There is no doubt that this day sparks emotion.  For the romantics in the crowd it is a high point in the year offering a great excuse to shower love on their partner.  On the other extreme many do not buy into the hype and wonder why all the fuss.  (Just don’t forget the card and chocolates).  Still others actually loathe this day as it triggers emotions of regret or loss.  There is no question that Valentines Day can be packed with emotion.

At Southridge we have committed ourselves to being a transformative presence in our world.  We desire to passionately live out the five heartbeats that were shared so well at this years Vision night.  If you are married you know that an additional piece to this is your own relationship.  At the end of the day if the covenant you made with your partner is not growing stronger you will have a hard time effectively sharing the love of Jesus with our world.

So we continue to offer experiences that we trust will help us grow in these pursuits.   A starting point is our Before Forever Retreat.  This past February 3 & 4 seven young couples participated in this event and it was very inspiring to see their desire to begin their marriages on a solid foundation.  For Valentines we have offered “The Great Date” Experiment and are thrilled that over 100 couples have so far taken up the challenge.  (If you are courageous enough to comment on how your date experience went we’d love to hear from you below).  At the end of April we are planning our second “Great Date Retreat” – April 27,28.  Book that weekend, as more details will be coming shortly.  All these opportunities are offered to help us become the folks that God has called us to be.

May your marriage flourish!