Session Notes

Transterrestrial Musings

“Now Sunera, let’s try this again. All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore…?”

Sunera frowns, and sweat appears on her forehead. Hesitantly, she ventures, “Therefore…Socrates is the basis of male-centered western patriarchal violence that continues to brutalize women and grind them under its bootheels…?”

“No, Sunera,” the therapist explains patiently. “We’re practicing logic here. Lo-gic. Remember what I told you about logic?”

I close the door quietly. It will indeed be a long and hard road.

As I leave, I see a general at the entrance with a doctor, staring at the row of beds.

“Where do they find people like this?,” he asks in amazement.

The doctor answers, quietly, “As long as there are schools of journalism, we will never run out…”

One of the most striking effects the advent of personal publishing platforms/blogging and other less then million-dollar mass market publishing strategies has created is the inability of mass media to any longer expect that they represent the only voice. No one has summed it up any better then this author.

The rest of the articles on this site are brilliant as well.

CBS News

For the first time since members of Westboro began protesting at military funerals, someone is using the courts to stop them. A distraught father has filed suit in Maryland against what he views as a gross violation of privacy and intentional emotional abuse.

And further down in the article:

At Arlington, Pastor David Foote of Franklin, Penn., saw the protest and attempted to engage the demonstrators. He told them that “God loves everyone,” prompting church members to descend upon him in a hail of insults.

“A lying, false prophet — that’s what this is,” Phelps-Roper told CBSNews.com, and dismissed him as a “dumb-ass” and a liar.

Though he will never win, all I can say is that it is about time someone at least tried to tie them up in court.

The ACLU has backed Phelps — correctly — arguing that this is an attempt to take away the right to protest. The law must fall on the side of this church (If I dare even call it that…)

However, I also hope that every single family thus treated sues them in civil court and eventually forces them into bankruptcy through legal bills. Freedom of speech laws were designed to control governments — not the actions of private individuals. A similar strategy was used against the KKK. They were and still are free to spread their crazed philosophy — but they were also free to be held liable in civil court for the deaths of the black people they incited.

It’s a bit more of a trick here but Phelps could easily be granted the freedom to speak that he wants — and then held liable for the direct psychological harm it caused. (In a general sense, His freedom to speak and cause harm in the public square is generally protected because those who wish not to hear him can walk away without suffering any further harm.) In this case, his freedom to speak is also protected but the people spoken to could not walk away — thus the harm was direct and intensified. Unlike with the KKK, it’s still probably not provable harm (unless they can prove slander — which is very possible) but it’s credible enough to create serial (And very expensive) court cases. Perhaps legal pressure will force him to come upon a new interpretation of Jesus’ words…

If these people ever actually read their Bibles, they would discover that while Jesus attacked legalistic religious institutions (Um, er, sorta like… THEM???) and leaders with a vengeance, He never once condemned sin in an individual. (The closest he ever came is with the woman caught in adultery — where He told her that He did not condemn her.)

Calling a fellow paster a “A lying, false prophet,” and a, “Dumb-ass.” Can’t you just feel the non-condemning love of Christ here???

Update:
Possibly one of the funniest videos I have ever watched. (Not Safe for Dial-up)

Iaaieeeaaieeeaaieee Will Always Love You (As Long As You Meet My Expectations) – TrueU.org : Men’s Hall:

“One more thing: remember that we weren’t put here alone. Christians need other Christians to function properly, just like the body needs all its parts in order to operate correctly. So, seek out counsel from those who are trying to adopt God’s heart and mind, too. I’m Starting With the Man in the Mirror Relationships are not supposed to be easy; that was never their purpose. (We’ll explore this purpose in future articles.) In our Western culture, relationships are abandoned so often because we have deceived ourselves into thinking that we are in control of them. When this delusion is exposed, however, we typically do not abandon our false perceptions of ourselves. Instead, we just move on to the next relationship, hoping that it will allow us more control than the last one. If we seek to have a biblical view of ourselves, of other people, and of God, our expectations will shift from hoping that others become like us to hoping that God (through others) will make us more like Him.”

This article offers some basic support and direction. I disagree with the striving part of the article rather than God’s revealing to us that we live in.

