Song of Songs: Standing Room Only \ Wife Advice\ 10 Great Dates Networking / Jumbotrons for Marriage - 2/29/08

Fri Feb 29 15:54:22 EST 2008

- STRONG ENDORSEMENT FOR SONG OF SONGS: STANDING ROOM ONLY!!
- MARRIAGE AND MONEY
- WIFE ADVICE. COM 
- 10 GREAT DATES NEW FREE NETWORKING LISTSERV
- AUBURN BASKETBALL JUMBOTRONS IMAGE GALLERY

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- STRONG ENDORSEMENT FOR SONG OF SONGS: STANDING ROOM ONLY!!

> Diane, 
>  
> I have to write and tell you that we had a spectacular Song of Songs movie
> premier.  Chris Brickler, author/director, and Michael Romero, producer, came
> from California for the premier.  The audience loved the film and loved them.
> Their simple message that it¹s time we started talking about relationships has
> an authenticity that people really related to.
>  
> We had a nice crowd in St. Petersburg at University of South Florida, where we
> partnered with the Family Studies Program.  We had refreshments and music in a
> courtyard overlooking the marina before the event.  In Bradenton, we linked up
> with a film festival and had standing room only in the theater at Lakewood
> Ranch, a very upscale neighborhood.  The film buffs there were noticeably
> moved by the artistry of the documentary, as well as appreciating its content.
>  
> We are incredibly fortunate that an Emmy nominated documentary film with a
> message especially ripe for young adults has happened along just as so many
> grant funded programs are taking shape.  I recommend the film and the
> filmmakers to all your readers.
>  
> Terry Smith, Program Director
> http://www.youandme-.we.org/
> http://www.family-resources.org/

I also want to give a big shout out to Terry Smith who discovered the Song
of Songs film at the Denver Smart Marriages® and came up with the idea of
building a community marriage event around the film. His idea and invitation
has mushroomed into a national Song of Songs tour.  For info about how to
use the film in your community see earlier posts to the list at:
http://lists101.his.com/pipermail/smartmarriages/2008-January/003600.html

Or, contact the Song of Songs team and/or purchase the film at:
http://www.songofsongs.tv

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- MARRIAGE AND MONEY

February 27, 2008
Heritage Family Facts
Is Debt Good for Marriage?
Exploring the Connection between Changes in Debt and Marital Satisfaction

For recently married couples, changes in their consumer debt appeared to
impact the quality of their marriage, according to a new study.

Over a period of five years, couples who had completely paid off their
consumer debt, such as credit card debt or installment loans, and those who
assumed relatively small amounts of consumer debt reported increased
satisfaction with their marriage.  Couples who partially paid down their
consumer debt and those who assumed large amounts of debt during this period
reported declines in marital satisfaction.  Changes in couples¹ mortgage or
education debt did not appear to affect their levels of marital
satisfaction.  For more on this and other factoids:
http://www.familyfacts.org/findingdetail.cfm?finding=8843
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- WIFE ADVICE. COM 
Diane
My husband and I maintain a humorous website about marriage, called
WifeAdvice.com.  We recently featured an interview with Bill Doherty, who
suggested we tell you about our site. I'm glad he alerted us to your Smart
Marriages site, because I am always looking for good pro-marriage resources!

Our site stemmed (quite accidentally) from our personal/family blogs, when
my husband started writing little stories about silly things that he has
done in our marriage--admonishing other husbands to learn from his mistakes
(like, don't rate your wife's looks a 6 out of 10 while you're on your
honeymoon <http://www.wifeadvice.com/2007/06/wife-advice/> ).  We also had a
feature where we would debate a topic, such as "Should the husband or wife
be in charge of calling a babysitter?"  We each present our point of view,
and our readers choose a side and vote.

Eventually the marriage material on our blogs got popular enough that we
decided to create a dedicated website around it.  So far it has been quite
successful.  The stories and advice are mostly tongue-in-cheek and
satirical--especially my husband's "tips" about things like how to get out
of changing diapers, etc.--it's all meant as entertainment, but we have
found we are building a community of readers who are interested in reading
about and discussing common, everyday marital issues.  Our lighthearted
approach has created an environment where people can relate with the issues
we discuss, and share their own experiences.  The big surprise to us was
that we started getting lots of comments from people talking about how they
solve similar problems, and they end up offering very valuable advice.

Again, we joke around a lot, but we are a very happy, committed couple, and
are very pro-marriage; our readers are also interested in strengthening
marriage.

You might want to let the list know about the site and about the free
newsletter. 

Nancy Clark
http://www.wifeadvice.com
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- 10 GREAT DATES NEW FREE NETWORKING LISTSERV

Diane, 
We just had 166 couples from 21 churches show us at our 10 Great Dates
seminar in Chicago! Amazing. I think even the pastor was impressed. He
stayed through the whole video and said at Mass on Sunday that he had heard
nothing but compliments from the couples. There was one couple who had not
been on a date in fourteen years!

Wanted to share that big Chicago Tah Dah but also let you know that we've
created a 10 Great Dates *Networking* Listserv.

The idea is to share ideas among those who are running 10 Great Dates
programs about how to get started, adapt, add sparkle, innovate, and sustain
momentum.   

To sign up for the FREE listserv, go to http://www.marriagealive.com  At the
bottom of the page click Newsletters and sign up for the Marriage Builder
Newsletter (old name) which in now the 10 Great Dates Networking ListServ.

Here are some sample tips:

HOW TO START A MARRIAGE MOVEMENT WITH 10 GREAT DATES

- Offer free or low cost child care. If you're the church on the corner
offering fun dates and free or low-cost childcare, they will come!
- Offer fun skill-based dates. Couples will come for great dates and go home
with marriage skills!
- Think community wide. Get other churches and groups involved. The more
congregations that offer 10 Great Dates, the more impact you will have in
the community.
- Get restaurants involved. Many will be willing to give discounts to those
who come to their restaurant for their date. Collect menus, coupons, etc.
and make them available at your 10 Great Dates launches.
- Get the word out about your program by utilizing brochures, press
releases, inserts, and flyers.
- Let the local media - TV - Radio - Newspapers - know about 10 Great Dates.
- Talk it up. Spread the buzz. Word of mouth works great.

HOW TO MAINTAIN MOMENTUM

- Promote participation with emails.
- Add door prizes at 4th and 8th Date, especially things guys would like.
- Maybe take a break after 5th Date.
- Plan an ending celebration.
- Have a raffle for a grand prize at the end of the 10th date for those who
have done all 10 great dates.
- Offer make-up dates for those who have to miss a date.

Please send us any tips, suggestions and updates from your
10 Great Dates groups so we can share your creativity with other groups.

Claudia & Dave Arp

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- AUBURN BASKETBALL JUMBOTRONS IMAGE GALLERY

Click on each image, each with a different marriage message.  This has to be
one of the best ways to reach out - reaches the guys.  - diane
http://tinyurl.com/2gjx8q
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12th Annual Smart Marriages® Conference, Hilton San Francisco Hotel,
June 30-July 6, 2008  (General Conference July 2-5)
Pre-Conference Training Institutes June 30-July 2
Post-Conference Training Institutes July 6
DOWNLOAD a conference brochure and register at:
http://www.smartmarriages.com/download.brochure.html

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http://www.smartmarriages.com/directory_browse.html

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Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education, LLC (CMFCE)
Diane Sollee, Director
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http://www.smartmarriages.com
202-362-3332

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