SESSION 3 HAPPILY EVER AFTER (6)

· MARRIAGE EXPECTATION VIDEO

HOW MANY OF YOU WERE LIKE THOSE COUPLES?

MARRIAGE IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!

COMMON THEME-WE EXPECTED HAPPILY EVER AFTER

WE ABSOLUTELY DID NOT NEED THE MARRIAGE COUNSELING THE PASTOR OFFERED

NO WAY WE DIDN’T NEED THAT AT ALL........WE WERE IN LOVE!

WHY HAPPILY EVER AFTER?:

WHEN WE SAID “I DO”

WE EXPECTED HAPPILY EVER AFTER THE MOMENT WE KISSED TO SEAL THE DEAL

HEA IS ALL WE HAD IN MIND-AMAZING, PERFECT-THE COUPLES ALL SAID THIS

WE DIDN’T EXPECT TROUBLE TO HAPPEN

WE ANTICIPATED THE GARDEN OF EDEN…& THEN THE SERPENT CAME

DESTINATION VS JOURNEY MINDSET WAS PART OF THE PROBLEM

WHETHER WE USED THE PHRASE OR NOT

GARY THOMAS COINED THE PHRASE

“WHAT IF GOD DIDN’T INTEND FOR MARRIAGE TO MAKE US HAPPY BUT TO MAKE US HOLY”? (BOOK SACRED MARRIAGE-GOOD READ)

HOLY EVER AFTER-NOT ON ANY SIGNS

THE SIGN THAT HANGS ABOVE OUR WEDDING PIC SAYS AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER, IT SHOULD SAY AND THEY LIVED HOLY EVER AFTER

NOTHING BRINGS OUT EVERY CHARACTER FLAW, AND INSECURITY IN ME QUITE LIKE MARRIAGE DOES........

JOHN 16:33 ““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.””

LAST SESSION

WE TALKED ABOUT THE NECESSITY OF FORGIVENESS-FORGETTING THE FORMER THINGS.

THE MAJORITY OF SESSION 2 WAS SELF-INFLICTED OR A WOUND FROM SOMEONE ELE.

THIS SESSION BRINGS US FACE TO FACE WITH THE FACT THAT

“IN THIS WORLD WE WILL FACE TROUBLE”.

AND MARRIAGE IS NO EXCEPTION

MOST OF THAT TROUBLE IS SIMPLY OUT OF YOUR CONTROL.

WE ARE GETTING READY TO WATCH THE NEXT ROUND OF TESTIMONIES

LISTEN AND LEAN IN

MANY WILL BE ABLE TO TOTALLY RELATE-YOU MAY EVEN FEEL LIKE THEY ARE TELLING YOUR STORY

DON’T LET IT FEEL HEAVY, LISTEN FOR HOPE

PAY ATTENTION TO “BUT TAKE HEART, I HAVE OVERCAME THE WORLD”.

WHAT GOD DID FOR THEM HE WANTS AND WILL DO FOR YOU.

SESSION 3 MAIN TESTIMONY VIDEO

BUT BECAUSE HEA WAS A DESTINATION THAT WE THOUGHT WE WERE LIVING , WE WERE TOTALLY UNPREPARED FOR WHAT LIFE WOULD THROW AT US.

YOU MAY BE OFF TRACK RIGHT NOW

NO CHOICE OF YOUR OWN

YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CHOSE

IT JUST HAPPENED

MORE THAN LIKELY EVERYONE IN THIS BUILDING HAS LOST THIER WAY

FOUND THEIR SELF OFF THE COURSE OR MAY EVEN BE LOST RIGHT NOW.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER DOES NOT MEAN PROBLEM-FREE, BUT IT DOES MEAN THAT WE ARE WALKING OUT LIFE, SOMETIMES REALLY DIFFICULT LIFE, WITH OUR FAVORITE PERSON BY OUR SIDE.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER WAS ONLY VISIBLE WHEN LIFE WAS PERFECT AND NOTHING WAS WRONG

HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS CAREFULLY CONSTRUCTED DAY BY DAY WITH THE ONE WE LOVE, WHILE PUTTING CHRIST IN THE CENTER IN ALL WE DO.

ITS NOT A DESTINATION

HEAVEN IS A DESTINATION

MARRIAGE IS A JOURNEY

HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS A JOURNEY CALLED MARRIAGE.

