The Art of Marriage Enrichment Group (CLOSED GROUP)

Every marriage has its strengths and its stresses. There’s not one that can’t be improved, fine-tuned, made stronger — or even overhauled if needed.

Introducing the ALL-NEW Art of Marriage, a transformative marriage resource designed to help you explore new levels of intimacy, communication, and connection with your spouse.

Whether you’re a newlywed or have been married for decades, FamilyLife’s Art of Marriage is your path to a stronger, more beautiful masterpiece of God’s handiwork.

 

This is a closed Enrichment Event. Stay Tuned for future opportunities.

TRUST ME

Establishing Trust In Your Marriage!

Trust!

That’s something that’s earned, right?

I mean, we don’t just put our trust in anyone (or anything) unless we are sure they (or it) is worthy of it.

What about when God asks us to trust him? That can be difficult for some, especially for new believers where no track record of trust has been established yet.

So how do we establish trust with God, and subsequently develop trust in our marriage?

God Is Always Good!

This first thing we have to get straight is that God is ALWAYS and ONLY good. The Word tells us “His (God’s) plans for us are to prosper us not to harm us, to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). It also tells us “He wishes above all things that we would prosper and be in health, even as our souls prosper” (3 John 2). And there are many other places in the Bible that show us God’s intentions towards us. He comes right out and tells us who we are in Christ Jesus…it’s not hidden. AND it’s all good!

So He is absolutely worthy of putting our trust in!

Some may have doubts about this because they see bad things happening in the world, or in their own particular lives and families. Certainly there are horrible things going on, sometimes unimaginable calamites, trials or devastating circumstances. But we need to know that God does not orchestrate bad or evil things.

Unpleasant things happen because of the fallen world we live in. But the good news is God gave us a way out, a way of protection from the things going on around us…His name is Jesus, and His sacrifice for us was a “once and done” deal. It was enough to satisfy God relative to man’s sin…once for all!

AND, God is the same yesterday, today and forever! Se He has not changed His mind on this! (Hebrews 13:8).

Your Spouse Is Not Your Enemy!

After we get our thinking clear about God and realize He is

more than worthy of our trust, we next have to extend trust to our spouse. One thing we tell couples a lot is this…”your spouse is not your enemy”. In other words, “you’re on the same team”.

  • Will we let each other down sometimes? Certainly!
  • Is there a chance trust will be violated? Sure!
  • Will there be disappointments? Yup!

But when we take a step back from the things that happen to us (or that we think were done to us) we can choose to see things in a different light. Maybe through God’s eyes? Now there’s a noble idea! LOL

We all sin and fall short, and God still loves us, still forgives us, and He still believes in us. So when we feel wronged, what gives us the right to hold unforgiveness against the other person for an extended (sometimes indefinite) period of time? God forgives us, so we need to extend forgiveness too. Not doing so would be putting ourselves above Him.

Vertical Trust B4 Horizontal Trust!

We’ve said it many times in classes we’ve taught, small groups we’ve led and in individual counseling…

…when your relationship (trust) with God is right, then your relationship (trust) with your spouse can be right.

Any earthly relationship will not be “as right” as it can be until our relationship with God is “as right” as it can be. That has to come first. That’s why we started out this blog with God first. Trust in God! Then trust can flow in your marriage!

Helpful? Let us know! We’d love to hear from you.

#marriage #trust #intimacy #forgiveness

Dirty Laundry Dates

Dirty Laundry Dates are the BEST!

I want to take a moment to share some of our “dirty laundry” with you; and, it’s not what you might be thinking. March 4th, several years ago, a Saturday, our washing machine broke down. What’s the big deal, you might ask? Well, for someone who did 2-3 loads of laundry every day, the thought of being without a washing machine could seemingly become overwhelming.

We did what anyone would do and called a repair service. They said they could come Monday. I was elated; however, the repairman meant Monday a week from March 4th. OK…no problem; we can handle a week without a washing machine. Of course it was also the week to wash all of the sheets from 5 beds (LOL). So, my superhero husband, Bill, took all of our laundry to the laundromats and faster then a speeding bullet–because laundromat cycles are 23 minutes– he cranked out the laundry and brought it all home to dry.

The blessed Monday arrived and the repair man showed up only to tell me that the machine tub needed replaced because it was broken and had detached. How does that happen, I asked? He said, “Was it dropped on delivery? This machine is less then a year old?” Ummmm…my response, “Not that I’m aware of.” (Like the delivery guys are going to say, “Here’s your brand new washing machine and by the way we dropped it.”) So, I was a little repetitive and asked again, “So how do you think this happened?” Our awesome repairman looked at me and says, “Dropping it on delivery would do it.” So, he ordered a new replacement part to be delivered to our house and we scheduled again for the following Monday, a week later, to have it fixed.

