One of the things Mark and I talk about quite a bit are the Marriage 2.0 Intensives we have the opportunity to host at our home in Normal, IL. However, one of the questions we often get is, What happens at a marriage intensive?
That’s what we want to share with you on today’s episode! A marriage intensive is intentional time that you set aside to be focused on the growth you would like to make in your relationship (we work with people in happy marriages, hurting marriages, separated marriages, people who are divorced, and you’ll hear today about some others we’ve hosted!). I have Mark with me to help answer all your frequently asked questions about our intensives.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- What you can expect from a marriage intensive
- How to prepare in advance for an intensive
- Why intensives can often help you make connections more quickly
- Some of our favorite stories from hosting marriage intensives
Intensives are one of our favorite parts of our ministry, so we’re excited to share more about them with you in this episode!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Learn More About the Marriage 2.0 Intensive
- Learn more about a platform building intensive Jill offers for writers and speakers
- Follow me on Instagram and Facebook
- As a thank you for listening, get your 3 free eBooks.
My Key Takeaways:
1) We all have false scripts and unspoken messages we have internalized. One of the core aspects of an intensive is helping people connect the dots in how they approach their marriage and how they grew up or what they’ve experienced in life. Identifying these messages we’ve told ourselves allows us to consider how those messages help or hurt our relationship.
2) A marriage intensive is intentional time for growth and progress. This is a personalized retreat for you and your spouse to make progress and grow together. During this time, Mark and I listen to your story, build a plan, and help you recognize and reconcile any differences you have. Whether you have been married for 40 years or not even 1 year, your marriage can benefit by setting aside this intentional time to understand your spouse better and receive support and advice tailored just for you.
3) We start with a plan, but we don’t always stick to the plan. Every intensive takes a unique direction as we allow conversation to flow as it needs to, and allow God to lead our time together where it needs to go.
4) Intensives are all about intentional conversations and applying principles to your specific situation. In our opinion, there is no replacement for the one-on-one setting of an intensive. You can go to group intensives, but the downside is that you have to do the work on your own to apply that advice to your situation. When you set aside the space and time to identify what is going on with you, how that impacts your marriage or spouse, and receive custom advice for your specific situation, that will drastically impact your marriage in a positive way!
5) Follow-up is so important to us. We believe after-care is just as important as our time together. This is a key part of our commitment to help you put your new tools into practice.
