Will you accept this rose? Absolutely!

Will you accept this rose? Absolutely!

Ha! If you don’t know where that question and answer comes from, you are not a fan of The Bachelor.

Well, I can’t fully tell you why Chuck and I like this show…I’ve thought about it, and this is why I think I enjoy the show…

First, I am intrigued at what attracts people to each other…
Obviously, the show focuses a lot on physical outward attraction. However, if you are a fan of the show, you will notice that the bachelor or bachelorette doesn’t often pick the best outwardly attractive person. As the show progresses, the bachelor or bachelorette picks someone he/she sees as the #1 pick to be a husband or wife…
Marriage has been on my mind a lot lately as I am excited about the Love and Respect conference starting this weekend at our church, Calvary Chapel Chino Valley. Chuck and I are attending…at first, he was reluctant. He asks me, “Why do you think we should we attend? We have a great marriage and it’s $70 bucks and what about a babysitter?”
I wanted to attend because I want to CONTINUE to have a great marriage for many, many, many, years to come. You see our society values investing in real estate, investing in college accounts for our children, investing in retirement, investing in savings plans, stocks, CD’s, IRA’s, etc. But what about investing in marriage? What’s $70 bucks if it’s going to help us communicate and understand each other better and continue to build upon a Christ centered marriage?

I didn’t want to nag…so I just prayed.

My sweet hubby said, “Honey I was praying about it too and we are going.” Yesssssssss!!!
The Holy Spirit touched his heart to attend. I always like when that happens (Smile here)

I know God is going to bless this weekend’s Love and Respect conference because a simple but profound message from God’s Word will be preached: Husbands- You need to love and cherish your wives. Wives- You need to respect and honor your husbands.

Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife [see] that she respects [her] husband. Eph. 5:33

See, if the husband is not showing love to his wife, she finds it difficult to submit to him and respect him. If a husband is not feeling respected, he will not show her love the way she wants to be loved…
Dr. Eggerichs calls it the “Crazy Cycle.” http://www.loveandrespect.com/content/crazy_cycle.php

Chuck and I sometimes say we would like to write a book on marriage someday…We are by no means experts at all...We just feel like we have something special in our marriage and want to share it.

You see, when my husband walks through the door, I still see how handsome he is. I see that he’s older (he was only a teenager the first time I met him) I see how God has worked in his life…I see my boyfriend, turned fiancé, turned husband, turned father to my children. I see him as a person worth dying for because Christ died for him…

I truly take my job, my role, my destiny as a helpmate to Chuck seriously. I tell him of this often. Because I am such a “Martha” and am busy all the time, he gets frustrated with me for trying to do so much…

So because I am a wife, a busy mom, part time lawyer, etc. etc. we need "a time out" to reconnect, evaluate our priorities and just talk.

When we get on each other’s nerves, we pray about it, talk about the LORD and God’s Word, we have a date night, talk, and enjoy being silly together. There’s so much more that goes into a blessed marriage...Prayer is definitely a key component.

Please keep marriages and the Love and Respect conference (and this ministry) in prayer.

For many, I believe a conference like this one will work like preventative medicine.
Wikipedia defines preventative medicine as: measures taken to prevent diseases, (or injuries) rather than curing them or treating symptoms.

I know a lot of couples who will be attending this conference feel like they have a blessed marriage. That’s where the preventative medicine comes in…It’s a safeguard against the enemy’s attacks on marriage.

Others might be attending because they are holding on to the last thread of hope to keep their marriage together (this is medicine that will be a direct treatment to the harm or disease that might be in their marriage). Please pray these couples will truly have a breakthrough and will unite on fire for Jesus and for hope that their marriage can work. However YOU view your marriage, pray for your spouse and ask God to give you a new set of eyes to see your spouse through. If you are unmarried, pray for your future spouse. Marriage is God’s thing…He invented it. It only makes sense to use His Word to make it work. That’s why I’m excited about the conference…I’m less excited about the next season of the Bachelorette (LOL)