Sample Minutes

#1 Sample Marriage Minutes
Hard Hearts? Who Should Make the First Move?

Unhappy marriages all wait for the other person to change first. Both partners can recite long lists of the other's weaknesses and failures. Both can point to the other's broken promises and character flaws. Both believe the other is the main problem in their marriage.

How does a couple break their sad and unfulfilling stalemate?

- Someone must realize love only responds to love.
- Someone must make the decision to love even if its never returned.
- Someone must act to show love even if they do not feel it.
- Who said, "doing it for the kids" was a bad idea?" Do it, even if you are "doing it for the kids."
- Who should make the first move? You.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Remember, marriage is for better for worse for keeps.
From The Marriage Miracle

#2 Sample Marriage Minutes
Defeating Obstacles to Successful Relationships:

#1 Self-focused Lifestyle

"When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.^"But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:5-10

Learn How to Defeat a Self-focused Lifestyle from Zacchaeus:

1. Accept Jesus' invitation to enter into close and intimate friendship with Him.
2. Be willing to abandon your position of sitting out life.
3. Don't listen to what others are saying about you - focus on what God is saying to you.

4. Decide here and now you there is more joy in giving than taking.

5. Focus on making the remainder of your life a blessing to others.

6. Make restitution wherever possible.

7. Let your new identity, not your career or achievements, define who you are.

8. Never forget how far God has gone to seek you out.

Remember, marriage is for better for worse for keeps

#3 Sample Marriage Minutes
Marriage is a Model of Christ

Marriage is God's Initiative:

He draws our heart to someone that He has chosen for us.

He impresses on our heart a desire to meet and know this person.

He brings about a profound change of mind and heart, toward this person.

He creates in us a willingness to trust this person, with our life and future.

He gives us the desire to ask this person to share a permanent and intimate heart relationship, with us.

He empowers us to publicly confess our lifelong vows of exclusive love, fidelity and honor to this person.

He knits our hearts together in love, knowledge and intimacy, so that we are no longer two, but one.

He, day by day, preserves our love relationship, so what God has joined together no man can separate.

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church." Ephesians 5:31-32

Remember, marriage is for better for worse for keeps.