Real Marriage Tour – San Diego Recap

“My Church will be served by me

…My wife will be loved by me.”

The Real Marriage Tour made it’s third stop in sunny San Diego, CA on February 24th and 25th and like the two previous stops it was a success. We do not measure our success by the number of tickets or books sold, but rather by the marriages that are impacted and the people who come to know Christ.

Over the weekend had 4 people accept Christ. Three women and 1 man courageously got up on stage and were led to faith by Pastor Mark. For us there is nothing more exciting than to see people receive Christ, we rejoice and praise the Lord for this blessing.

At every Real Marriage event we get tons of feedback from couples who have had their marriages strengthened, improved and healed.

Here are some comments that we have received:

“Just a note, my wife and I came to find a reason to not quit our 19 year marriage and you gave us some clear reasons to work things out and some easy ways to do it thank you so much.” Leon Pyatt

“What an amazing and refreshing time! So glad we attended and that we took so much away with us! I am excited to see how our marriage grows even stronger through these teachings and our stronger committment to God and his Word!” Sheila Pierce

“Wow, Mark just had all the men stand, look their spouse in the eye and vow to love them and lead their family in Christ and then pray over them. What a powerful moment to see a thousand men praying over their wives.” – Brenda Hagel

“What an awesome and powerful moment. To hear the whispers of the men praying over their wives was incredible” – Lisa Gardner

 

Real Marriage Community

What is really cool for us to see at Real Marriage events is the community of believers that come together for a common goal – glorifying Christ through life change. We love seeing people get excited about truth and their desire to learn and grow is contagious. At every event we see a wide range of people – singles, engaged, newlyweds, divorced, and even those that have been married for 35+ years showing us that it is never too early or too late to improve your relationship.

The RM team got to start the day off right with key staff team from The Rock Church at Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern. Just another 70 degree day in San Diego staring at the water, the boats and eating some awesome fish tacos. We could all get used to this.

Then it was off to the church to get everything set up. The team from the Creative/Media department, facilities, and events staff were simply amazing. It is truly a God thing how Pastor Miles McPherson and the members of The Rock have been such great stewards of the building. They reach over 13,000 people in 5 services every Sunday and there just isn’t a whole lot of parking. The people are clearly proving that if you will preach the Bible with passion and relevancy and committed to reaching people in your city, not just being a holy huddle, they will come.

Worship led by Dustin Kensrue

Praise God from whom all blessings flow… Praise him all creatures here below… The sound of thousands singing praise filled the church as Dustin Kensure and his band from Mars Hill Orange County led worship. Each night and each morning of every conference is started and sometimes closed with worship. This time reminds me of the passage in Ezekiel 37:4 where the Spirit of the Lord tells Ezekiel to prophesy over the dry bones… “Then he said to me, “4 Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.” Often when we enter into the a time of worship we are as dry as these bones… our hearts are dead, we are not ready to hear the Word, but praise and worship brings us back to life and prepares us to receive truth. It is another sweet time to participate with a group of believers singing songs to our creator.


 

Carlos and Sonia Roacho Vow Renewal

Saturday we ended the event with a renewing of vows and God lead us to Carlos and Sonia Roacho. WOW – God’s grace, power, love and mercy was so evident in their lives. The power of prayer that Sonia expressed as she prayed for Carlos over many years and how God has redeemed their individual lives and their marriage, simply remarkable.

As expected, Pastor Mark delivered strong Biblical teaching filled with truth designed to greatly improve marriages and once again, the vow renewal was an amazing display of the power, grace, and redemptive love of God for his people and marriages. The couple’s story of starting as an extramarital affair and having a child out of wedlock and later accepting Christ and becoming a strong, godly family was very powerful.

The weekend was uplifting, positive, and a time of healing, reconciliation, and great growth. God was definitely glorified!

Carlos’ Letter

First of all I would want to thank our Lord Jesus Christ for my marriage.
It was put in our heart for us to celebrate our 10th anniversary at this marriage conference, we had the opportunity to go anywhere this weekend but we wanted to celebrate and give thanks for all God has done in our marriage and we wanted to start with HIM!

4 years ago I accepted the Lord inches before separation, the guilt was then gone and the scales in my eyes were removed, my marriage was restored and now I want to keep the flame lit in our marriage constantly pray and re-instate why we were created and that is to be no longer alone forever on this earth.

