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Five Benefits of Marrying In Young Adulthood

The age Americans marry continues to move higher. Our grandparents on both sides married young, like many in their generation. Roy’s grandfather was 18 and grandmother 16 when they married in 1930s. Today the average marrying age is at record highs: 27 for women and 29 for men.

Some studies have suggested that waiting to marry late leads to women having a higher income and an overall lower divorce rates. Other studies suggest that comfortableness with making solitary decisions creates more tension as the couple begins their lives together.   And what about those who marry really early? Studies reveal that marriages at the age of 18 are twice as likely to end in divorce than those beginning at 22 or older.

Longer Adolescence

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Making Technology Work For Your Marriage

We have heard the negative horrors of modern technology as each new cultural shift has taken place. We remember the days when “Pong” was the first video game and Atari was the only gaming system you could buy. All phones had cords and almost every family shared the same phone number. Wow, how times have changed!

We tend to believe that technology is not the negative thing. It is just the tool that can be used for good and evil. We hear from couples how much more they want their spouse to turn off their device and give them full body attention. And we hear from couples in a mess where technology has been used in infidelity and every sound of a new message is a pain trigger for the offended spouse.

‘What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun; the future only repeats the past.’ Ecclesiastes 1:9

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Dear Josh Duggar and Other Ashley Madison Users,

Unless you have been in a cave for the past week, you know that the horrible business called Ashley Madison was hacked and users’ identities and credit card numbers were dumped online to see. “Adult Friend Finder” and other lesser known sites were also hacked and the information is online too.

“Hidden things will always come out into the open. Secret things will come to light and be exposed.” Luke 8:17 (Voice)

Roy & Devra Wooten

Roy & Devra Wooten

Life Together Forever El Paso!

Saturday, September 12th 9AM – 12PM
Sunday, September 13th  10:30- 12PM

The Journey Church

Reconnect
Rekindle
Recommit

  • This is a 2-day conference FREE for pre-registered couples.
  • Includes live workshop and workbooks.
  • Memory making activities.
  • Great for engaged, newly weds, old timers, transition couples, and new parents.

 

Experience Biblical Truths that Transform Relationships!

Want to …

  • take your marriage to the next level?
  • experience relational healing and restoration?
  • strengthen communication and connection?

Roy and Devra Wooten are veteran marriage champions, whose lives attest to the transforming power of Truth.  Through their years of working with countless couples in over one hundred couples weekends, they have molded their message into an engaging and mixed format of teaching and experiential activities to quickly equip and empower couples toward greater spiritual and relational intimacy.

Couples will learn, experience and practice the application of powerful Biblical Truth as Roy and Devra share their real and humorous relationship stories.  With other couples, enjoy discovering the way forward in common challenges of relationships with exciting sessions including:

  • Doing Life Together Forever
  • Creating a Lifelong Marriage
  • Speaking and Hearing Truth
  • Forgiveness and Reconciliation
  • Stress-Less Living
  • Healthy Expectations
  • Courageous Conversations
  • Sex, Love and Romance
  • Relationships God’s Way

Couples will enjoy the mix of teaching and experiential activities that moves them toward each other and refreshes their relationship.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

“I was surprised about how funny Roy and Devra are together.  Their ministry blessed our couples Date Night event.  Many couples who I have been counseling told me afterward how blessed they were by it… We need to have… this every year.” – Senior Pastor

“I highly recommend Roy and Devra for your next couples retreat.  Together they gave our couples more than we had hoped for.  Roy and Devra Rock!”  – Family Minister

“I think the thing that helped the most was how the two of you were so honest about your own relationship.  Between your hilarious stories, you shared meaningful and helpful things that reminded me about what I could do better in my marriage of 33 years.  Thank you for sharing your gifts with us.” – Minister

“Thank you for giving us hope.  We came here in separate cars because this has been a very hard week for us.  I didn’t want to come but I came anyway.  When we had to sit face to face and talk during the exercises, I began to see some change.  I know we have work ahead but I feel hope for the first time in seven years.”  – Wife of 12 years

“Roy tells it like it is supposed to be and Devra says it like it really is.  They are so hilarious but they really make you think.  I cannot recommend them any higher.” – Engaged Groom

How Do I Register?

Reserve your spot before they are all gone (limited to first 50 couples) by calling or texting

(915) 244-7077

Ask about area hotel accommodations.

