W2R Take Home 2: Make Prayer A Priority In Our Marriage
Happy Leap Day!
To my friend Stretch Mark, Happy 12th Birthday!
Yesterday, I shared one of my big take homes from my Weekend To Remember (W2R) marriage conference experience. I shared that I want to be an agent of encouragement in my marriage and in my family.
Today, I’ll share my second big take home for the W2R conference. I want to make prayer a bigger priority in my marriage. Leanne and I pray to together most nights at bedtime. Although, this sometimes is missed when one or both of us is “too” tired. If I’m honest, I often wait for Leanne to initiate our prayer time. I could probably come up with all kinds of excuses for this, but I’ll save you (and me) the agony.
The W2R conference was a great reminder that I need to step up and lead in this way in our marriage. One of the speakers, Bob Maddox, shared that he and his wife pray together twice a day. If he’s on the road, he calls her at least twice a day to make sure this prayer time happens. Bob takes responsibility for this. When he shared this, I was definitely challenged. And so we are praying together twice a day. I pray with Leanne before I leave for the office in the morning, and we pray together at bedtime. So far, it’s been three days in a row!
How could praying together twice a day make a difference in our family?
First, making prayer a priority puts our perspective and focus in the right place. God has to come first in our lives. Second, praying together gives us an opportunity to connect and to lift each other up. There’s no question that we are in a busy stage of our parenting lives as we run our kids from activity to activity. We need this time to slow down and to be together. Third, praying together sets the tone for our family. I’ve heard it said, the couple that prays together stays together. We want our family to be cemented together. And we want our family to put God first. When we pray, our kids will know it. They’ll see us putting God first. This will have an impact on their lives. Finally, prayer changes lives.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16
What’s your prayer life look like? If you’re married, do you pray together? What reasons could you add for praying together with your spouse?
W2R Take Home 1: I Want To Be An Encourager
Yesterday, we (Leanne and I) shared about our Weekend to Remember (W2R) experience at the FamilyLife marriage conference in Hershey, PA. Conferences like this are great, but it can be easy to come away with a mountain top high that quickly fades as real life happens.
When I woke up early yesterday morning for an earlier than normal start, it was easy to become instantly tired and to feel worn out before the week had even started. When I had a migraine headache yesterday at work, it was easy to quickly become frustrated and to feel like I was back to real life. (I’ve been struggling with migraines over the past few weeks.) When I came home from Isaac’s basketball game where we suffered a tough loss in the final four of the playoffs, it was easy to get down knowing that our hoops season was now over.
But throughout the day, I kept reminding myself of the great weekend I had just experienced. I left the conference with a few take homes.
The first major take home for me was put into action last night when Isaac suffered defeat in his basketball game. I want to be an agent of encouragement for my wife and kids. I was pretty down after his game due to the outcome and due to a comment from one of his teammates. I had the chance to express my pride and love for Isaac. Isaac plays the basketball game with a positive attitude. He doesn’t complain. He has fun. He does his best. His game continues to show improvement. I love to watch how he transforms throughout the season into a basketball loving machine.
As we talked about the discouraging remark by his teammate, we had the chance to discuss the power of encouragement. We all have the opportunity to lift people up through our comments. I want our family to live this way to each other, to our classmates, to our teammates, and to others. As a dad, I believe it starts with me as I lead our family. I want to be an agent of encouragement!
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. I Thessalonians 5:11
How has encouragement transformed your life? Are you an agent of encouragement or of discouragement? What is one thing you can do today to encourage someone?
Ten Reasons To Attend FamilyLife Weekend To Remember
This weekend, Leanne and I spent the weekend at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, PA. We enjoyed Cocoa Massages at the Hershey Spa. We enjoyed chocolate butter and chocolate mocha creme brulee at the Hershey Grill. We enjoyed a quick ride at Chocolate World. And we enjoyed plenty of Hershey’s Kisses and candy bars. But we weren’t there for the chocolate.
We were in Hershey, PA to attend the FamilyLife Weekend To Remember event which ran from Friday night through Sunday morning. Before you get too nervous, Leanne and I aren’t having any major marriage problems. But we’re always looking for opportunities to improve our marriage relationship. This year’s event was focused on creating oneness in our marriage, and the sessions are taught from a Biblical perspective.
As we were driving home yesterday, we thought it would be fun to share reasons for attending an event like this. Perhaps, you’ll consider attending with us next year! So here’s our top 10 (in no particular order) reasons to attend the FamilyLife Weekend To Remember:
1. One Big Date: This is a great opportunity to spend time together for the entire weekend (without the kids).
2. Cocoa Scented Everything: From the shampoo, conditioner, and hand lotion to the baked goods and chocolate steamers, you could smell chocolate everywhere. You could even smell chocolate in the air when you walked outside the lodge thanks to the nearby Hershey factories.
3. Speakers: Trent and Andrea Griffith and Bob Maddox did an excellent job transparently relating stories from their own marriages and life experiences to help illustrate the main points of the teaching. All three of the presenters were down to earth and approachable. We actually ran into Bob on Saturday night, and he was so easy to talk with.
4. Great Resources: Besides the speakers, there are tons of books and other resources available to help your marriage and your parenting. We picked up a handful of books that we’re looking forward to exploring together.
5. Foundational Teaching: We’ve heard many (if not most) of these things before, but it was great to be encouraged through the speakers.
6. Date Night: Although this was one big date for us (see number one), it was wonderful to have an evening designated as our night out.
7. We’re Not Alone: There were over 1500 others in attendance at this event. It was a blessing to see that there were so many couples who have decided to make their marriage a priority. On Sunday, there was an opportunity for people to share how they were changed by the conference and how they were going to apply what they had learned. We both resonated with many of the things shared.
8. Inspiring: We both left with renewed ideas and enthusiasm for our roles as spouses and parents. We were encouraged to list 2 or 3 action steps to take with us as we returned to the real world. We’ll be sharing those in the coming days through our blogs.
9. Dynamic Breakouts: On Sunday, we attended breakout sessions for men and for women. When we met together after these sessions, we both commented that these times were highlights for us. These breakouts provided specific teaching directed towards husbands and dads and wives and moms.
10. Renewing Our Vows: At the conclusion of the weekend, we had the privilege of renewing our marriage vows. These vows mean so much more now that we’ve experienced life together for over 15 years.
Have you ever been to a marriage conference? Which one? What were the highlights or biggest take-aways for you? How did it change your marriage?