Mark and I have been navigating a pretty big life change lately. It's required us to be intentional about "talk time." With kids interrupting, the phone ringing, and everyday responsibilities calling, this has been no small task.
We have our usual routines of communication, but we've needed more intentional time during this season.
What have you found to work for you when you need extra time to talk? Making an appointment with each other? Going to a coffee shop? We'd love to hear your thoughts!
Jill
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
What is an ABC event?
The ABC's of a Healthy Marriage Seminar is a practical seminar to strengthen and enrich your marriage. Taught by Mark and Jill Savage, this seminar is a wonderful weekend of laughter, practical strategies, and fresh vision for your marriage.
Hosted by churches throughout the United States, the ABC's of a Healthy Marriage Seminar equips couples with proven principles for strengthening their marriages.
Seminar Topics
His Needs, Her NeedsMen and women are created differently. We explore his needs and her needs to better understand our differences and move from frustration to fascination.
Love Languages
God has created each of us with unique ways to give and receive love. For some love is spelled Quality Time. For others it is Encouraging Words. There are five languages of love that are important for us to know about and understand. We'll help you identify your love languages and give you time to apply this new information to your marriage.
Romance
Mistakenly, our culture believes that dating is a concept used only before marriage. In reality, romance and the dating relationship needs to continue after marriage to invest in the marriage relationship. You'll walk away with dozens of ideas of how to put the sizzle back into your relationship.
Intimacy
Most people confuse intimacy with sex. While the sexual relationship is a part of marital intimacy, it's not all that intimacy is. Communication, caring, resolving conflict, meeting one another's needs are all part of the intimacy piece of a marriage relationship.
Conflict Resolution
When you blend two lives together, conflict happens. The goal for a healthy marriage is to know how to resolve conflict in a healthy way.
Forgiveness
In a healthy marriage, forgiveness and grace need to happen on a daily basis (sometimes even on a minute by minute basis!).
Sexual Relationship
God gave us an incredible gift to open and unwrap in marriage. We discuss how to make the physical relationship all it can be in your marriage relationship.
Spiritual Relationship
God designed the marriage relationship to include a relationship with Him. Biblical principles are shared throughout the weekend to encourage couples in incorporating their faith into their marriage.
For more information on hosting an ABC event, email jillannsavage@yahoo.com.
Commonly Asked Questions
Do we have to interact with other people at the seminar? In other words, do I have to share in a group setting?
The seminar is designed to be a getaway weekend for a husband and wife to foster romance, communication, and learn new things about the marriage relationship. The only person you have to talk with is your spouse.
Will my spouse and I have time to process the information from the sessions?
Yes! Most sessions include a 45-60 minute teaching time and then a 15-30 minute break for a husband and wife to return to their room or find a secluded spot in the hotel to talk about the session and apply the information to their relationship.
Can nursing infants attend with their parents?
Because this is designed to be a getaway weekend for a husband and wife to focus on one another, we recommend couples wait until after a baby is weaned to register for the ABC's of a Healthy Marriage Seminar.
We aren't big church-goers, will we feel comfortable at this seminar?
Absolutely! The weekend is packed full of practical information you can apply to your marriage right away. There's alot of laughter, alot of fun, and alot of great information.
What is the usual cost of the weekend?
The usual registration fee ranges from $30/couple to $120/couple, depending on each church and community's local expenses and how much the church is able to subsidize the event.
The seminar is designed to be a getaway weekend for a husband and wife to foster romance, communication, and learn new things about the marriage relationship. The only person you have to talk with is your spouse.
Will my spouse and I have time to process the information from the sessions?
Yes! Most sessions include a 45-60 minute teaching time and then a 15-30 minute break for a husband and wife to return to their room or find a secluded spot in the hotel to talk about the session and apply the information to their relationship.
Can nursing infants attend with their parents?
Because this is designed to be a getaway weekend for a husband and wife to focus on one another, we recommend couples wait until after a baby is weaned to register for the ABC's of a Healthy Marriage Seminar.
We aren't big church-goers, will we feel comfortable at this seminar?
Absolutely! The weekend is packed full of practical information you can apply to your marriage right away. There's alot of laughter, alot of fun, and alot of great information.
What is the usual cost of the weekend?
The usual registration fee ranges from $30/couple to $120/couple, depending on each church and community's local expenses and how much the church is able to subsidize the event.
What Others Have Said About ABC's of a Healthy Marriage
"The honest and open information given was very helpful for my marriage."
"The ABC's of a Healthy Marriage was very entertaining and yet presented an excellent message."
"I learned how to better love my spouse in this seminar."
"This workshop was excellent and was pre-sented in a genuine manner ... Excep-tional!!"
