PREPARE/ENRICH

Bayside Church is creating Caring Communities of Couples

PREPAREENRICH — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:28:43 +0000

“At Bayside Community Church in Bradenton Florida, we are excited and challenged in using a tool like PREPARE/ENRICH which enables us to use a structured model in addressing premarital and/or marriage concerns. It directs us in a focused path of dealing with communication, conflict resolution, partner styles, relationship roles, and six other disciplines. However, the principle benefit of this program is that, regardless of training or licensing, the Holy Spirit’s teachings intersperse within the sessions. Pastor Jean Judd has been leading a team of mentoring couples since 2008. Approximately 60 couples each year have completed P/E training where we use P/E-certified couples to teach the courses.

We find that the reports are very accurate and relevant to each couple. We have had many marriages changed when the couple makes a decision to follow God’s path, being directed by the P/E guidelines. One of the many positive responses included: ‘This course enabled us to establish communication with each other; it had been lacking and it allowed a breakthrough in all the other concerns in our marriage’.”

Give the Gift of a Checkup this Valentines Day

PREPAREENRICH — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:50:11 +0000

National Marriage Week USA runs every year from February 7-14. It is a creative campaign that coincides with the Valentine’s Day holiday in an attempt to deepen and extend this day in the minds of couples.

In conjunction with National Marriage Week, the Couple Checkup will be offered at a discounted price of $19.95 per couple (regularly $35). Couples can go to www.CoupleCheckup.com anytime during the week of February 7-14 to set up an account, and the discount will be automatically applied. * Couples will discover their strengths and growth areas, gain insight into their relationship, generate discussion, and work through exercises to develop healthy relationship habits.

*This discount applies to credit card purchases made during National Marriage Week, February 7-14, 2013

Because of you

PREPAREENRICH — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:28:56 +0000

Because of you, newly married couples will begin their lives together with deeper understandings and skills of their own and their partner’s needs and desires, and skills to help them through future stress.

Because of you, fewer marriages will end in divorce this year, sparing couples and their children heartache and stress.

Because of you, thousands of couples have renewed their commitment to one another and are more satisfied with their relationships.

Because of you, this holiday season will be more joyful for many couples and families.

Thank you, Facilitators!

Futile Debates

PREPAREENRICH — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:51:42 +0000

With election season in full force, polarization and discord feel a very part of the autumn winds. Radio, television, and billboard ads representing opposing political parties feels much like a couple coming to therapy or mediation who each attempt to convince a judge or therapist that they are right and the other is wrong. They each will have their own “team”-friends, family and supporters to take their respective sides. But no matter how big of a team they can each create, is there ever truly a “winner”? Couples who get caught up in the cycle of attacking each other lose sight of finding common ground to promote the general well being of their children, families, communities, and themselves. Cooperation must exist for a system to work.

When you notice a temptation to blame or criticize your partner, what questions can you ask yourself to stop the unproductive cycle of blaming, and activate a productive cycle of cooperation?

“Getting” vs “Being” in Relationships

PREPAREENRICH — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 19:33:13 +0000

For those who work with dating and engaged couples, it may be hard to fathom that any of these blissfully happy couples will eventually divorce and/or become discontented in their relationship. If you ARE a dating or engaged couple, you may believe that nothing could cause you to question your relationship with your beloved. Yet 40-50% of marriages still end in divorce and, of the marriages that endure, many partners report discontent and unhappiness. How can such hopeful beginnings go awry?

One factor may be that there is an unbalanced effort into the development stage of a relationship compared to the maintenance of a relationship. A wedding is a perfect example of the “getting” vs. “being” contrast. How much effort do couples put into getting married, compared to being married? To the extent that culture reflects (and some would argue, creates) reality, think about the products and services designed around getting married, in contrast to the products and services designed around maintaining marriage. Couples and their families spend, on average, $20,000 on a wedding and receive an average of 200 wedding gifts, with an average value of $70-100.

Money is just one expression of value. Another is time. If you have ever started a relationship, you know that the process of getting connected with someone requires time and effort. If you have planned a wedding, you know they take a good amount of time and preparation. Do you invest the same amount and quality of time listening to, learning about, and thinking about your partner as you did when you were getting to know him or her? If you are in a long-term relationship, is it easy to falsely assume that you know your partner’s feelings and ideas about the many issues in your lives? What behaviors and attitudes did your relationship benefit from during the “getting”/developing stages that you can bring into the “being” stages of your relationship?