Boy meets girl, girl pushes boy away, boy continues a relentless pursuit of girl, girl continues to push boy away. In a dramatic twist, boy saves girl from imminent danger, sweeping her off her feet both literally and figuratively, throws her on His horse, they kiss and ride off into the sunset to live… well you know how it ends. 

 Fairly tales come in all shapes and sizes, and have been told in every context since the dawn of time. Weather its a princess locked in a castle tower, awaiting her prince charming, the more modern tale of the teenage outcast who gets noticed by the school stud, his love transforming her into the princess no one new she was, or even Hollywood’s romantic comedy, that causes a visceral response in every adult woman in the world who longs to be pursued, wooed and won, by their prince in a three piece suit… we love fairy tales. As a father of two girls, I watch fairy tales flash across my TV screen almost daily. As a husband and father, I watch movies like Tangled with my youngest, Princess Diaries with my pre-teen, and The Notebook with my wife, secretly wishing, I could live up to the standard being carefully crafted in the imaginations of my girls… and I know that I can’t.

Ultimately these stories and tales tug at the human heart. We long to save, and be saved. We want to believe that love, true love, will find us all, and there is a sunset waiting to be walked into for each of us while the closing ballad of “The Little Mermaid” plays loudly over the loud speakers of life. 

We were created to love and be loved, but we live in a world where love is more often accompanied by disappointment, hurt and in some cases even abuse. Where is our fairy tale ending we ask? Our best attempt to create “fairy tale,” like moments, happens on the day our marriage begins. Flowers, big dresses, dream like venues and lots of stimulating substances like cake and alcohol launch us into marriage with hopes and dreams for a fairy tale life together, that cannot ultimately meet the standards that movies and books have taught us we can expect. 

Disappointment is inevitable. 

So as people who entered into marriage, hoping, even expecting to live out our days together in a honeymoon like state, only to be met with the harsh realities of life, where do we go next? 

We can continue to wish for a fairy tale, meanwhile hiding our mess, and projecting to the world we live out our days in perfect, marital bliss, growing more frustrated every day, or we can choose a different kind of fairy tale. This fairy tale has a key element the other stories don’t. 

GRACE

The inventor of marriage, the creator of life and breath and all things, has a different plan for us altogether. 

His plan for our marital lives includes adjectives like, power, excitement, hope, freedom and joy. All of which are birthed into our lives in the context of the application of grace to every aspect. 

All of our lives, we have lived in a performance oriented culture, teaching us that our worth is wrapped up in what we can accomplish. We join into that mess, and expect the same from others, crafting a “what have you done for me lately,” approach to life that is ultimately destructive for any relationship. Place that mentality into the context of marriage, and you understand why marriages today, simply do not survive, let alone thrive. 

Performance is the enemy of Grace. Grace gives us wings to fly, and freedom to fall. Grace empowers the weak, and heals the abused. Grace is the answer to every aspect of our lives, including marriage. 

This coming Valentines day, I am excited to spend 36 hours in Lincoln, NE with a group of people who’s marriages God wants to transform by the power of this simple yet profound word… 

GRACE. 

If you are anywhere close to Lincoln, NE, I would encourage you to join us. For the newly married, you will learn what it takes to make Grace the cornerstone of your lives together. For those of us who have had years and years of trying to make marriage work only to be left with disappointment and grief, grace has the power to resurrect that relationship and re-tell a new kind of fairly tale on our lives. 

GRACE can be the foundation of your marriage, giving way to a new kind of fairy tale. One that is real, and possible. This fairy tale has the ability to define your marriage with the power of Jesus, bringing hope, joy, passion and power to life

Don’t miss this opportunity to give the most important relationship in your life the power it needs to not just last, but have lasting impact. 

See you in a few weeks!

For registration information, visit us at http://www.reloveconference.com