Marriage & Adultery

A recent flipping of channels brought this issue up. OWN has a new show: Unfaithful Stories of Betrayal. This show highlights real life experiences with Adultery in Marriage.

Marriage as wonderful as it can be can have horrible sides if both parties do not work to sustain it. 

Adultery is the ultimate betrayal of a Spouse.

            Although I have never had to face the issues, emotions, and consequences of this act I have known other relationships that have.


Adultery can not only lead to a loss of your Spouse's trust and respect it can also lead to bigger complications such as Divorce.

What does the Bible say about Adultery? We all know that Adultery is against the commandments of God.  

How can we Avoid Adultery ?

God instructs man to cleave to his wife: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). This can also be applied to the wife as well.

Always cling faithfully to your spouse and do not let outside influences come between you.

Watching an episode of the show, it seemed that many of those who make a choice to be unfaithful do so because a break of communication with their spouse.

In past posts I explore the importance of communication with your Spouse. It is important for both you and your Spouse to have a open line of communication so that both of you can express your needs, wants, and desires. 


Most importantly we should put our trust in God and focus on him when temptations arises.1 Corinthians 10:13 


If you or your Spouse are unhappy in your Marriage the first person that you should discuss this with is with one another. If you feel that your issues can not be resolved you should seek help from a Marriage professional and/or Pastor.


Marriage is  a labor of  love, it takes work, time, and commit to allow it to grow.   I hope you are able to use these insights to create and/or maintain your "Loving Lasting Marriage". In addition, Pray together and Seek God together if you are seeking your Loving Lasting Marriage.

Shalasha

You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter 

Wednesday Spiritual Encouragement

Leaning on The Lord

        There seems to be so many things going on in our lives at the moment.

I have three countdowns going on: Until Match Day, Until My Husbands Graduation, and until our VACATION.

As I stated when I first began this blog there is a million things going on in our lives. With a Husband in Medical school our schedule is crazy at times depending on what rotation he is doing at the hospital.  Then we (mostly me) are stressed as this chapter in our life winds down and a new chapter is beginning.

Stress can affect other parts of your life including your marriage. Luckily I am married to a spouse that is cool as a cucumber and brings me back down to earth.

But My greatest comforter is The Lord.

 I need to always remember that The Savior said,

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:29-30.)

I just need to cast all my concerns to the Lord and allow him to take control.

Do you ever have a problem that you need to turn over to God’s control but you continue to worry about it?

Today I’m going give it to him and Trust that we will be placed in a prefect situation for our family.

God has brought us this far and has never left us. His Grace is Amazing!




I hope that through this scripture you and your spouse are encouraged to cast your cares and needs upon the Lord. I encourage you to Pray together and Seek God together if you are seeking your “Loving Lasting Marriage”.

Shalasha

Wednesday Spiritual Encouragement

Trusting In God

This week, My dear friend  shares a personal experience in her Marriage in which God proves that trusting in him can lead to strengthening not only our marriage but also our walk with him. I hope that this week's spiritual encouragement strengthens your walk with the Lord as well.

Shalasha

When God tells you to move, He isn’t joking around! Two months ago, I was a stay-at-home-mommy with a nice teaching job that allowed me to work for only 6 hours a week. This meant I could bring in a little money for my family, but could also “be with” my kids.

Then one night, my husband and I began a stressful conversation about money and how, if we continued on the our current financial path, we would not be able to put our kids into the school of our choice – let alone afford any kind of vacation without the financial help of our parents, any big luxuries (like a much needed mattress), or even be able to save money. I mean, things were tight, but I always thought we could manage. I do want to add that I’m extremely blessed to have married a man who does not believe in “going into debt”! He firmly lives out his life with the philosophy that “if we don’t have it – we don’t spend it!” and it has worked for us – until we began thinking about our kids future. So, my “wonderful” husband told me that he believed I should find a job! I thought “What!!? How in the world can my husband ask me to LEAVE my kids to go work and be OK with someone else taking care of my babies?!”.

