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October, 2023
Newsletter from The Marriage Education and Resource Center (MERCY)
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We are so grateful to all the couples who came to MERCY'S Date Night. We partnered with "Growing Your Marriage" for fun, interactive experiences with some practical tips to enhance couples' marriages.
Thanks goes to Don and Kelly and Lorie and John for leading the sessions.
Take a look at some of the photos below to get an idea of what took place.
But we want to give God the Glory.
This is His ministry and we are all privileged to be able to minister to marriages and families.
Grace and peace,
Penny and David
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MERCY featured on "Mining the Gold" Podcast
David and I had the privilege of being on a podcast by Denise-Watts-Wilson called "Mining the Gold." Denise is a speaker, author and Executive Director of "The Light Center for Family Enrichment."
She tells us that Scripture truths are like nuggets of gold in a reserve. To be its best, gold must be mined, refined and designed. To get the best from Scripture, it too must be mined, refined and designed. She talks about this on her podcast where she has different people share their thoughts and ministries.
We were asked to speak on our marriage and the founding of MERCY. If interested in Denise's message and our testimony and information about MERCY, you can click here.
If you would like more information on Denise's books click here
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Upcoming Marriage Events
Win a Scholarship to
Weekend to Remember
November 10-12
Galt House - Louisville, KY
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Weekend to Remember is a marriage get-away that has equipped millions of couples with practical tools and resources.
Therefore, MERCY of Kentucky, is offering a scholarship to this event.
Because we know MERCY'S
newsletters have been helpful to many couples, we simply ask you to forward this newsletter to one or more couples within the next 5 days to be entered to win a free registration, valued at $350. You will need to email us the name(s) at [email protected] of the couple(s) you forwarded this newsletter to in ordered to be entered for the drawing. You are not signing them up, just sending them a sample of MERCY'S newsletter. Thank you!
Note: The Louisville event is almost to capacity. However, if they sell out, you could use the scholarship at another location, such as Cincinnati, Nashville, Indianapolis or Columbus in 2024, plus many other locations through the U.S. The scholarship does not cover lodging.
For more information on Weekend to Remember, click here.
| Unlocking An Intimate Marriage | |
If you are seeking to build a stronger, closer and more intimate marriage, Shaunti Feldhahn, social researcher, best-selling author, and popular speaker, along with Dr. Michael Sytsma, a leading therapist with a specialty in sex therapy, an Ordained Minister, professor at five seminaries have developed this new small group study called "Unlocking an Intimate Marriage."
Part I (4 videos) will help you and your spouse build emotional and spiritual intimacy and closeness. Part II (4 videos) will help you build physical intimacy - a vital topic often neglected in marriage studies. (If couples desire, they can choose to complete Part II independently.)
For more information, click here.
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A counselor-led workshop for couples in crisis.
- November 3-5 - Online
- December 8-10 - Nashville, TN
For more information, click here.
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With 45% of people claiming unrealistic expectations contributed to their divorce, here are a few examples of realistic and unrealistic expectations that were recently posted that are found in marriage:
Realistic:
- Sharing responsibilities around the house.
- Showing respect to each other.
- Speaking kindly.
- Saying "I love you" often.
- Trusting and honoring each other.
Unrealistic
- Your spouse is responsible for your happiness.
- Your spouse will complete you.
- The person you married will never change.
- Your spouse's life should revolve around you.
- All your time should be spent together.
- Your way is the right way.
| 5 Ways to Become More Self-Giving in Marriage by Les and Leslie Parrott | |
At MERCY, we call it becoming "other-centered." The Parrott's refer to it as becoming more self-giving. We think both are a goal we need to have as Christians.
Following are a few tips from Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott:
- Consider Your Spouse First - What are their needs and preferences? This is not always easy. We need the Holy Spirit to help us yield to one another.
- Don't Hold Your Demands Too Tightly - There are going to be times when a season in marriage requires you to set aside something you want.
- Don't Be Afraid - To put someone first, may make us fearful that we won't get what we want. Communicate openly and honestly about individual goals and find ways to work toward outcomes that will benefit both and be pleasing to God.
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Fall Prayer Guide
XO Marriage just introduced a Fall Prayer Guide -their gift to you for a donation of any amount to their Christian
marriage ministry.
In this guide, you will learn how to deepen your conversation with your spouse and with God through:
- Heartfelt prayers
- Reflection
- Practical exercises
For more information, click here.
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Men's Sexual Sin
On November 11 at 10:00 a.m. EST Pure Life Ministries will be hosting a livestream called "Men's Sexual Sin Q&A."
If you, or someone you know, could benefit from getting solid, biblical answers to really common questions on this topic, click here.
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A Spike in Marriage Proposals is Coming
Signet Jewelers, owners of Zales, Jared, Kay Jewelers, Blue Nile and Diamonds Direct is the largest jewelry company in the U.S. They predict pre-pandemic lifestyles and engagements will likely rebound starting in early 2024.
A wedding is a day, a marriage is for a lifetime. If you know of any couple(s) who are planning to be married, please encourage them to seek pre-marital education. MERCY, along with many of our sister marriage ministries, offer mentoring for free or at a reasonable cost. If you email us ([email protected]) we will be glad to help or direct you to someone who is trained in pre-marital education.
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continued -5 Ways to Become More Self- Giving.
- Learn to Notice When You're Self-Seeking - It takes bravery and self-awareness to know when you're being self seeking.
- Practice Empathy
To read the entire article, click here.
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Our daughter and son-in-law recently went for a hike and asked if we could give them one of our Conversation Basket of questions. One basket we gave them was on Prayer and Praise.
Here are few a questions from that category. We want to encourage you to turn off all your devices and hold hands and answer these questions:
- Share a time you know God answered your prayer.
- Share a time God said, "No." What did you learn from this experience?
- What is something you need from the Lord at this time in your life?
- What is something God has done through you that you could not have done on your own?
- What is something for which you want to thank God?
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