Introduction

Welcome to the 40 Day Love Dare Marriage Challenge.

This blog has been birthed through the encouragement of a couple great friends that want to see marriages grow

(THANKS DAN AND ANGIE).

So here's the game plan...once you're finished reading this first post you and your spouse can either choose to join the challenge or not. The choice is solely yours. If you choose not to join the group you're still welcome to view and read all posts and comments made by the other Challenge members but you CANNOT post any comments. If you choose YES then you are agreeing to participate throughout the ENTIRE 40 DAYS!! You can start today, tomorrow or a week from now it completely up to you and your spouse. This is your journey. You can comment on any post that you've already completed readings and activites for. If you're game then we would like you to click on the word COMMENTS near the small pencil icon that's located at the bottom of this post and leave an entry. We'd like the entry to include why you choose to join the 40 Day Challenge, second how long you've been married and lastly the city and state that you live in. Lets see how many people and marriages we can move and encourage.

Each day we'll post a small entry and you're free to comment on the reading and your experience with the homework or activity for that day. We prefer these comments to be encouraging and uplifting. If you run into static and trials then be honest, yet remember that others will be reading your comments as well. Coming from someone who allowed the process to be DIFFICULT and quit after 3 days, we know how rough it can get. So lets remember to encourage one another because we'll all need it at one point or another.

Here's what the first page of the book reads in caps...

RECEIVE THIS AS A WARNING.
THIS 40 DAY JOURNEY CANNOT BE TAKEN LIGHTLY.

IT IS A CHALLENGING AND OFTEN DIFFICULT PROCESS, BUT AN INCREDIBLY FULFILLING ONE. TO TAKE THIS DARE REQUIRES A RESOLUTE MIND AND A STEADFAST DETERMINATION.

IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE SAMPLED OR BRIEFLY TESTED, AND THOSE WHO QUIT EARLY WILL FORFEIT THE GREATEST BENEFITS. IF YOU WILL COMMIT TO A DAY AT A TIME FOR 40 DAYS, THE RESULTS COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND YOUR MARRIAGE.

CONSIDER IT A DARE, FROM OTHERS WHO HAVE DONE IT BEFORE YOU.



click pause on the playlist music and then click play on the video.

The Love Dare from Mike Stecker on Vimeo.

Day 1

Love is patient-

Activity: The 1st part of this dare is fairly simple, although love is communicated in a number of ways, our words often reflect the condition of our heart. For today, resolve to demonstrate patience and to say nothing negative to your spouse at all. If the temptation arises, choose not to say anything. It's better to hold your tongue than to say something you'll regret.

Day 2

Love is kind

Today's Dare: In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse again today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness.

Day 3

Love is not selfish

Today's Dare: Whatever you put your time, energy, and money into will become more important to you. It's hard to care for something you are not investing in. Along with restraining from negative comments, buy your spouse something that says, "I was thinking of you today."

Day 4

Love is thoughtful

Today's Dare: Contact your spouse sometime during the day. Have no agenda other than asking how he or she is doing and if there is anything you could do for them.

Day 5

Love is not rude

Love Dare: Ask your spouse to tell you three things that cause him or her to be uncomfortable or irritated with you. You must do so without attacking them or justifying your behavior. This is from their perspective only.

Day 6

Love is not irritable

Today's Dare: Choose today to react to tough circumstances in your marriage in loving ways instead of with irritation. Begin by making a list below of areas where you need to add margin to your schedule. Then list any wrong motivations that you need to release from your life.

Day 7

Love believes the best

For today's dare, get two sheets of paper. On the first one, spend a few minutes writing out positive things about your spouse. Then do the same with negative things on the second sheet. Place both sheets in a secret place for another day. There is a different purpose and plan for each. At some point during the remainder of the day, pick a positive attribute from the first list and thank your spouse for having this characteristic.