Jeremy Roloff - Creative Love: 10 Ways to Build a Fun and Lasting Love

Friend,

We invite you to join us as we seek a love that is creative in its pursuit, its intention, and its actions. When we look to Christ as the example for how to love one another, we see how creativity is the heartbeat of lasting love. God loves us unconditionally, and He reveals His unchanging love for us in creative new waysthrough His creation, a well-timed word, a compelling question, the cadence of a song, His living Word, a treasured friendship, a satisfying meal, a child full of wonder, a heart-swelling memory, an epic adventure, or even the pages of a book. We offer you these pages full of creative ideas, questions, and challenges with the hope of helping you build a fun, fulfilling, and forever love.

Our prayer is that these words will guide you into more meaningful conversations and inspire you to think of unique-to-you ways to love your significant other. This book is an invitation, not a prescription. And, full disclosure, we by no means consider ourselves experts when it comes to relationships. But we are passionate about marriage, and we trust that God can use our stories and the things weve learned to inspire and encourage you in writing your own love story. Our marriage is full of imperfections, but we hope that sharing our creative solutions for when we mess up, fall short, and need grace will lead you to the same life-giving love we have experienced from God and each other.

After seeing the response to our first book, A Love Letter Life, we wanted to expand on some of the concepts we discussed and offer practical tools for how to invest in your relationship. While A Love Letter Life focused heavily on our story from our first date to I do, this book focuses on pivotal moments from every stage of our relationshipfrom dating to marriage to our growing familyand shares new revelations and helpful lessons weve learned from older, wiser couples who have generously imparted their insight to us.

These ten ways apply creativity to central aspects of a dating or marriage relationship. Each chapter is intended to spark conversations, pose questions, and invite you into love-strengthening practices. For that reason, we hope you dont read the chapters all at once and then put the book on a shelf; instead, we encourage you to see this as a timeless resource you can refer to as your relationship grows. Whether you are currently dating and falling in love, engaged and preparing for marriage, or married and protecting your promise, you have a unique love story. We hope this book inspires you to keep on writing it in even more creative ways!

Under the mercy,

Jeremy and Audrey Roloff

Chapter 1
WORDS THAT
WEAVE

Creative Communication That
Strengthens and Heals

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

P ROVERBS 16:24 ESV

A UDREY :

J eremy and I met on January 16, 2010, when I answered the door for our first (blind) date in my sports bra and running shorts, soaking wet and covered in mud. Apparently Jeremy sees past first impressions. Life has changed slightly between then and now. I currently am nestled in with our newborn son, Bode, while his two-year-old sister, Ember, is babbling away, reading her books in front of the fire. Normally we plan something special every January 16 to celebrate the day we met, but life has its seasons, and this one is keeping us from our regular traditions. But as one tradition fades, it makes space for a new one, so I picked up a piece of paper and a pen.