It may sound like a creative title for a blog post, but it’s actually Family Life’s latest contribution to the world of marriage. Casey and I spent last weekend with some our closet friends and some new friends learning all about the art of marriage from a Christ-centered approach. You may have heard of Family Life’s Weekend to Remember. I hear it is amazing, but it can get expensive after the registration cost and then travel expenses. The Art of Marriage is a DVD series with workbook that Family Life put together. It can be done in one day but we took it slow, Friday night and Saturday. It was just recently released. I highly encourage you to find it near you if you are married or engaged. The videos were extremely well done, not cheesy. Not to mention, the content was challenging and very foundational. However, the actual content didn’t provide my key takeaways.
My first main takeaway was that I am so blessed to have such wise counsel in my life. Few were chosen to speak on the Art of Marriage DVD, but 2 of the group were people I have the pleasure of knowing personally. Michael Easley, past president of Moody Bible Institute, is the head pastor at Fellowship Bible Church and is now the interim lead pastor for the young adults group, Inversion. Person number two is my second momma, Robyn McKelvy. Robyn’s husband Ray is exiting pastor of Inversion, led Casey and I in premarital counseling and on our wedding day. Robyn has loved on me for the last two years, and she and Ray have led Casey and I’s community group for almost a year now. That weekend made me even more thankful for the people God has placed in my life. I feel so blessed to have people like Robyn and Michael to fill me with the truth and love.
During the Art of Marriage we were given project time. On Saturday, we had the opportunity to write each other a letter and then read it to each other outside on a beautiful summer day. My love for Casey grew as I was guided by thought provoking questions for writing my letter. Then my heart was filled as Casey read his letter to me. There’s nothing like a true moment of moving towards each other, engaging and connecting. Now that’s an “opportunity for intimacy.” This project time and then the other, a picnic and time of exploring our need for repentance and forgiveness, gave us much needed time to repair and reconnect. If that’s all we got out of the weekend, it would have been worth every dollar and every minute!
In case you want to write a similar letter to your spouse, here are the questions that Art of Marriage gives to guide us. Let me know if you get a chance to write one!
1 – What qualities attracted me the most to you when we first met?
2 – How has God used our differences to help complete us and to help me grow?
3 – HUSBANDS: Think of an example of how your wife has shown you respect and supported you. Take time to encourage her for her efforts.
4 – WIVES: Think of an example of how your husband has loved and led you well. Tale time to encourage him for his efforts.
5 – HUSBANDS: Reflect on your responsibilities as a husband to love and lead your wife. Express one of the ways you commit to grow in each area moving forward.
6 -WIVES: Reflect on your responsibilities as a wife to respect and support your husband. Express one of the ways you commit to grow in each are moving forward.
