Priceless

Every time you turn around these days, you hear of another person, couple or family who's struggling financially. I can't think of one person we know who hasn't felt the hit of the recent economic upheaval that's affected our country. We're all looking for ways to cut back so that there's enough for the basics and with the holidays upon us well....it may be time to rethink the Wii and replace it with a board game that the whole family can enjoy (I still think homemade gifts are the best and have every intention of making sure that each recipient on my list gets something I've made but that's another post for another time...maybe even another blog). I digress.

I recently spoke with a pastor to whom we'd sent information with regard to our ministry and Intensive information. One of the things he'd noted was the cost of our Intensive and felt that it was a bit high given the current state of affairs. He also mentioned that their church offers many free forms of marriage ministry and yet they still have a shortage of married couples signing up for and attending these venues. In fact, their participating married couples has dropped from 200 active couples to 60.

That's huge.

And I have some thoughts on this. First, they may need to review the material that they're presenting to the couples; a 70% decrease in attendance begs to be reckoned with. Many couples don't want their pastors or other members of the congregation to know that they're having problems (especially if they're in any type of leadership role) and oftentimes, by the time they come in to see their pastor (if they've chosen to do so) they're already so far gone that it's practically impossible to pull them back from the brink.

These same couples may also say that they don't have the money for counceling, marriage workshops and the like. Yet we all know, whether from personal experience or the experience of a friend or family member, the high cost involved in divorce, both monitarily and emotionally.

Can I just tell you, Michael and I spent thousands of dollars towards saving our marriage when we were in crisis and the thing is, it wasn't the money...it was the message which, for us, happened to come from the help that cost the least. That was the message and teaching we received from Joel and Kathy Davisson of God Save My Marriage and it's their teaching that we present at our Marriage Intensives - the same we received two and a half years ago.

In fact, the following information comes from Joel and Kathy's website and, with their permission, I'm presenting it here to you. Now, I've no idea what the teaching and message is of these weekend intensives. What I do know is that they're a lot more expensive then our intensives and it would be interesting to see how their past attendees are doing in their own marraiges (note that the prices also do not include accomodations).

Example #1 Shared Small Group Retreat
You and your partner join one to three other couples to share a retreat together. A maximum of four couples participate. The duration of the retreat is about 14 hours spread over two days, plus about four hours of pre-work and homework. This type of retreat is usually offered on weekends. The cost is $1,300 per couple. Travel, meals and accommodations are not included. (Price Comparison - Our Weekend is $490 per couple.)

Example #2 The Marriage Boot Camp

This Day Program is for couples only. Our Marriage Boot Camp program is run in conjunction with Life Enrichment Boot Camp. Couples will attend both the day and evening program. Marriage Boot Camp times are usually Wednesday - Friday 10:00 A.M. - 11:00 P. M. And Saturday 10:00 A.M. - 10:00 P.M. Marriage Boot Camp attendees will have a one hour lunch break and an hour and a half dinner break each day. The price for attending Marriage Boot Camp is $1,200.00 per couple. (Note: Can be up to 50 people at a bootcamp) (Price Comparison - Our Weekend is $490 per couple.)

Example #3 Weekend Intensive for couples.

All seminars are from Thursday through Sunday and follow the following schedule:
Thurs: 10 am – 9 pm
Fri: 10 am – 9 pm
Sat: 10 am – 8 pm
Sun: 10 am – 5 pm
Cost: $1,998 per couple – (price includes 32 hours of training, 5 meals, COREMap Personality Profile, portofolio and a 10 week follow-up series) (Price Comparison - Our Weekend is $490 per couple.) . Held in a Dallas hotel environment, our four day event begins on Thursday at 10:00 AM and goes through the end of the day on Sunday. You and your spouse are welcome to book a room in the workshop hotel each night, however, you are only required to stay overnight on Friday and Saturday nights.

Example #4 - 3 Day Marriage Intensives

Most couples choose a 3 day Marriage Intensive even when there are serious, complex issues. Most couples struggling with infidelity issues find a 3 Day appropriate. The cost of a 3 day Marriage Intensive is $2795. (Price Comparison - Our Weekend is $490 per couple.)
4 and 5 Day Marriage Intensives: 4 and 5 Day Marriage Intensives are most appropriate for couples who have an uneven commitment level in the relationship. When there are complex step-family issues, a 4 or 5 Day Intensive can be the most helpful. 4 Day Intensives are scheduled throughout the month. 5 Day Intensives are offered only once a month. The cost of a 4 Day Marriage Intensive is $3695. The cost of a 5 Day Intensive is $4595. (Price Comparison - Our Weekend is $490 per couple.)

Of course, Michael and I would love for couples to come see us on the west coast and experience one of our Marriage Victory Intensives. We also realize that there will be couples who only want to see the originators of God Save My Marriage - Joel and Kathy Davisson - and we totally get that! Hey, we saw them when we went to our Intensive and they're amazing! The cost of Joel's and Kathy's Intensive is $590 which is still an incredible value.

If you find that your marriage is in crisis, we urge you to seek help, even if it's not with us. And while we understand that it may still happen, the cost if divorce is great indeed.

The cost of a restored marriage?

Priceless.