Encouraging Couples - John & Margaret Maxwell

I've been searching for couples, living in the public eye, who value the encouragement their spouse provides. Because I don't know them personally, the only way I can gauge their appreciation is by their outward, public behavior and written words.

Robert and I have been reading John Maxwell's books for almost 10 years and have attended a couple of his conferences. We find his leadership books, both secular and faith-based, valuable. John often refers to his wife, Margaret and her role in his life.

In one of his latest books, Put Your Dream to the Test, he both dedicates his book to Margaret but also tells a very moving story of how she made him feel empowered in his dream to be a great leader.

On page 115-116 he tells how, shortly after finishing college and getting married, his first church in rural Indiana could only offer him a small $80 a week salary. And even though it was a part-time salary, Margaret supported him in giving all his energy to the church.

She declared his dream verbally to the church leaders and followed through with her encouragement by working three jobs so he could feel empowered to pursue his dream to be a great leader.

John Maxwell concludes his story by saying, "None of my dreams would have come true without her".

Margaret Maxwell's encouragement and support of her spouse has definitely made difference in the world! She is a great example.


John Maxwell tells the story much better than I can - I encourage you to read it for yourself! http://www.amazon.com/Put-Your-Dream-Test-Questions/dp/0785214127/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249319733&sr=8-1

Support your spouse with joy-filled zeal.

It will make them feel empowered!

Adding Value - Where does it start?

On our drive to Canada, Robert and I discussed how much we admire our friends and the value they add to our lives - just by living as the people God made them to be.

One over-arching quality found in the people at our anniversary celebration is faith. Faith in and for God. Our friends' faith in God has impacted Robert & I by -

Modeling a life of faith - dedicated to serving God.

• The minister who married Robert and I has retired, yet remains dedicated to spreading the gospel of Christ to all nations. (just as directed in the 25th chapter of Matthew) He and his wife spent years in Asia working to bring God's Word to all they met and still have a heart for those from Asia who now make their home in North America. And even though they are a married couple - working together - each has maintained their separate identity as individuals. They're an awesome team.



• Some of our friends use their God-given talent to praise Him - singing & playing instruments as soloists, in small groups, leading worship or in a choir.



• Others spend hours each week preparing to serve and teach - either behind an altar, in youth activities, Sunday School or just quietly with those they meet who need a word of encouragement. They have been faithful (faith-filled) for years - regardless of age and financial or health concerns.

Adding value to others begins with who we are and how we lead the life God has given us.

Do you strengthen - fortify - those around you (and your spouse)

with your depth and breadth of faith in God?

Our friends and family do and that's one way they've impacted our life!

Launching the next 25 Years

Robert and I just returned from a wonderful experience - celebrating with friends and family who shared in our wedding 25 years ago.

Through the last 25 years many of the group have remained close and we've shared our thoughts, feelings, joys and sorrows. We spent a little time during our celebration expressing how thankful we were to have these people in our life and the impact they made on us.

As Robert and I wrote out our "one-liners" to bring tribute to these special people, it caused us to reflect on how blessed we've been in learning things from others which have directly contributed to the success of our marriage.

Over the next days I'll highlight all the value our friends and family have provided for us.

Maybe it'll cause you to reflect on what your loved ones have contributed to your relationship!

Cheers!

25 years later

Once apon a time, in a country far away, there were two young people with their whole lives ahead of them....

They met when they were 15 and 17 years old and from then onward looked for every opportunity to spend time together.

They grew in friendship and love and then decided to share the rest of their life together.

On May 27, 1984 those two young friends married.

That's us - Robert & Lori - 25 years ago.

The last 25 years together have been no less than interesting. We've grown close as a couple - our values and dreams have become meshed, and our favorite activity together is to talk & plan for the future. Robert has been my greatest encourager, and I work to be his.

We've grown in our faith and served the Lord wherever we lived. We've had 2 children, homeschooled those children, and then watched them grow till they became adults. We've made friends, said goodbye to friends, and made new friends. We've moved to another country, experienced big city life with a pool, and rural life with horses in the back pasture. Through it all we rejoice over how the Lord blessed us (even in the not-so-nice times).

I wonder what the next 25 years will bring?

My favorite books ...

Robert and I are always reading - usually on topics like leadership, ministry, business and, of course, marriage.


Once we've read a book we'll encourage the other to read it or share the insights and information we've learned as we drive somewhere. (we do a lot of driving)


I've come across some great resources, both for practical advice and fascinating insight, to enrich our marriage.

Here's a list of 10 valuable books (in no particular order) I can recommend:


1. The 5 Love Languages ... by Gary Chapman

2. Relationships by Les & Leslie Parrott

3. Pray Big for Your Marriage... by Will Davis

4. The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John M. Gottman

5. The Marriage Builder by Larry Crabb

6. Love is a Decision by Gary Smalley & John Trent

7. Shower Her with Roses by Tony M. Stevens

8. I Do Again by Cheryl & Jeff Scruggs

9. Building Your Mate's Self Esteem by Dennis & Barbara Rainey

10. The Second Half of Marriage... by David and Claudia Arp



Next time you're in a book store (or at the library) take a look at one or two of these.


Enjoy!

Did you know that there's over 100 synonyms for encourage?

Here's a word cloud from http://www.wordle.net/

exploring a few of the words connected to encouragement:

An experiment...

Last week I gave a few note cards to the ladies in a group to which I belong. Their mission - should they decide to accept it - was to write a positive thought to encourage someone they loved. I wanted to see if they received any feedback from their notes.

The note cards are from a company I highlighted earlier - Smiles Made Easy - (http://encourageyourspouse.blogspot.com/2008/10/making-connection.html .

I'll be meeting tomorrow with the group again. We'll see what kind of response they received ...