But, don’t you know I felt God tell me to at least look for a job. And I did…and I found a part-time position that sounded interesting. The idea of part-time was great because I could work and still “be with” my kids! A small voice told me to apply and as I was updating my resume, I was talking with God. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: God, this is a part-time job. There’s no way it will pay me what is needed to afford daycare AND help our family’s budget.

God: Trust Me.

Me: God, I don’t want to put my kids in daycare.

God: Trust Me.

Me: God, this is really scary.

God: Trust Me, Child.

So, I applied. I told my husband and he was impressed, to say the least, because he knew my strong reluctancy on the matter. A couple of weeks later, I got the call for an interview. The interview went great! I loved my would-be boss, the job itself, my co-workers, the idea of having my own office (with a window!) and the potential for growth. I told them my acceptance would be dependent on finding a good daycare, so my husband and I began looking around. We went to every daycare and didn’t like ANY of them. Constantly praying for God to show us the “pros” and “cons”, we walked into the last daycare and felt peace! We loved the environment, the staff, how clean it was, etc…but there were no openings for my youngest child! I have to be honest...I was excited inside; because I thought this was God “closing the door” on this job and that I could stay at home with my kids! Boy was I wrong. The director called me the next day and said she could squeeze my kids in and gave me their start date!

I immediately started crying. My husband was so torn in knowing what would be best for our family and wanting me to be happy – that he only said 3 words: “pray about it”. And, I did! I went into my closet and fussed with God! I did! I told Him how I felt and how uncomfortable I was with this situation and asked him to make it as clear-as-day to me what I needed to do, because I did not want to make any mistakes with this huge decision.

God never lets us down.

God is always in control.

God knows what’s best for our family.

God knew what He was doing when He put my husband into my life.

God knew my husband would ignite this “job-hunting” process which would ultimately benefit our entire family.

God is trustworthy.

            So, when I called this job back and told them I had a daycare picked out, they told me how much they were willing to pay me and it was clear-as-day what my decision was going to be.

God answers prayers.

            Here we are, 4 weeks of working a job and my kids being in daycare. We are still alive! I’m not going to lie…there were adjustments and hardships to get past in the beginning but, I see so many benefits already!

I love my job!

I’m working with Christians!

My youngest kid loves her teachers!

My oldest comes home singing new songs and talks about his “friends”!

I feel like God can use me more now than ever before.

            Now that this huge change has taken place, I can say that I trust God. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to say it before with real meaning…but, after this change, I know God is trustworthy! And it all began with my wonderful husband, listening to the call of God to make changes in his family!

Ashley

National Marriage Week - An Engagement Love Story

I hope you and your spouse have been able to reconnect or gain a new perspective during National Marriage Week 2012. I hope you have had time to read the Ebook " Stay Connected" located on the resource page, have had time for that date night, as well as written your Love letter. Each of these things seem small, but each small step help create a better understanding of how to create or maintain "A Loving Lasting Marriage".

 Our Last Love Story for National Marriage Week is  an Engagement Love Story. To look at marriage from a pre-marriage viewpoint can give us "refreshed eyes" into our own marriages. 

Shalasha

Scott and I have known each other for about 9 years, due to us growing up in the same town as well as having some of the same friends.  However, we have only been dating for almost two years (March 28) and I have to give all the credit to him for making "us" happen.

           I can remember it like yesterday:  I was sitting on my bed,  I opened my facebook page and saw that I had a friend request from Scott.  I was shocked and excited at the same time,  I had not saw or heard anything from him in a couple years. 

Natalie & Scott

           I accepted and as soon as I accepted I received a facebook message...and it went from there.  We messaged each other back and forth for a couple of weeks and then he asked if I could come over and chat in person with him. DUH...OF COURSE...LOL...so I went over and we reconnected like we had not missed a beat out of all of the years we had not talked.

