"how 'bout the two of you joining us at married life live?"

Someone stopped me at church on Sunday and told me that she and her husband brought some friends to Married Life Live on Saturday. She told me that the couple is currently separated but they agreed to come to MLL. She went on to tell me that the couple had a great time, enjoyed MLL thoroughly and by the end of the evening they were actually "gettin' cozy" with each other. Isn't that cool?

I love the fact that there are people at NewPointe who are investing in others and inviting them to events like Married Life Live. Who knows the ultimate impact the simple question of, "Hey, how 'bout the two of you joining us at Married Life Live...we'll buy your tickets" will have on that couple's relationship?

Stuff like that fires me up!

married life live pics

MLL was AWESOME, baby! Hope you were able to be there!

okay...so i had to add this one too...

Here's another photo from Harry and Liz's wedding. Liz tells me that this was taken right after the cremony began and I "cracked the first joke." Classic.

you may kiss the bride

A couple weeks ago I blogged about Harry and Liz's wedding. Today Liz sent me a photo that was taken right after I uttered the phrase, "You may kiss the bride."

Like I said, they know how to have fun. Priceless.

when harry met...liz

Last evening I had the privilege of officiating the wedding ceremony of my friends Harry and Liz. Harry, in case you don't know, plays bass guitar in the NewPointe band. They got married in downtown Canton on a rooftop. It was a very cool wedding and we had beautiful weather.

Harry and Liz are a great couple who love to have fun. And we had fun with the wedding. They gave me a lot of rope (and plenty of time) to share. I shared a lot about what it means to have Christ at the center of a marriage. We also had plenty of opportunities to laugh and just enjoy the occasion.

After the wedding, I had literally dozens of people approach me, telling me how much they enjoyed the ceremony. Several of them commented on how much they appreciated being able to laugh at a wedding. One lady told me that she'd never laughed at a wedding before. I said, "Well we ought to be able to, shouldn't we?" After all, Jesus is the joy-bringer. And I'm convinced he knew how to have a good time at a wedding.

I shared from Matthew 2, the wedding at Cana...Jesus' first miracle. I shared how Jesus can be the miracle of their marriage when 1. you invite him in, 2. you take your needs to him, and 3. allow him to take what you have and make it even better.

It was a great day. And a very cool reception. Congrats, Liz and Harry!

john alan turner

John Turner was the communicator at last Saturday's Married Life Live. He knocked it out of the park. I've had multiple people ask me about how they can get ahold of John's books. So...here's some information that you may find useful:

Amazon.com link to John's books

John's blog, Faith 2.o

John on Facebook

John also reads my blog. So John, once again bro, Thanks! There still a buzz about your talk around NewPointe.

married life live...is it worth $30?

Got this email today:

(A married couple I know) have been attending NewPointe for over a year. They have been to several MLLs, saying that each one gets better. Over the last 4 weeks, friends have been attending church with them. They talked MLL up and invited them to go...with some reluctance, (not knowing what they were in for) the couple said OK.

Then (the wife) thought, "Oh no, what if it's not as good as we said!" That night prior to the start of events, (the husband) approached me, wanted to know if things were in order and if it was going to be a good one. Half way through the evening the husband leaned over to (his wife), with tears in his eyes and said, "this is the best 30 dollars we have ever spent!"

Afterwards they said to count them in for the next one, they loved it! (The wife) wanted to know how they come up with all the great ideas and if all aspects are done by people of the church. They had a GREAT time!

She then added (what many others have been saying), "How are they going to top that?"

Well, your work is cut out for you and it is all appreciated!

Best $30 you ever spent, huh? Now that's quotable! And yes, I know, we DO have our work cut out for us. But I just expect each Married Life Live to keep getting better and better.

big surprises in store for the next MLL

Married Life Live tickets went on sale last weekend. Here's a piece of advice if you're planning on attending: don't wait to purchase your tickets. They're going fast and we expect another sell-out.

I don't want to reveal everything that's happening at MLL...we want to keep some things under wraps...but here are a few things that I can reveal:

• We're bringing in a special guest speaker, John Turner. John is a speaker and author from Atlanta and he's one of the masterminds behind the whole Married Life Live idea that originated at North Point Community Church. It going to be great having him at MLL...I know you'll be inspired and challenged by him.
• The music, as usual, will be off the hook. We're still working out some of the details but at this point some of the song ideas on the table include music from Survivor, Paula Abdul, Rascal Flats, and Billy Joel.
• If you like Whose Line Is It Anyway?, we've got a special MLL feature for you.
• The meal? I don't have a clue about what's for dinner at this MLL...but I know it will be amazing.

