Focus on the Family Magazine - February/March 2022

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COUPLES / MINISTRY HIGHLIGHT hope restored A marriage intensive experience BY SCOTT JOHNSON “I REALLY DON’T LOVE MARK ANYMORE. I don’t care if we get a divorce. I wouldn’t even care if he had an affair. It wouldn’t impact my feelings for him.” Mark and Angie Pyatt’s fellowship group sat in stunned silence as Angie vented her frustrations for the first time. The pressures had been building in the first few years of their marriage. As a deacon in their church, Mark’s work schedule went well beyond overtime every week. Angie had recently given birth to their second child after a trying pregnancy. Also in the mix was the financial strain of building a house. Through it all, Mark became distant and uncommunicative. But in the weeks and months after Angie dropped that bombshell in front of their friends, the Pyatts were able to find a still-glimmering ember of the love that had drawn them together. They embarked on a road of healing. Along the way, they encountered a team of experts in their hometown of Branson, Missouri, who were developing a strategic blueprint for marriage-crisis intervention. Eventually, when their own relationship was back on track, the Pyatts joined that outreach, known today as <strong>Focus</strong> on the Family’s Hope Restored marriage intensives. A rich heritage The roots of Hope Restored trace back to the work of relationship expert Gary Smalley. Gary founded the Smalley Relationship Center in Branson in the early 1990s to expand on his writings and seminars. He was soon joined by his son Dr. Greg Smalley and other skilled professionals including Dr. Bob Paul. The facility was subsequently renamed the National Institute of Marriage (NIM). The team dug deep into existing research on relationships while working with hundreds of couples. They discovered that traditional marriage counseling can often only scratch the surface of the more complex difficulties that many couples experience. By 2002, Greg and Bob had led the team in developing what they called the “marriage intensive”—a process in which specially trained therapists guide a struggling couple through an immersive multiday deep dive to identify and address the core issues that impact their relationship. Greg and his wife, Erin, joined <strong>Focus</strong> on the Family in the U.S. in 2011 to head up the ministry’s marriage efforts. <strong>Focus</strong> leaders quickly recognized the life-changing potential of the marriage intensive model. In May 2014, <strong>Focus</strong> acquired NIM and the Branson property. Two years later the initiative 22 FOCUS ON THE FAMILY FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022
MINISTRY HIGHLIGHT / COUPLES was renamed the <strong>Focus</strong> on the Family Marriage Institute. The therapy program itself became Hope Restored: A Marriage Intensive Experience. Today, couples can choose from three retreat-center locations in the U.S.—Missouri, Michigan and Georgia. Work is currently underway to establish a fourth location in the Southwest, with eventual plans calling for multiple retreat centers spread across the country. <strong>Focus</strong> on the Family Canada has also picked up the Hope Restored model with centers in Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario. A different kind of counseling In a traditional counseling model, a couple attends a series of sessions with a therapist or pastor, most often about an hour at a time once a week. Much of each session may be spent unpacking experiences from the previous week, and then the couple return to their daily routine. This model is certainly helpful for some marital issues, but progress can be slow and may be insufficient to address deep problems. By contrast, a Hope Restored intensive brings a struggling couple into a nurturing, focused environment for several days with all external distractions removed. Caring teams of hosts, hospitality staff and therapists welcome the intensive participants to top-notch private accommodations at a secluded location. Everything is geared toward discovering and addressing the core issues impacting both husband and wife, with the goal of initiating individual healing as well as renewed connection as a couple. Hope Restored attendees receive direct assistance at multiple levels: one-on-one counseling (husband/male therapist, wife/female therapist), interactive guided work together, and—in the program’s four-day intensives— transparent discussion in group settings with a few other couples. While some people express reluctance about the group aspect, it’s actually one of the more impactful elements of the experience. Many couples report that they experience a sense of empowerment in hearing others openly share the same challenges and realize they’re not walking the road alone. Attendees often form lasting friendships with the peers who take those first steps of the healing journey alongside them. >>> Alberta LOCATION Manitoba LOCATION Ontario LOCATION FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 FOCUS ON THE FAMILY 23
Page 1 and 2: ‘YOU’VE BEEN GRACE BOMBED!’ A
Page 3 and 4: FEBRUARY / MARCH Contents Couples 1
Page 5 and 6: Hacks & Facts CLEVER IDEAS FOR SMAR
Page 7 and 8: SPRING BREAK / HACKS & FACTS QUARAN
Page 9 and 10: VALUING THE ELDERLY / HACKS & FACTS
Page 11 and 12: TABLE MANNERS / HACKS & FACTS Slopp
Page 13 and 14: Couples no s’more competition A m
Page 15 and 16: INTIMACY / COUPLES EMILY HAS A HORM
Page 17 and 18: INTIMACY / COUPLES firmly to hersel
Page 19 and 20: A way to keep your marriage fresh a
Page 21: STRENGTHENING / COUPLES contagious
Page 25 and 26: MINISTRY HIGHLIGHT / COUPLES Hope R
Page 27 and 28: Faith & Inspiration my mom’s heri
Page 29 and 30: LOVE / FAITH & INSPIRATION Practica
Page 31 and 32: LOVE / FAITH & INSPIRATION exclaime
Page 33 and 34: LOVE / FAITH & INSPIRATION AN UPCOM
Page 35 and 36: Kids & Teens Lisa, Addie and Jesh s
Page 37 and 38: INTENTIONALITY / KIDS & TEENS Simpl
Page 39 and 40: LOVE / KIDS & TEENS An explosive ne
Page 41 and 42: LOVE / KIDS & TEENS Bombing. The ca
Page 43 and 44: RELATIONSHIP / KIDS & TEENS Make sp
Page 45 and 46: COMMUNICATION / KIDS & TEENS LISTEN
Page 47 and 48: mom new & daughter devotional Enjoy

Focus on the Family Magazine - February/March 2022

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