Well, my many dates at his home, eventually flourished into him asking me not to vanish out of his life again for years like before.  As time went on and we started our thing called a relationship, which was so perfect in the beginning, became rocky and when I say rocky I mean rocky. 

 Like I stated earlier, Scott and I have only been seriously dating for right at two years and in these two years, we have had some major trials and tribulations.  There were times I didn't know why we were even together.  But now that I look back at it...GOD knew. 

 Scott tells me all the time that God put me in his life to help him and now I truly see that.  Since we have made it through the storms, Scott sees that “yes” there is a God and all you have to do is give your situation to him and he'll make it all right. 

Scott now has stopped a lot of negative worldly things he use to do. He goes to church faithfully, pays his tithes faithfully, and he has started praying openly to the Lord and he has also committed himself to joining the church that we both attend. 

I have to say that as I'm typing this, tears come to my eyes and roll down my face because I've seen this young man grow in the Lord and become the man that God wants him to be.  

 So when asked what our relationship is built on, its the Father, the one and only Jesus Christ, because without him, "we" would not be and we would not be were we are spiritually in him. 

As our love grew stronger in both each and the Lord, Scott told me that he told God that he now was committed to him, but wanted to be committed to me as well in the right manner (his way). 

  On January 1, 2012 in Fort Lee, VA, as the clock struck 12 midnight Scott and I said “HAPPY NEW YEAR” to each other. Then he dropped down on one knee (in front of my mother, two sisters, my brother-in-law, nephews and niece) and asked me if I would do the honor of marrying him and becoming his wife.  I was so overwhelmed with joy, I did not answer in the beginning (lol) and he stated humbly, “ Well is this a yes?” and I said excitedly “OF COURSE!”.

We are now here at the stage of our lives of planning a wedding and man I tell you I'm already stressed, however I know with God all things are possible; and with work, planning a wedding, enjoying time with family/friends everything will still work its way out and we will have the most AMAZING wedding ever which will be on March 23, 2013. 

 With marriage I know comes a relationship deeper than just boyfriend and girlfriend, in which goals, aspirations, and a commitment to God takes place.  So with this said, Scott and have definitely picked up from when we were just boyfriend and girlfriend to now fiancée’s continuing with our goals. 

 I believe setting goals for a marriage (or really anything) is essential, because I know that after marriage everything will not just be fine.  There will still be moments in which we will want to give up but WE WILL NOT!!!.

Giving up in God's eyesight is not an option.  So simple goals we have set for ourselves is to first realize that we are both individuals and should have goals for ourselves which leads to a bigger goal for "us" whether it be short or long term.   One thing we do already is a monthly calendar that we place on the refrigerator.  Because my schedule is so busy Scott suggested I not only do a calendar for me but for him as well, so he can know what's going on (which has helped out a lot). 

 Another thing that we do is to tell each other we love one another consistently, we show affection (by touching each other) consistently; and we do this because its what makes us happy. Oh, a big thing Scott does that I love is he leaves me love notes around the house and when I get up in the morning that's one of the first things I see. 

We also vowed to go out to eat once a week (and not it doesn't have to be anywhere fancy every time).  But those are just small goals.

 One of our bigger goals after our marriage in March of next year is to start trying for our first child. 

Another goal we have for five years down the road is to build a home.

The biggest goal of them all, which is long term, is to continuously build our relationship on God's foundation.

 To make a long story short, having goals whether they are long or short truly helps a relationship out.  I know making goals has helped our relationship and we will continue to make them so when we are in our 60's or 70's (Lords will) we can look back and say look what the Lord did for us and we did it step by step. 

Just remember God is a God of ORDER!!!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY BLOGGERS!!!!

--

Natalie Gause

National Marriage Week Real Love Stories

Romans 8:28 : And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (KJ)

I was lead to find this wonderful blog: The Purpose for Pain. I was immediately drawn to the writer. Her words but also her story, her life, speaks to me. Through her pain her Love for God still shines.

I am sure that her Love Story will speak to you as well as her Love and Trust in God.