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!

celebrate differences

Yes, it's already time for me to begin thinking about the next Married Life Live. The last one (February 16) was off the hook. Sold out, 700+ people. Great food. Incredible music. I can't wait for the next one (May 3).

The marriage essential we're looking at in May is CELEBRATE DIFFERENCES. As I was bumping around the Internet, doing some research for the next MLL, I came across this photo that attempts to explain at least one of the differences between men and women.

Tickets go on sale next month. See you May 3.

married life live tickets go on sale sunday

the theme: SPICEY! (is having that romantic spice in your marriage essential, or is just extra?)
the marriage essential: Nurture Romance (don't worry guys, I promise it won't be ridiculously mushy...in fact you may be surprised at how we define romance)
the date: Feburary 16
the cost: $30 (you can purchase tickets online by clicking here
the perks: dinner, music, prizes, fun, and a better marriage
the music: we're still nailing it down but I wouldn't be surprised if you hear a little Marvin Gaye, Cheap Trick, Faith Hill, and maybe a little James Taylor
the #1 reason to come: Hey, it's Valentine's weekend. Duh.

Guys, why don't you take the initiative on this one and go ahead and surprise your wife with tickets. She'll love you for it.

going all the way

If you read my blog much at all, you know that I'm a big Craig Groeschel guy. This guy, who is about my age, pastors one of the fastest growing, most creative and dynamic churches in America (lifechurch.tv).

I've been influenced by Craig and Lifechurch.tv quite a bit over the past year. I've listened to his messages, read his blog, and read his books.

His newest book is titled Going All the Way. Strong. I read most of it to my wife, Jenny while travelling to Kentucky a few weeks ago. Know what it did for us? It made us want to strengthen our marriage. It created a renewed desire to be more alive to what God wants in our marriage. It caused us to talk about what it means to have a deeper level of intimacy. It made me want to be a better, more godly husband.

And here's the thing: While it's primary target is the singles crowd, it spoke profoundly into my marriage. I'd recommend it for any married couple that's interested in seeing their marriage develop into what God wants it to be.

And if you're single, whether you're in a relationship or not, I'd call this one a MUST READ. I've been pimping it at Aqua over the past couple weeks. I'm not kidding. I wish I would have read this book when I was single.

The NewPointe bookstore has copies available. It'd make a great Christmas gift for the single adult that you care about.

Read it and find out how you can have a marriage that "Goes All the Way."

why i love my wife

Tomorrow (Dec. 1) is my 17th wedding anniversary. 17 years! Wow. Sometimes I find myself just thanking God for the gift of Jenny in my life. She's amazing. You know how sometimes people say they're married to their best friend and you just wanna say, "Yeah, right," because it sounds so corny. Well, in my case, it's true. Jenny really is my best friend.

I'm in South Carolina right now--over 500 miles away from her. And I miss her. I'll see her tomorrow and I can't wait. As I think about that day 17 years ago when we both said, "I do," I thought I loved her then (and I did), but little did I know that I'd have so many more reasons to love her 17 years later. So I thought I'd list a few of the Reasons I Love My Wife:

• She laughs at all my jokes...still.
• She always encourages me. She's my biggest supporter and fan.
• She an incredible mom to our kids.
  
• She has an incomparable sense of style.
  
• She gives me a hug every night when I come home (no matter how late it is).
• She ministers to our family by meeting our needs in so many ways. She's the hardest-working, most underpaid person I know.
  
• She loves Jesus more than she loves me.
  
• She's generous.
• She puts others ahead of herself.
  
• She lets me go on golf trips to South Carolina even when it overlaps with our anniversary a bit.
• She knows all my quirks, hangups, bad habits, and weirdness...and she loves me anyway.
• She's able to connect with me in a way that doesn't need to be expressed by words. It's like she can read my mind sometimes. It's that soul-connection kind of thing. It's real. It's us.
  

Man, I love my wife.

more married life live

Here are a few pics from Saturday night (thanks Paul).

