Here's a quick update from us.

January 2020 Newsletter from The Marriage Education and Resouce Center (MERCY)

Blue night with fireworks and new year 2020 and couple in love as symbol for wedding and honeymoon

Happy New Year!

Thank you for your support throughout this past year. We're excited for all that 2020 will bring and to create new ways to support you and your marriage.

A new feature we are offfering beginning this month is "Moments with a Counselor." Couples sent in questions that they would like to ask an expert on an issue dealing with marriage. They asked and we answered.

These are 2-3 minute videos from some Christian counselors/experts we work with on a regular basis. We want to thank them for offering their free advice. We hope these clips will be of value and encouragement to you.

We also hope to be able to post these videos on our website in the near future.

We would appreciate your prayers as we continue to seek the Lord's guidance in 2020.

Grace and peace,

Penny and David

Moments with a Counselor

Heather Brooks - Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

How to have that difficult conversation with your spouse.

Before my daily Bible study, I want to take time to praise God and one way I've been able to do this is with a book called Hallelujah! Amen. It is Done by Judith Elmer. Judy and her husband, Carl, are friends of ours and we've seen them walk through a difficult storm. Carl had a major stroke a couple of years ago but they continued to cling to the Lord and praise Him during this difficult time.

I came across her prayer of praise called "Jesus First" this week that talked about marriage. With her permission, I wanted to share it with you. I hope it will touch you in a special way as it did me.

Jesus First

"Father we paise You for how You created the union of a man and a woman in marriage.

We praise You for marriage and its order and design.

Your Almighty Power can break through any kind of barriers in a marriage.

No relationship is too dysfunctional for Jesus Christ. Praise You for breakthroughs like. . .

forgiveness

healing

and the truth.

Holy Spirit move husbands and wives closer to Jesus.

May they cling to Jesus first and then to one another.

May they stand firm in their commitment to love one another.

Help husbands and wives to look at each other through eyes of grace. Thank You for fighting for marriages.

The battle is Yours and is fought by Your Power and Strength.

We praise You for Your movement in Christian marriages."

Upcoming Marriage Events

Building a Lasting Promise

MERCY has coordinated with the Louisville Metro Police Foundation and Capernaum Retreats to offer a 6-week, faith-based program entitled "Building a Lasting Promise."

We are all excited about being able to offer this marriage program to LMPD officers and their spouses. The program begins January 15 and will be offered every two weeks until March 25.

If you know any Louisville Police Officers, please make them aware of this event and encourage them to attend.

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Financial Peace

We all need a plan for our money and that's why Financial Peace University is for everyone - from the financially secure to the financially distressed. You will learn how to manage your resources, spend and save wisely, get rid of debt, and much more!

Each lesson includes video teaching by Dave Ramsey, class discussions, interactive small group activities, and homework that will help you apply what you've learned.

Participation in a Financial Peace University group requires an $80 one-year membership fee to be paid when registering. Couples/family members attending together may use the same membership.

Southeast Christian Church is offering this program at several of their campuses. Click here for more specific information and/or to register.

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Love and Respect

Has your marriage started to crumble because of the same fights over and over? God's Word has all the answers you'll need. Join Eric and Andrea Higdon for this 6-week study on how to get the love and respect back into your marriage.

Tuesdays - February 18 - March 24

6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Room 190A

Southeast Christian Church - Crestwood Campus

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Here are some additional events you may want to consider and were featured in MERCY'S December Newsletter. For details click on the appropriate links.

Broken to Blended - click here

Grace Marriage - click here

Choices- For a Successful Marriage - click here

Retrouvaille - click here

Search for Significance -

(502) 717-LIFE Office | (270) 316-6960 Cell

[email protected]

lifetrainingministries.org

Money and Marriage

Money can be one of the greatest sources of tension and conflict in marriage. Learn how to handle money God's way so you can build lasting intimacy instead of creating more distance. Get practical tools and clear takeaways to help you communicate more effectively and be on the same page about money.

Tuesdays - January 28 - February 11

6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Southeast Christian Church - Crestwood Campus

Room 190A

For more information and/or to register, click here

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Valentine Date Night

Come celebrate the LOVE of your life Saturday,

February 15

6-10 p.m.

$50.00/couple

They will

have a catered dinner

(Stumler's)

games, music and more!

Space is limited, so you won't want to delay in signing up.

To register, click here

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WJIE Sweetheart Dinner

Join others for a delicious dinner and entertainer Heather Land, comedian, author and singer. "The words in her stories, and songs reach the hearts of audiences across the country reminding us of the many ways that life can be really hard and funny."

February 14 - 6:00 p.m - 9:00 p.m.

Omni Hotel

Price: $200 per couple

To register or for additional information, click here

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Watch XO at Home

Stream the conference - live or on demand

If you prefer to celebrate Valentine's Day at home with your honey, then why not consider streaming the XO conference from Marrige Today.

You will learn from leading experts like Jimmy Evans, Dave and Ashley Willis, Robert Morris and more.

February 14-15

Cost: Regularly $99, now only $74.99 with code: WATCHXO.

For more information, click here

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6 Signs You Might Be a Control Freak in Your Marriage - Excerpts from Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott's blog

"Have you ever been told you are a controlling person? If so, it's important to take a deep dive into your behavior patterns - something that can tell you so much about your emotional state. People who are controlling are often riddled with anxiety. To cope with their unwanted feelings, they attempt to control too much, too often. Usually, this is because they are afraid of feeling out of control or because they're attempting to avoid losing what little control they have.

According to the Parrotts here are six signs that you might be a control freak in your marriage:

You're constantly running "what-if" scernarios through your head.
You're overly focused on the future -to the detriment of today.
You tend to overreact.
You speak negatively to yourself.
You're always racing to get in control of your jam-packed schedule.
You freak out when things don't go as planned."

If you would like to know more on this subject, we recommend you read Dr. Les Parrott's book The Control Freak.

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