For our 25th wedding anniversary, we received an invitation to attend a marriage retreat at Glen Eyrie Conference Center in Colorado Springs. We fell in love with the Glen Eyrie castle as soon as we drove on the property! We had never attended a marriage conference, so this was a new experience, one that would forever shape our journey together.
Our hosts that weekend were longtime Navigators and popular authors Jack and Carole Mayhall; they taught us about the idea of discipleship in marriage. We were excited to start incorporating this into our own marriage more intentionally. Learning that there was a ministry, The Navigators, whose foundation was based on discipleship, made us want to know more about discipleship.
Once we returned home to New Mexico, it wasn’t long before we connected with a Navigator, Max Weighmink, who worked on a military base nearby. We got to know Max and his family as they discipled us for three years through fellowship, Bible study, and praying through life together. We were invited to serve as Navigator associate staff in military, church, and community ministries, while continuing to work in our insurance business. We served as associate staff for 10 years.
Eventually we were in a season of transition, praying about how God might use us as a couple in our second half of life. After five years of praying for God to open a door, we were invited to lead the Marriage GetAway retreats at Glen Eyrie. Right where it all started!
It has been a great experience to lead Marriage GetAways (MGA), which average around a dozen couples per retreat. The size of each MGA is kept small so it is intimate and couples can enjoy their time at a relaxed pace. Couples stay in the castle and have breakfast in bed. The content includes learning more about how God made each of us uniquely, and practical tools for how to read the Bible and pray together as a couple.
Here are comments from a few couples who attended the MGA:
“Our experience at the MGA at Glen Eyrie changed us. What began as a 20-year anniversary surprise get-away has strengthened our marriage and been a wonderful catalyst to bring Christ to the center of our issues.”
—Steve and Susan
“Our marriage was refreshed and refocused on discipleship. The built-in couple time provided such a special opportunity for prayer, communication, and romance for us. This was, by far, the most refreshing and intentionally ‘God-and-spouse-focused’ retreat that we have attended.”
—Mike and Lee
Visit GlenEyrie.org for more information about attending the next Marriage GetAway.
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