This message was taken on a special Sunday, Valentine's Day. The topic was marriage and couples went home with a Great Date Experience package. Below is that same date if you would like to take part.

Welcome to the Branches Valentine’s Day Great Date Experience! We hope you enjoy this date with your spouse. As you find some time to get away together, find a quiet place to enjoy these conversations. This date has five discussions based around this year’s Branches Valentine’s Day message. Before you begin, spend a couple minutes in prayer, asking God to direct your conversation.

#1 -- I WILL SPEAK LIFE INTO YOU
“...Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.” --Romans 4:17
This will be a game of toss so find a ball or something to toss for this next part. Pass it to the person who is not reading this. Because of your initiation in reading this Great Date, they get to start! It’s a great practice for couples to speak encouragement into one another. The person with the ball must start by speaking a statement of life about their spouse. When finished, toss the ball to the other person. Speak 5 statements of life into one another.

#2 -- I WILL LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU
“Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.” --Romans 5:8

Jesus’ work at the cross is the ultimate example for us in laying down our lives for one another. In our marriage, we can participate in sacrificial love by giving up our desires for our spouse’s desires. Finish answering the following statements together.

•  I remember when you laid down your life for me when...
•  I remember laying down my life for you when...
•  My favorite thing that you do for me sacrificially is...
•  My favorite thing that I do for you sacrificially is...
•  I desire to help you better in this area...

#3 -- I WILL FORCE MARGIN IN MY LIFE TO GET AWAY WITH YOU
“But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.” --Luke 5:16

• Name your top three dates of our entire relationship.
• Name your favorite get away we have had and what made it so special to you?
• How have we done in prioritizing special times away with each other?
• What are our plans this year for dates and time away together?
•  If we won an all-expense trip to anywhere in the world, where would we go?

#4 -- I WILL NOT LEVERAGE YOUR FAULTS, BUT FORGIVE
“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3:13

If you have a balloon, use it for this next part. Take some time to identify some of the hurts that you as a couple have endured together. Not necessarily issues with one another, but any difficult life circumstances, offenses, and hard times. With each mentioned event, blow one time into the balloon. After you have identified the difficulties you have endured, hold the balloon together and say a prayer, asking God to give you the desire and ability to forgive. After your prayer, let the balloon go together. Watch as the balloon floats around the room and imagine letting the air out of your issues with the power of forgiveness. Your hurts are an opportunity for you to do what Jesus does: forgive and love.

#5 -- I WILL MODEL A GOOD MARRIAGE FOR OUR KIDS
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” --Matthew 4:19

Answer the following questions together.
• If our kids’ marriages will look like our marriage, how does that make you feel?
• What things would you want to change?
• Where should the priority of our focus be? Marriage or Kids? Why?
• Do you believe that our children are blessed by our marriage?
• In what ways should we practice loving each other better in front of our kids?

Love is known when it is acted upon.

Thank you for taking the time to put into practice this Branches message with a walk through a Great Date Experience. It is a perfect catalyst for acting out love. We hope your time was blessed.