’s design for faithfully, freely, totally and fruitfully being united together. Eph 4, 5, 6
Yes to attending the feast of Jesus where all are gathered, all are invited, but we will be chosen only because we have chosen to accept and say yes to God’s invitation of each of us.
Heavenly Father: “I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. He guides me in right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.” Ps 23 Thank you for the invitation. Help me to humbly accept all that You offer. Amen.
You’re invited. Will you accept the invitation? And will you pass the invitation on!
Blessings,
Charlotte
You’re invited! You are invited to finish reading this invitation.
You’re invited to attend church each Sunday. Ex 31:12-17 & Heb 10:25
You’re invited to pray daily. Eph 6:18 & Col 4:2
You’re invited to accept your sufferings, just as Jesus accepted his. 1Peter 2:19-21
You’re invited to accept Jesus’ forgiveness and mercy. Mt 18: 21-22
You’re invited to serve one another. Mt 7:12
You’re invited to enrich your marriage. (Come to date night this next Sunday at 5:30 at St. Pat’s. (Email or call for daycare). Eph 5:25-26
“He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come…..Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find. The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests…..Many are invited, but few are chosen." Mt 22: 1-10
Do we say yes to the invitation?
Yes to bringing Christian messages into our lives. Mt 10:40
Yes to attending church each week and being fed food for eternal life. Jn 6:53-58
Yes to praying; asking and allowing God to take control of our lives. Mt 7:7-8
Yes to our sufferings; the acceptance of God’s will. Mt 6: 9-13
Yes to forgiveness; and yes to forgiving; compassion and the acceptance of His mercy. Mt 6:14
Yes to service; the acceptance of gladly working for God’s glory. Mt 25:35-40
Yes to strengthening the love within our marriages; accepting God’s design for faithfully, freely, totally and fruitfully being united together. Eph 4, 5, 6
Yes to attending the feast of Jesus where all are gathered, all are invited, but we will be chosen only because we have chosen to accept and say yes to God’s invitation of each of us.
Heavenly Father: “I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. He guides me in right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.” Ps 23 Thank you for the invitation. Help me to humbly accept all that You offer. Amen.
You’re invited. Will you accept the invitation? And will you pass the invitation on!
Blessings,
Charlotte
Monday, August 8, 2011
What is God's Plan for Marriage?
What is the most important job most people will ever have?
We attend school for 12, 16, maybe even 20 years so that we can learn our career, our profession.
However, there is a vocation much more important than our job – it is being a spouse every day, 24-7, for the rest of our lives.
How many of us have gone to school to become that spouse, to learn our roles as husbands and wives?
Did you know that God not only invented marriage but also has a plan for marriage? (Genesis 2:24)
Do you know what the bible says about marriage and that plan? Have you ever wished there was a job description for your marriage? (Eph 4, Eph 5 21-33, Eph 6; 1 Cor 13)
We all know that men and women communicate differently. Do you know how to understand and communicate with your spouse? Why do finances create problems in marriage? How do we become role models for our children? Are our priorities right in God’s eyes?
Marriage is the most important job we will ever have. Our spouse is the most important relationship we will ever have. But do we really understand our “spousal” job as God intended?
Pope John Paul II said, ”As goes the marriage, so goes the family; as goes the family, so goes the community; as goes the community, so goes the nation; and as goes the nation, so goes the world.”
60% of all marriages end in divorce (that is SIX out of every TEN!!) We are being divided, split apart by society. Marriage is intended to join us in our homes, in our communities, in our nation and in our world!
When couples attend weekly church together only 1 out of 250 (.4%) of those marriages end in divorce. And of couples who pray together daily only 1 out of 1110 (.008%) marriages end in divorce.
How did we learn who our spouse was? We dated them. How do we continue to “connect” and grow together? We date them, we spend “intimate” time with them—that is why the nakedness of prayer is so important and so unifying, it is the most intimate conversation we will ever have with each other.
The Covenant of Love marriage enrichment program was created by Greg and Julie Alexander. Their marriage was headed for divorce when a priest asked them some of these questions. When they found the answers they realized that God’s plan for their marriage and their roles in that marriage was much different than the lives they were leading. They had never “learned” God’s plan.
The Alexander House Date Night Program was created for all couples, whether happily married or needing revived, to enrich and renew Christian marriage. The program explores what God says our roles as spouses should be, what His plan is for our marriage and how God’s role differs from the influences of society. The program provides tips and tools to facilitate better communication with our spouses, to practically live our marriage as God intended, and to help couples to get comfortable praying together.
