Use this space to take your general notes during the message.

We begin a brand new series this week called, "The Perfect Family". It's a series about creating a thriving and healthy environment with those we love most.

We continue our "Perfect Family" series and this week, we are going to be discussing marriage. Even if you are not married, this message certainly applies to people in your life. Perhaps the information we discuss today will help you help them in their marriages.

Here's the truth: deep down, everyone wants a great marriage, but few want to do the things that make a marriage great. What are some of the aspects of marriage that make it so difficult?

So, what makes a great marriage? It's simple, but certainly not easy. To help, Pastor Jonathan broke things down into 2 parts: the first, is to "imitate God" and the second is to "show God's intent and design" for marriage. Read the following verses. How do they support both of these parts working together?

The goal of marriage is oneness; two becoming one. Marriages don't fail because people are different. They fail because people don't unite through their differences. How have you seen people's differences divide instead of unify? If you can't think of any examples in the context of marriage, what about other types of relationships?

How does the idea of "Love First" apply in the context of marriage?

Here is a mission statement that Pastor Jonathan gave us to apply to marriage moving forward: "You before Me until We become One". Take some time and pray for the marriages in your life, whether your own or loved ones. Ask our Heavenly Father to help unify hearts and minds through differences and difficult times.