This past summer Laura and I celebrated 23 years since we stood in the front of the sanctuary at Browncroft and promised to love each other “until death do us part.” So much was amazing about that day! Surrounded by our family and friends, we exchanged meaningful vows and had a heart-felt celebration.

But there were things that didn’t go so well that day, too. For example, we lost most of our pictures because our photographer timed the flash on his camera incorrectly. Also, I made the mistake of smooshing wedding cake on Laura’s face during the cake-cutting (leading to our first fight as husband and wife).

As I look back, that day was a microcosm of a lot of our married life. We have experienced some thrilling highs as well as some devastating lows. And if you’ve been married for more than 2 weeks, you probably have had moments like me when you looked at your spouse and thought, “We need help”.

Well, we want Browncroft to be a place to help. Marriage is intended to be a sign of Christ’s love for the church and it deserves careful investment of time and energy.

You don’t need to be in an all-out crisis to improve the health of your marriage. As a matter of fact, it’s better if you aren’t!

Next Thursday (October 20) we are launching once-a-month series of gatherings called “Emotionally Healthy Marriages.” These events are designed to help you connect with your spouse deeply and to experience the transformational community of other married couples at Browncroft. Rather than simply conveying information about the components of a healthy marriage, we want to give every couple practical skills that can be implemented right away.

Marriage is a marathon — not a sprint. And our hope is you will be able to apply the skills of each session to your relationship throughout the month and then return the next month to experience something new. (By the way, this also means that if you miss one session, it’s ok… catch up with us the next time!) My hope and prayer is at the end of 7 months together, we will be closer to God and each other as a result.

You don’t need to be in an all-out crisis to improve the health of your marriage. As a matter of fact, it’s better if you aren’t! If you have been married anywhere between 8 days and 80 years, we would love to have you join us. You can sign up as a couple using the button at the end of this article.

I can’t wait to see how God transforms marriage relationships at Browncroft to make us even more like Jesus!