Charis Varnadore February 9th, 2013

A working, on-going desire for one's relationship with God the Father cannot help but improve one's relationship with one's mate; this does not offer, however, any guarantee of a successful relationship since God will not violate another's free will in order to fulfill your desires. Charis

Tim February 12th, 2013

I love you guys but (I mean how fitting is that on a relationship/marriage show) I was hoping to hear you guys be as out of the box on this issue as others, but honestly it seemed like the same gloomy and doomed filled supposed marriage counseling me and my wife went through. Yes I mean I finally heard some hope given at the end of the show- briefly and almost in the fashion of a disclaimer, rather than a reality. I don't understand why you'd want to get married if you know going into it that it's some haven of misery that God can't wait to dump on your head in order to get you to give Him more attention.
If a man thinks he's going to die the next day he'll probably find a way to make it happen; we didn't go into our marriage with the gloomy conclusion that someday we'd hate each other and have to decide to continue our marriage purely because of duty. We love each other and we like each other and we freely admit we are thoroughly (and even willfully sometimes) flawed. I'm not trying to say we found some formula, but this whole picture of marriage being nothing but a dark night of disappointment with just a crack of sunlight at the end seems to us to be a self fulfilling prophecy.
I still get that often degraded "fuzzy" love for my Princess, and she for me; we don't just let that fire fizzle out and dismiss it as not being real- fires can be restarted (hot dates come to mind). Is there work? Sure! But come on, I have to work hard to get to level 50 in Skyrim, why single out the work in marriage as opposed to anything else; of course there's work. But the anthem for our work isn't a funeral dirge in a musty church, it's more like Miles Davis with some candles. Perhaps we're living a lie- well then, what a glorious lie. Perhaps you think we haven't been married long enough, seen enough rough times or had enough kids- or any other artificial bar or standard that is on some sort of arbitrary scale so that it can be moved once its met. Might we mess up? Sure! Do I surrender to that and accept it? No, I'd rather focus on something else. And for the record its eleven years with five kids within five years and a chronic illness to boot- and no I'm no spiritual giant, I'm just apparently to lazy or too unrealistic to give in to the apparent gloom that is marriage. I know, I know, I'm sure I've taken it to far with what I heard but dang people; is it really that bad? I really do love all you guys and the show. I'm typing this on a mobile so that's my excuse for odd phrasing and spelling.

Tim February 12th, 2013

btw, I said "marriage counseling" I meant "premarital'. Blessings!

Lorie Detter February 14th, 2013

I'm of a firm belief that one must LIKE the person in their relationship;
LOVING comes easy with Jesus in your heart……And – from experiences (bad ones, too) I've learned that a good 2 years of dating, being around the significant other in many surroundings and situations, will help you know if you like them……as you love them.

Paula February 14th, 2013

…AND YOU DON’T LET YOUR HEART BE PUSHED AROUND BY WHAT SOMEBODY ELSE DOES OR SAYS. LIKE THE LOVE DARE BOOK SAYS, LEAD YOUR HEART – GOD’S STANDARD IS TO LOVE – NOT BE LOVED.

THE PRAYER OF ST FRANCIS SAYS IT WELL:
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

CAN YOU IMAGINE IF BOTH PEOPLE IN A RELATIONSHIP WOULD ACTUALLY DO THIS? THIS IS PUTTING THE OTHER PERSON BEFORE YOURSELF – NOW THAT’S SOMETHING WE CAN LEARN FROM JESUS. THE BIG BOOK OF AA SAYS SELF-CENTEREDNESS IS THE ROOT OF THE ALCOHOLICS PROBLEM. I THINK IT’S THE ROOT OF EVERYONE’S PROBLEM.

LIKE SHARON WAS SAYING, STOP EXPECTING THE OTHER PERSON TO FULFILL ALL YOUR DREAMS. THEY’RE NOT GOING TO. PERIOD. SO MAYBE NOW IF WE CAN LET THAT GO, WE CAN TALK AND BE FRIENDS AND LIVE WITH EACH OTHER AND ENJOY “SOME” TIMES TOGETHER…

ONE OTHER THING – PICK OUT 3 THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT EACH OTHER, AND LOVE THEM ANYWAY. THAT SETS AN ATTITUDE TO DO IT WITH ALL THEIR FAULTS.

Romans 15:7
:Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.".