Weekend to Remember?

I HOPE I'll remember it. To help with that, here are some of the main points I brought home.

1. Women think of home as a place they GET to communicate. Men think of it as a place they do NOT HAVE to communicate.
2. A quote from the Incredibles. Mr. Incredible says, "I'm not strong enough." Elastigirl replies, "If we're together, you don't have to be."
3. Marriage reflects God's image on Earth.
4. Marriage is designed for a husband and wife to mutually complete each other.
5. Marriage is designed to multiply a godly legacy.
6. Marriage is taking place on a spiritual battlefield.
7. Our spouse is NOT our enemy.
8. Satan wants to sink the ship.
9. God chose to build a unique need into Adam that was not met by God's personal presence alone (Gen. 2:19-20). Adam's perception of Even was based on the way he viewed GOD, not on Eve's performance. Adam enthusiastically received Eve because he knew and trusted God, not because of Eve's performance. He had to believe that she was God's perfect provision for him and had to receive her based on who gave him the gift. Receiving spouse as God's gift leads to a oneness with spouse.
10. A result of leaving, cleaving and becoming one flesh is transparency with one another or oneness (naked and not ashamed).
11. Expressing oneself involves the risk of being emotionally intimate and begins by entrusting yourself to God, because He understands...opening yourself to your spouse for his/her understanding. God's power is available to us when we are risking vulnerability with another person.
12. God designated the husband as the head of the relationship. This is God's "divine placement as servant leader." God gave the wife to the man as his helper. "Helper" is a title of worth. God refers to HIMSELF in Scripture as our helper (Ps 54:4). Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as another helper (Jn 14:16-17).
13. The wife's "role" is not to submit but her role is to be a helper. The response to the husband's leadership is submission.
14. The perfect wife is one who doesn't expect a perfect husband.
15. Eph. 5:33b, from the Amplified Bible says, "...let the wife see that she respects and reverence her husband-- that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly." Wow. Any sore toes out there? Mine sure are.
16. Jane Hill said, "Wherever we are together, we are rich."
17. "Cleaning house is like stringing beads on a thread that has no knot in the end." :)
18. A child's security and self-worth are formed, and his/her future is shaped in the home. Children need to be a valued priority in a mother's heart.
19. Children need love the most when they deserve it the least.
20. If we do not seek to understand and accept each other's feelings and opinions, communication will be gridlocked. It doesn't mean we must agree.
21. The [conflict] discussion itself is not nearly as important as is the effect the discussion has on the relationship.
22. Unresolved conflict can multiply the intensity of future conflict. Unresolved anger can/will lead to depression.
23. When confronted, be open, not defensive, and remember the spouse is not the enemy. (Otherwise, it just seems like nagging.) Ask questions to get the truth out. You need not agree. Just make the spouse feel cared for.
24. When confronting, speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:29). Be sincerely honest about needs, feelings and wants in a way not intended to hurt.
25. Forgiveness is an obligation of the forgiven. Forgiveness is not about justice, fairness or blame. The offender needs to seek forgiveness (Mt. 5:23-24), and the offended needs to grant it.

The main point I needed to hear was, "Is God big enough to make the best out of our worst situations?"

Sorry for so much stuff - this was over a two-and-a-half day time period. It just did me good to read through it all again.