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The Marriage conference Brenda and I
attended at the beginning of March was called a
Weekend To Remember.
It is sponsored by Family Life Ministries out of Little Rock, AR. It
ran from Friday evening through Sunday late afternoon at the Hyatt in
Wichita. We both felt that it was worthwhile in a number of ways.
Perhaps one of the best was in giving us an opportunity to look at
important areas of our relationship in a positive Christian environment
and from a Biblical perspective. That’s not to say that it was a heavy
tone, in fact, just the opposite. There was a lot of laughter, and an
atmosphere that encouraged each couple to refresh those things that
build a sense of oneness. There is something exhilarating about being
together with a large group of people who are all, hoping, striving and
investing themselves toward growth and renewal.
I remember Brenda commenting a number of
times that the time seemed to go by so fast, and it certainly did. The
speakers were engaging and often entertaining, the material was thought
provoking and there was plenty of it (I’ll be reviewing it long into the
future). We both came away from the experience refreshed and
recharged.
So,
why
attend a marriage
conference after only 8 months of wedlock?
Problems in the parsonage????
No, not at all. (But thank you for
your continued prayers)
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One of the insights shared
with me over the past year or so, by more than a few people, is that a
good marriage takes work. A lot of work. It seems as though
there isn’t much choice when it comes to that. On the other hand,
I’m led to believe that, like many other things, you can choose to work
at it regularly, consistently, a little bit at a time, or you can wait,
putting it off until some problem develops that requires a lot of
hard
work under difficult pressures.
Something that impressed me about
the weekend was that out of the 750 people attending the conference, two
dozen couples had been married for over 40 years, a handful of couples
for over 50 years and one couple was married 63 years. And here they
were
attending a marriage conference.
Everyone was impressed. Obviously this couple knew that continual work
at their marriage was a key to a long and fulfilling life together.
Brenda and I want to make an intentional effort, and deliberate choices
to enhance, “work at”, our relationship so that with God’s blessing we
too may see many happy years living in God’s will and design for our
union.
Some of the following material about the
conference certainly proved true for us:
The intricacies of life can complicate
any marriage and create tension.
It’s easy to feel confused or angry,
frustrated and alone.
A
Weekend to Remember
will restore your vision of what it looks like to pursue a
marriage that works.
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