Dating Your Spouse

This past Saturday Mary and I were at Cairn University to celebrate Greg’s fiancé’s graduation.   Afterwards we had lunch at the place where Greg and Grace had their first date.

I’ll never forget my first date with Mary.  We were both sophomores at Shippensburg University.  I had hardly any money and no transportation.  Scraping together all the loose change I had, I borrowed my roommate’s car and took her to the local ice cream parlor (“The Treat”) for sundaes.  We talked for a long time, laughed a lot, and found out that we had a lot more in common than we thought.  I walked her back to her dorm, said goodnight, and then headed back to my dorm where five of my friends were waiting to ask me how things went.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Mary and I went on a lot of dates back then.  Not all of them were fancy or expensive (in fact, most of them were not), but I remember how much I looked forward to just spending time with her.   After we started our family, having “dates” became much harder.  The demands of three children, two careers and maintaining a home often rob us of any time for just us. 

But it is important for us, as with any couple, to still go on dates.  Dating our spouse helps us make our marriage a priority, invest in our relationship, and meet some of the needs that each of us has in our lives.  One of the needs that each of us has is the need for friendship.  Many of us will say that we married our best friend, but when was the last time you and your spouse invested in that side of your marriage? 

The key to dating to meet our spouse’s friendship needs is to not expect them to act like “one of the guys” or “one of the girls.”  Allow them to be themselves and have fun together.   Enjoy each other’s company and rediscover everything that attracted you to them in the first place!

This coming Saturday we’ll be heading back down to Langhorne for a ceremony, but we won’t be heading to Cairn.  We’ll be at Core Creek Community Church for Greg and Grace’s wedding!

Here's what’s happening:

1.                SUNDAY - Double Nickels luncheon after the worship service.

2.               Next youth group is on Thursday 5/22 from 6:30 – 8 pm at the schoolhouse.

3.               Quilt Knotting for MCC is also Thursday 5/22 from 6:30 – 8pm in the church lobby.

4.               If you are interested in being baptized this summer, please let me know soon.

5.               Next Steps at the Bridge luncheon for new attendees is set for 6/1 after the worship service.  That morning is also Graduation Sunday.  We will be honoring our graduating seniors during the worship service.

6.               I will be leading a workshop called “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” at Waterway Church in Oxford on Sunday, June8 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.  We will be discussing what Biblical dating looks like, the common saying that “opposites attract,” and what to consider before getting engaged.  This workshop is for senior high teens and young adults…parents are welcomed and encouraged to attend as well!

On Sunday we will be studying 1 Thessalonians 4 which represents a turn in the letter, as Paul shifts from words of encouragement to words of instruction.  The Thessalonians were being called to live in a way that was very different from the Greek culture that they were living in.  How could they be expected to thrive under the circumstances?  We’ll look at Paul's instructions on how the Thessalonians were to do just that – thrive in their everyday lives.

See you on Sunday,

Scott