Ferguson / Uhlmann Called 2 Love

A 40-Day Journey into Marriage Intimacy
1. Auflage 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4245-5793-6
Verlag: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 224 Seiten

Learn how to love like you've been loved.   Called 2 Love: A 40-day Journey into Marriage Intimacy shows you how to love like you've been loved. You can experience deepened closeness, freedom to share all of yourself, healing for disappointments and hurts, skills to pass on a legacy of love, and clarity on how God can involve you and your marriage in Kingdom plans. Join authors David and Teresa Ferguson and Steve and Barbara Uhlmann as they share the ups and downs of their relationships and 100+ years of marriage wisdom through the power of story. Using vulnerability, encounters with Jesus, and Scripture reflection, you will learn how to write your own marriage story as well as develop adequacy in sharing the gospel with others. This book is an excellent resource for: • a personal marriage devotional • a 6-week study for small groups or classes • a workshop for marriage enrichment • a mentoring program for other couples   Experience God's love for you and live out that love with your spouse.

Dr. David and Teresa Ferguson have served more than twenty denominations and para-church ministries through pastoral care, training strategies, and resource development with the Great Commandment Network. They reside in Austin, Texas. Steve and Barbara Uhlmann are the founders of the Agape Project, The Intentional Community, and the Called 2 Love Initiative. They reside in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Ferguson, David

Ferguson, Teresa

Uhlmann, Steve

Uhlmann, Barbara

Leseproben

DAY 28

Sharing Your Week 4 Journey

.

PSALM 25:9

The following experiential exercises are practical demonstrations of how to acknowledge your imperfections and need for growth. These exercises also serve as a practical demonstration of accountability to God and to your spouse.

Share Your Personal Story

Reflect on your work from the previous day’s readings and be prepared to share them with your partner.

There’s nothing that you could do to earn the gift of God’s Son. Every one of us must conclude: it’s only by his grace. It is only God’s unconditional love that provided the gift of Calvary and the forgiveness that is available to us. Allow the Holy Spirit to touch your heart with praise and gratitude that God has freely given the gift of his Son. His forgiveness for you is guaranteed because of Calvary.

Take the next few moments to reflect on what you have done or could do to deserve God’s forgiveness. Embrace God’s truth together and then share a few moments of prayer with your spouse. Pray silently or out loud.

Next, pray silently or aloud. Tell the Lord that you are willing to be a good steward of his forgiveness—one who faithfully forgives others as you have been forgiven. Tell him that you are ready to let go of anger and ask his Spirit to empower more reconciliation and peace for your marriage.

.

P8. A Spirit-empowered disciple lives in peaceful relationships and works to help others live in God’s peace as well.

Share Your Marriage Stories

During this Marriage Staff Meeting, you and your spouse will experience several distinct Bible verses.

Doing the Bible

.

JAMES 5:16

Take the next moments to share your confessions with your partner, request forgiveness, and pray for God to heal the hurt. It is important to use the following outline as you share your confession. Here’s an example of what your confession to your spouse might sound like. Use the sentence prompts just as they are given below. (For example: “wrong” is much better to say than “sorry” since to confess means “to agree with God,” and God has said these things are wrong.)

Be specific: _________________________

Demonstrate understanding: I know you must have felt _______________________

Admit wrong:

Request Forgiveness: ______________________________

•When your spouse asks for forgiveness, remember: forgiveness is a choice, not primarily a feeling. The question is not “Do you feel like forgiving?” but “Will you?” Will you release or drop the offense? As you make this choice to forgive, new feelings will come.

•When your spouse asks for forgiveness, remember: forgiveness is an issue of stewardship. It is really God’s forgiveness that you have received and are now being asked to share with your spouse. Just as God has forgiven you, you are called to love the same.

As you express forgiveness for one another, you will be the Bible.

.

EPHESIANS 4:31–32

After all needed confessions have been shared, pray for your spouse. Ask God to heal your partner’s hurt.

.

Repeat the confession process above as many times as needed. Claim this promise of healing as you do his Book: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16).

After each person has shared his or her points of confession, it can also be important to ask:

This question allows your spouse to share hurts you may not be aware of but still need your confession. Use the same confession outline above to respond to what your partner shares.

Finally, there are times when it may also be important to gain a deeper understanding of your partner’s hurt. Further understanding the dimensions of your partner’s pain strengthens the healing in your relationship. It’s in these times you will want to offer comfort and confession. Here are some helpful hints for this kind of conversation.

•Set aside an unhurried amount of time and provide a safe place for your spouse to talk. Offer to listen to any of the hurt that your partner would like to share and be ready to give words of comfort and compassion—then confession as needed. Here’s what it might sound like to begin this conversation.

•Give your spouse plenty of time to share hurts that need to be addressed.

As your spouse is sharing, allow the Comforter to move your heart with compassion. When it’s time to respond, say words that are filled with tenderness, such as:

You and your partner will experience the blessing of living one more Bible verse. You’ll be doing Romans 12:15 and James 5:16.

.

ROMANS 12:15

Share Your Reflections from Your Jesus Stories

When I imagine the picture of Jesus running to me, embracing me with words of compassion, and celebrating over me, I …

As a final exercise with your partner, take some time to pray together. Pray a special kind of prayer: a “perfect love” prayer. In the moments of your prayer time, allow some of God’s perfect love he has placed in you to begin to cast out a measure of your spouse’s fear.

Doing the Bible

Before you begin your prayer, remember the list of the Top Ten Relational Needs. Given the confession that you shared and the conversations you’ve had recently with your spouse, how might God want you to change? Might he want you to become more:

•Accepting

•Affectionate

•Attentive

•Appreciative

•Approving

•Compassionate

•Encouraging

•Respectful

•Supportive

•Secure-giving

.

1 JOHN 4:18 NASB

After you’ve quietly reflected and heard from the Lord, begin praying with your spouse.

Pray out loud and allow your spouse...