Spice up Your Marriage with 50 Great Date Ideas

1. Sketch your dream-house floor plan and talk about the possibilities of each room.
2. Write the story of how you met. Get it printed and bound.
3. List your spouse’s best qualities in alphabetic order.
4. Tour a museum or art gallery (Admission is free to the USAF Museum in Dayton).
5. Kiss and hug in the dark while watching for the International Space Station to make its daily visible pass over Ohio.
6. Attend a fall festival together.
7. Take a stroll around the block - hold hands as you walk.
8. Spend a night together at the Quaker Hill Conference Center Solitude Room.
9. Give your spouse a back rub.
10. Rent a classic love story video, microwave some popcorn and watch the video while cuddling.
11. Build a fire in the fireplace, turn out the lights, cuddle and talk.
12. Take a shower together.
13. Go swimming in the middle of the night.
14. Write a poem for your spouse.
15. Remember to look in your spouse’s eyes as he/she tells you about the day.
16. Walk the mall together with the goal of not to buy, but to test perfume and cologne along the way.
17. Hug your spouse from behind and give him/her a kiss on the back of the neck.
18. Stop in the middle of your busy day and talk to your spouse for 15 minutes.
19. Take a free tour of a local factory. Available tours range from candy factories to a motorcyclemanufacturing plant.
20. Do something your spouse loves to do, even though it doesn’t interest you personally.
21. Send your spouse a love letter.
22. Build a snowman together.
23. Watch a sunrise or sunset together.
24 Sit on the same side of a restaurant booth.
25. Picnic by a pond.
26. Give your mate a foot massage.
27. Put together a puzzle on a rainy evening.
28. Take a bike ride on one of the Ohio bike paths.
29. On a hot summer day, wash the car together, with the intent of splashing each other with water.
30. Whisper something romantic to your spouse in a crowded room.
31. Have a candlelight picnic in the back yard.
32. Perfume the bedsheets.
33. Serve breakfast in bed.
34. Reminisce through old photo albums.
35. Have coffee together at a coffee shop.
36. Share a milkshake with two straws.
37. Kiss in the rain.
38. Brush his/her hair.
39. Ride the merry-go-round together.
40. Dedicate a song to him/her over the radio.
41. On your anniversary, renew your wedding vows with family and friends.
42. Have a hot bubble bath ready for him/her at the end of a long day.
43. Buy new satin sheets.
44. Tenderly touch your spouse as you pass one another around the house.
45. Reminisce about your first date.
46. Plant a tree together in honor of your marriage.
47. Raid the kids' toy chest and go kite flying.
48. Attend a sporting event you’ve never been to together.
49. Take time to think about him/her during the day, then share those thoughts.
50. Create your own special holiday.

-From Focus on the Family

Mission Possible!

Is this some cruel joke, or is it possible for husbands to understand their wives? The answer is yes! If God commands husbands to understand their wives (I Pet. 3:7), then we know it is possible. I am amazed at how strong this longing is in women, and how much men seem to struggle to do it.

Husbands, I think it starts with a commitment to try. Make it your daily prayer, "God help me to understand my wife." Schedule "alone time" together. I believe that time together is a prerequisite to husbands understanding their wives. We won't get to know our wives intimately with a mini van full of kids on the way to a ball game.

Wives, what are some helpful ideas you could share with husbands that would help them work at understanding you? Men, what are some things you have done that have worked effectively?

Send me an email with your thoughts. lkaufman@wifi7.com

Larry

I like this stuff...

Why is the home church movement growing and gaining momentum? Well, probably for a number of reasons...here is one good one. And yes, I am a proponent of house churches. Any method that reaches and teaches people the message of Jesus. Here is part of a blog that I recently read...

There is considerable evidence to suggest that free and open systems tend to go bad less often than tightly controlled systems. The Catholic system is very tightly controlled, and we would argue it has gone bad in many ways. The free church system is a very loosely controlled, low-accountability system, yet tends to stay doctrinally pure. (With some exceptions, of course.) Power tends to corrupt, not keep pure.

The most articulate answer to this control questions comes from a seventy-five year old writing by Roland Allen. He is writing in a missions context. The tendency for missionaries is to feel we must control the national churches. Here is Allan's response:

"We fear that it [the spontaneous expansion of the church] is something that we cannot control. And it is true. We can neither induce nor control spontaneous expansion whether we look on it as the work of the individual or of the church. . .‘The wind blows where it will,' said Christ." If we cannot control it, we ought to rejoice that we cannot control it. For if we cannot control it, it is because it is too great, not because it is too small for us. Therein lies the vast hope.