Carlos’ Vows

Sonia,
you are the greatest wife and partner.
During these 10 years we have endured the biggest storms life can give us, I love u and promise:
To respect you
To keep hearing you
To be faithful
To protect you at all times
To be an excellent husband
To make sure our household serves the Lord
To keep the flame lit to matter the circumstances
Because you are my partner for always till our Lord calls us to to his heavenly kingdom.

I Love u more than ever and always will.

Sonia’s Letter / Vows

Today 10 years ago and after going thru good times and bad, sickness and health today I promise in as God as my witness be always be with you in good and bad, honor you and respect you.

Now that I know you wellI accept you with your faults and virtudes, love you all the days that are left in my life, I promise to be your help and your partner in Life.
And I want you to know that you are a great man of God , I thought my awaited fairy tale had eneded when I married you but in reality it started when JESUS came in and joined part of our marriage.

Food for the Hungry

We are extremely thankful for our Sponsors at the Real Marriage Tour and we are so pleased at the number of Children that have been sponsored at each of these events. However, there are over 75 still out and if you have one of these packets please fill out the included registration card and return it in the envelope provided before February 29th. After the 29th, they will need to go online to sponsor a child. If you have any questions please call the number on the back of the packets and the office will be more than happy to help. Thanks for your support!

Logos Bible Software

At each of our Real Marriage events we have booths setup for our Sponsors and there is always a flurry of activity at the Logos Bible Software table where there are special package prices for this amazing Bible Study software. We love Logos and are so thankful for them in all they do to spread the Word, but they also help make our events fun by sponsoring our Kindle Fire give away. At each event we have attendees post their picture on the Real Marriage Facebook wall and on Saturday we pick a winner. This week our winner’s were “Over the Top for Marriage” – Mario and Steph Torresday. Congratulations to this blessed couple!

A Word of Thanks

The team of staff and volunteers at The Rock was an amazing group of servant leaders who excel at expressing Jesus’ love. Most of the volunteers were couples who participated in the event while they were not working. Rock staff members Courtney, Michelle, and Valerie are skilled pros at large events and made for a terrific experience for event staff and participants

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By |February 27th, 2012|Live Events, Real Marriage, Weekly Devos|1 Comment

Real Marriage Tour – Corona, CA


 What Others Were Saying after the Conference

“My hubby and I had a great time at the Real Marriage Tour event! Even though our marriage is amazing, there is always room for growth! Thank you for sharing how we can bring our marriage to a higher level ~ We are Face to Face, View Sex as a gift, Servant + Servant = Godly Marriage! Thank you for challenging us to have more FUN, FUN, FUN, to always keep our spouse in second place just under God, and not let the little foxes get into our beautiful garden!” – Christina Nordmark

Thank you for being practical, honest and funny! My husband and I really enjoyed ourselves and I pray that “by the Grace of God” we can put the information into practice!- Lauren Briggs

This conference is amazing and has taught me so much! Praise God! – Andrew Maxwell

A Recap of the Real Marriage Tour

I awoke at 4:16 a.m. even though my alarm was set for 5:00 a.m. I was wide awake so I figured I might as well start getting ready since you can really never be too early for a flight out of DFW.

Doug, the owner of The Hub and producer of the Real Marriage Tour, met me at the airport and we had an intense strategy session 20,000 feet in the air.

As we flew over New Mexico we were both in awe at the vastness of God’s creation. The desert. The mountains. It was all so remote and from our viewpoint – tiny. We could only wonder what the world looks like in the palm of God’s hand.

We arrived in Corona, CA at 9:11. This was my first trip to California and it’s beauty and climate exceeded my expectations.

We met up with some of the creative crew from Mars Hill church for lunch as well as Peter McGowan of Plain Joe Studies. We feasted on the patio at Miguels Mexican Restaurant with hot food on our plates and warm sunshine on our backs – a real treat when the weather in Texas was rainy and cold when we left that morning.

We arrived at Crossroads Church and began to setup the lobby of the church with tables upon tables of merchandise as well as promotional booths and banners for our sponsors – Logos Bible Software, Food for the Hungry and Air 1 FM Radio.

