This was a great weekend for our marriage!
We had the honor of attending the ‘I Promise’ Marriage Seminar this weekend in Murphreesboro, TN with Drs Gary and Greg Smalley.
What a blast!
Friday evening and Saturday morning, we piled into the main sanctuary at World Outreach Church, and were given some great ideas about our marriage relationships.
* Keeping open hearts in our marriages
* How our beliefs influence our thoughts, decisions and actions
* How spending time with M&Ms can radically change your life (FYI – “M&M’s”? ‘Memorization of‘ and ‘Meditation on‘ Scripture)
* How to break the “Reactive Cycle” when you are having a conflict with your spouse
Neither of us had seen Gary Smalley speak on marriage before – I have read only one of his books (after this weekend, my list grew!). We enjoyed it very much – and what a cool thing for the ministry to continue on to the next generation of Smalleys!!
Dr. Greg Smalley taught two sessions, and his final session on ‘Core fears’ (or the emotional buttons that set us off!) and communicating better during conflict was the highlight for me.
Some Great One liners from the Conference (you can also get them on my Twitter account):
Disagreement is the doorway to better relationships – Gary Smalley
Out of our beliefs come our thoughts, feelings/emotions, & actions/words -Gary Smalley
What is the #1 thing that makes our spouse feel unsafe? When we criticize them – Greg Smalley
More security & safety come to your mate when they don’t feel responsible for your moods or happiness – Gary Smalley
What do you do with expectations? Give them up or manage them – Gary Smalley
Safety is the essence of love – Gary Smalley
In your wife’s world – “Fine” is the Original “F” Word! – Greg Smalley
There is no win or lose in marriage. You either win together or lose together because you are on the same team! – Greg Smalley
If you have a chance to catch Gary or Greg Smalley giving a talk near you – I would highly recommend it!!
The Marry Blogger has Moved!
I wanted to let you know that I am still writing about marriage and relationships It just happens that it is at my personal site: StuGray.com
Please hop over there and keep up to date with our writing about marriage and healthy relationships!!
Again, the website is StuGray.com. You can sign up (if you haven't already) for blog updates here.
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