I received this e-mail yesterday:

I just have to say that since I have been attending New Pointe it has been such a turning point in my life but I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone for an awesome evening Saturday nite - not only was it alot of fun but it also has me thinking in alot of areas in my life. We actually took one other couple with us and with the awesome reviews we have given it we have six other couples ready to go in February so thank you. Not only is NewPointe an awesome church but its also an awesome "family" as well.

What an incredible night. I want to give a shout out to Dave D for speaking truth into our marriages. Great job. Also, the closing song was amazing. Thanks April! The lyrics are worth posting. Here ya go:

Let My Words

We tried to talk it over, the words came out too rough. You know that I was trying, but it wasn't quite enough. It's easy to be careless with the things that I say. It's hard to be careful, not let my pride get in the way.

Let my words build you up so that we can tear down these walls. Let me be what you deserve. And let you know what you are worth.

I try to keep this fortress wrapped around my heart. It just takes a word before it falls apart. It' hard to be careful with the things that I say. It's easy to be careless and let my pride get in the way.

Let my words build you up so that we can tear down these walls. Let me be what you deserve. And let you know what you are worth.

Time moves on but what I say stands still. I don't want to say hurtful things, only words that heal.

Let my words build you up. So that we can tear down these walls. Let me be what you deserve. And let you know what you are worth.

post married life live thoughts

It's 9:08. Married Life Live ended about 45 minutes ago. And the tear-down/set-up team is almost done transforming the room for worship tomorrow. I have some quick thoughts I want to share before I go home.

• First, the set-up/tear down team. Thanks a million. You guys are amazing.
• Also, the servers for tonight were great! Thanks for giving of your time and energy. You made a huge difference!
• Band...awesome.
• Tech people (video, lights, sound, etc.). Phenomenal.
• Decorating team...I know it was hard work. Congratulations on a job well done.
• Teresa Raber. Folks, there's none better at organization, administration, and follow-through. She's the best...ever.

Hope you were able to make it. I think it was our best one yet. (That's the way...uh-huh, uh-huh...I like it).

reading my blog has its privileges

Married Life Live is this Saturday. Because you read my blog, you're privy to information that cannot be obtained elsewhere. Here are some interesting tidbits about the upcoming MLL (it's all a secret, so don't tell anyone!):

• Ticket sales have now been cut-off in order to make final preparations. If you already have a ticket, you're one of the lucky ones.
• This is the largest (attendance-wise) MLL yet. 554 people.
• 86 volunteers will be there to serve.
• A couple of the songs you can expect to hear include: KC & the Sunshine Band's That's the Way (Uh-huh, uh-huh) I Like It and The Emotion's Best of My Love.
• As always, there will be many opportunities to win some pretty cool prizes (including cash!). And the more you brush up on your TV game show trivia, the better your chances of winning!
• Every person attending MLL will receive one of these:

• You should all be able to get home in time to see most of the OSU-Penn St. game.

And the single thing I'm most excited about is that Jenny and I have invited friends of ours (for whom we've been investing in and praying for for several years)...and they're coming to MLL!

married life live photos and recap

MLL lived up to the hype (in my humble opinion). It was truly a great night. Thank you everyone who stopped me in the hallways today to share your stories, to laugh again at some of the outrageous events that took place, or just to share how special the evening was for you.

I had a blast! Man, I love Married Life Live! And how cool is it that I have a job that allows me to co-host MLL. Lee Ann Miller was funny and charming as usual. My favorite bit had to be the secret word song game we played with the band. And just for the record, yes, it was a set up. The band had the songs ready in advance (what gave it away, the lyrics on the back wall?).

I think the funniest things are the things that happen that are unplanned. Like the guy mistakenly calling himself Melissa. Like the text messaging game when Mike Conn texted "I think you're hot" to me--VERY funny.

The band rocked it out. They kicked off the night with Huey Lewis's "The Power of Love." They also absolutely nailed Tom Petty's "Don't Do Me Like That." They even mixed in some Beatles, Kansas, Lynard Skynard, and Queen during the secret word song game. Too much fun! Mad props to Jeff, Jody, Denielle, Q, and Phebe. Rock on, guys!

Dave Hartman and Carol Miller were outstanding in the four-part comedy sketch as Mary and Harry in "Married and Harried." Great work, guys.

And Kevin West knocked it out of the park again. Kevin, you're the man. Great insight and a great challenge for all of our marriages. By the way, CDs of his talk are available at the NewPointe bookstore.