Shalasha

After graduating from college with my nursing degree I headed to a land of great beauty and intense suffering—Uganda East Africa. God called me to serve as a missionary sharing His hope to those with a chronic illness, HIV/AIDS. Little did I know that four years later I'd be battling my own mysterious illness. I joined a doctor and his wife, and I took the position knowing I would most likely serve my term without any other young teammates. This was scary for me as an extrovert used to living with roommates and socializing on a daily basis, but I trusted God would provide the companionship I needed.

The first six months in Uganda were extremely lonely. I remember waking up wanting to vomit because I did not know how I would make it two years in a foreign country, but God gave the grace to press on. Nine months later I found out a young single guy would be joining our team. My teammates teased that he would be my future husband, but upon his arrival his shy and sometimes awkward personality assured me we would only be friends.

As we got to know each other better I began to see a different side of him.  We began talking online, and I learned he was a great communicator and had a love for God’s word.   I was interested in a guy I had met a few months before going overseas, but I was thankful for the new friendship. However, I began to have a change of heart when he volunteered to cook dinner and run errands to help me when I had a volunteer team from the States staying with me. I learned he was considerate and helpful and had a lot of the qualities I wanted in a husband.  

In the past I had dated guys who said they “loved” me, but they did not have the love the Bible speaks of in 1 Corinthians 13 or the love a husband should have for his wife (Ephesians 5:25-28).  Because my heart had been broken in the past I was not interested in dating.  I had been praying that God would bring me a man who would pursue me with intentions and not treat my heart lightly.  I set my standards high because I had given my heart away too easily in the past to guys who were not honorable.  I decided I would rather be single my entire life than settle for a man who was not God’s best for me.

The more I talked with my teammate about God and the Bible I saw that he possessed these standards, not to mention others that I was attracted to.  I also came to see that some of the qualities I had been attracted to in other guys were not important. As I became more attracted to him I prayed for several months that he would pursue me if he was the man God had,

Finally after months of getting to know each other and praying, God confirmed my feelings when my teammate took me aside and told me he loved me and wanted to pursue me in a relationship toward marriage. It was amazing to see God work to bring us together. Soon after he revealed his intentions, I moved back to the States while he stayed in Africa to complete his assignment. Thirteen months of intercontinental romance was difficult to say the least, but God sustained us and we were married only five weeks after my husband returned to the States. 

We spent our first few months of marriage dating since we spent such little time together in person while "courting".  Our promise to love and care for each other in sickness and in health was quickly tested when I began experiencing a rare type of pelvic pain a month before our first wedding anniversary. We were blessed with a little girl during our second year of marriage, but little by little the life we once knew was turned upside down as my physical pain became debilitating. Virtually every aspect of our young marriage, which is now four years old, has been strained. The life of travel and “doing” that we loved so much is no longer possible as the pain often confines me to my home. We live in a town where we never wanted to live and my husband works a job he didn’t plan to work only to come home and have to help care for me, the house and our daughter. Despite seeing some of the best doctors in the country my pain remains, and we do not know if I will regain a better quality of life this side of heaven.

It is easy to feel like our situation is grim, but we know and trust that God in His loving providence is orchestrating the events of our life for His glory and our good, and it's only by His grace that our marriage has endured. Jesus is the flame that keeps our marriage alive, not love, or sex, or common interests, or children, or memories, or even friendship.

So what do you do when the realities of life and marriage come crashing down? How do you ensure a loving, lasting marriage in the midst of chronic illness or intense suffering or just normal everyday life? What do you do when you wake up and you don’t feel like you love your spouse or you hate the life God’s given you?

·       The first step to a loving, lasting marriage is Jesus. We love because God loved us first by sending His Son to die for our sins. (1 John 4:7-11) Do you know Him?

·       Pull hard from your roots (Psalm 1:1-3) and lean on God’s grace and strength, not your feelings. In order to find this strength you must follow Him.

