Plan a date that involves three locations in the house or apartment - one for an appetizer/salad, one for a main course, and one to enjoy desert or coffee together. Discuss the following as noted.

There’s something to be said for the good ol’ days, but let’s face it, our world is changing at an ever-increasing pace. Gone are the days of record players, VHS tapes, and even televisions that are not LED. It seems that just as quickly as technology and gadgets change, so does how the world defines what marriage means.

Humanity’s idea of marriage has certainly shifted over the years. But God's plan remains the same. How has the world moved away from God's view of the purpose of marriage, marital sex, roles within marriage, divorce, etc.?

Wives: Identify which of the following marital habits (good and bad) you find easier, harder, and why.

• Encourage

• Nag

• Respect

• Control

• Submit

• Love

• Manipulate

• Serve

Husbands: Share which of the following marital habits (good and bad) you find easier, harder, and why.

• Resent

• Protect

• Ignore

• Respect

• Lead

• Serve

• Criticize

• Cherish

When finished with your appetizer or salad and your conversation, feel free to move to the next location.

Think about marriage like a crucible. A crucible is a ceramic pot you put impure metal into to create precious metal. Crucibles are superheated and the impurities of the metal rise to the top and can be removed. The only way to get the impurities to separate from the precious metal however is under this intense heat.

It is the same way in marriage. The marriage relationship is one of the only things that is intense enough to bring out the best and the worst in your character.

God has created family and marriage in particular as the most intense and personal of all human relationships so that the best and worst of your character would come out with the person that God created to love you unconditionally for the rest of your life and help you become more like Christ. That’s what marriage is for — spiritual transformation

Using a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 as the highest score), rate how you feel you are doing reflecting each of the following qualities...

• Love and respect

• Forgiveness and grace

• Submission and service

• Sacrifice and giving

• Joy and hope

• Humility and selflessness

Offer one idea of how you can help improve a low scoring category. Now move on to your third and final date location.