LOVE AND RESPECT

Every once in a while, Teresa and I read a book together. One book we started a long time ago was entitled: Love and Respect. It was a marriage book and we read it out loud together when we could. However, for a variety of reasons, we only made it about half way through the book. When we did read, we read other books and just never made it back to this one. Then, one day I received an invitation from a nearby church that they were hosting a video conference of Love and Respect: the husband and wife auhors speaking to a live audience recorded on DVD. It seemed like a great opportunity to do something just for Teresa and I and to help us keep movin forward in our marriage relationship. So, I signed us up and made the plans. Glad I did!

I will give you a little taste of what we expierenced;but if you would like more information yourself, you can visit: http://www.loveandrespect.com/

I have read many books on marriage and been to a variety of conferences where marriage was at least one of the main topics, if not the only one. Both Teresa and I agree that this is the best one we have ever attended. We also agree that we did not enjoy the book very much but loved the conference. Sometimes the book is better than anything on film or even live; but in this case, the video conference was just what we needed at just the right time. We have all heard someone speak and felt like they were speaking just to us, seemingly knowing what was goingon in our minds. That is what this was like. It was refreshing, surprising, encouraging and challenging - all at the same time. We know that not everyone who sees and hears what we experienced will necessarily respond the same way; but it was just right for us!

The basis for the conference was Ephesians 5:33 - "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself and the wife respect her husband."

The speakers and authors believe that this verse holds a key to relationships. And one of the most missed aspects of our relationships is that of respect. They do an incredible job of tying practical application to foudational biblical principles. We could relate to the crazy cycle they describe, where it seems impossible to understand where your spouse is coming from; and that, at times, leads to hurt and craziness.

Love and respect deals with how to respond to our spouse the way God has wired them. In particular, for the husband to learn to truly love his wife; and the wife to truly learn how to respect her husband. For Teresa and I, we connected to the descriptions of how we think, feel and things we have said. It is our desire to honor God in our marriage, and the principles we learned will be a help in this pursuit.