·       Remember your God ordained roles (Ephesians 5:22-33). If a husband loves his wife as Christ loved the church then the wife will gladly submit to her husband and vice versa.

·       Put your trust in God and his sovereignty, not your circumstances. (Romans 8:28-32)

·       Find your joy, satisfaction, and purpose in the Lord and not your spouse. It is inevitable—our spouses will frustrate us, but God will never disappoint us.

·       Remember the purpose of marriage—to be a living testimony of Christ and his church (Ephesians 5:31-32)—and keep this primary.

Marriage is a gift, but it’s temporary. We are not promised an easy marriage full of the blessings of intimacy, children, dreams, and friendship. It is not ultimately designed for our enjoyment or for procreation. God designed marriage from the beginning to be a picture of Jesus Christ and His covenant with the Church, those who have trusted Jesus for their salvation, which He purchased through his death and resurrection.

While our current situation is not what I would have ever dreamed would happen when my husband and I married, I trust that this is God's perfect plan for us and that our suffering allows us the opportunity to glorify God more than if life had followed our plan. God has blessed me with a wonderful husband who is extremely patient, caring, and understanding. He tells me again and again that he would still marry me had he known the suffering our marriage would endure. Our prayer is that the world would see that nothing can sustain us or our marriage but Christ.

Read more from the author as she strives to trust God daily at “The Purpose of Pain” . She can also be found on twitter or on her Facebook page . 

National Marriage Week Real Love Stories

         Love Stories, each married couple has one.  Love Grows.  I often find myself even before I began my blog, asking my friends how they meet their spouse. I find it intriguing the varying ways people find their spouse. Most stories if not all can be tied to fate, no not fate, but God.

         My relationship began with a prayer before we even met. A prayer that I would find my soul mate, helpmate, and life mate. My husband is not perfect but I truly believe that God made him just for me. I met my husband right when I needed him the most, in high school. That may seem weird but true. We needed one another.

         From high school sweet hearts to a relationship that has lasted 11 and a half years. We have been married for 4 and a half years, we have already been through so many obstacles but we are still in Love, happy, and continuing to help one another.

            Over the next three days I will share with you three Love Stories. Each a little different but demonstrates that Love Grows.

Our 1^st Love Story is similar to my own and maybe yours too in that it is a High School Sweet Heart Love Story.

            Tell us about your Love Story.

 My Husband and I started dating October 27, 2001. I began working at Burger Shack where he also worked. I started working there in August and by October he had worked up enough of courage to ask me out.  Our Journey led us to marriage on February 12, 2005.  My husband decided to join the Air Force. He left for basic training in August 2005. We were stationed in Texas and in January 2006 we were stationed in NC back close to our families.  Being in the military can be stressful upon a marriage due to the long hours, being away from your family, and just the day-to-day life of being in the military. However, we always focused on the positives and just enjoying the time that we could spend together. Then in October 2007 we welcomed our son Aden into the world.  He is a great mix of the two of us and is our world! Military marriages have a 3.7% divorce rate but today  (2/12/12) we are celebrating our 7^th wedding Anniversary!

High School Sweethearts

Wedding Day 

Family Addition : Aden

Bobbie Jo and Brett

 What do you feel is the most important element of keeping your Marriage “Loving”?

 My hubby is my best friend and when you find that in your significant other then the love just comes along with itJ

How do you and your husband handle disagreements?

We have come to the realization that what the other is saying is important. We listen to each other’s point of view and meet in the middle. Like with any relationship even getting ill at the other is normal from time to time but by the end of the night we kiss goodnight no matter what!

 How do you and your husband make time for one another?

We both love to cook so we always enjoy cooking and grilling together almost every day!

 What do you feel are important characteristics or traits of a “Lasting Loving Marriage”.

• Always being there for the other NO matter What!
• Always be sure to let your s/o know how much you care. Sometimes just "I Love you" still gives you  butterflies but also gives you that reassurance that you need!

Have you and your husband faced a problem? If so how did you overcome it?

