Fan the Flame - November 10, 2005

Our fourth Fan The Flame Date Nite was held at the beautiful Grande Ballroom at the Eden Resort Inn.

Twenty-five couples enjoyed an elegantly served buffet dinner of hand carved roast beef, chicken breasts, fresh vegetables, a salad bar, and a wonderful selection of cakes and pies.

Kapp and Linda did a fun drama illustrating how the expectations we link to our marriage vows make them conditional. Bruce reviewed our theme of “DEPOSITS” and quickly reminded us of last month's emphasis on E - Encouragement. Our topic for the evening was on P – Promises. Making and keeping our marriage vows can be the most significant deposit we ever make. Breaking those vows can lead to one of the most catastrophic withdrawals. The slides from that presentation can be viewed below.

Bruce used Malachi 2:21 as well as other scripture texts to highlight this important deposit into the emotional banks of our spouses. The table talk included questions like: Why is promise keeping important in relationships ... or is it? Are marriage vows "contractual" or "covenantal" promises? What roles do "commitment" and "love" have in marriage? What are some "conditions" that couples can place on one another? How have you seen these?

Couples then spent some “knee to knee nose to nose” time and talked more specifically about how they could strengthen their marriage covenants to one another. Did you "discover" any "conditions" that you may be placing on your partner? Talk about them ... When you made your wedding vows were you thinking contract or covenant? Do you feel your spouse feels "secure" in your marriage? Why or why not? How can we make each other feel more secure in our marriage?

Pictures below. (Click on a thumbnail to enlarge.)