Reflections From a Country Girl

“Fireproof”

I was thinking of a friend early this morning.  He recently had a pace maker put in and for some reason I had him on my mind when I woke up this morning so I got up and wrote him an early morning e-mail at five. 

We exchanged e-mails and then he sent me one that really caught my eye.  It was about “Fireproofing My Marriage”.  SInce I’m not married and just recently stopped seeing my college sweetheart after a three year courtship, I started not to look at it in detail.  Then, as I glanced at some of it, I realized it might just been good even for those couples who are in relationships and who find themselves struggling.  After all, the best of us can get into a complacent place in our lives from time to time and feel like we want to call it quits.  Maybe that is right.  Maybe it is not.  Maybe there just needs to be some new direction.  

I am sharing his e-mail in it’s entirety with you today.  You may find it very interesting … just as I did.  He sent this out to about 100 men and I am sharing it with you as the readers of my blog.  I have also said a prayer for all of you that are or are not in a relationship.   

I’ve discovered that this movie is showing in two locations here in Columbia…Regal Sandhill Stadium 16 and Regal Columbiana Grande Stadium 14.   Not sure if any church here is sponsoring this same event.  If anyone knows of one, please let us know by responding to the blog or e-mail me at jcook@ellenrose.net so I can get the word out.  

My wish for you today is that you take the time to look over this information and see if it’s something you might want to consider.  Regardless of whether you do that or not, give your significant other a hug and tell them how much you love them today. 

~ Joellen

my friend says in his e-mail dated 10/20/2008 - 

“Today, I’m sending this note to around a hundred men. I’ve included you for three reasons.

 

1. The first is that I consider you to be a brother in Christ.

2. The second is because I believe that you have a good solid marriage and what I have to say has nothing to do with trying to “fix” anyone, but rather to encourage you not to take it for granted.

3. And third, because I’ve just finished praying for you and your wife by name.

 

Shortly after I got my driver’s license, I asked my dad if he thought I was a good driver. He said that I should never think of myself as good driver because that if I did I’d become complacent and vulnerable. I’ve never forgotten that. I try to this day to be as good a driver as I can remembering that a anytime I could have an accident.

I thought about that last Friday after Sarah and I saw the movie Fireproof. I’m fortunate to have  a great marriage, but I was reminded by Dad’s example that I need to always keep working on it, because my complacency could lead to big problems.

If you’ve not seen the movie, I’d like to encourage you to go see it. There is a website that has links to the movie and other study materials that you may be interested in. The link to the site is http://www.fireproofmymarriage.com/index.php

Our local church (Marysville United Methodish Chruch – Marsyville, Ohio)  is participating in a nationwide simulcast event on Saturday, November 1st from 9 to 4. Anyone is welcome. Please call the church to register or look for a seminar in your area if you’re interested. I’ve included the ad for it at the end of this email..

Sarah and I have been married for over thirty-one years. We’re amazed at the number of people around us who are having a variety of marital problems. It seems worse than ever. Sarah and I are planning to attend the seminar and have encouraged our three children to attend also. The temptation is to believe that this is a good idea for other people.

Several years ago, I was involved in a spiritual renewal weekend. At the beginning the leader said that this time was for those who needed it the most… and for those who thought that they needed it the least. It reminds me of this seminar and the movie. If you don’t think this is for you and you don’t do anything else as result of reading this, please give your wife an extra hug tonight and try to be just a little more understanding than I often am. May God continue to bless each of your marriages.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 at 9:47:am and is filed under Conflicts, Living Life to the Fullest, LOVE, Relationships - Marriage, Releationships - general. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.