KidMinspiration

{Book Review} “10 Great Dates: Connecting Faith, Love & Marriage”

02/14/201402/14/2014 Kathie Phillips

Well, today is Valentine’s Day, a day when love is shared, boxed chocolates are enjoyed and roses are ridiculously over-priced. Don’t get me wrong – when my husband & I were dating, I wanted all of the ‘outward’ expressions of love. Now that we’ve been married for 18 years, I appreciate love more throughout the year than just focused on the day you’re supposed to show it.

One way I appreciate the love my husband and I share is through our date nights. Over the years, our date nights have evolved. As newlyweds, Friday nights and all-day Saturday were our date days. When children came along, our date days became “meet you on the couch after we put the children to bed”. As the children got older and our calendars became more jam-packed, carving out time together would include breakfasts, lunches, dinners, coffee or weekends away. We just wanted to be together, to talk, to look into each other’s eyes as well as each other’s hearts and listen to each other. In my book, date nights (or days) are non-negotiable.

Last fall, I received a copy of 10 Great Dates: Connecting Faith, Love & Marriage by Peter & Heather Larson and David & Claudia Arp. I thought I’d wait until Valentine’s Day to share my thoughts about it. The book was released in September 2013 by Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

About the Book

The book’s purpose is to “help you connect faith, love and marriage in ways that result in a deeper spiritual connection.” The book offers 10 great date night options, each with its own chapter within the book, outlining pre-date preparation, date night tips, and post-date spiritual application.

The date night options are:

Connecting Faith and Love – You’ll talk about how connecting faith in your marriage can help you build a more loving, growing relationship.
Appreciating Your Differences – You’ll talk about two key core values: acceptance & forgiveness.
Experiencing God Together – You’ll talk about factors that bring you together spiritually as you worship God together.
Getting Into the Word – You’ll be given simple tools to help you grow spiritually through studying the Bible together.
Loving Your Closest Neighbor – You’ll talk about how to love and encourage your spouse.
Talking Together With God – You’ll talk about how to overcome some of the obstacles to praying as a couple and practical ways to develop a meaningful prayer life together.
Building Your Marriage on a Strong Foundation – You’ll talk about the importance of what the Bible calls leaving, cleaving and becoming one.
Facing the Storms of Life Together – This date will help you talk about how to stay close and face the storms of life together.
Guarding Your Heart Under God’s Canopy – You’ll look at what it means to have God’s sacred canopy over your marriage and how to guard your heart.
Making Your Marriage a Lighthouse – You’ll be encouraged to talk about how you can continue to draw close spiritually and how your marriage can be a lighthouse to those around you.

What I Liked

If you notice what each date encourages, you’ll discover what I love about this book. It gets spouses talking to one another. These dates make talking to each other a priority, and I love that. And not just talking to fill time – but meaningful discussions. That’s a winner to me!

I also love that the book takes the guesswork out of what to talk about. It’s so easy to talk about work, children, family and friends but being intentional and having guided spiritual conversations that will benefit your marriage is another winner for me.

What I Think Was Missing

I’m a pretty practical person, so I was expecting more practical ideas. Maybe something like, “Over coffee, talk about…” I wasn’t expecting that there would be ‘homework’ before and after the date. This aspect might be a turn-off to some readers and might result in one of the spouses doing more prep-work than the other.

Also, my husband isn’t a big reader, so I’m not sure how practical that would be. I would see myself as the primary date conversation facilitator, which would be extra work on my part.

My Recommendation

Overall, I think the book is a great read for marriage rookies and veterans alike. If you’re looking to make your date night conversation more meaningful, then grab a copy of this book today! Visit their website for more information.

Have you read 10 Great Dates: Connecting Faith, Love & Marriage? What were your thoughts?

Bethany House provided me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was received.

Two Great Simulcasts I Will Attend – You Should Too!

02/13/201402/13/2014 Kathie Phillips 3 Comments

Below are two simulcast events I will take advantage of in the coming months. Both are reasonably priced and will be worthwhile investments – I’d love for you to join me!