The food was tremendous...thanks to Jean Vacha and her crew. The servers? Well, they completely served over 400 people in 25 minutes. Where are the Guinness Book people when you need them?

Thanks Dave Mast and the media crew. Outstanding work. Tech crew, a job well done. Stagehands, you guys were money. Hosts, greeters, ticket-takers, decorators...you are all awesome!

It's always dangerous to start thanking people publicly like this because I'm bound to overlook someone. But huge thanks need to go out to several people in particular:

Teresa Raber. She's literally the one who makes MLL happen. If you had any idea how many intricate details are involved in a major event like MLL, you'd be floored. And Teresa's on top of every one of those details. She's simply the best.

Dave and Miriam Beachy. I'm beginning to think they're super-human. They're the most willing, able, humble, hard-working, gracious people I know. They work so hard behind the scenes. MLL could not have happened without them.

Oh, and here's one more: thanks, Paul Rothel, for the great pics!

Well, I hope you and your spouse got in on the fun. If not, don't worry, there's another MLL coming: October 27. Tickets will go on sale in a few weeks. We'll keep you posted.

u can still get in on married life live

I just found out that there are some tickets still available for this Saturday's MLL. So if you still want in on it, here's what you need to do. Call the church office at 330-602-5600 and ask to purchase MLL tickets and one of our friendly staff will be happy to assist you. Tickets are no longer available online.

We reviewed some of the details and creative elements for MLL today. Man, I can't wait. Don't miss out!

married life live...tickets on sale soon!

I've spent the better part of the day putting together the pieces of the puzzle that is the next Married Life Live. I think it's going to be great. As most of you know, the first MLL sold out. We increased capacity for the next one by 25%. That should help but I still anticipate it selling out. Here's a bit of a "sneak peek" for my blog readers:

• the next MLL is August 18, 6 p.m.


• only 640 tickets available (if you're slow in the math dept., that's 320 couples)


• The theme: High Voltage


• The Marriage Essential: Hurry Home


• The music: I don't want to give away too much but for starters you can expect to hear some Huey Lewis and the News...and much more...


• Other elements: An incredible dinner, comedy, stump-the-band, and tons more


• Bring your cell phone. It could very well help you win a fabulous prize.

I'm pumped. Can't wait. Tickets go on sale July 22 at the bookstore (and online).

extraordinary! larger than life!

Here it is...the Married Life Live! recap. First let me say, it was an extraordinary night. In fact, you might say it was larger than life. And I'm not just saying that because my department was in charge of it. Really, I think we exceeded the legal limit for fun that couples are allowed to have in one evening. In case you missed it...or you're still reveling in it...here are some pics that you might enjoy.

This is a look at how the evening began:

Danny, Jeff, April, and the rest of the band were amazing! They delivered the goods with some incredible movie tunes including: That Thing You Do, Footloose, Eye of the Tiger, Danger Zone, Because You Loved Me, Up Where We Belong (Danny's Joe Cocker was worth the price of admission alone), and Unchained Melody to name a few.

Yes, Bubba Joe showed up. That dude really knows his movie trivia.

Kevin talked to us about Trusting God in our marriages...turning the director's chair over to Him. Powerful. Make sure you pick up a CD of that one.

Danny wrapped up the night in an unbelievable way with the song You and I. It was one of those memorable moments for me with my wife. Thanks Danny.

Here's a collage of some of the couples and some of the shenanigans we all enjoyed. A huge "Thank you" goes out to all of the amazing volunteers that made our first ever Married Life Live! an unforgettable experience. You guys are EXTRAORDINARY!

married life live! update

We had a MLL production meeting today. You guys, it's going to be a blast! I can hardly wait. Here are a few things to whet your appetite:

• My main man Kevin is going to speak. He shared some of his content with me today. STRONG!
• Dave D will be co-hosting the event with yours truly. That'll be fun.
• Danny and the band are working on some music that is guaranteed to make u wanna dance! :)
• You can expect to see several movie stars live (yes live--in person) at MLL.
• The food's going to be crazy-good. It's a sit down meal designed to be enjoyed thoroughly by you and your date.
• Everyone who comes will have an opportunity to win fabulous prizes!

The stats show us that there are less than 100 seats available (out of 480). If you don't have a ticket yet, you can buy online right here. This Sunday will be your final opportunity to buy at church. Online ticket sales end Monday.

DO NOT miss it!