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December, 2023
Newsletter from The Marriage Education and Resource Center (MERCY)
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Dear Father,
We are grateful you were with us this past year and we are thankful for the blessings you have given us over the years.
Help us to trust you when life feels uncertain and please forgive us when we fail you.
Guide us in being generous in love and compassion toward others in the year ahead.
In your Son's precious and powerful name we pray.
Amen.
May the Lord be near to each of you. May your marriage bear much fruit and be a reflection of Jesus and His Bride.
Grace and peace,
Penny and David
| Small Group Saved My Parents' Marriage - Emma Norton |  | |
Emma grew up in church. However, she says, "Two elders and a pastor indirectly had the greatest influence on her faith."
On December 10, 2011 her grandfather crashed his private plane and died on impact. An airline pilot himself, her dad struggled to digest his father's death in a healthy way. As a result, this almost caused her father his family.
Her mom was on the verge of divorcing him. She reached out to some men in her Dad's Bible Study group and these men agreed to step in out of love for her dad and his family.
The lessons she learned from that intervention were:
- The gospel changes lives.
- Brotherly love cares more about someone's spiritual health than about the discomfort of confrontation.
- These close friends listened to and trusted her Mom, loved her dad and cared about her and her sister in tangible ways that puts Matthew 18:15-16 into action.
Emma says, "Since that day her dad has been a completely changed man. Once the source of stress, he's now the mediator, peacemaker and wisdom dispenser during family conflicts. He is a doting husband, attentive father and a fantastic pilot."
To read this entire article, click here.
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Reimagined Art of Marriage Virtual Small Group - Starting January 4 - February 8, 2024
8:00 - 9:30 p.m. E.T.
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Ryan and Mandy Gossom, Kentucky Representatives with Family Life, reminds us January 3 is National Divorce Day. To combat this, they are offering this revised Virtual Small group - Reimagined Art of Marriage.
This Art of Marriage weaves together expert teaching, real-life stories, humorous vignettes and more to portray both the challenges and beauty of God's design for marriage.
To learn more or to register, click here or use this QR code:
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For questions text/call Ryan at 502-773-8453.
To pre-order your His and Her workbooks, click here
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3 Foundations for a Connected Marriage
Free workshop
January 12, 2024
6:30 - 8:15 p.m.
MERCI Barn
8510 Highway 111,
Memphis, IN
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Ryan and Jenny Brown are returning to the MERCI Barn.
The Brown's will share practical tips for the busy, distracted or frustrated to reconnect for a fruitful marriage this new year.
If you missed last January's presentation from these authors of The Marriage Experience, you'll want to join them this January.
For more information, or to register click here.
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Once again, Family Life shared a new tradition you may want to think about adopting.
One family had their kids decorate a special stocking with the name of Jesus on it.
They hung it up with the other stockings, but the gifts they placed inside were different and they put in objects, drawings or notes that signified something they wanted to give to God this coming year -- an area of growth, a commitment to using their spiritual gifts and tangible ways of loving people, etc.
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Domestic Violence
Did you know that Kentucky has the second highest domestic violence in the United States? And if you think that is alarming, according to The Center for Women and Families, here's how these numbers play out: almost half of Kentucky women, 45%, and about 36% of Kentucky men, have experienced intimate partner violence.
The Center for Women and Families helps victims of intimate partner abuse or sexual violence to become survivors through supportive services, community education and cooperative partnerships that foster hope, promote self-sufficiency and rebuild lives. They provide services in Trimble, Henry, Oldham, Shelby, Jefferson, Spencer and Bullitt Counties in Kentucky, as well as Clark and Floyd counties in Southern Indiana.
Here is the number of the National Domestic Hotline:
1-800-799-7233.
| The Power of Prayer in Families | |  |
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A counselor-led workshop for couples in crisis.
A New Beginning is a turn-around weekend designed to help couples who feel stuck in an unhealthy marriage, couples who are frustrated and unhappy and couples considering divorce.
Nashville, TN - January 19-21, 2024
For more information, click here.
| Well-Blended: Growing Unity and Character in Your Stepfamily | |
If you are a blended family you bring particular challenges to your marriage. Therefore, Family Life is offering this self-paced course for you.
Each session offers:
- Engaging videos from experts on blended families
- Innovative activities to help you apply wisdom to your stepfamily and marriage
- Thoughtful articles and audio segments
- Couples' devotions to bring you closer
- Recommended resources to dig deeper.
Cost: $50 for online course.
For more information, click here
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For Those in Troubled Marriages
If you are struggling in your
marriage, please be sure to check out these upcoming programs in and around the areas we minister:
Retrouvaille - A Weekend for Troubled Marriages
- Weekend of January 1 - Cincinnati, OH
- Weekend of February 16 - Louisville. KY
Please note: this is an international program and if you are in a different location, please check their website for other locations.
The cost for registration is normally between $350 - $400.
For more click here.
| Encouraging Your Husband to be a Hero | | |
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According to new research from Harvard, the practice of prayer during childhood is linked to healthier life choices and better physical, mental, and emotional well-being in young adults.
Per a new BYU study, prayer helped family members address problems or stresses they were facing, as well as reduced tensions in their relationships.
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We want to thank each of you who support MERCY in so many ways, whether it be through prayer, financial assistance, attending special events, mentoring or reading our newsletter. Please know if we can help in any way, we are here for you.
We want to also say a special thank you to City Place in LaGrange for allowing MERCY to use their facilities for our October Date Night and previous events we have held there.
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7 Habits that Can Lead to Adultery
- Criticizing your spouse in public, in private or online.
- Lack of physical affection
- Surrounding yourself with friends who don't know (or don't like) your spouse.
- Stubborn pride (Believing your way is always the right way or the only way.)
- Keeping secrets from, your spouse.
- Threatening divorce
- Going on "Autopilot" (When you stop making efforts to strengthen your marriage.)
continued in next column.
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We don't need to tell you that men and women are different.
What does your husband's needs for respect look like? What does the Bible really mean when it talks about submission? And what can you do to draw closer to your spouse?
Focus on the Family is offering a free video series "Encouraging Your Husband to Be a Hero" that will answer these questions and more.
In this series you will hear from Dr. Juli Slattery, a clinical psychologist and author of the book Finding the Hero in your Husband.
She has helped countless marriages. Here are the titles for all six episodes.
- When the Feeling of Love Fades
- Men's 3 Core Needs
- Women's 2 Core Needs
- Submission in Marriage
- Obstacles to Intimacy
- Practical Advice for Disillusioned Couples
You will get all six episodes up front, and each one is just 5 - 10 minutes long.
Each video comes with discussion questions, a Scripture verse, a prayer and links to additional resources if you want to dig deeper.
For more information, click here
| 7 Habits that Can Lead to Adultery continued. . . | To read this entire article, click here | | |
Coupletime - Joy in Marriage | | |
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Write your responses to the following questions and then share them with your partner.
- What has been the greatest unexpected joy in your marriage?
- What have you learned from your spouse that you would have never known?
- What ideas and/or values have you enjoyed sharing and discussing? What goals have you worked together to see become a reality?
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