The Justice Conference is a two-day annual event to promote dialogue around justice related issues such as human trafficking, slavery, poverty, HIV/AIDS and human rights.

Come see why The Justice Conference has become one of the largest international biblical and social justice conferences and an annual pilgrimage for justice workers, students and learners from all over the world.

A live simulcast will happen in Towson, MD (just north of Baltimore City) on February 21-22, 2014. Click here to learn more about the speakers and how to register.

My mom, sister and I are looking forward to hosting Priscilla Shirer’s one-day, LifeWay Women simulcast event at my church. Ladies, grab your girlfriends and join us for a time of meaningful worship and rich teaching from the Word. The event will take place on Saturday, April 5, 2014 in Towson, MD (just north of Baltimore City). Click here to get more details and secure your spot.

Edible Olympic “Torch”

02/05/201402/05/2014 Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

Last summer, our VBS attenders made edible torches for snack – they fit our “Athens” theme. I thought I’d share them again, considering the 2014 Winter Olympics is right around the corner.

What you’ll need:

Sugar cones
Yogurt (I believe we used vanilla)
Strawberries (although any red fruit would work)

What you’ll do:

Scoop yogurt into a sugar cone – the cone will be the ‘torch’ base.
Top yogurt with strawberries – this will be the ‘flame’.

*You could also add mandarin orange slices to give the ‘flame’ an orange glow.

Are you incorporating any Olympic-inspired snacks into your home or kidmin this weekend?

Creatively Advertise Your Ministry – Without Breaking the Bank

02/03/201402/03/2014 Kathie Phillips 4 Comments

Yesterday, my family and I enjoyed a long-standing tradition – getting together for the Super Bowl. Yes, the guys are interested in the game – and we ladies were, too, last year when our Baltimore Ravens were playing. But fellowship, great food, 2 birthdays (my dad & my sister’s birthdays always fall around Super Bowl weekend), and funny commercials are the REAL reasons we enjoy our annual Super Bowl party.

Speaking of commercials..The Washington Post reported that a 30-second advertisement cost approximately $4 million this year. With over 100 million viewers expected to tune in to the game, corporate sponsors are able to reach a plethora of potential consumers. Might be a good investment then, right?

Most of us in kidmin would never have a $4 million budget, let alone $4 million for a 30-second advertisement but there are some ways to creatively ‘advertise’ your ministry without breaking the bank. Here are a few suggestions:

Word of mouth is always a winner. People will tell their friends about the wonderful things happening in your ministry. (Sadly, the opposite is also true.)
A great church/ministry website is also a winner. More and more of our families find us via the internet nowadays, so having a top-notch website is a great investment. Our ministry will be updating our website in the coming weeks and I am very excited about that!
Bulletin ads are an effective tool in getting the word out about your ministry. There have been debates on whether or not to use church bulletins to recruit volunteers but bulletins can be a great way to give a brief snapshot of what’s happening in your ministry.
Reach the masses by having upfront announcements, videos, and skits presented to your entire congregation at weekend services. Having a ministry staffer or key volunteer do this is awesome. Having your Senior Pastor do this is also awesome.
E-newsletters are another great (and oftentimes free) route to choose. I use Mail Chimp to send weekly updates to our ministry parents. The information hits their inbox and is always available at their fingertips.
Social media, like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, are also free tools that are very effective in getting the word out. Many members of our congregation use social media so getting information to them in this way is extremely effective.
Getting the word out via text alerts is something that many ministries use. I currently do not use this type of advertisements but those that do have shared how awesome it is to send a mass text to parents, students, and/or volunteers.
Quality colorful, eye-catching posters and banners are great ‘oldies but goodies’. Pair them up with a creatively decorated table, printed materials, a smiling volunteer and food is also a winner. Read here about how our ministry pulled this off this past summer.
Other great options include diaper bag tags, buttons, ink pens, hats, backpacks, water bottles, t-shirts – anything that can be printed with your ministry’s logo. Many times these items help strike up great conversations outside of your church walls.