Thoughts from the Festival of Marriage

It might seem strange that I am blogging about the annual Festival of Marriage (FOM) from nearly two weeks ago, but it has taken that long to digest much of what happened there in Ocean City. First, all of our workshops were well attended and we thank God for that. Some couples even brought chairs from other rooms to attend. We can prepare the material and pray for God's blessings - but He is the One who gives the increase. This was our third year teaching for LifeWay and we appreciate the professionalism of Mark Satterfield and the event staff. All we had to do is show up and minister to the couples, and there were a lot of couples in need. As a pastor, when I counsel, there are usually opportunities to see the end result, but at these conferences we have to have faith that the couples we train will follow through, using the new tools in their marriage toolbox. FOM is an incredibly fulfilling and powerful event that leaves you in amazement days (and even weeks) after it is over. As we said last year, there is no way of knowing how many years the Lord will allow us to continue teaching at FOM. So until the invitations stop, we will seek to impact as many couples as we can.

CAP

Not Ashamed to Beg

On Thursday we will leave for Ocean City, Maryland to teach at the Festival of Marriage(FOM) for LifeWay. This is the third year that we have been asked to lead workshops for FOM and we don't take the privilege lightly. One of the realities that keeps us grounded is knowing that these workshops could make the difference with couples who are about to call it quits. The last time we were in OC, we spent nearly as much time counseling between workshops as teaching. Couples are hurting and marriages are in danger of falling apart. So this is a begging blog. Since you are reading this, won't you please take a few minutes and pray for those couples coming to FOM? Crystal and I need your prayers for strength to teach in the power of God's Holy Spirit. Powerless teaching is not an option because the kids of these couples will ultimately suffer if their parents can't make it work. So add us to your prayer list. Everyone is busy, and you might not have much time - but if you can't give minutes to pray, we'll take whatever moments you can spare. Just throw us a bone. Thanks.

CAP