by Jayna Richardson
“We love sharing the message of The Art of Marriage®. We have seen hundreds of marriages revived, renewed, and restored through Art of Marriage.” This is just one testimony from one couple. Thousands more around the world have similar stories as they’ve experienced the power of The Art of Marriage (AOM) in their own marriages and communities since its release ten years ago.
The Art of Marriage is a video-based resource that weaves together expert teaching, real-life stories, and humorous vignettes to portray both the challenges and the beauty of God’s design. Over 800,000 people have experienced AOM. Along with English, AOM is available in nine other languages: Spanish, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Arabic, Albanian, Russian, Polish, Hungarian, and Romanian.
One husband shared, “This event was the most impactful thing in our marriage since our actual wedding day. The content was amazing, but what really changed our life was putting God in the center of our marriage. Before this event I often thought about what I wanted and what she wanted, but once we focused on what God wanted, our lives completely changed. It was also at this event that we committed to improve our intimacy by praying together, husband and wife, each night before bed. Our marriage isn’t perfect, but it is continuously improving, and with God’s help we believe it can become a masterpiece that honors Him.”
The biblical message of God’s plan for families crosses cultures. Dozens of countries are using AOM with incredible results.
- After one AOM in Belize, the hosts organized a Saturday night gala that included a banquet and time of sharing. The Holy Spirit was clearly at work as the time of sharing turned into two and a half hours of public confession, repentance, and praise for what God had done in the attendees’ hearts.
- A couple in Panama began a ministry to the Metropolitan Police in Panama City using AOM. They reported, “Husbands have confessed to being sorry for how they’ve treated their wives and have asked for forgiveness publicly; others have pledged to live lives that honor God and leave their children spiritual legacies. So far forty people have accepted Christ as their Savior.”
- FamilyLife volunteers in Honduras hosted an AOM event for fifty military couples. Thirty-nine people received Christ at this event and 14 rededicated their lives and marriages to the Lord. The following week they hosted a second Art of Marriage event—120 more people attended. Seven people received Christ and 14 rededicated their lives and marriages to the Lord!
- Greg and Lyn Wu* (names changed) first learned about FamilyLife through attending an AOM in Beijing. Because of the difficulties they were facing in their marriage, particularly in their communication patterns, they didn’t want to go back after the first night. But God was at work in drawing them together and bringing about transformation in them. He began showing them their unhealthy patterns of erupting at each other and allowed them to see that their anger and yelling were hurting themselves and their sons. Redemptive healing took place. A couple of years later, they were ready to do something to help other couples find the hope and restoration they had experienced. They received training to become speakers for FamilyLife. They started small, learning to deliver just one talk on a single topic at a time. They have become key volunteers and speakers for FamilyLife and are seeing God use them to turn other Chinese families to Him.
Glory to God for the amazing work He is doing through The Art of Marriage. May many more couples experience the power of the gospel through this resources in the years to come.
