Thank you for your interest in this Conference. We have reached capacity so registration is now closed.  We apologize for any inconvenience and hope you can join us at future events.

Whether you are single, dating, married, or somewhere in between (is there another option?), you’re going to face relationship challenges.  

But relationships can also be profoundly good and startlingly beautiful.  They can draw us deeper into the heart of God, or remove us further away. 

We want to discover that goodness, to find simple and practical ways of approaching each other so that our lives are not empty and disconnected, but are cauldrons of love, warmth, and peace.

Join Darrin Patrick, Doug Samsel MA, LPC, and others on February 17th and 18th for true teaching about true love that is centered on the Gospel.

Whether you are married or single and hope to be married someday, this is a mini-conference not to be missed.  Bring your friends or come as community groups, as on Friday evening, we will be hosting a reception to continue conversations and relax in a fun atmosphere.

Want details?

Friday, February 17, 6:30-10:00 PM (child care ends at 9:30)
Special note:  It’s date night.  We get it.  We’re all for fun and games, so join us for some sound teaching and then come over to The Luminary for a reception where you can continue the conversation.  A DJ and drinks will be available.

Saturday, February 18, 9:00 AM-11:45 AM

Cost:  $10 per person, $10 per family for childcare.  Childcare limited to first 75 children to register.

Location:  The Tower Grove Sanctuary and Campus

Who to invite?  Anyone, if there are friends and neighbors that you want to get to know better who might be interested in gospel-centered practical marriage help, bring them along.

What to expect?  We’re providing lots of different opportunities for you over the time, and we’ll release the full schedule in the next two weeks.  

But here are a few of the break out sessions you will be able to take advantage of.

Doug Samsel, MA, LPC on The Myths and Realities of Marital Communication.  Everyone thinks that better communication techniques will help improve the marriage.  But what if the other person doesn’t like what’s being communicated?  Join one of the top marriage counselors in the St. Louis area has he walks through how to—and how not to—communicate within our marriages.

Eric Gregory, M.Div., MA, LPC on Finding Healing from Sexual Failures.  Nearly everyone has struggled sexually at some point or another, whether with pornography, misdirected desires, abuse, or other sexual sins.  How we seek and find healing from those is critical to living well. Join Eric Gregory as he explores ways of finding gospel-centered healing for those who have experienced sexual sin.

Kim and Rusty Maple on Joyful Married Sexual Rhythms.  Back by popular demand, Rusty and Kim will provide pastoral counsel and advice on how the role sex plays in marriage and how couples can move from the mundane to the amazing.  Anyone who knows Rusty and Kim knows that, well, this will be a “must attend.”

Laura and Josiah Cox on Moving from Awkwardness to (nearly) Awesome in Married Spirituality.  Many couples struggle to know how to incorporate God into marriage without it all feeling a little awkward and forced.  Josiah, who is an elder at The Journey, and his wife Laura will share from their history about the failures, joys, and fruits of bringing together their spiritual lives.

Matthew Anderson on Purity of Heart and the Heart of Masculinity (for men only).  Whether we are single or married, dating or engaged, cultivating purity of heart plays a distinct role in our understanding of what it means to be men.  What are the Matthew Anderson, who has written for Christianity Today and elsewhere on the subject, will explore Jesus’ teachings on how to cultivate purity of heart.

Justin Campbell on Singles and the Married:  Following Jesus Together and Learning from Each other.  Married people and singles face very different challenges, as everyone knows.  But their unique perspectives on the world have important things to teach each other about how to live well.  Justin Campbell is Area Director for Young Life in St. Louis County and has been single for 39 years.  If you are single or married, you won’t want to miss this (hint:  that’s everyone).

Lynn and Jamie Beckemeier on It Gets Better?  Building for the End of Marriage, rather than the Beginning.  It’s no secret that marriage is difficult.  But for many of us, the messages about how boring and hard marriage is create a sense of gloom about the future.  We need those who have been through it all to show us that the best really can come later, even if it’s not what we expected.  And Lynn and Jamie Beckemeier are precisely the right people to deliver that message.

Justin and Erin McLaury on Don’t Waste your Dating (or Your Engagement).  What you think about marriage affects how you date—and how you go about dating affects how you enter marriage.  Justin and Erin McLaury are still newlyweds, and they’ll share their experiences on both sides of marriage as a way of helping those who are newly married or someday might consider it understand how to not waste the beginnings of their relationship.

At The Journey, our desire is to see marriages thriving and to see relational healing and health restored.  This is your opportunity to learn from real people facing real challenges.  Don’t miss it.

For questions, contact Kim Maple at kmaple@journeyon.net or Matt Anderson at manderson@journeyon.net.