Marriage seminar to encourage couples focus on God

By BOB CAMPBELL ~ Southeast Missourian

Of all the ways a marriage can go bad, two of the most prevalent are poor communication and a lack of attentiveness.

Avoiding those and other potential hazards will be emphasized at Cape Girardeau's first Soul Mate Live marriage seminar at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at The Venue, 80 S. Plaza Way. Doors open at 6 p.m.

With another 90-minute session already scheduled for Feb. 21 at the same location, Soul Mate Live will feature speakers Meredith Ogburn, Fred Burgard and Ryan Banderman discussing how to put God first and bring more energy to the very important relationship with one's spouse.

Ryan Banderman's brother, Jason Banderman, one of the event's organizers, said men may tend to get so involved in their careers and hobbies that they end up neglecting their wives.

Having taught other couples with his wife, Sarah, in Lynwood Baptist Church's Life Group classes, Banderman said men often make the mistake of "bringing whatever is left" to their marriages after exhausting themselves in other pursuits. "It's easy to lose sight of the big picture," he said.

A parody skit of “The Matrix” depicting a couple and the energy in their marriage was performed at a recent practice for the Soul Mates Live Marriage and to be held Thursday in Cape Girardeau. (Submitted)

The Soul Mate Live program originated at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., where lay leader Steven Holley inspired local organizer Marc Harris to help bring it to this area, Sarah Banderman said.

"We will have skits, a live band and a fun atmosphere," Sarah Banderman said. "We all have times when we have to rely on the relationship we have with Christ, and this will be a great opportunity to get that message out.

"We want to rely on God first and then each other. We need God to control every aspect of our marriage," she said.

Sarah Banderman said there will be no charge for the seminar, and child care will be provided for $6 for one child and $10 for two or more.

She said the speakers also will focus on "highlighting the great things the wife does in the relationship and the great things the husband does, thinking about those benefits and getting the relationship to grow.

"We have busy lives, and this will help couples focus on each other," she said. "We need to make time for that, forget about the struggles of the day and try to get grounded in each other and Christ."

Sarah Banderman said more information is available at the Soul Mate Live website at smlcape.com, where a YouTube video shows some of the skits to be acted out, humorously illustrating the things couples do wrong.

The video uses the messages of, "It's time for a change, for a spark, bring energy back into your marriage, messages that build your marriage, a chance to meet couples just like you, a free date night."

Harris said the Memphis church "has had a ton of success" with Soul Mate Live and is about to have its 27th citywide program.

"Hundreds of couples are involved down there, and they look forward to each one," he said, adding that it "is totally lay-driven."

"We get away from that original time of walking down the aisle with our mate and we forget all that that person had to offer," Harris said. "Then we start to look elsewhere for that energy. We get started down that slippery slope, and what vine do we grab onto?

"It's an epidemic. I think if the right kind of energy is put back into a marriage, any marriage can be saved," he said.

Pertinent address: 80 S. Plaza Way, Cape Girardeau, MO