You don't want average. You want a relationship that's unusually excellent.

 
 
 

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

It’s no secret that many marriages in the world are broken. They’re full of conflict, full of envy, full of lies, full of resentment, full of fear.

The way of Christ allows us to aspire to more. 

This workshop focuses on creating something different than what so many have—a marriage of unusual excellence.

 

CONTENT


Drawing on our own story, the stories of others, Biblical principles, and God’s own example, we'll strive to provide helpful content that can make a marriage unusual in the best ways. Over the course of four sessions, we will unpack a Biblically-centered definition of love that has the power to transform any relationship in which it’s applied.  

DISCUSSION


Information translates to application when we have a chance to imagine doing what we've heard about, visualizing what it looks like in our day-to-day life. That's why we like to incorporate group discussion into each workshop, breaking folks into clusters after each session so they can discuss and process what they've just heard. 

 
 

SESSIONS:


1: TOUGH LOVE
When God created marriage, he defined it as a “holding fast”--the act of a man and a woman “clinging” to one another.  Love between spouses is  a rugged commitment--a decision to stick with someone come what may. In this session, we'll build a foundation by clarifying the magic of marriage--how a permanent bond of loyalty creates a safe, reliable environment in which a truly intimate relationship can flourish. 

2: I'M WITH YOU
Presence is an absolute essential for strong relationships. Husbands and wives must commit to spend time together, being their real selves, and being fully present and engaged as they interact. In this session, we’ll explore helpful truth about proximity, vulnerability, and intimacy.

3: FOR ME? 
Loving well means being for--rooting for this person, defending this person, intentionally and actively contributing to their success. When we’re convinced our spouse is truly for us, it creates a strong bond that sustains us through hard times and enables us to become our best selves.

4: LOVING WITH THE END IN MIND
Real love means practicing our “with-ness” and “for-ness” in order to help the person we love become the person God created them to be. As followers of Jesus, we love in the direction of the realized kingdom of God in this person’s life, partnering with Him (and them) in the mission of their transformation.

 

ABOUT JUSTIN & JENNIFER

Hey there. We're Justin and Jennifer Gerhardt, and we're big fans of marriage. Having met before either of us could drive, we’ve spent more than twenty years together (seventeen of them married) learning how to fight, forgive, encourage, share, help, and love well.

Over the last couple of years, we've had the privilege of leading marriage workshops in Tennessee, California, Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, Croatia, Slovenia, and Texas. 

We work together as a part of Round Rock Church of Christ in the Austin, TX area where Justin serves as preaching minister. Jennifer writes to help people see God more clearly and love God more fully at godscout.com. We have two adventure-loving little girls, London (9) and Eve (8).

We believe there's no such thing as a perfect marriage, but we're convinced that a healthy marriage is a totally realistic goal.

STORIES

We love sharing the stories of folks we know who are pursuing unusual marriages. Here are some of the ones we've included in past workshops.

QUESTIONS

How long is the workshop? 

  • Usually, we deliver about 4 hours of content, plus time for discussion. We've done workshops that go from Friday evening (2 sessions) through Saturday morning (2 sessions), and others that have happened entirely on a Saturday (2 sessions, lunch, and 2 more sessions). We're happy to customize the schedule to match the needs of your church. 
  • Want to take a look at a sample schedule for a Saturday workshop? Click here.

Can I talk to someone who's hosted or attended one of these? 

  • Absolutely. Click here to send us a note about that and we'll be happy to provide you with some references. We only want to do this for you if it would be a good fit for your needs.

Who is this for? 

  • Anyone who wants to take some time to focus on developing their marriage. We've had the pleasure of speaking with 75-year-old married couples and 19-year-old singles in the same room. God's truth is good, whether you're hearing it for the first or thirtieth time. :)

What's your fee?