"I left energized to work on my marriage and relationship with God."
"I made a recommitment to God and my marriage, and am ready to work. I'm moti-vated to be a better spouse."
"The ABC's of a Healthy Marriage was very entertaining and yet presented an excellent message."
"I learned how to better love my spouse in this seminar."
"This workshop was excellent and was pre-sented in a genuine manner ... Excep-tional!!"
"I left energized to work on my marriage and relationship with God."
"I made a recommitment to God and my marriage, and am ready to work. I'm moti-vated to be a better spouse."
Next Event
Simply provide us with your information and we will send out a reminder of our conference dates once a year.
Register
We are currently working on scheduling future ABC events. Please place yourself on our mailing list and we’ll let you know when the next event is scheduled!
Who Are the Speakers?
Mark and Jill Savage are self described as being married 26 years, 16 happily. After turning their hurting marriage around, they felt called to help other couples take their marriage to the next level. Their teaching is practical, humorous, and full of energy.
Mark serves as the Pastor of Crosswinds Community Church and Jill leads Hearts at Home, an organization that encourages moms. The Savages are the parents of five children.
Mark serves as the Pastor of Crosswinds Community Church and Jill leads Hearts at Home, an organization that encourages moms. The Savages are the parents of five children.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Our Hot Tub Surprise
A year ago I spoke for a church retreat. The retreat planners gave me a beautiful gift basket of goodies. Inside the gift basket was one of the most unique gifts. It was a gift certificate for a free rental of a hot tub for one week! I couldn't believe it! I didn't even know you could rent a hot tub!
I recently ran across the gift certificate and decided to give them a call and arrange for our week. They delivered it on Sept 21 and they have yet to pick it up! I guess there's no great demand for their rental tub so they must be storing it at our house! But hey, I'm not complaining!
Mark and I have used the hot tub every single night that we've had it. It's been like a balm to my body that often hurts so much from fibromyalgia. We've loved being able to sit outside looking at the stars during cooler weather when we normally wouldn't be able to be outside.
But most of all...we've loved the conversation time.
Our hot tub time has been talk time for Mark and I. It's allowed us time away from kids, computers, and television to debrief from our day, talk about life and ministry, share our thoughts and struggles, and then take a few minutes to talk to God together.
Whenever they decide to pick up this hot tub we'll have to find another conversation place. But until then, we're going to enjoy the stars and our nightly conversation date every night we can!
Every couple needs some talk time everyday. What works for you and your spouse?
I recently ran across the gift certificate and decided to give them a call and arrange for our week. They delivered it on Sept 21 and they have yet to pick it up! I guess there's no great demand for their rental tub so they must be storing it at our house! But hey, I'm not complaining!
Mark and I have used the hot tub every single night that we've had it. It's been like a balm to my body that often hurts so much from fibromyalgia. We've loved being able to sit outside looking at the stars during cooler weather when we normally wouldn't be able to be outside.
But most of all...we've loved the conversation time.
Our hot tub time has been talk time for Mark and I. It's allowed us time away from kids, computers, and television to debrief from our day, talk about life and ministry, share our thoughts and struggles, and then take a few minutes to talk to God together.
Whenever they decide to pick up this hot tub we'll have to find another conversation place. But until then, we're going to enjoy the stars and our nightly conversation date every night we can!
Every couple needs some talk time everyday. What works for you and your spouse?
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Julie and Julia
A couple of weeks ago my daughter and I went to see the movie Julie and Julia. A friend had encouraged me to go simply because of how the movie portrays marriage. You know Hollywood gets the relationship thing wrong much of the time. But they got it right in Julie and Julia. Go see the movie and watch it for nothing more than watching two couples live out two beautiful marriage relationships.
Have you seen the movie? What did you think?
Have you seen the movie? What did you think?
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
What is Marriage?
I recently found a card Mark gave me last year on our anniversary. It's words are so true:
What is marriage?
It's vacuuming carpets and hammering nails.
It's saving a dollar by shopping at sales.
It's balancing checkbooks and paying off bills.
It's cleaning the windows and mopping up spills.
It's doing the laundry and matching up socks.
It's a washer that dies when the car needs new shocks.
It's two busy schedules, but one happy life, with each moment you share as husband and wife!
So what is marriage to you? Want to add your own rhyming verse?
What is marriage?
It's vacuuming carpets and hammering nails.
It's saving a dollar by shopping at sales.
It's balancing checkbooks and paying off bills.
It's cleaning the windows and mopping up spills.
It's doing the laundry and matching up socks.
It's a washer that dies when the car needs new shocks.
It's two busy schedules, but one happy life, with each moment you share as husband and wife!
So what is marriage to you? Want to add your own rhyming verse?
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