WHY CAN’T WE SEE THAT MARRIAGE IS A TREASURE & A MASTERPIECE

HURT & PAIN WE HAVE EXPERIENCED

CIRCUMSTANCES OUT OF OUR CONTROL

THINGS WE DIDN’T ASK FOR, AND THINGS WE DIDN’T WANT TO HAPPEN, & THINGS WE NEVER PLANNED TO HAPPEN TO US

YOU MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND DIDN’T HAVE THE TOOLS OR THE MAP AND YOU MAY FEEL PRETTY HOPELESS RIGHT NOW

ALL OF THESE LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES HAS THE POTENTIAL TO COVER THE MASTERPIECE OF MARRIAGE WITH MUD.

I DO AND I STILL DO

I DO IS THE YES AND I STILL DO IS THE JOURNEY.

JOHN 16:33 ““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.””

WE ALL FACE TROUBLES, SOME GREATER THAN OTHER, NO DOUBT. MANY OF YOU CAN TOTALLY RELATE TO WHERE I HAVE BEEN.

AND THEN THERE ARE THOSE OF YOU THAT MY STORY PAILS IN COMPARISON TO WHAT YOUR GOING THROUGH. AND I KNOW THAT TO BE TRUE.

THE FACT REMAINS JESUS SAID “IN THIS WORLD WE WILL HAVE TROUBLES”

BUT THE BEAUTY OF IT IS HE SAID “BUT TAKE HEART, I HAVE OVERCAME THE WORLD”!

THAT IS GREAT NEWS UNTIL YOU’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAJOR PROBLEM..........

WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF MAJOR TROUBLES, WHEN MARRIAGE TURNS OUT TO BE NOTHING LIKE WE EXPECT?

WHERE ARE YOU NOW...

IF YOU ARE OFF TRACK, ADJUST YOUR COURSE- WE HAVE TO GO TO OUR MAP, OUR TRUE NORTH, GOD

IF YOU ARE ON COURSE, BUT THE WAVES & WINDS ARE STILL BLOWING, TRUST THE MAP.

WE MAY HAVE TO CONTINUE ON THE JOURNEY TROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES KNOWING THAT WE ARE PUTTING JESUS ON DISPLAY.

TALK ABOUT PILOT IN STORM

YOU CAN’T TRUST YOUR FEELINGS YOU MUST TRUST YOUR INSTRUMENTS

KEY TO HAVE THE RIGHT INSTRUMENTS

BUT THE BEAUTY OF IT IS WE DON’T HAVE TO DO IT ALONE. MARRIAGE INCLUDES TWO HUMANS AND ONE REALLY BIG GOD

PRACTICALLY WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE FOR YOU IN YOUR MARRIAGE?

IF MARRIAGE AND THE ISSUES OF LIFE HAVE YOU FEELING DEFEATED

EMOTIONAL PAIN IS THE SAME TO THE BRAIN AS PHYSICAL PAIN

YOUR BRAIN SEES THESE AS THE SAME THING

I BELIEVE EMOTIONAL PAIN IS WORSE

WHY? A BROKEN LEG, SMASHED FINGER WILL HEAL & FORGET THE PAIN

CAN HEAL ON IT’S OWN

EMOTIONAL PAIN DOES NOT HEAL W/O INTERVENTION

YOU MAY BE HERE TODAY AND HAVE WENT THRU A REALLY DIFFICULT SEASON & YOU DIDN’T HAVE THE TOOLS AND THIS PUSHED YOU APART

YOU MAY BE WALKING THRU A REALLY HARD SEASON RIGHT NOW

YOU NEED TO HELP EACH OTHER HEAL EMOTIONALLY

RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOUR MARRIAGE FEELS MUDDY. YOU HAVE LOST THE DESIRE.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER SEEMS A REALITY FOR EVERYONE BUT YOU. YOU FEEL SO OFF COURSE

YOU DON’T THINK THERE IS A MAP THAT CAN GET YOU BACK ON COURSE.

NOT GOING TO EMBARRASS YOU

NOT GOING TO MAKE YOU COME UP FRONT.

WE ARE GOING TO PRAY FOR HEALING TO BE RELEASED, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

___________________________________________________________