The Marriage Adventure by Daniel and Bonnie Hoover was a great read at just the right time. Over the past 18 months, we have been living in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the HUGE gifts of this time has been all the time that I’ve been able to spend with Clint, Emma, and Eli…making it a perfect time to really evaluate what our long term and short term goals are as a family. I’m grateful for Daniel and Bonnie’s leadership in our community as they serve at NorthStar Church.
I highlighted several things while reading and have posted those notes below…
- As we read scripture, it is evident that God is purposeful. In Isaiah 14:24, we hear the Lord of Hosts saying, “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.” God put your marriage and family together with a purpose and a plan. Location: 188
- You spend your life saying “yes” to “next,” running from one thing to another until you earn the right and the age that’s ripe enough to retire. But what will be your legacy? Location: 309
- Our pursuits should simply be a way to breathe life back into us to inspire us to continue pouring ourselves into the mission we’re leading our family to accomplish. Location: 373
- Step #1: Pray, pray, pray Location: 657
- Step #2: Create a Memorable Experience Location: 659
- Step #3: Brainstorm and Explore Big Ideas Location: 677
- Here are some suggested questions from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families1 to help you do that: What is the purpose of our family? What kind of family do we want to be? What types of things do we want to do? What kind of feeling do we want to have in our home? What kind of home would you like to invite your friends to? What embarrasses you about our family? What makes you want to come home? What do we want to be remembered by? What kind of relationships do we want to have with one another? How do we want to treat one another and speak to one another? What things are truly important to us as a family? What are the unique talents, gifts, and abilities of family members? What are our responsibilities as family members? What are the principles and guidelines we want our family to follow? Who are our heroes? What is it about them that we like and would like to emulate? What families inspire us, and why do we admire them? How can we contribute to society as a family and become more service-oriented? Question: Do the answers to the above questions reflect in any way The Great Commission Jesus gave us? Location: 684
- Step #4: Identify Core Values Location: 702
- Step #5: Narrow Down Location: 717
- Step #6: Draft Your Mission Statement Location: 730
- Step #7: Make it a Work of Art Location: 746
- Step #8: Let Your Mission Be Your Compass Location: 759
- When we allow God to write a mission and goals on our hearts, then persevere together to reach them, He will do far more incredible, and further-reaching things than our minds can even imagine. Location: 850
- There is great protection for a wife who lives under the authority of a godly man. Location: 1,273
- As your husband’s “ezer kenegdo,” the lifesaver beside him, God is asking you to offer him life by believing in him and supporting him with both your words and actions. Location: 1,294