How do you keep your marriage fresh? David and Lori Hatcher shared part two today.

Welcome to Staying Real About Faith & Family.

If you’re looking for a community where you can get real about life without resistance, you’re in the right place. I’m Linda Goldfarb. Each week, Heather Greer and I and our guests offer personal insight to encourage transparent living from a biblical viewpoint with practical applications. Staying Real with the Holy Spirit’s leading is what we’re all about – we pray today’s episode blesses you.

Today’s guests are David and Lori Hatcher. David and Lori co-authored Moments with God for Couples with Our Daily Bread Publishing. David has served in every capacity, from janitor to senior pastor in the various churches he’s ministered in, and Lori is the author of numerous devotional books. They’ve been married almost 40 years and have two daughters, two sons-in-law, four amazing grandchildren, and one adorable Frenchie bulldog grandpup.

Today is part two – David and Lori share the final three ways to spend quality time with your spouse.

3 – Explore Something New Together   

During our empty nest years, we decided to explore some activities we’ve thought about doing but never had time to – Toastmasters for professional growth, Pickleball for family fun, waterfall hikes for physical twosome activity, and disc golf, an all-around favorite.

4 – Play Games

We’ve always played games, although the games and the occasions have changed. We started out as newlyweds, inviting friends over for a game night. Then we became parents and played games like Candy Land and Sorry. Thankfully, our children grew older and became teens, and playing games was how we got to know their friends. During the empty nest years, we organized a Supper Club and always included a game. Now, we play with our married kids after the grandkids go to bed and with my elderly parents.

5 – Start a Couples Bible Study

As we approached our empty nest years, we became aware of the statistic from Gary Chapman that revealed that the second highest rate of divorce occurs during the empty nest years. We looked around at our friends, who were also in the empty nest years, and realized we had to do something to change that statistic.

We invited five other couples to do a weekly marriage Bible study with us. We’d share a meal, then watch a video and discuss the chapter. We grew closer to our friends and closer to each other. Today, 15 years later, all ten couples are still married.

Today’s thought Consideration – Quality Time–It’s Worth the Effort!