The next day we got a big snow storm; so when the part didn’t show up Wednesday or Thursday, we weren’t too concerned. Friday…no part; Saturday…no part. Monday, our repair man arrived and had no idea where the part was. After a few phone calls he was told it was on back order. So he ordered another part to arrive Wednesday or Thursday and we scheduled for the following Monday…going on 3 weeks.

What about all of our dirty laundry? Well, we decided to make the best of it. So we had  “laundromat dates”. We picked a day, made sure the kids were off to school and would leave  at 7 a.m., stop at the laundromat to start the laundry, go next door to one of our favorite places for breakfast, have breakfast together, then go back to pick up the wash, put it in my car and I head home to dry it all while Bill would head to work…all before 8 a.m.

Oh there’s more to this story! The part finally arrived and the 3rd Monday came for the washer to be fixed. The repairman opened the box to find the new tub was broken in shipping! He was so apologetic…certainly, not his fault…what are you going to do? I chose to laugh and said, “Well, I guess my husband and I will be having more dirty laundry dates!” That comment will get you some funny looks! So once again, the repairman ordered another part and it arrived Thursday. My husband, Bill, decided to open it before the anticipated Monday fixing date and you guessed it…IT was BROKEN! To make this comedy of errors funnier, the following day we received another washing machine piece that didn’t even go with our washing machine…not sure where it came from. At this point we  had 4 very large front load washing machine pieces in our garage and another repair date for April 12.

We celebrated a month anniversary of Laundromat breakfast dates.

I am sharing this to say we all have unexpected, inconvenient, potentially stressful and overwhelming circumstances…it’s called LIFE. Sometimes those circumstances are completely out of our control. But what we do have control over is how we react to those circumstances. The Word of God says to be filled with joy and peace (Romans 15:13); that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10); and that our joy will refresh & encourage others (Philemon 1:7).

The KEY is we have to CHOOSE JOY when unexpected circumstances arrive. If I CHOOSE JOY…I will have peace. If I CHOOSE JOY I will be strengthened and not weary. If I CHOOSE JOY others around me will be refreshed and encouraged. Let’s ask ourselves some questions in those moments when we could be overwhelmed: “Is how I’m about to respond going to bring me peace? strengthen me? encourage my spouse and family?”

In the midst of our DIRTY LAUNDRY, we chose JOY. “If the devil can’t steal your joy, he can’t get your goods”… in this case…our washing machine. LOL. In all seriousness the enemy can’t come in and steal your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control.

(Check out Jerry Savelle’s book on JOY)

 

Why not make an unexpected set back something to enjoy and celebrate when we look back and remember it? Really in the whole scheme of life a broken washing machine is just a slight inconvenience, not a serious set back.

So the next time you have some DIRTY LAUNDRY: a set back, an unexpected circumstance, a disagreement, a rough day….choose JOY TOGETHER. Allow God to work through your DIRTY LAUNDRY so you can look back on the “set back” and see you have come out clean and stronger individually and in your marriage.

#choosejoy #marriage

 

MARRIAGE ON THE ROCK 10-Week Enrichment Class (Keystone Bible Institute…York, PA)

Marriage Enrichment Class for MARRIED, ENGAGED and SERIOUSLY DATING Couples.

Whether your relationship is Great, Good, or Needs Help…this class will provide you with the tools to deepen, strengthen and fortify your marriage.

It will provide you with tools to pick up and use to secure your relationship for the race set before you. After all, marriage is not a sprint…it’s a marathon you run together .

COST: $100

REGISTRATION LINK

LOCATION:  Upper Room Church, York PA

CLASS DATES WINTER 2024: MONDAYS …6:30-8:30 p.m.

  • February 5, 12, 19, 26
  • March 4, 11, 18, 25
  • April 1,8 (weather make up date 15th)

TIME : Please arrive 5-10 minutes early…the class will start promptly at 6:30 p.m.

Bill and Jennifer Craft, leaders of Marriage Maintenance, are facilitating the Marriage on the Rock Class, a DVD based class where couples learn God’s plan for all the major issues a couple will encounter.

