The Power of Influence

What a great time we had this morning in Session 2 of the Love Dare! We had the opportunity to share love stories and lots of laughs. We did lots of reflecting on the events of the week, along with the dares, and it sounds like we are all having great experiences. What I like about this whole process is, it's just as much a self-assessment as it is a couple thing. Based on the conversations that took place this morning, I think it is safe to say we are making some self discoveries that are helping us grow too.
Today's session was about influence. The power of influence is strong and surrounds us daily. The people that we surround ourselves with, the media, our own selfishness, and our own experiences play a part in how we view relationships. Sometimes we have to step back and evaluate how the things and people in our lives are influencing us. Are they pushing us towards the right things, or pulling us away? Often times friends, though they have the best intentions, plant seeds of doubt that can effect our marriages. They see things from an outsiders view and issue opinions based on protecting us, their friend. In reality, this can be a dangerous situation. If your friend is only looking out for you, and not your marriage as a whole, then they can pull you away from your spouse. This will only lead to more tension and bigger problems.
In addition to people, there are "things" that can pose a threat to our marriages as well. Other relationships, debt, work, schedules...these are all things that end marriages everyday. But in the Fireproof movie, Michael tells Caleb something like; Fireproof doesn't mean the fire doesn't come, it means that when it does you can handle it. We all know that there are negative influences out there, so we have to be prepared to recognize them and deal with them as they expose themselves.
The good news is there are also positive influences that we can attach ourselves to. We all have people in our lives who we respect because they have the same beliefs that we have, and have somehow made it work in their marriage. Seek those people out and spend time with them. Surround yourself with people who are like you, and think like you. That is why today everyone got "couple buddies". Hopefully you and your buddies will be able to chat throughout the week and make sure all is going well, and if not share it with them. Ask them to pray for you. Go to dinner, whatever will build that relationship so that you have two more people to add to your positive influence list!
The dares get more intense with each week but DON'T QUIT! As Dory would say, "Just keep swimming".

Leading Your Heart

Today was the first day of Love Dare for our group and I must say we had an awesome turn out! There were 17 of us who made a commitment to ourselves and each other to grow our marriages. I have to say that I LOVE that we are going through this process with our closest friends!
Today's focus was on Leading Your Heart. Being a part of the "Romantic" society that we live in, it is popular belief that you should "follow your heart". Movies, songs, and even commercials are full of examples of this. Do what feels right at the moment...whether that means jumping into relationships blindly or downing a bag of Doritos! We can justify it at the time, but often we end up paying for it later!
Proverbs 16:25 says...There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it is the way of death.
Often times our heart follows the path of our priorities, so if our priorities are jumbled, then so is our focus. We constantly chase more money, power, and material things, but the verse above explains were that gets us! We have to do some reassessment of our priorities and make a conscience effort lead our heart towards the path that God has established for us.
Matthew 6:21 says, Your heart will always be where your treasure is.
So I guess we have to ask ourselves, What is my treasure? Where is the majority of my time spent?
Just some things to consider as we embark on our first week of Dares!
That's all for now friends, so go forth and dare to love your spouse more each day.

Excuses, Excuses

When was the last time you had someone hit you with a whiny excuse? Better yet, when was the last time you offered one up?! Excuses seem so innocent and logical when you need one, yet so hard to swallow when you are on the receiving end! To me, excuses are a sign of guilt. When I have to make an excuse for something I did or didn't do, it's usually because I feel guilty and I have to convince myself (and whoever I am talking to) that there was no way around it. Either that or I wasn't really committed to whatever the expectation was, so I let it slip by and then had to make an excuse to "cover it up".
The fact is there is ALWAYS an opportunity for an excuse! It is very easy to talk ourselves out of commitments when we are tired, busy, or maybe even uncomfortable. Since the majority of us MUST go to work 5 or 6 days out of the week, Sundays are the only day that we can "choose" what we do. I think Sunday must be Satan's busiest day! He has a way of making the sheets feel extra soft, the kids sleep extra late, and can fill our heads with a million excuses of why we should just stay in our beds. But if we choose this route, then Satan wins! And if we continue to choose this route week after week, our faith goes from hot, to lukewarm, to cold. While cold seems like the worst of these, check out what Revelations has to say about being lukewarm...
Revelations
3:15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot.
3:16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.

Although He says that He wished we were "cold or hot" He really expects us to be hot! (The only place being "cold" is gonna get us is...in a very HOT place!)
So, we have to stop making excuses, stop letting Satan win, and GET OUR BUTTS TO CHURCH! Not only that, we need to make it a goal to stop having to make excuses in all areas of oour lives. I think we will all feel better about ourselves if we stay true to the commitments we make, in our Christian walk and in our daily, unpredictable lives:)

I DARE YOU!

Beginning Feb. 14th, Valentines Day, Journey will be starting the Love Dare. This is a series that goes along with the moive, Fireproof, which is about a couple struggling with their marriage and their faith. Love Dare is a study about what love is and what it isn't.
The Bible says,

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:7-8

The Love Dare is geared towards all couples because it focuses on taking marriages to the next level. In order to be the best spouse possible, we have to understand God's unfailing love. God loved us first, He loves us more, and He will do anything for us. We have to treat the ones we love in the same manner.

The study will take place over a course of 9 weeks, beginning on the 14th. It will be held in the Journey classroom, and be lead by the Eddlemon's.

Please plan on joining us as this is a wonderful study that you will be glad you were a part of!

Journey Makeover

After a much needed brainstorm last week, it was decided that we should do some updating to our room. So on Saturday, Wes, Eric, Jeremy, Amy, Corey, and I met at the church to do some rearranging and painting! We painted the front wall a mossy green, which is FABULOUS and makes the room look SO much bigger! We converted an entertainment center into a kitchen, and made the old kitchen a storage room for School Box Ministries. It was a lot of work and a very long day, and even though we have lots more to do, I think everyone enjoyed the new digs Sunday morning.

This wall brought to you by Leigh Ann and Amy!

Now we can actually sit and eat our breakfast at a table, while we have Bible study! What a concept! We also have pens and post-its to take notes:)

Christmas Breakfast

Live, Laugh, Love, and of course...EAT!

We didn't JUST eat! We did collect toys for local families that needed help during the holidays:)