A Vibrant Community of Christ-Followers in East Bethel, MN
BIBLE STUDIES, PRACTICAL TOOLS, & SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Access great marriage material through RightNow Media, an amazing video and conference library, available free to you through Living Hope. Set-up your free account HERE. Click on Living Hope's church name to see what we've put together for recommended marriage resources or browse on your own. You'll find everything from in-depth Bible Studies to 15 minute clips to online marriage conferences!
WEBSITES / PODCASTS:
There are many wonderful Christian marriage ministries out there! These sites contain hope-filled marriage-related content that we endorse, with the obvious disclaimer that we cannot guarentee the accuracy and completeness of outside ministries and websites.
XOMarriage.com - Topics, Resources, Podcasts, Crisis Call Center, Marriage Intervention
Fierce Marriage - Topics, Resources, Podcast
Re|Engage - Marriage topics. Find a marriage group that meets in local churches near you.
Gary Thomas, Blog, topics. Author of such books as "Loving Your Spouse When You Feel Like Walking Away" and "Sacred Marriage"
Thriving Marriage - Curates & posts great content from other sites, also has a Podcast
Naked Marriage Podcast: Addressing often unspoken concerns couples have about intimacy
Restoring the Soul Podcast - Michael John Cusak with other thought leaders on healing & wholeness
Family Life - Topics, Resources, Podcast,"Weekend to Remember" Conference
Focus on the Family - Topics, Resources, Podcast
MARRIAGE MENTORING
Marriage Mentors are couples within the Living Hope family that can come alongside other couples to give encouragement and direction and can help navigate new or difficult seasons in marriage and family.
A marriage mentorship couple is willing to:
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-Be available to answer questions or help process situations that the mentored couple or one of the spouses might have.
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Pray regularly for the mentored couple.
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Meet with the mentored couple in an informal setting.
Contact Pastor Lon or fill out a Contact Card for more information about being paired with a Marriage Mentor Couple.
MARRIAGE COUNSELING
All couples have issues that are very difficult to resolve, go through particularly difficult seasons in their marriage, and have times where they feel stuck. At Living Hope, we highly encourage couples to seek out new perspectives and new paths forward through the help of a Christian counselor-- even just for marriage maintenance or a marriage tune-up! We have a list of Christian counselors that others have seen or have been highly recommended to us. Please don't wait until you're in crisis to consider Christian counseling.
Financial help: We want to help remove barriers for seeking out marriage counseling. Living Hope will contribute up to $40 per session for up to 6 sessions (Max of $240, after insurance) for couples to see a counselor on our list of recommended counselors. Contact us HERE for more details.
Pastor Lon and Sonya are also willing to meet with individuals or couples to listen, pray, and give counsel towards next steps.
The Prepare-Enrich Marriage Assessment tool is an online assessment used to identify strengths and areas for growth in a relationship. Pastor Lon is a certified Prepare-Enrich Facilitator who can administer the survey and help guide couples gain a better understanding of their strengths and key areas of concern. These can become good talking points and help reveal next steps for couples.
Contact Pastor Lon or fill out a Contact Card for more information about Marriage Counseling, financial resources for Marriage Counseling, or taking the Prepare-Enrich marriage assessment.
PORNOGRAPHY AND MARRIAGE
Pornography destroys intimacy in marriage and distorts God's beautiful purposes for sexual oneness meant only between one husband and one wife. Yet we live in a hyper-sexualized culture where porn is everywhere and constantly marketed to us. Porn is highly addictive, and promises what it can't deliver. God wants us to be set free from shame and the destruction of porn.
If you or your spouse are struggling with porn, you're not alone. A number of people at Living Hope have had this struggle. Even though it's difficult to reach out, confession & accountability is a vital part of breaking free from pornography. Living Hope contact link for men HERE. Contact link for women HERE. There are also groups meeting in the Twin Cities area. See links below.
Resources:
Pure Desire - Breaking Free, Online Groups
Accountability Software Options - Pure Desire has put together a list with prices.
Covenant Eyes - Support, Resources, Accountability, Podcast.
Their software is the gold standard & is highly recommended.
Covenant Eyes - List of Specific Resources for Women
Strive 21 - 21 Day Porn Detox
Samson Society - Brotherhood of men who are fearlessly authentic.
Find group meetings near you.
Brave Hearts - Resources, Groups, Mentors for Men & Women
Other Resources:
Free E-Book: 5 Steps to Freedom from Porn
Free E-Book: 7 Keys to Understanding Betrayal Trauma (for spouse)
Therapy & Theology Podcast on the Real Issues Behind Pornography
Michael John Cusick has also written a book called "Surfing for God: Discovering the Divine Desire Beneath Sexual Struggle" Audiobook is available for free