I want to encourage you to invest in your marriage this year with renewed energy, patience, and encouragement from the Lord. The Lord has much to say to husbands and wives to help them “see good days,” for example:

1 Peter 3:8-11

. . . “be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;   9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For “He who would loves life and sees good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. 11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. . .” NKJV

Plan to have a very special Valentine’s Date Night Weekend–one to remember!  Feb. 14^th is on Monday, but block the weekend if possible:

Put the date on your calendar now; work to keep your calendar free; get someone to cover for you; get a sitter (baby sitter, dog sitter, etc.) Sometimes trading off with friends can be a low cost alternative–e.g., have one couple go out Friday night and the other couple Saturday night.

Childcare will be available at LifeBridge on Friday, February 11, during the evening. Register online at www.lbcc.org/events, and look for the Valentine’s Date Night under the events for February.

Click here for some great date night ideas specific to the Longmont/Denver area, or visit the Marriage and Family Facebook Group.

As mates, enjoy talking about and planning your time together. Your “date time” may be short, but the “talk times” before and the “remembering” after can also be very special.

A highly successful action among lasting couples is a weekly, biweekly, or monthly date night. [i] Couples who have fun together build their closeness and feelings of intimate love, which works to protect their relationship against the storms of life.

A thought that you should contemplate as you make your plans:

Great Memories and future dreams are core elements of building that sense of affection and intimacy between mates. Enjoy your dates and getaways together—never stop dating each other. Sometimes our date times and getaways are short or infrequent, so, enjoy your pictures and memories from the past, and then dream and plan your future times together frequently.

God’s gift to mates is their companionship–so enjoy each other immensely!

Blessings,

Bill

The Marriage & Family Department at LifeBridge want to encourage you to invest in your marriage this year with renewed energy, patience, and encouragement from the Lord. Our wish is that your marriage can be happier and stronger.

February 14, Valentines Day, is the perfect time to ring in the romance. It may be cold and dreary outside, but you can make sure that it is warm and snuggly inside. Make plans now to have a special Valentine’s date. Our hope is that this will encourage you to plan a weekly or monthly date night that you will begin to plan time for just the two of you.

“Couples who have fun together build their closeness and feelings of intimate love, which works to protect their relationship against the storms of life.” -Jennifer Good

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous: love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails . . .
l Corinthians 13:4-8

Remember that marriage was meant to be a “covenant of companionship.” (Malachi 2:14)
Closeness occurs when both partners unconditionally love one another and selfishness is one of the biggest enemies of a marriage. On the other hand being a loving servant to your mate will draw the two of you closer, and when it is mutual-watch out!

God has called husbands and wives to “oneness.” Ask yourself, is there anything getting in between the two of you – kids, job, other people, parents, etc. If so, you need to talk about it. Let there be no secrets with others that your spouse is not a party to. You should work as a team on everything. The two of you and Christ is an unbeatable team.

Eliminate things in the relationship that tear down the closeness of love between the two of you . . . things that are hurtful, repeatable, predictable, and often minimized by the person doing it.

1 Corinthians 7:3-6
1 Peter 3:1-6
Genesis 2:18
Genesis 2:18, 20

Tips:

1.Watch a romantic movie together. . .
2.Get online and find a place you have never been before – explore & enjoy!
3.Dress up and enjoy a night of dinner and dancing. . .
4.Stay at a hotel for the night, and be sure to order in!
5.Walk an indoor mall and enjoy browsing as well as good food and drink. . .
6.Have a candlelight evening in your home . . .
7.Rent several wonderful movies, include popcorn, and stay up late and enjoy each other . . .
8.Give each other a massage . . .
9.Make up some snacks that are normally limited for special occasions and enjoy yourselves . . .
10.Find a new restaurant in a surrounding town. . .
11.Go to your favorite restaurant and order your favorite meal along with dessert!
12.Write a poem for your sweetheart and read it during dinner. . .
13.Work a puzzle or play your favorite game as part of your relaxed evening . . .
14.Have a night of listening to your favorite music. . .
15.Take a night to explore the world on line using interactive graphics and Google Earth, then make vacation plans . . .
16.Find a new recipe that sounds out of this world – and work on it together . . .
17.Spend some time exploring and enjoying a book store, then spontaneously make up the rest of the evening . . .
18.Search out and find a special event to attend. . .
19.Read a book together that you all have been looking forward to, stop and discuss along the way. . .
20.Have a picture night review of many fun memories and then plan your next adventure. . . .
21.Over dinner, dream and plan your next vacation . . .
22.Go to the mountains for a long drive stopping at out of the way places, enjoy sights & food. . .
23.Find a place for a nice hike, later enjoy coffee or hot chocolate or . . .
24.Find some acts of kindness you can do during your evening, bless someone else, e.g., anonymously buy someone’s dinner . . .
25.Go skiing together and browse the surrounding mountain towns . . .
26.Pamper each other with a spa night (massage, bubble bath for two, etc.). . . .
27.Take a walk together along a scenic route. . . .
28.TEVO your favorite shows and watch several between dinner, snacks, and talk time. . . .
29.Drive in a direction for an hour and find things to do in the area you arrive at. . . .
30.Have fun at a local amusement park, arcade or miniature golfing place. . . .
31.Play board or video games at home. . . .
32.Go bowling and then watch a movie. . . .
33.Work out together at the gym and then make up the rest of your evening on the fly . . .
34.Visit a museum or a historical site together. . . .
35.Play your favorite sport together. . . .
36.Go to a dinner theater for the evening. . . .
37.Don’t wallpaper together on your date night!!!!!

