Thursday, October 16, 2008

Get Ready... Get Set...

The DARE starts TOMORROW!!!!

For those of you who have purchased the book- YEAH!! It is a worthwhile investment and a resource in which God will touch and grow your marriage...

For those of you who have not purchased the book... fret not! I will be sure to include enough of each day's "chapter" to explain the foundation for each dare!!

Before we get started tomorrow, let me summarize a few things the book touches on it the introduction of Love Dare...

The Scriptures say that God designed marriage as a GOOD THING. He uses marriage to help us eliminate loneliness, multiply our effectiveness, establish families, raise children, enjoy life and bless us with relational intimacy. He also uses marriage to show us our need to grow and deal with our own issues and self-centeredness.

IF we are teachable- we will learn to do the one thing most important in marriage... LOVE. This dare is about just that. Accepting this dare means taking the view that instead of FOLLOWING YOUR HEART, you are CHOOSING to lead it. This is a journey of exploring and demonstrating genuine love, even when your desire and your motives are low.

LOVE IS A DECISION!!!

It is not just a feeling. It is selfless, sacrificial and transformational.

Tomorrow is Day 1 of the 40 Day Love Dare Challenge. I don't know how any of you are feeling but I am a host of differing emotions. I'm hopeful and expectant of what God will do... and yet I am nervous, arrogant and full of fear as well. I'm having to choose to think on the things that are good, right, true, excellent and praiseworthy instead of the what ifs, why should I have to's and seems easier to serve God as a single thoughts. (OUCH! Clearly I'm warming up to this honesty bit.)

God has a work to do in me ya'll!!!
Who's with me?

8 comments:

Joanne@ Blessed... said...

Sign me up Chelle. I will put my name on the dotted line.

Oh, I hope it starts off with something that I can do pretty easily.

I'm such a wimp, huh?

Mari said...

I'll do it too. I wish I had the book, but I'll just have to check your posts.

Unknown said...

Count me in, I don't have the book either but will check your posts daily.

Peggy said...

Blessings Chelle...thanks for coming over but you need to come back because you missed the post that I stole from you! Come see! I added some things you may not have known! And I'm in!!! except for you know the truth...

http://mazmagi.blogspot.com/2008/10/fireprooflove-dare-challenge.htm

Denise said...

Thanks for doing this, I loved the movie. I am in sweetie.

Demara said...

Love is probably the most difficult decision a person can make! Especially, for someone they may take for granted, because they've always been there. I'm excited to see how it goes!

sailorcross said...

Hi Chelle!!

I read about this on Peggy's post, and I'm stopping by to ask you a question.

I'm not married, having been separated for 9 years and divorced for almost 3 now.

What I'm wondering is this: Do you think that this dare could apply to other relationships--such as my adult children, coworkers, friends--of course, substituting the word spouse for the appropriate one.

Right now, I'm having some difficulties with my two oldest children, who even though they are
27 and 25, have still not let go of a lot that has happened in their past. This all came to a head with my son yesterday.

I'm hoping that I can apply this to others and not just a spouse.

Let me know, and if you think that it's a go, I'll be right here with you!

Beth

sailorcross said...

Hi Chelle!!

I got your message, and you can count me in!! I think I'll replace spouse with my children first, then probably move on to coworkers (at least some of them!)

You went to Messiah? That's practically in my backyard!! I go to Daybreak Church which was the former home of West Shore E-Free!!

Yes, definitely--next time you are in town, let me know and we'll get together!! Amazing how God brings people together, isn't it? I just love how things like this happen--all in God's plan for us.

Thanks for adding me to your prayer list!!

I won't go into this here, but a rather disturbing, turning into ugly scene with my son yesterday--all because of the relationship that his father and I had many, many years ago. He says it is over all of this, but obviously he is not. I'm hoping to LOVE him out of this!!

Beth

Beth