“Kelli and I have a tradition of going
down to the River Walk and watching
the lights. Invest in time reconnecting
as a couple rather than letting the
busyness and expectations wipe out
your relationship.”
Another tip - celebrate your
marriage in the company of others –
tell the kids, friends - what makes your
spouse special to you. And lastly, make
a January resolution to draw closer as a
family and as a couple. Brush up on
conflict resolution skills and good,
clear communication – two areas in
which SAMI offers plenty of assistance.
The Christian, volunteer, community
based organization serves as a
resource, training leaders on the front
lines of preserving marriages, whether
it be couples who walk alongside
others, pastors, counselors, lawyers
who want to help clients keep marriages
rather than dissolve them, and
particularly church marriage ministries.
All find trusted wisdom and
support through SAMI, which offers
Thank you to Southwest Exteriors for making this story possible to share.
emails, videos, graphics, communication
tools, events, date-nights away,
and conferences to help foster
marriage.
And what’s good for marriage is
ultimately good for our community.
“The greatest way to prevent many
social problems is to strengthen marriages,”
Caton said. “Most donors give to the
downstream effects of the breakdown of
the family, but the most effective and
least expensive way to get the best
results is to keep the marriage intact.”
“Children from fatherless homes are
4.6 times more likely to commit
suicide, 24.3 times more likely to run
away, 10.8 times more likely to commit
rape, 6.6 times more likely to become
teen-aged mothers, and 15.3 times
more likely to end up in prison while a
teenager,” he quoted.
“Ten years ago we began to meet with
leaders around the community. In the
first three years I spoke with 270 people
from 75 churches in San Antonio to ask
what they were doing
to strengthen
marriages. I brought
them together to
share best practices.
Since then we’ve met
with more than 1000
people in our
community who are
passionate about
helping marriages,” Caton said.
Raul and Karen Benitez
“We like to put the emphasis on the
real champions – the people who are in
the trenches. Raul and Karen Benitez
are an ordinary couple with a heart for
serving military marriages in Military
City USA. They organize events like
date nights, pre-marital training, small
groups. They’ve taken the challenges in
their own marriage and used them to
serve. A lot of couples find their greatest
area of pain can turn into their
greater joy when God begins to use
them to help others.”
On the horizon, in January 2019,
Wayside Chapel will host a conference
featuring best-selling author of
The Five Love Languages, Gary
Chapman. Visit samarriage.org for
more information.
Let’s commit ourselves to love this
holiday season. Let’s receive patience
(a gift of the Spirit) and apply it to our
marriage. Let’s stay together and fight
for our families. May this Thanksgiving
and Christmas be a time of great joy
for you and your spouse.
San Antonio Marriage Initiative
www.samarriage.org 210.651.5050
23995 Bat Cave Rd., Suite 150, SAT 78266
Be a Light.
Visit the ministry website. Get ideas and
help to keep your marriage in tip top shape.
Sign up for the SAMI newsletter. Attend.
Register to attend one of the many events
the Marriage Initiative hosts throughout
the year. Volunteer. Ask how you can
become an advocate for marriages in
your church. Pray. Pray for the ministry to
continue to thrive and reduce the divorce
rate in our community. Give. The Marriage
Initiative invites you to partner with them
financially so even more marriages can be
impacted in our community.
S TOR Y MADE POS S I B L E B Y:
Scott Barr is committed to building a team
that delivers “The Ultimate Client Experience”
on each and every project. His first job in the
home improvement industry was when he was
13 years old, and he has been with Southwest
Exteriors since 1990. While exceeding our
clients’ expectations, Scott is also continuously
working on developing a team of leaders who
are challenged and excited about their work.
When asked what he enjoys the most about
his position as the Steward of Southwest
Exteriors, he said, “Hearing from clients that
have become raving fans of our company
because of our commitment to client
satisfaction before, during, and after their
projects.” Scott’s desire is for the business to
be a ministry that glorifies God, and he wants
to continue to support other ministries by
building a successful business.
Southwest Exteriors
www.SouthwestExteriors.com
Phone: 210.828.5555
2430 Freedom Dr., San Antonio, TX 78217
Mention the Beacon and receive 15% off all
windows, siding, and concrete flooring projects
“I look at the kingdom return on investment.
The San Antonio Marriage Initiative provides
excellent resources, support, and training on a
modest budget to anyone who wants to connect
and collaborate to build healthy marriages. The
number of marriages that are positively impacted
is very impressive. It is clearly God’s design for
people to work together in a way that glorifies
God and brings people to God. I am privileged to
partner with this ministry to transform lives,
which will lead to transformed families that will
in turn transform our
community. I encourage all of
us to use what God has
blessed us with to invest into
His kingdom.”
Scott Barr, Steward of
Southwest Exteriors
The Look You Love Coming Home To
13 www.saBeacon.com November 2018
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