Engaged couples who complete all sessions are eligible for a free
Texas Marriage License.
Date: September 12, 2015—September 13, 2015
Event: Life Together Forever El Paso
Topic: Life Together Forever
Sponsor: The Journey Church
(915) 244-7077
Venue: The Journey Church
(915) 244-7077
Location: 14660 D Montana Ave
El Paso, Tx 79938
Public: Public
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Challenges of High Profile Marriages

“Did you hear? Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert are getting divorced after only four years.” It seems like a marriage in the limelight has a shelf life about as long as the life of a vase of roses. There are some Hollywood marriages that break the mold and make it the distance, like Roy Rogers and Dale Evans,  although they rarely make headlines.

Over the last several years, we have helped high profile couples during our Marriage Intensives. We have been trusted to help with the marriages of professional athletes, elected politicians, Fortune 500 CEOs, and high visibility Pastors. While each marriage has been unique, there are some patterns that we have observed that may be contributors for those who are in high profile marriages.

‘(Love is) never rude, crude, or indecent—it’s not self-absorbed. Love isn’t easily upset. Love doesn’t tally wrongs’ I Cor 13:5

Special Challenges In High Profile Marriages

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6 Signs Your Marriage Is Suffering From Erosion

Tanner and Megan’s pastor referred them to us for a Marriage Intensive. Unlike most couples who call, they had not experienced an affair or major financial mistrust in their eleven years of marriage. However, Tanner and Megan had lost that loving feeling, in fact, they did not have much like for each other anymore.

Megan shared how Tanner was never fully present in the home, frequently leaving early for work and returning later in the evening after work and a work out. Tanner described how he had a great mother for his children and a wonderful room mate in Megan, but he had not felt loved or desired by here in years.

How The Marriage Relationship Erodes

Megan and Tanner’s relationship was a perfect example of how neglecting their marriage had eroded their love. We recently took a writing retreat in the Texas Hill Country. Sitting under a beautiful canopy of the leaves and limbs of a huge tree along the Guadalupe River, we noticed that a few feet of its many roots were exposed. It was apparent that the winding river and wind had eroded the fertile foundation soil that the tree’s sturdy trunk had grown in. It left the tree appearing vulnerable to a sure death in a future storm or heavy wind.

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How Cultural Differences Impact Marriage

It is a beautiful thing to watch when two people fall in love. Over the course of several months, our friend’s love interest becomes all they can talk about. Finally we meet them and see for the first time how much in love the two are. We love watching our friends begin their healthy, life long relationships!

At our last Life Together Forever Weekend, we enjoyed seeing couples from various cultures together in one huge conference room. Watching cultures interact was fun for us. Many couples in attendance were married across cultures. In fact, we believe there is rarely a couple who came from the same culture.  Even if you grew up in the same race, ethnicity, neighborhood, church, etc., as your spouse, there are things about your culture that are different from your spouse’s.

Cultural Differences Are Exciting Early In Relationships

“There was a time when everyone on the earth spoke the same language.” Genesis 11:1 (VOICE)

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A Special Post for Single & Step Parents

Every once in a while a friend of Life Together Forever will ask us to write something for singles in their lives. We do our best to champion Life Together Forever. We are unashamedly committed to strengthening marriages and preventing divorce. However, this week’s article will be one that you can share with anyone who is a single or step parent.

A dear friend of ours, Jayna Haney, has been speaking and writing on the subject of blending families for years. We recommend signing up for her blog and email notifications if you have ever divorced or have children who are not being raised by both parents in your home.

Before You Marry Again

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What makes marriage last?

We just completed our Houston Marriage Retreat 2015 where 100 couples spent all day Saturday and half the day Sunday in a series of exercises and workshops focused on helping them reconnect, recommit and restore relationships. As with every event we do, we love to hear from couples about what a difference it made in their lives.

Daniel and Kim told us that they had participated in one of our Marriage 911 weekends about a year ago when they were on the brink of divorce. They found themselves challenged and began the process of doing the things they needed to do to create a healthy marriage. Knowing that they needed more, in the spring they attended a nationally promoted marriage program. They told us that they spent over $800 that weekend and left feeling really bad about themselves and their future. “It was one speech after another for the entire weekend. Our marriage was worse than before we attended.

Last weekend they experienced our Life Together Forever Weekend. In a better place than when we first met them, the exercises were able to break through into new areas of emotional connection than ever before. “We love that your weekends are focused on making the marriage relationship better. Making us talk about things we usually don’ t talk about in a room full of other couples who are having the same discussion, helped us feel closer than we ever have.”

‘A true friend loves regardless of the situation…’ Proverbs 17:7 (VOICE)

The Secret to Life Together Forever

Here’s the secret to making marriage work: maintaining friendship.

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Making Time Work For My Marriage

In our Life Together Forever Weekends, we teach the concept of telling your time what to do. Everyone has 86,400 seconds every day. What you do with your time has to do with your world-view and your priorities.

‘Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time…’ Ephesians 5:15 (ESV)