We all face some type problem in marriage whether it is big or small. We have never faced any huge problems though just the small ones thank goodness. We always try to compromise and understand each other in every situation. Our viewpoint is that we were all made different so we are entitled to our independent opinions and differences but we have to meet in the middle!

What advice do you think would have helped you have a smoother marriage that you can pass to others?

When you find the one you Love you will know. There is no perfect relationship but there is a great love for each of us. A lasting loving marriage is very real! Always try to understand one another and always let your spouse know what is going on from your perspective. If there’s a doubt or something you are feeling down or out about let them know.  When you communicate with one another you will be able to work through your issues. My hubby says “I Don’t know how to make you feel better, what to change, or how to make you or things better if you don’t let me know.”  Effectively communicating has been an important element in our Loving Lasting Marriage; always let your spouse know!

I hope that you have been able to use National Marriage Week as a time to enhance your marriage . I plan to highlight two additional Love Stories this week with varying elements. I hope you are able to gain something useful from each of these stories.


Please continue to share these posts with others as well as contribute your own elements for a Loving Lasting Marriage. 

Shalasha

Tips from Real Marriages

National Marriage week is about uplifting Marriage. One way we can do this is by sharing our experiences. I have gathered tips from real marriages to share with you. You can join in the conversation here on this Blog, on Twitter, or Facebook. I hope that you will share these " Tips from Real Marriages" with other couples who are married, who are thinking or marriage, or who are seeking a relationship that will lead to marriage.

We are called to be unselfish, giving to each other, even when it hurts! Treat your spouse, as YOU want to be treated.- Lezlie

Always try to keep that love fresh and exciting.... ♥♥♥- Peggy

We agreed years ago to not involve our respective parents that we're each very close to (my dad and his mom) in our domestic disputes. While we may forgive each other and move on the parent may still hold it against the other and we just don't need that kind of negative energy in our marriage. We also DO fight in front of the kids; we don't want them to have any misconceptions about marriage being easy. We also make a point to makeup in front of them because they need to understand that even though we get angry we still love each other very much.- Allison

My husband has a tip that he says all the time "the man has to continue doing what he first did to get the woman even after you are long married! This includes dates, flowers, telling her how good she looks and most importantly. " I Love yous"- Deidra

My husband and I talk about any and everything....I think it is important to be approachable so your spouse feels like talking to you about anything and everything is always possibly. It may get uncomfortable sometimes but I fill like it is a crucial part of our happiness....that and God's hand- Ramona

We NEVER say the "D" word (divorce). No matter how mad we get or how big of a fight we get into. It is just not something we ever use. That way we always know where we stand with each other. No games. We can fight and make up. Theres no need for hurt feelings. Also, we've never called each other names when we've fought. We agree to not fight dirty.- Sharon

One thing I have found to be very helpful in all things but especially in my marriage is the fact that you must communicate. Communication is very important between a husband and his wife.- Amber

It is important to read the Bible and pray together, as a couple. Not just family worship, but couple worship as well. Sometimes that might seem like you're doing devotions 3x/day, if you do individual, family and couple, but I think it's almost mandatory to help keep your relationship line "open" to God.- Lezlie

 You have to  be totally committed to those vows. In the good times and the bad, put God first and obey His Word. 50 years definitely wasn't easy, but we made it with God's help !

We have caught a glimpse of the elements that create a “ Loving Lasting Marriage”  in our jar .  I hope you are able to use these insights to  create or maintain your “ Loving Lasting Marriage”. I would like to thank each one of you that has added to our jar ! Please continue to be apart of this great effort to help ourselves through helping one another ! 

Shalasha

Wednesday Spiritual Encouragement

Courtship Counts

During Marriage Week I have challenged my readers to a Date Night Challenge.

Date Night Challenge: During National Marriage Week plan a 2-hour date night with your spouse. This does not have to be away from home or spend any extra funds. Just 2 hours of one on one time doing something that you and your spouse finds enjoyable.

