Session Notes

The Rewards of Spending More Time with Your Children: Living on One Income – Is It Possible?:

“Barron’s estimates that 80 percent of a woman’s salary goes for taxes, child care and other work-related expenses. Barron’s concludes: “By the time she pays for everything from pantyhose to transportation – sometimes in the form of a second car – working could become an expensive hobby.”

Nearly 50 percent of school-aged children in America don’t come home to Mom or Dad. They’re either on their own or in the care of a third party.”

CANOE — CNEWS – Canada

Club Eden, which opened just last weekend, is a so-called “on-premises” club, which means private and shared rooms are available for members. Other clubs typically meet in hotel rooms or private homes.

The Supreme Court decision allowed Club Eden and others like it to stop being so discreet about what’s been going on behind their closed doors – and to try to open people’s minds at the same time, Fox said.

“There’s a lot of perceptions about (the swinging community). One of the things we’re trying hard to do is to eliminate the negative perspective that does surround it and really bring forward the positive.”

Well, we all knew it was exploding — now someone finally confirms it. What is really striking to me is that one of the key motivations — latent same sex attractions — is largely being ignored in favor of simplistic assessments of repressive society keeping people in the closet. (Exactly the same logic used in the late 70′s and early 80′s with homosexuality/lesbianism proper.)

Focus on Your Child: Who Will Carry the Mommy?:

“I finally laid eyes on him after he was all bundled and clean, the most beautiful, swollen little face I’d ever seen. I strained against the contraptions attached to my arm, trying to feel my son’s skin as my husband held him close to my hand. The anesthesiologist – taking pity on me – finally lowered my precious blue bundle over my head so I could feel his breath and kiss his nose for just a moment before he was whisked away for the remainder of my surgery. Not quite the glorious and earthy transition into motherhood I had imagined after logging no less than 20 episodes of the Learning Channel’s A Baby Story but it was good enough. And I soon discovered the emergency c-section is quite a trump card when swapping delivery stories with other moms! (My wise mother once said ‘nobody gets a badge’ for who has the most labor pain and agony.) Yes, the best and only reward anyone can hope for is to go home with a healthy baby, and by the grace of God I did just that.”

This is a great heart article, except the part about sin. It shows why mum need to be carried as well. It seemed like she was writing a lot of my story, except the grace of the wonder of the girls/discoveries. Mother’s need God to tell them IT IS FINISHED in terms of sin. The guilt is crippling when it comes to raising children.

Enjoying Nature With Kids: Faith Lesson from the Butterfly:

” Martin Luther once said, ‘The promise of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was not written in books alone, but in every bud at springtime.’ [paraphrase] One example of nature that can help your child understand rebirth and the resurrection is simply the metamorphosis that numerous insects go through in particular, the butterfly (a transformation that mankind can still not explain). Here we have a creature that starts its life as an egg, hatches into a sort of wormlike sluggish caterpillar, hangs itself upside down, splits its skin and then goes into a hard shell. Inside the shell all its organs and muscles break down into liquid. If you break one open, you will see nothing but a colorful liquid. Eventually everything reassembles itself and a beautiful, winged creature breaks out. Consider collecting a caterpillar with your child in your own backyard and help him rear the caterpillar into a butterfly. Take this opportunity to share with your child about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and how He makes us a “new creature” when we are reborn. “

In the Meantime: What to Do While Waiting on God:

“Be reasonable. My friend Danny didn’t date much. Plenty of girls were interested, but he could never find what he was looking for. You know, a rich supermodel whose only dream in life was to serve him? There was no room for distinctiveness; everyone who didn’t fit his mental picture was flawed. It behooves us to ask ourselves, Am I looking for someone perfect, or for someone who eccentricities and all is good for me? But don’t compromise. Funny what loneliness can do. People with whom we have nothing in common – and sometimes hardly like – are suddenly attractive. We can even convince ourselves it’s unreasonable for God to make us wait for physical pleasure. But anytime we push ahead of Him, either by trying to force a dubious relationship or misplacing our moral compass, we’re like the Prodigal, sifting through slop when we could revel in riches down the road.”

This is an amazing article on the voices singles hear as I heard them. It offers suggestions of choosing LIFE during this season.

Focus on the Family Magazine: Talking Your Way Out of Trouble:

“Prayer is one of the most useful tools to save and strengthen your marriage.’ After the session, Meagan asked what I meant. I explained that when a husband and wife are at the end of their rope, one of the best things they can do is pray together. It can restore intimacy and bring healing in ways that nothing else can. Praying together allows a spouse to see inside the heart. We discussed the practical aspects of how prayer could be applied to their marriage. The next morning, Meagan and Jeff walked into the seminar together. Something was different. The couple who seemed hopeless the day before were holding hands and interacting pleasantly.”

Praying together helps restore/foster harmony.

Los Angeles Times

Rosenbaum found that 52% of those who said they had signed virginity pledges had had sex within a year. And of those who had sex after telling the first interviewers they had taken the pledge, 73% denied in the second interview having made the pledge.

Ok, this is too much fun to pass up: Not only is this just one more evidence that the law never made anyone holy, it’s also proof that it isn’t even very memorable…

Husbands and Wives: He’s Driving Me Crazy!:

“What’s your husband’s most annoying habit? Is it the way he slurps his cereal or cracks his knuckles? Is it the way he breathes, as one woman actually complained?

The longer you’ve been married, the longer your list of pet peeves is bound to be. It’s not so much that your spouse has added more bad habits over the years, but simply that the ones that were easy to put up with in the early days of your marriage have gradually eaten away at your nerves. Now they’ve reached that really tender spot that makes you yell ‘Ouch!’ - and the honeymoon Novocain has worn off.”

This article is good as it discusses the seasons of most marriages to give compassion. However if one sees the annoying habits of the spouse as an opportunity to be thankful for the chance to give grace, our love may be built up with one another.

Husbands and Wives: What I Didn’t Know About Men:

“Surface Understanding #3: Men are providers. What that means in practice: Even if you personally made enough income to support the family’s lifestyle, it would make no difference to the mental burden he feels to provide.

Surface Understanding #4: Men want more sex. What That Means in Practice: Your sexual desire for your husband profoundly affects his sense of well-being and confidence in all areas of life.

Surface Understanding #5: Men are visual. What that means in practice: Even happily married men struggle with being pulled toward live and recollected images of other women.

Surface Understanding #6: Men are unromantic clods. What that means in practice: Actually, most men enjoy romance (sometimes in different ways) and want to be romantic – but hesitate because they doubt they can succeed.

Surface Understanding #7: Men care about appearance. What that means in practice: You don’t need to be a size 3, but your man does need to see you making the effort to take care of yourself – and he will take on significant cost or inconvenience in order to support you.

The more we understand the men in our lives, the better we can support and love them in the way they need to be loved.”

This article is good if one sees it as a way to choose life rather than change ourselves. God has already do that work. We just need to live it.