Spontaneous expansion could fill the continents with the knowledge of Christ: our control cannot reach as far as that. We constantly bewail our limitations: open doors un-entered; doors closed to us as foreign missionaries; fields white to the harvest which we cannot reap. Spontaneous expansion could enter open doors, force closed ones, and reap those white fields. Our control cannot: it can only appeal pitifully for more men to maintain control."

-Roland Allan The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church

India Wrap Up

We made it home safely. I was glad to see Kendra and the kids. It has been a little over a week since I returned. I have been somewhat surprised at how long it has taken me to get back into a routine. I seem to be up and down emotionally. I have been thinking a lot about my expereince and how it has impacted me. Here are a few thoughts.

I am more content. While I have always despised the American dream (big house, new cars, nice wife, two kids, and a safe life), I am more thankful for God's provisions for our family. It seems strange that it takes a visit to a third world country to achieve this.

I am more focused. I want my life to count for eternity. My commitments (Christ follower, marriage, father, leader, pastor) are stronger, my priorities are clearer, my motivation is sharper. I don't want to live a status quo kind of life. When I give an account for my life before God, I want to hear him say, "well done."

I am more concerned. My burden for lost people has quadrupled. Lost people in our community. Lost people in India. Lost people all over the world. I carry images of lost people (I see their faces) in my mental wallet. I cannot forget them. Who is going to reach them?

I have a bigger view of God. Seeing another part of the world has increased my view of the the greatness of God. The world is so large, and there are so many people, and so many cultures, and so many birds and cows and rats and pigs and animals and plants and...did I mention people? God knows every detail. He created every detail. He is actively engaged in managing every detail. Yea, I trust him with every detail in my life.

I have a fear. I am more concerned than ever about raising five children in a place like Holmes County. Oh, don't get me wrong, it is a great community. There are benefits but also challenges. The challenge is to raise our kids to care about people that have never heard the gospel. The danger is spiritual apathy.

Thanks,
Larry Kaufman

India Day 9, 10, 11

We arrived in Bangalore early Tuesday morning (5:30am). I got a few hours of sleep and headed for the purpose driven conference venue. The first day went fairly well. I was really tired in the evening. For supper we went to pizza hut. I woke up the next day and felt sick to my stomach. Of course, after we ate "American" food. I taught the first hour and a half session and couldn't do anymore. I was about to faint.

They took me back to my room where I groaned and vomited for the rest of the day. Chris did a great job of looking out for me. I made a few calls, sent a few emails asking people at home to pray for me. The next morning I woke up and felt weak, but my vomiting and other stuff stopped. Honestly, I believe that God touched my stomach. I was able to teach the entire last day of the conference. We finished strong. Thanks for praying.

This was the 3rd major city that we visited. It has been such a great honor to meet and encourage the believers here. I have gained many friends and will be able to network with pastors from each of the major cities.

We are on our way to Goa, the last stop for before we head back to the US. This part of our trip is to spend two days touring and visiting a beautiful part of India. We hope to connect with several pastors there. They just recently had a PDC there also.

I am ready to come home. I miss Kendra and the kids, our church, and American culture.

Larry

India Day 8

We arrived in Mumbai a day before our second conference was to start. Mumbai is a city of 22 million people. Packed and stacked on top of each other. Traffic is horrific, smog is terrible, and the heat is unbelievable. They put us in a hotel that was expensive and not so nice. We met with the team in the evening...and decided that I should go to Bangalore to help there. The Mumbai team had plenty of guys to teach, and the Bangalore team was a little thin. So we bought tickets, slept for 2 hours and flew to Bangalore. We arrived at 5am. Let's just say I am a little tired. I thought of the vere that says, "many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the purpose of God that prevails."

Chris is somewhat sick, and not feeling good. Pray for him. We will finish up on Thursday and fly back to Mumbai. Keep us in your prayers.

Larry

India Day 7

It is Sunday here. We had an awesome day. We went to a brethern church in the morning. It was a church of about 100 people. The people were warm, close, educated, and many were fluent in English. They invited me to have the message. I really enjoyed the expereince. After church, we had lunch with a few friends.

At 4pm we attended another church service. This was a mainline church. It was more formal, and a little stiff. They also invited me to speak. It was good to be there. We capped our last day off by attending a post purpose driven church conference celebration.

All of the leaders and coordiantors of the event were there. I gave some final thoughts and shared a challenged the pastors to work together to reach India for Christ. We ate some more great food.

One of the pastors I met was a young guy. As we started talking, we discovered we have a lot in common. He pastors a "white church" (name stuck since the British days). He has twin boys 1 yr. old. His wife is a pastors kid. His congregation is about the size of ours.

We are leaving for Mumbai in the morning (Monday). We will doing another 3 day purpose driven church conference there. Thanks for praying.

Larry