The Husband No Wife Regrets

Posted on November 23, 2008 by Debi Walter

this-momentary-marriageThis being the week of Thanksgiving I thought I would forgo our typical date night ideas and offer you a rich quote from John Piper’s book, This Momentary Marriage:

The Husband No Wife Regrets

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden and God came to call them to account, it didn’t matter that Eve had sinned first. God said, “Adam, where are you?” (Gen. 3:9). That’s God’s word to the family today: Adam, husband, father, where are you? If something is not working right at the Piper house and Jesus comes knocking on the door, he may have an issue with my wife, but the first thing he’s going to say when she opens the door is, “Is the man of the house home?” That’s the way it happened in the first marriage. That’s the way it will happen in our marriage.

When a man joyfully bears the primary God-given responsibility for Christlike, servant leadership and provision and protection in the home—for the spiritual well-being of the family, for the discipline and education of the children, for the stewardship of money, for the holding of a steady job, for the healing of discord—I have never met a wife who is sorry she married such a man. Because when God designs a thing (like marriage), he designs it for his glory and our good.

As an added bonus, Desiring God Ministries is offering this excellent book as a free PDF download.

We pray that your Thanksgiving will be full of gratefulness for all that God has done and is doing in your relationship as husband and wife.

Posted by Tom

Posted in Purpose | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Husband No Wife Regrets

Steady Presence

Posted on November 21, 2008 by Debi Walter

anna-louise-strong

“To fall in love is easy, even to remain in it is not difficult; our human loneliness is cause enough. But is a hard quest worth making to find a comrade through whose steady presence one becomes steadily the person one desires to be.”

+ Anna Strong (American Journalist and author, 1885 – 1970)

Consistent date nights with your spouse offer the growth Anna Strong speaks of in this excellent quote. With Thanksgiving next week, why not take the time to write a note to your husband/wife thanking them for specific evidences of God’s grace in their lives that have helped you in your growth in godliness?

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours!

Posted in Romantic Ideas | Tagged | Comments Off on Steady Presence

The Best Echo

Posted on November 19, 2008 by Debi Walter

husbands-love-your-wivesThe following is taken from C.J. Mahaney’s excellent book (page 23), “Sex, Romance and the Glory of God” – a must read for married couples desiring to grow.

“Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh,” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” Ephesians 5:31-32

This means that your marriage is meant to be, by the grace of God, the best echo, the most faithful reflection, of that relationship that you can possibly be.  It’s not about impressing people or drawing attention to ourselves.  It’s about being genuinely united in a strong, godly, intimate relationship that echoes the one between Christ and the Church.

Has your marriage primarily been centered on you?  On your wife?  On your children?  On your responsibilities? On your goals?  On your comforts?  On your stuff?  If so, you’ve been trying to live in a way you were never intended to.

The biblical purpose for marriage, you see, is not man-centered or needs-centered.  It’s God-centered.  It’s profoundly mysterious and profoundly significant.  Your marriage is meant to point to the truth of the crucified and risen Savior who will return for His Bride.

So, the question is – how is your marriage doing at echoing the Savior?  Your comments are welcomed and encouraged.


Posted in Purpose | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Weekly Offerings

Posted on November 17, 2008 by Debi Walter

picnic1Isn’t the weather in Orlando this time of year beautiful?  It makes me want to go outside as much as possible.  That’s why we’re providing you with the following suggestions for planning a great date with your spouse this week:

  • Festival of Trees at Orlando Museum of Art.  Daily from 10a – 5p.  November 15 – 23. Tickets are $10 for adults.  Pack a picnic to enjoy in beautiful Loch Haven Park before touring this year’s beautiful Christmas trees on display.  Click here for how to plan the perfect picnic for two.
  • Orlando By Night at the Orlando Science Center.  Saturday, Nov. 22 – 6p.  The skies over Orlando are on display while an expert explains the different constellations visible in the November sky.  Tickets $12
  • Crane’s Roost Park in Uptown Altamonte.  This week the park offers Karaoke (Tuesday), a circus show (Thursday), and a concert featuring the music of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack (Friday).  All events are free.

Finally, we offer you one question to help you start a meaningful conversation on your date this week:

What is your favorite memory of “us” before we were married?

Cour Heureuse! (Happy Dating!)  Oh – please don’t forget to take our poll – you’ll find it in the previous post!  Thanks!

Tom and Debi

Posted in Cheap Dates, Date Night Ideas, Outdoor Dates | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Weekly Offerings

Making Date Nights Meaningful

Posted on November 14, 2008 by Debi Walter

couple_in_car

We have all experienced those “less than meaningful” date nights.  You can usually tell it’s going to be one from the moment you get in the car.  It can sound something like this:

“What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know, what do you want to do?”

“Oh, I don’t care…whatever sounds good to you.”

“How about ________?”

“No, I don’t want to do that!”

These are indicators that date nights need to improve not only in priority (that is growing in the importance and purpose of date nights), but in planning them as well.

Some of our best date nights have been when Tom chose a couple of good questions for us to discuss while sharing a cup of coffee and dessert.  Asking good questions has not always been a strength in our marriage, but after many dates like the one described above, Tom purposed to grow in learning how to lead us into meaningful conversations. What a difference this has made in our communication skills and the depth of our conversations, not to mention the intimacy we share as a result.

I love talking to Tom – he is my best friend, and this is how God intended marriage to be – a reflection of His love for the church!

We have added a tab above titled, Soil Samples, that offers lots of questions that will help you get started in drawing each other out about things you may not think to talk about on your own.  It is our desire to help marriages grow and flourish as we seek to glorify God in how we live.

Helpful Tip: You don’t have to leave your home to have a date night using these questions.  Why not plan an “evening in” after the children are asleep?  Grab a blanket, brew some hot beverages and sit out under the stars to experiment with a few questions from the list.  The fall weather is beautiful this time of year!


Posted in Date Night Ideas, Dating Your Spouse | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Bienvenue (Welcome) to Our Vineyard!

Posted on November 12, 2008 by Debi Walter

The idea behind this blog has been in our hearts for years, and now this provides us with a way to share them with you.  Like a fine wine, the fermenting process has completed, and it is our desire to provide you with you what this year has to offer.  Of course, we are speaking metaphorically – and we offer you only ideas to help you as you endeavor to rekindle the romance in your marriage, or keep it blazing – whichever the case may be for you.

Here is what you can expect to find on our blog:

  • Great date night ideas – both elaborate as well as inexpensive or free in the Orlando area.
  • How to use surprises in meaningful ways
  • Why wives should pursue their husbands romantically
  • Why husbands should make date nights a priority.

The goal is to post on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week:

Monday will be where you’ll find date night ideas for that particular week.  This will give you the time you need to plan what you’ll do that week to celebrate your love.

Wednesday will be the day we talk about the why’s of romance.  This could include great quotes from books we’ve read; articles to print and read; podcasts to download and listen to; or scriptures to memorize to help us keep a biblical perspective on what married love is all about.

Friday will be reserved for whatever is on our heart for that week.  It will be the surprise element of the blog.

It is our prayer that this blog will serve as a tool to help strengthen your marriage in practical and helpful ways.

J’aime mon mari (I love my husband)

J’aime ma femme (I love my wife)

Tom and Debi

Posted in Romance | 4 Comments

Coming Soon

Posted on October 22, 2008 by Debi Walter

It won’t be long until this blog will be providing great ideas for wives to romance their husbands in the Orlando area.  Although there will be many ideas that will work no matter where you call home.  Please reply to this post if you would like to be notified when this blog is up and running. Until then…

Au Revoir

Posted in Romance | 2 Comments