We were running a little behind schedule and were surprised when people started arriving around 4:30 to attend the conference when doors wouldn’t even open until 6 p.m. By 5 people were standing in line for registration, by 5:30 people were streaming in and there was a buzz and excitement in the air. At 6:20 Mark & Grace showed up to sign autographs and take pictures. There was a huge line for the autographs and so we recommend getting there early if you want to be sure and get your book signed and your photo with Mark and Grace.

Praise and Worship with Dustin Kensrue

Dustin Kensrue of Thrice kicked off the evening with praise and worship and everyone loved it. When I asked one attendee “What was your favorite part of the conference” he said, “The praise and worship and the Q&A” – and he was right, both of these things were big hits at the conference. Dustin is genuine and sings from the heart and one of my favorite things about being a Christian is corporate worship. There is nothing like coming together with a body of believers and praising the Lord.

Real Marriage with Mark Driscoll

Mark started teaching and immediately he had the crowd laughing. If you haven’t heard Mark Driscoll teach then you should check out his podcast or download some of his teaching from our website. Mark doesn’t beat around the bush and as Hector, one of the conference attendees interviewed said, “Mark has no shame”. Hector continued to tell me that he appreciated that Mark would talk about topics that other churches were often afraid to speak on. People have real questions, they expect real answers, not fluff.

Real Marriage - Mark and Grace Driscoll

During the Q&A Mark and Grace answered questions like “Why are some guys scared to make the first move?” and “What can I do to get my husband to pursue me?”  Mark and Grace gave great answers to both questions. Mark had the crowd laughing when he answered about the guys being scared to make the first move. He pretty much said that guys shouldn’t be going around to a girl’s friends and asking “Does so and so like me, maybe?” Instead men need to be okay with taking a risk – it’s what being a man is about. Just keep it simple, ask a girl if you can get to know her more and if she says no, then say “Well, okay, just tell all your friends I was honorable.”

Not Just for Married People…

Everyone should attend the Real Marriage Conference. As a single man who has attended multiple marriage events over the years I can honestly say that each time I go I learn something new.  The single attendees that I asked about the conference said that the topic on selfishness really hit home with them. As human beings it’s often all about us and that is something we forget when pursuing a mate. There is so much amazing information at these conferences that you would be so far ahead of the curve if you attended BEFORE you got married. If everyone heard this information before they got married then I’m sure they would avoid years of heartache.

Real Marriage Changes Lives

Attending a Real Marriage Conference is life-changing. Many people asked me, “Why should I go to the conference when I can just listen to this online?” I guess the best answer would be why do you go to a concert to hear a singer when you can just listen to them on the radio? It’s all about shared experience. You get to come together with people who have a common interest and want to share their experience with other people. There is an energy and a joy that you get from being at a conference. I have seen couples after the conferences praying together, holding each other, crying together. Lives are changed.

At each of our conferences we plan to do a vow renewal for a couple that wants to renew their vows in front of the congregation. This is something you won’t experience online or by just watching the DVD. We also have question and answer sessions that are unique to each event since the participants text their questions in and we choose them while Mark Driscoll is speaking.

 

How is The Hub connected to Mars Hill Church?

A question I got a lot at the conference was “How is The Hub connected to Mars Hill Church and Mark Driscoll?” Well, if you are new to The Hub then you may not know that we used to be called SongofSolomon.com and that we have produced and promoted over 150 conferences over the last 15 years. Doug Hudson, owner of The Hub is passionate about great Bible teaching as well as spreading the word about Jesus Christ through live events. He partnered with Mark & Grace Driscoll and Mars Hill Church to produce and promote The Real Marriage Tour which is sponsored by Logos Bible Software as well as Food for the Hungry, Bible Study Magazine, PastorMark.tv, The Resurgence, Vyrso, and 5 Love Languages.

We want to say a big THANKS to all of our sponsors, our on the street photographers (Brett Benham) our wonderful selfless volunteers, the staff from Mars Hill and Crossroads Christian Church, to Mark and Grace and of course our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

More videos and pictures coming soon so be sure and watch our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.

Join the Fun

Tickets are available for the other 6 conferences. Get Ticket Info Here.

By |February 5th, 2012|Live Events, Real Marraige, Weekly Devos|3 Comments