 Have you made plans for your date night yet? I have our date night almost squared away, and plan to do something on Valentines Day, which will be the last day of Marriage Week.

Why so much emphasis on Date Nights you ask?

There are many couples that feel like the normal day-to-day routine is drowning their marriages. Cooking, Cleaning, Working, Bills, can become so overwhelming at times. In these overwhelming times couples often drift apart if they do not put effort into staying connected. Unfortunately we know that when some couples drift apart they feel that the Love has faded and seek Love from other sources.

God has written a plan for our lives and especially our marriages. God brought you and your spouse together and he wants you to stay together. God knows that courtships count.

Here are a few Bible Versus that highlight to Continue Courtship in our Marriage:

1 Peter4:8

Proverbs 31:28

Romans 12:10

If we are looking for a positive change we must make a positive difference. Do something different to make a change for the betterment of your marriage.

How do you and your spouse make time for one another so that you do not drift apart ?

      In gathering my tips from real Marriages for another post for National Marriage Week, one readers shared :  "It is important  to read the Bible and pray together, as a couple, I think it's almost mandatory to help keep your relationship line "open" to God".-Lezlie Horst

I encourage you to Pray together and Seek God together if you are seeking your “Loving Lasting Marriage”.

Shalasha

National Marriage Week Giveaway

    
    I feel that this is an excellent  tool for any marriage because it contains quizzes that you can take to assess which stage of marriage you are currently in as well as tips to boost your marriage. This is an excellent resource for couples in any stage of Marriage !

The Prize
Enjoy the Contest !

You can enter this contest through the below rafflecopter.

National Marriage Week

It’s National Marriage Week and I am so excited!

What is National Marriage Week?

From February 7th to 14th every year— is a collaborative effort to encourage many diverse groups to strengthen individual marriages, reduce the divorce rate, and build a stronger marriage culture, which in turn helps curtail poverty and benefits children.

You can find out more information from the Official Site: National Marriage Week USA

Ebook

I am pleased to announce that I was able to participate in a creation of an ebook, Stay Connected : 18 Mediations to Help You Build A Marriage That Works !  This ebook was created with several other marriage educators and designed especially for National Marriage Week. You can find my contribution on page 16 of the ebook, which will give you a little more insight on my personal marriage journey. This is a free resource for you to download! You will find this ebook under the Resources Tab at the top of the home page.

Reader’s Challenge

During this Week I have 2 challenges for your and your Spouse:

1-    Date Night Challenge: I have written 2 posts on the importance of date night, but have you taken the step to initiate a date night? During National Marriage Week plan a 2-hour date night with your spouse. This does not have to be away from home or spend any extra funds. Just 2 hours of one on one time doing something that you and your spouse finds enjoyable.

2-    A Love Letter Challenge- Yes, a love letter challenge! When was the last time that you wrote your spouse a love letter, or when was the last time you received a love letter? Sit down and put into writing the reasons you love your spouse, reasons you appreciate your spouse, things you enjoy doing together, and even some things that you would enjoy doing more or begin to do.

I am hosting another Giveaway!

This giveaway will be in a separate post so be looking for it!

Upcoming Posts :

I will be sharing three Married Couples and One Engaged Couple Love stories during this week as well as Tips form Real Marriages!

Facebook page

I am launching “ A Loving Lasting Marriage” Facebook page!

To reach more couples, get more insights, and just spread the word about “A Loving Lasting Marriage” I have created a facebook page. Will you please join this page and share it with your friends.

My original intent for this blog was to catch a glimpse of the elements that create a “ Loving Lasting Marriage” such as one would do on a warm summer’s eve to lighting bugs in a jar . To create topics and ask questions for couple’s in varying stages of relationships and marriage to give their tips, advice, and insights. During 2012 I hope to tie together these insights to help others create or maintain their “ Loving Lasting Marriage”. I would like to thank each one of you that has added to our jar ! Please continue to be apart of this great effort to help ourselves through helping one another !

Shalasha