Leading marriage authority Jimmy Evans, from Marriage Today Ministries, discusses practical real-life challenges and offers easy to understand solutions even if you are the only one willing to work on the relationship. Through this power-packed resource that has changed thousands of lives, you will learn:

*Why no person can meet your deepest needs

*How to make marriage a top priority

*How to understand and meet your spouse’s needs

*The different ways men and women communicate

*Practical ways for healthy conflict resolution

*How to achieve maximum sexual pleasure

*Skills for raising great kids even in a blended family

*Other Topics: Finances in marriage, In-laws and parents, working through past hurts, day one dynamics for blended families and so much more!

Whether you’ve been married for years or just preparing for the journey, Marriage on the Rock is the essential resource that will transform your relationship.

 

Marriage Maintenance 101…STOP TRYING?!?

Marriage Maintenance 101…STOP TRYING?!?

 

How many of us have good intentions when it comes to our marriages?

  • We try to go on dates…
  • We try to have time to connect…
  • We try to communicate in a healthy way…
  • We periodically attend a marriage enrichment event and try to remember what we learned…
  • We read a cool  marriage tip and try to use it in our relationship…

We TRY all these things but eventually all these attempted TRIES…these GOOD INTENTIONS…fall by the wayside and we can find ourselves drifting apart instead of growing together.

How do we have a thriving, not just surviving, marriage? 

STOP TRYING!

What do you mean stop trying, you may ask?

Stop trying and instead be proactive and  purposeful in prioritizing your marriage relationship.

When we are PROACTIVE in our marriage, we are purposeful in prioritizing our marriage…time, sacrifice and energy are given in order to grow our marriage

relationship.

Here are some of our MARRIAGE MAINTENANCE KEYS in “Purposely Giving Marriage Matters Priority Because Marriage Matters…YOUR MARRIAGE MATTERS”.

 

#1  PRIORITIZE TIME

PROACTIVELY schedule a Marriage Maintenance weekly check-in where as a couple you purposefully, prioritize Communication Time, 1-2 times a week to “check in”, where you communicate beyond the surface communication:

  • Coordinate schedules.
  • Check in with each other’s hearts.
  • Talk about areas in your marriage you would like to strengthen along with brainstorming how you will do this?
  • Establish actions steps as a team and hold yourselves accountable to the action steps.
  • No cell phones, no interruptions, 30-60 minutes.
  • This weekly check-in is a marriage  team meeting to praise the positive areas in your relationship,  establish your playbook for areas you would like to strengthen, and determine strategies to grow your relationship.

 

PROACTIVELY plan dates…we schedule things that are important to us.

  • Plan date nights, date days, date mornings…whatever works for your schedule.  The key is getting time together, just the two of you, on your schedules and then scheduling around your established time together.

 

#2 PRIORITIZE ENRICHMENT

PROACTIVELY cultivate learning, nurturing, strengthening and growing your relationship.

  • There’s a difference between getting away together (which is important) and getting away together to enrich your marriage.  Marriage Enrichment is both fun and provides fuel for growth as a couple.

 

#3 PRIORITIZE PREVENTATIVE

ALL couples benefit from having marriage mentors, coaches and sometimes marriage counseling.

Seeking Godly counsel and wisdom is a good thing…it is a wise and advantageous thing to do for your marriage.  We seek advice and counsel in other areas…makes sense to seek it for the most important earthly relationship we have: our marriage.

What is a marriage mentor?  A mentor couple is a couple older than you, more seasoned in life than you are, has experienced married life longer than you have and is an example of a Godly marriage.  That does not mean a mentor couple has a perfect marriage.  We tell couples, we don’t have a perfect marriage, but we allow the PERFECT ONE, Jesus, to perfect us.

Are there deeper wounds?  Need inner healing from the past? Is there any trauma in your past or present?  There is help.  Don’t stay stuck.

The well being of a marriage is directly impacted by the well being of the individuals in that marriage.  Many times, the “issue” in marriage isn’t a marriage issue…it’s unresolved “baggage” from our past, that we all have, that we bring into our marriage.  Then we end up taking it out on the one we love the most…our spouse.

Here are some  Christian Counseling and Marriage Coaching resources:

 

Marriage is not the end goal in a relationship.  It’s the beginning of a lifelong journey of learning to love someone like Christ.  It’s not about being happy but rather becoming holy like Christ.

This takes PURPOSEFUL, PROACTIVE and PREVENTATIVE effort  to communicate, be quick to forgive and remember you are on the same team. (Check out our blog for more about our TOP 3 Marriage Maintenance Keys).

There is no win/lose in marriage. We either win together or lose together.  Let’s learn to fight together for our marriages as we turn our hearts to God, which equips us to keep our hearts turned towards each other….walking hand in hand in this beautiful covenant God created for Himself, a husband and a wife,  when He made Marriage.