Please join us as we explore God’s plan for marriage; the sacramentality and permanence of marriage; communication and fidelity in marriage; and give practical tips and tools so that Your Marriage Works in Christ and follows God’s plan to get us to heaven.
Comments from previous date nights: “We haven’t had a serious disagreement since we started coming six months ago;” “Well worth coming to, very comfortable and interesting;” “We wish we would have had this information when we were first married;” and the makings of a true date: “The food is awesome!”
Upcoming dates August 21, September 18, October 16, November 13 and December 11, 2011 5:30-8:00 St. Pat's Catholic Church, Tama, Iowa 900 Park St. Call 641-484-3646 to request free daycare for the event.
The team will provide all of the necessities of a fun and entertaining date: food and beverage, childcare, fellowship and faith sharing with other like minded Christian couples who know the importance of marriage. We also have marriage building tools such as books, CD’s and other materials to share with your friends and family. There is no charge for the evening! Freewill donation available.
Engaged or married 60+ years, your spouse is waiting to be taken on a date!
We attend school for 12, 16, maybe even 20 years so that we can learn our career, our profession.
However, there is a vocation much more important than our job – it is being a spouse every day, 24-7, for the rest of our lives.
How many of us have gone to school to become that spouse, to learn our roles as husbands and wives?
Did you know that God not only invented marriage but also has a plan for marriage? (Genesis 2:24)
Do you know what the bible says about marriage and that plan? Have you ever wished there was a job description for your marriage? (Eph 4, Eph 5 21-33, Eph 6; 1 Cor 13)
We all know that men and women communicate differently. Do you know how to understand and communicate with your spouse? Why do finances create problems in marriage? How do we become role models for our children? Are our priorities right in God’s eyes?
Marriage is the most important job we will ever have. Our spouse is the most important relationship we will ever have. But do we really understand our “spousal” job as God intended?
Pope John Paul II said, ”As goes the marriage, so goes the family; as goes the family, so goes the community; as goes the community, so goes the nation; and as goes the nation, so goes the world.”
60% of all marriages end in divorce (that is SIX out of every TEN!!) We are being divided, split apart by society. Marriage is intended to join us in our homes, in our communities, in our nation and in our world!
When couples attend weekly church together only 1 out of 250 (.4%) of those marriages end in divorce. And of couples who pray together daily only 1 out of 1110 (.008%) marriages end in divorce.
How did we learn who our spouse was? We dated them. How do we continue to “connect” and grow together? We date them, we spend “intimate” time with them—that is why the nakedness of prayer is so important and so unifying, it is the most intimate conversation we will ever have with each other.
The Covenant of Love marriage enrichment program was created by Greg and Julie Alexander. Their marriage was headed for divorce when a priest asked them some of these questions. When they found the answers they realized that God’s plan for their marriage and their roles in that marriage was much different than the lives they were leading. They had never “learned” God’s plan.
The Alexander House Date Night Program was created for all couples, whether happily married or needing revived, to enrich and renew Christian marriage. The program explores what God says our roles as spouses should be, what His plan is for our marriage and how God’s role differs from the influences of society. The program provides tips and tools to facilitate better communication with our spouses, to practically live our marriage as God intended, and to help couples to get comfortable praying together.
Please join us as we explore God’s plan for marriage; the sacramentality and permanence of marriage; communication and fidelity in marriage; and give practical tips and tools so that Your Marriage Works in Christ and follows God’s plan to get us to heaven.
Comments from previous date nights: “We haven’t had a serious disagreement since we started coming six months ago;” “Well worth coming to, very comfortable and interesting;” “We wish we would have had this information when we were first married;” and the makings of a true date: “The food is awesome!”
Upcoming dates August 21, September 18, October 16, November 13 and December 11, 2011 5:30-8:00 St. Pat's Catholic Church, Tama, Iowa 900 Park St. Call 641-484-3646 to request free daycare for the event.
The team will provide all of the necessities of a fun and entertaining date: food and beverage, childcare, fellowship and faith sharing with other like minded Christian couples who know the importance of marriage. We also have marriage building tools such as books, CD’s and other materials to share with your friends and family. There is no charge for the evening! Freewill donation available.
Engaged or married 60+ years, your spouse is waiting to be taken on a date!
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