Title: Spiritual Intimacy
1Spiritual Intimacy
Enhancing the Soul Connection
2Spirituality Is Part of the Vertical Aspect of
Strong Blessed Marriage
- Horizontal
- Friends Lovers
- Friendship
- Passion
- Vertical
- Partners in Purpose
- Commitment
- Purpose
-
Purpose
Marital Love
Friendship
Passion
Commitment
Adapted from Robert Sternbergs Triangle Theory
of Love
3Love for a Higher Purpose Deepens Closeness
- Loving the same purpose
- Fortifies respect and sense of security
Sharing faith can be like sharing parents
4Religious Practices Strengthen Marriage and
Family Life
Best results come from discussing and practicing
spiritual beliefs at home 1. Promotes moral
behavior and forgiveness 2. Provides a
family-oriented social network 3. Brings a sense
of meaning and purpose to life, which increases
resilience to stress 4. Helps children to
perform better at school 5. Boosts personal
happiness, mental and physical health, long life
and achieving goals
5Benefits of Religion for Couples
- More beneficial than a shared faith
- Shared sense of higher meaning to their marriage
- What they do together to act upon their faith
6Spiritual Closeness Is a Common Challenge in
Marriage
- 1. Many couples struggle to find a shared way
- To relate to God and spiritually grow together
- 2. Conflict of styles is common
- One favored path to God may be opposite of
spouses - Easy to judge the mates way as inferior
7How Is Praying Together Beneficial? How Might It
Be Challenging?
8Praying Together Is Beneficial Challenging
Benefits
Challenges
- Invites God to intervene in our marriage
- Strengthens our sense of shared purpose and
ideals - Helps us gain Gods view of our marriage
- Softens our heart and exposes it to our mate
- Can be hard to be so vulnerable, especially when
there are tensions - Differences of prayer styles
- Hard to make time
Hoon Dok Hae is similar
9There Are Many Different Spiritual Types
Adapted from Myra Perrine, God Languages
1019 Paths to Spiritual Growth Closeness I
1119 Paths to Spiritual Growth Closeness II
1219 Paths to Spiritual Growth Closeness III
1319 Paths to Spiritual Growth Closeness IV
14Making Spiritual Harmony
- 1. Find one or more spiritual paths that can be
shared as a couple - One of the partners ways or a third way
- 2. Focus on common values and ideals
- God
- Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Justice or True Love
- 3. Shared service is powerful
15Faith Differences or Personal Faith Struggles
Come Up at Times
- Life events can highlight faith
- Death and crisis
- Church changes
- Children
- 1. Faith becomes especially important
- 2. Or it can be challenged
- Bring out personal weaknesses and marital
differences
16What to Do If Your Spouse Struggles in their
Faith?
17Consider How Your Spouse Might Feel
- Imagine you are the more religious one in your
couple. - Now imagine your spouse has suddenly become
twice as religious as you are. You are now the
unspiritual one, holding them and children back
from knowing and serving God more, the selfish
one who is never good enough. How do you feel?
18When One Spouse Struggles in Faith
- Faith fluctuates over time
- 1. Faith needs to be reexamined at times so it
can mature - Need freedom to doubt and struggle
- 2. Try to honor your mates legitimate effort to
keep their integrity - God will work through a genuine search for truth
- Modeling Gods acceptance and faith in them is a
testimony to your faith
Whether you are destined for heaven or hell is
not determined by your doctrines and
perspectives but by your daily life. Father
19Important Blessed Family Traditions
- 1. Sanctifying the First Night
- Like 3-day Ceremony
- 2. Sanctifying births of children
- Prayer support at birth with 3 people and birth
candle - Grateful offering at 8 days
- 3. Family Worship and study
- Learning Gods Word (HDH)
- Family Pledge
- Sunday Service
- Tithing
- 4. Living with God True Parents
- Prominent photos,
- Prayer place
- 5. Sanctifying birthdays
- Parents Blessing
- 6. Celebrating Holy Days
- Pledge and offerings
- 7. Preparing children for Matching
20Traditions Prioritizing Family
- Meals together
- Couple date nights
- Holiday celebration
- Games and family activities
- Vacation activities
21Deepen Spiritual Oneness
- 1. Commit to growing in personal spiritual
maturity - Keep adjusting to each other as you grow
- 2. Commit to nourish the spiritual basis of your
marriage - Maintain regular traditions
- 3. Commit to greater service to God and the world
22Tool Sharing Spiritual Paths
- Consider these spiritual paths
- Mark your favorites
- Guess your mates favorites
- Mark which ones you might share
- Study
- Pray
- Mentor others
- Be mentored
- Celebrate
- Tithe
- Make music
- Care for nature
- Worship
- Observe traditions
- Be in small groups
- Fast
- Serve greater causes
- Assist spirit world
- Meditation
- Fight injustice
- Be creative
- Share intimacy
- Care for others
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