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Loving Touch
by Dr. Gary Chapman
Recently, I met an old friend whom I had not seen in a long time. Immediately, we hugged each other. Why? Because touch is fundamental to who we are as humans.
We understand there to be five senses. One of the five is touch. It is one of the ways in which we experience life. What parent does not know that toddlers like to touch? We may say, "No, don't touch that," but touch is one way a child experiences life. The same is true with adults. All cultures have appropriate affirming touches when they greet each other. When you touch me in an appropriate way, you affirm my worth. When you touch me in a harsh way, you demean me as a person. Make sure that today, all of your touches are affirming touches. And continue reading as I talk about the love language of physical touch all this week.
Article written by Dr. Gary Chapman. Based on the book, The Five Love Languages, by Dr. Gary Chapman. Published by Moody Publishers.
For a complete listing of Dr. Chapman's books and resources,click here.
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Coffee Dates
by Rick Pierce
When Laura and I were first married, we loved to wake up slowly and linger out from our downtown Chicago apartment down to the vibrancy of Michigan Avenue. It was here that we would often make our way to the massive bookstore on the corner and whittle away several hours of coffee, chats, and yummy treats.
Sixteen years later, we have six children, a new special needs baby, and very active lives in ministry. Like so many of you, our chances to linger and connect are not as plentiful as they were in those early days of our marriage. But they are no less important. In fact, with a sheer multitude of experiences each day, the need for time to connect emotionally is so much greater today than ever before!
One of the ways we maintain connection together is our Friday morning coffee dates.
Most Fridays you'll find us sharing conversation as we savor the powerful elixir of a bold brew in one of our local coffee shops. We love these dates together! We find each other again and rally around our glorious identities in Jesus.  We find the encouragement and comfort we so need in these difficult days.
But this means of grace would not happen if we did not create the space for it.
There is a principle in physics that nature hates a vacuum. Simply put, that means that where there is an empty space something will fill it up. Unless you create, and guard, some empty spaces in your calendar, you won't have any!
If you're interested in coffee dates, here is a little book that might help your coffee conversations. If you're not into coffee dates, I hope you'll honor your spouse enough to create the space necessary for connection in some way this week.
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