Building Relational Intimacy
Course Introduction
Welcome!
This practical series will teach you simple ways to nurture and maintain the deepest and safest relationships you’ve ever had.
I’ll also included handy infographics for your phone or tablet, printable posters, worksheets, personal study guides, and resources to help you continue growing long after you’ve finished this series.
If you haven’t read The Intimacy Manifesto, get it free here. Read it before you dive into the deep end of the pool with us during this series.
In the first installment, you’ll learn the five basic steps you need to build intimacy in any relationship including including God, friends, children, and your spouse. Before we get to that though, I wanted to help you get prepared physically, mentally, and spiritually so you’re ready to embark on this journey to intimacy.
The WHAT
First, I suggest you pick up some supplies if you don’t already have them on-hand:
- A paper or digital version of the Bible you find easily readable. Bible Gateway is a great resource to help you find a version you connect with.
- A journal or laptop where you can easily write down your thoughts, ideas, comments, and commitments.
The WHEN & WHERE
- You’ll need to carve out a good time each day. Mornings are ideal, so you can start off your day right. If not, you may need to plan it into your schedule during your lunch hour or an hour before bed.
- As far as location, try to make it a place where you can quietly meditate. If your home, find a place where you won’t be distracted by other family members. Let them know you’ll be unavailable for a time. If you’re doing it at work, find a secluded place where a coworker won’t be tempted to join you for a chatty lunch.
The WHY
- In your journal, spend a little time expressing why intimacy is important to you and what you’d like to get out of this series (your goals).
- If you haven’t already created your own manifesto to God and to your safe others as described in The Intimacy Manifesto, do that now.
The WHO
- Jot down 3-5 relationships that you want to see change because of this series.
- State how you think you might be hindering these relationships from being intimate and why.
- Own your choices. Remember that you have no power over what others choose to do or not to do.
- Recognize that the desire for intimacy in a relationship needs to be mutual between yourself and the other person. Because of this, it’s important to ask your other relationships to join you on this journey. Send them a free copy of The Intimacy Manifesto and commit to do this series together.
- Plan to put your phone on silent and turn off notifications so you are not tempted to give into distractions.
- Ask your family members to respect this “quiet time” you need each day.
The MINDSET
Read the following Scriptures and write them down in the first few pages of your journal. Meditate on what they mean to you as you begin this new journey.
Spend some time in prayer asking God to help you be real with him. (If prayer is a challenge for you, don’t worry. I offer lots of practical guidelines throughout this series.)
What You Can Expect
This series will be both inspirational and practical. Here’s the extras you can expect in EACH installment of the series:
- Links to all scripture references via Bible Gateway.
- Practical ideas for building intimacy and how to implement them.
- A Taking Action section including specific activities to put principles into practice.
- Supplementary reading material including recommended books and online articles to help you go deeper with each topic.
- Worksheets and convenient post-able and printable infographics.
When you finish your preparations, dive into our first lesson, 5 Steps to Building Intimacy in Any Relationship.