I remember an old commercial featuring a mechanic selling Fram oil filters. He advised people to regularly go to their garage for an oil and filter job, preferably using the brand that he was promoting. His closing line was, “You can pay me now, or pay me later.”
My former mechanic in St. Catharines told me about a car with less than fifty thousand kilometres on it that needed a new motor. Why? Since purchasing the car new, the customer had never brought his car into the dealership for an oil change.
Marriages are much more valuable than cars. They need and deserve good care. For that reason I highly recommend attending a marriage retreat like the one that Marja and I are leading on the Oct. 25-27 weekend (register at “kingfisherbay.ca”). If that one doesn't work, research other retreats.
Years ago, Marja and I attended Marriage Encounter. We remember feeling a lot of resistance to that weekend. We felt that our marriage was in great shape. As it turned out, we really enjoyed the experience of being in a nice hotel and benefited from listening to speakers who talked about their own marital friendships. Most of what we heard affirmed what we already knew and did. But as we compared our own journey with the speakers’ journeys, we discovered that there were still things to learn, improve, strengthen or change.
The Alpha Marriage course, offered several times at Hope Fellowship
Church, was also a very positive experience for us as we listened to speakers tell their stories and teach biblically based principles for marriage. The opportunity to peak into other people’s marriages is all too rare, but so helpful.
Are we marriage experts, qualified to lead a retreat? I once heard this definition of an “expert”. In math equations, “x” is the unknown factor. In plumbing, a “spurt” is a drip under pressure. So an expert is “an unknown drip under pressure.” By that definition, Marja and I definitely qualify!
Seriously, we’re not experts. But, after forty-three years of marriage, we are experienced. All we do, in our weekend retreat, is share our “in tandem approach to marriage” so that others can enjoy comparing their own experiences to ours.
We all know the value of continuing education. In a sense, that’s what a marriage retreat is. But in a far more profound sense, it is an opportunity for couples to step aside from work and family responsibilities and focus on their relationship. It’s an investment of time and emotions that functions like the ounce of prevention that keeps the motor of a marriage running smoothly or gets it running smoothly again. As for the “garage” where the tune up takes place, the accommodations, food and location are usually great. That certainly is the case at the retreat centre we use on Stony Lake where the price is far too low for the beautiful rooms and amazing food provided by our exceptional hosts.
By the way, the LifeCare Counseling Centre connected to our church is also hosting an October marriage event about sexuality (October 4-5) at Carruthers Creek Community Church. Led by two genuine experts, Dr. Clifford and Joyce Penner, it promises to help couples discover greater passion and intimacy in their marriages (register at “lccdiscoveringpassion.eventbrite.com”).
Jesus said that marriage is a relationship where two people become one. The word “become” suggests that marriage is not static but a dynamic relationship that benefits from ongoing tune-ups. So give yourself a push, take a risk, and register for one of these two weekend events in October. You’ll be doing your marriage, your family and yourself a huge favour.
- Pastor Peter
My former mechanic in St. Catharines told me about a car with less than fifty thousand kilometres on it that needed a new motor. Why? Since purchasing the car new, the customer had never brought his car into the dealership for an oil change.
Marriages are much more valuable than cars. They need and deserve good care. For that reason I highly recommend attending a marriage retreat like the one that Marja and I are leading on the Oct. 25-27 weekend (register at “kingfisherbay.ca”). If that one doesn't work, research other retreats.
Years ago, Marja and I attended Marriage Encounter. We remember feeling a lot of resistance to that weekend. We felt that our marriage was in great shape. As it turned out, we really enjoyed the experience of being in a nice hotel and benefited from listening to speakers who talked about their own marital friendships. Most of what we heard affirmed what we already knew and did. But as we compared our own journey with the speakers’ journeys, we discovered that there were still things to learn, improve, strengthen or change.
The Alpha Marriage course, offered several times at Hope Fellowship
Church, was also a very positive experience for us as we listened to speakers tell their stories and teach biblically based principles for marriage. The opportunity to peak into other people’s marriages is all too rare, but so helpful.
Are we marriage experts, qualified to lead a retreat? I once heard this definition of an “expert”. In math equations, “x” is the unknown factor. In plumbing, a “spurt” is a drip under pressure. So an expert is “an unknown drip under pressure.” By that definition, Marja and I definitely qualify!
Seriously, we’re not experts. But, after forty-three years of marriage, we are experienced. All we do, in our weekend retreat, is share our “in tandem approach to marriage” so that others can enjoy comparing their own experiences to ours.
We all know the value of continuing education. In a sense, that’s what a marriage retreat is. But in a far more profound sense, it is an opportunity for couples to step aside from work and family responsibilities and focus on their relationship. It’s an investment of time and emotions that functions like the ounce of prevention that keeps the motor of a marriage running smoothly or gets it running smoothly again. As for the “garage” where the tune up takes place, the accommodations, food and location are usually great. That certainly is the case at the retreat centre we use on Stony Lake where the price is far too low for the beautiful rooms and amazing food provided by our exceptional hosts.
By the way, the LifeCare Counseling Centre connected to our church is also hosting an October marriage event about sexuality (October 4-5) at Carruthers Creek Community Church. Led by two genuine experts, Dr. Clifford and Joyce Penner, it promises to help couples discover greater passion and intimacy in their marriages (register at “lccdiscoveringpassion.eventbrite.com”).
Jesus said that marriage is a relationship where two people become one. The word “become” suggests that marriage is not static but a dynamic relationship that benefits from ongoing tune-ups. So give yourself a push, take a risk, and register for one of these two weekend events in October. You’ll be doing your marriage, your family and yourself a huge favour.
- Pastor Peter
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