Dinner For December

          12/2        12/16

Drinks    Geurink     Alejos
Dessert   Price       Geurink
Veggie    Hansen      Price
Main 1    MacDonald   Hansen
Bye       Raisanen    MacDonald
Salad     Norder      Raisanen
Main 2    Raab        Norder
Bye       Alejos      Raab

Last Homework For This Book

Greetings! Here is (as promised) the last homework assignment for this particular book we have been studying (The Communicating Marriage). Thanks for all of your participation during this book! We will see you all November 18 for game night!
(Taken from The Communicating Marriage pgs 58-60)
GOD'S PRESENT
The following is a list of several gifts that God has given to you to help develop your marriage:

*Daily Prayer
*Weekly worship together
*A weekly date night
*A weekly fast for your marriage
*Individual Bible study
*Reading a book on marriage together
*A couples' Bible study
*Weekly marriage counseling
*A spiritual director
*Service to the poor, together as a couple

With your spouse, decide on two gifts that you will use every week for the next three months.

After deciding on the two gifts to "unwrap" over the next three months, make a plan to put them into action. How will you use this gift? When will you use it together? Where will you use it regularly?

THE DREAM DATE
It's time to start dreaming about how God wants to use your marriage to have a tremendous impact in the world. Share with your spouse your dreams, prayers, plans, or ministry. Below are several questions that you can use to help guide the conversation with your spouse during your dream date. Remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This date is specifically for you to develop, dream and pray for GOd's direction in your marriage and the lives of your family. Although you may not cover all these questions, be sure to choose at least four and take time to adequately talk about how you both feel and think about what God might have in store for your marriage and your family.

Where do you feel God is challenging you and your spouse as a couple?
Where do you sense God challenging you individually?
If you could do any ministry with your spouse, what would it be?
What gifts has God given to you individually? as a couple?
What about your marriage would you like to change during the coming year?
What needs to change during the coming week?
If you have kids, how has your relationship with your spouse changed since adding children to your lives?
How has your relationship changed as the children have grown older?
What do you like about the chages that have happened since having children?
What do you not like about the changes that have happened since having children?
What do you appreciate about your spouse?
What would you like to change about yourself in order to better care for your spouse?

Hopefully, these questions will get your "dream juices" flowing. When you schedule a time to talk and dream, be sure to schedule plenty of time for conversation so that you don't feel rushed. Also, begin and end the date with prayer. In fact, you may want to light a candle at the beginning of the date as a symbol of God's light being with you as you talk.

Homework for 11/4/07

(Taken from The Communicating Marriage pgs 46-48)

EMOTION IDENTIFICATION
Most of us have had a hard time expresssing our emotions because we have a hard time identifying our feelings. Generally, women have an easier time identifying and expressing their emotions, although this is changing. Below is a list of words that describe various emotions. After reading through them, use these words to identify how you are feeling about certain aspects of your relationship.

Abandoned, afraid, alone, anxious, appreciative, ashamed, balanced, cheerful, confident, contemptuous, content, delighted, depressed, desolate, detached, disgraced, ecstatic, empty, excited, fearful, fortunate, glad, grand, grateful, hopeful, hopeless, insecure, judged, left out, magnificent, nervous, pleased, positive, remorseful, sad, safe, scared, sensational, sorrowful, tense, thankful, thrilled, timid, undeserving

Complete the following sentences to identify how you are feeling (you don't need to limit yourself to the above list):

a. In general, two words that best describe how I feel about my marriage are (blank) and (blank).

b. When I think about our financial future, I often feel (blank) and (blank).

c. When I think about my relationship with God, I feel (blank) and (blank).

d. When I think about the future, I feel (blank) and (blank).

Choose one of the areas listed above and take time to explain to your spouse how and why you feel the way you are feeling. As you talk, remember that this is not a time to blame or fix a problem, but simply a time to explain how you are feeling.

After you've each had a chance to explain your emotions, ask your spouse what actions you might take to bring intimacy into your relationship. After you've listened to your spouse, complete the following sentence:

In order to enhance our emotional relationship, my spouse would like me to (blank) as a way of acknowledging his or her feelings about our marriage.

As a couple, reread Ephesians4:25-5:2. What parts of this Scripture passage apply to your marriage and the issues you've been discussing.