5 WAY S T O

I N S TA N T LY L E V E L U P Y O U R
2
D AY

Marriage & Family

CHALLENGE

J E F F & A LY S S A B E T H K E
CHALLENGE DAY 2
PICK ONE NEW RHYTHM FOR YOUR MARRIAGE OR
YOUR FAMILY

If I were to ask you what the highlight of your week is every week what would you say?
The end of the workday on Friday? Going out to a nice restaurant with friends? Your
guy’s YMCA basketball league?

One way to instantly level up your marriage and family, is to make an event or moment
once a week to highlight! What’s interesting is we think this would come naturally or on
accident, but in reality we have to craft it.

And essentially that’s what a ‘rhythm’ is in your marriage. It’s the lifeblood and oxygen
of a healthy family and marriage. Creating and putting yourself in a cadence throughout
the week can invigorate everything immediately.

Rhythms are kind of like the bumpers when you go bowling. They provide assistance
and help keep the ball going down the center of the lane. You aren’t aiming for the
bumpers, but to keep focused and have your marriage go in the right direction you
need things your marriage can ‘bump’ up against to keep it going where it needs to go.
Practices and rhythms are what we call the life blood of a marriage!

Here’s a few of mine and Alyssa’s non-negotiable ‘rhythms’ that have deeply changed
our family over the years.

1. Our marriage ‘business meeting’ on Sunday nights. This is where we don’t try to
connect romantically or intimately, but we just literally talk about the schedule and
logistics and when we will do our date night, special time with the kids, etc. Running

5 WAYS TO INSTA NT LY L E V E L U P YO U R M A RRI AG E & FA M I LY C H A L L E N G E | DAY 2 2

 a marriage and family is much more logistical and detailed than we think, and you
two playing CEO & COO over it reaps a world of difference.

2. Our family shabbat. A full 24 hours of rest and celebration. It’s treated as a Bethke
family holiday, and totally the highlight of our week. We turn our phones off, cease
from work, eat good, hang as a family, tell stories, and do whatever fills our hearts
and souls and brings refreshment.

3. Alyssa getting a ‘mom break’ as we call it where she can sneak off once during the
week to reflect, pray, journal, and take a break from the hustle and bustle that are
toddlers. This one takes work and planning since both Alyssa and I are working
parents, but because it’s a priority we always find a way.

4. And a few examples of daily rhythms for us would be our special breakfast benediction
we do as a family, storytime at night, and a few others.

5 WAYS TO INSTA NT LY L E V E L U P YO U R M A RRI AG E & FA M I LY C H A L L E N G E | DAY 2 3

CHALLENGE 2: Get out a piece of paper, and within
the constraints you currently have that can not change (kid’s
school, work schedule, etc) create your ‘ideal week.’ Start by
writing one word adjectives that would describe your week
(fulfilling, restful, celebratory, schedule full, etc with whatever
your values and priorities are). Then move on to a few small
micro hopes for your ideal week like eat dinner together as
a family 4 out of the 7 nights of the week. A movie night as
a family once a week. A date night between us away from
the kids twice a month etc. Then ask what would it take to
get there? What’s standing in the way of your ideal week?
How can you start your week first with the big priorities and
‘rhythms’ and let everything else fall between the small gaps
after that?

AFTER THE CHALLENGE: Hop on the facebook

group and comment what your favorite family or marriage
rhythm currently is, or one you are hoping to implement after
today’s challenge!