• Tie your card or gift on a three-foot string and tie it to the bottom of an automatic garage door. When your spouse comes home, the gift will magically arise to greet them.

• Have a picnic in the middle of the living room floor complete with blanket, picnic basket, and all the fixings (a lit fireplace would add to the effect).
• Pick a romantic place in your city and take a beautiful evening stroll or a carriage ride, if available.
• Go on a progressive dinner. Appetizers in one restaurant, main course at another, dessert at another.
• Deliver or have someone deliver a treat at work. Send a pizza at lunchtime or have coffee and a treat in the afternoon.
• Rent some romantic movies, include popcorn, and stay up late.
• Have dinner at your favorite restaurant.
• Spend a romantic evening listening to your favorite music.
• Find a special event to attend together (concert, theater).
• Stay at a hotel for the night, be sure to order in!
• Find some acts of kindness you can do during your evening.
• Go skiing and enjoy sightseeing in the surrounding area.
• Play board or video games at home.
• Take a walk together along a scenic path.
• Plan your next dream vacation over dinner.
• Have a coffee date, sit and talk about the five most important milestones you’ve reached together. Share why they are important to you and plan the next milestone!
• Empty your pocket change into a jar each night. Once a month spend your stash on “date night.”
• Take time for a quiet stroll together through the moonlit snow or during a light rain.
• Enjoy community theater at a fraction of the price of a Broadway production.
• Go to a “drive-in theater.” There are still a few of these fifties-era fun spots. Box up some snacks and a blanket. It will be worth the drive!

“Each day I spend with you is rewarded by special memories. Things that we do together complete our daily thoughts, for without you there is no bright, sun shining day.” Paris Mkhabela

Remain faithful to your spouse in your heart, mind, and in your actions.
Pray for each other every day.

1 Corinthians 7:3
1 Peter 3:7
Ephesians 5:25-33

Ideas for great dates (in the winter):

Couples who have fun together build their closeness and feelings of intimate love, which works to protect their relationship against the storms of life.

“A highly successful action among lasting couples is a weekly, biweekly or monthly date night. . . .!” (Jennifer Good).

A thought that you should contemplate as you make your plans:

“Each day I spend with you is rewarded by special memories. Things that we do together complete our daily thoughts, for without you there is no bright, sun shining day.” (Paris Mkhabela)

Tips:

1.Watch a romantic movie together. . .
2.Get online and find a place you have never been before – explore & enjoy!
3.Dress up and enjoy a night of dinner and dancing. . .
4.Stay at a hotel for the night, and be sure to order in!
5.Walk an indoor mall and enjoy browsing as well as good food and drink. . .
6.Have a candlelight evening in your home . . .
7.Rent several wonderful movies, include popcorn, and stay up late and enjoy each other . . .
8.Give each other a massage . . .
9.Make up some snacks that are normally limited for special occasions and enjoy yourselves . . .
10.Find a new restaurant in a surrounding town. . .
11.Go to your favorite restaurant and order your favorite meal along with dessert!
12.Write a poem for your sweetheart and read it during dinner. . .
13.Work a puzzle or play your favorite game as part of your relaxed evening . . .
14.Have a night of listening to your favorite music. . .
15.Take a night to explore the world on line using interactive graphics and Google Earth, then make vacation plans . . .
16.Find a new recipe that sounds out of this world – and work on it together . . .
17.Spend some time exploring and enjoying a book store, then spontaneously make up the rest of the evening . . .
18.Search out and find a special event to attend. . .
19.Read a book together that you all have been looking forward to, stop and discuss along the way. . .
20.Have a picture night review of many fun memories and then plan your next adventure. . . .
21.Over dinner, dream and plan your next vacation . . .
22.Go to the mountains for a long drive stopping at out of the way places, enjoy sights & food. . .
23.Find a place for a nice hike, later enjoy coffee or hot chocolate or . . .
24.Find some acts of kindness you can do during your evening, bless someone else, e.g., anonymously buy someone’s dinner . . .
25.Go skiing together and browse the surrounding mountain towns . . .
26.Pamper each other with a spa night (massage, bubble bath for two, etc.). . . .
27.Take a walk together along a scenic route. . . .
28.TEVO your favorite shows and watch several between dinner, snacks, and talk time. . . .
29.Drive in a direction for an hour and find things to do in the area you arrive at. . . .
30.Have fun at a local amusement park, arcade or miniature golfing place. . . .
31.Play board or video games at home. . . .
32.Go bowling and then watch a movie. . . .
33.Work out together at the gym and then make up the rest of your evening on the fly . . .
34.Visit a museum or a historical site together. . . .
35.Play your favorite sport together. . . .
36.Go to a dinner theater for the evening. . . .
37.Don’t wallpaper together on your date night!!!!!