King's Orchard Church of Christ will be hosting a Stronger Marriages Workshop on July 15 & 16. This is a FREE event, but we are asking if you would like to attend to please sign-up at http://bit.ly/1sRPgH5 so that we can get an accurate head count. FREE child care will be provided and LUNCH will be provided on Saturday. The follow was posted on Trey & Lea Morgan's Facebook page today. Trey & Lea are the couple who will be conducting this workshop.

(Know anyone getting married soon? Share this with them)
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE GETTING MARRIED:
A new report out shows that the average amount of money people spend on weddings today is now $25,600 per wedding. That’s a LOT of money, huh? AND with the statistics saying 50% of those marriages are going to end in divorce—that’s a LOT of wasted money. I don’t know what you spent OR what you’re thinking about spending, but if you’re thinking marriage, PLEASE know this:

1. YOUR MARRIAGE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE WEDDING. Succeeding in marriage has NOTHING to do with a fancy wedding and EVERYTHING to do with investing time and energy in the actual marriage. The marriage is a thousand times more important than the wedding, so invest more time, effort and money in your marriage than you do the wedding. If you’re looking for something fairytale … strive for a fairytale marriage not wedding.
2. MARRIAGE IS A TOTAL “ALL-IN” COMMITMENT. God never created marriage as a disposable relationship. Instead, God intended marriage for life. Yes, I know that 50% of marriages end in divorce, but that’s not what God actually wanted. His plan for marriage was an all-in total commitment and was never a disposable, “We’ll see if this works out, and if it doesn’t we’ll get a divorce,” relationship. If you made a commitment, keep it.
3. PRE-MARITAL COUNSELING IS NOT AN OPTION, BUT A MUST. As mentioned earlier we should invest as much time in the marriage as the wedding and pre-marital counseling is a HUGE must. You should know WELL the person you are about to marry and engagements and pre-marital counseling help you to do just that. It’s BEFORE you’re married that you work out all the things that are irreconcilable … not after you’re married.
4. MARRIAGE IS ABOUT PUTTING THE OTHER PERSON’S NEEDS BEFORE YOUR OWN NEEDS. It’s been said that marriage is 50-50 give and take relationship. I think it works better when couples give 100% to their spouse and in return their spouse gives 100% back. When your focus is on meeting your spouse’s needs, most of the time they’ll want to do the same. Strive to “out do” one another in marriage.
5. DON’T QUIT. If I was a cusser, a screamer, or a yeller, then this is where I’d do it! Because I want you to understand, “WHATEVER YOU DO … DON’T QUIT!” It’s so frustrating to see couples invest years (and children) into their marriage, and the first real hiccup that comes along, they bail out! STOP IT! Whether you’ve been married 72 days or 17 years … don’t quit. Seek help when you come to an impasse. Look for outside help to get you through a problem, but whatever you do DON’T QUIT!

If you’re looking for something fairytale … strive for a fairytale marriage not wedding.