05 | December | 2011 | 4 little Fergusons

Ahh! Sorry this is late posting today! I was up until midnight wrapping gifts with Dale and I guess I didn’t hit “schedule”. Here it is, better late than never! Happy Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dale and I had the privilege of investing in our marriage this weekend at a Madly In Love seminar we went to with my best friend, Kasey and her husband, Monty.

In the Madly In Love marriage seminar you will learn:

What is at the core of conflict
Why she keeps bringing things up from the past and what to do when she does
Why he doesn’t talk much, and what you can do to help
The best time to work through conflict – and it’s not when you think
How to actually benefit from conflict – not bury it or just resolve it
A tried and true process for working through conflict
What to do when no amount of talking seems to work
A required shift in thinking to becoming madly in love once again
A gift to give your children
Laughter, tears, hope and much more!

We had so much fun, the interaction between speaker and audience was fantastic!

Here are some of the highlights from my notes:

We all have a story to tell, one that makes us who we are today. One that makes us respond the way we do to certain situations, if you keep this story in mind, it will help you better understand your spouse.

Ephesians 4:1-3 “….lead a life worthy of your calling…Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because off your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”

Make a habit to read I Corinthians 13:4, but put in your first name in the place of LOVE. This is a good check point:

Tonya is patient, Tonya is kind, Tonya keeps no record of wrong, Tonya endures through every circumstance, Tonya never gives up.

Proverbs 10:19 “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tounge is wise.” Keep the peace in arguments by limiting “Word Vomit” and pushing the pause button to think and pray before discussing said argument.

“What if God designed marriage to make us HOLY, more than make us HAPPY?”

Wherever there is conflict, there is a STORY to be heard…..

Seek to discover your spouse… Proverbs 20:5 “A man of understanding draws out his deep thoughts from inside.”

The glass is half empty AND half full, what you choose to see is your right and opinion, but both must be recognized as truth.

“Understand this:
In marriage, if I choose to live for self, my marriage will die.
If instead I choose to live for my wife/husband, I must die to self.
Make no mistake about it: in marriage, death is always involved. Either we both die to ourselves, or the marriage itself WILL die.”

“Seek first to understand, and then be understood.” Steven Convey
Choosing to deny the part of you demanding to be heard, allows grace, understanding and disarming of the conflict. This begins the healing process.

How to be a Gracious Giver:
1) Be honest
2) Understand my spouses story: past and present, to soften my heart and give me understanding.
3) We, as wives, call our husbands to their best, even when they are at their worst. We can do this with soft words and a gentle touch.

When we learn to appreciate each other’s story, it helps us to be gracious and loving to each other.

Satan loves nothing more than to turn couples against each other so that they are in a Tug of War against each other rather than united in a Tug of War against him for their marriage. He knows he can’t win when 2 are united with Christ, a cord of 3 strands is not easily broken!

In a world of divorce and hurt, we can have HOPE. Our hope is in Jesus and the strength He brings to a marriage when we totally wrap ourselves around Him. We must do things to win our spouses heart, we must invest in each other and date each other!

We MUST find DAILY “Together Time” to talk and interact face to face, not staring at the tv, but having fun, connecting and seeking God together.

The whole purpose of this seminar was learning to “Fight Fair” and doing everything in Love. They had it broken down really nicely into an acronym for the word PLEDGE. I am not going to share it with you because I am scared it’s copyrighted and I don’t want to get into trouble! It was REALLY well stated and simple really as long as you stick to the steps during a disagreement.

These marriage conferences are such a good way to invest in your marriage! We learned a lot, but also, it felt good to know, that we had been “fighting fair” in our marriage and hadn’t even realized we were doing something right. Those pats on the back are nice too. 🙂

If Madly In Love ever comes to your town, make sure you go, it is GREAT! Check out the website:

http://madlyinlove.org/

On to the recipe part of this post:

This unusual soup was delicious! I especially like where you take your immersion blender and puree all the veggies; makes for a nice thick soup!

Brats & Tots Soup

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Butter
2 whole Small Onions, Chopped
5 whole Garlic Cloves, Pressed
4 cans Chicken Broth (14 Oz Total)
6 whole Potatoes, Peeled And Diced
3 cups Chopped Carrots
2 packages (14 Oz Each) Johnsonville Cooked Brats, Sliced
Generous Amounts Of Salt And Pepper

Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Sautee onions, garlic and carrots with some salt and pepper. Cook until tender. Add broth and potatoes, then cover and simmer for 25-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Use your immersion blender to create a puree, leaving a few chunks of potatoes. Add in sliced brats and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Season to taste.

This tasted GREAT with buttery homemade crescents! You can totally make these, even if you are scared of yeast like I am!

I got my recipe for crescents HERE.

I had lots of good “help” that day, and we all pretty much were wearing flour by the time it was all said and done, thanks to Paxton.