The Angry Child: Managing Anger:

“Proverbs 29:11 says, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” The goal is not to ignore or suppress anger but to manage it. Teaching your child to recognize and control anger will greatly help him in his relationships now and as an adult. Here are ways to manage anger:

Acknowledge it. Many times people wrongly assume if they ignore anger it will go away. Some generations were taught to ignore emotions because expressing them (especially anger, sadness or fear) was deemed as “giving in” to negative feelings. Producing a stoic automaton is not the goal of anger management. It’s okay to admit when you’re angry. The problem comes in giving “full vent” to anger. Proverbs calls this person a fool. Defuse it. The best way to defuse anger is to talk about it. Encourage your child to discuss with you the things that make him angry. Often these feelings result from real or perceived injustice. Sometimes disappointment mushrooms into anger. Help him distinguish between feeling angry and acting angrily. Acting out anger in the form of aggressive or destructive behavior only accelerates it.”

This article gives a double message. I have found it helpful with my daughter to have her picture Jesus and tell him about the anger, what caused it, what ideas He has to manage it.Saying I would like to do it this way but I want Your way, God.

Husbands and Wives: If Your Spouse Is Having an Affair:

“Cling to the promise that — with God’s help — even the most broken marriage can be saved.

Remember, nobody wakes up one day and suddenly decides to have an extramarital affair. A person has been unfaithful in heart and mind long before he or she begins an affair.

Be patient. It takes time to begin to rebuild trust, love and commitment.”

These are some good prayer points. However the “Why” needs to be directed to God.

Husbands and Wives: Rebuilding Trust in the Aftermath of an Affair:

“Prior to my infidelity, I had ministered at a conservative seminary for nine years, and had been intimately involved in my church. This background made the healing process more difficult for my wife in some ways, because the things I pursued spiritually appeard to be the same things I had done in the past. In my wife’s words, ‘They didn’t work then to keep you from sin why should I trust them now?’ Being an ‘isolationist,’ I had to force myself to seek solid male Christian fellowship. Daily I am in the Word. Prayer has become paramount in my life, both as a weapon of war and an oasis. Wednesday night prayer group at our church has been a healing balm. The last thing I do before I sleep at night is take my wife in my arms and pray.”

This is a good article on steps to reconciliation after infidelity.

Focus on the Family Magazine: Ending the Divorce Cycle:

“the strong relationship of the Barrams, eventually developed a positive expectation in me. I went from hoping that I could be more successful than my parents at marriage to firmly believing that this would be the case. Despite living with the negative model of parental divorce, I could and would have a solid marriage. Third, my models gave me examples of healthy ways and habits to build a marriage. Relationships often flounder because the people in them simply stop doing the positive actions that keep the relationship strong things like helping each other; saying I love you; putting an encouraging arm around a discouraged loved one’s shoulder; and deferring often to the other’s desires.”

This is a good article on suggestions to have a thriving marriages. It is important to discuss and seriously consider each other’s point of view and give up each other’s will to God’s, especially through prayer or mutual submission. Both partners need to feel they are not being controlled by another’s attitude.

So What Are You?:

“A Piece of Clay.We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand (Isaiah 64:8). As a child did you ever play with clay? Not Play-Doh but real clay. Being a lump of clay doesn’t sound very appealing, but it can be formed to make beautiful vases, bowls, plates and other fine pottery. A potter takes a piece of clay and spins it on a wheel, molding and adding water, molding and adding water. Sometimes as the potter is working, he has to cut off pieces. Sometimes he has to add a lot of pressure in order for the clay to shape correctly. But he never leaves. He never gives up. The clay relaxes in his hands, and he shapes and molds until he’s made a unique and beautiful work of art. And what are God’s works of art? You and me!”

This is a great analogy of the Holy Spirit and the surrender of our will to God revealing who were are truly in Christ by faith.

Stop Test-Driving Your Girlfriend :

“So your goal should not be to date her long enough until you’re confident marriage won’t be hard, but to date her just long enough to discern if you’re willing to love her sacrificially, and if she’s willing to respond to that kind of love.

Remember that to commit does not mean to settle

Does this mean you should just ‘settle’ for the first Christian woman who comes along? No, not at all. You should be making this decision in light of the qualities held out in Scripture for a godly wife, and you should marry the godliest, most fruitful, most spiritually beautiful woman you can convince to have you.

But you also need to be aware that you live in a culture that says the ultimate good in life is to always keep your options open, and that any commitment is inevitably ‘settling’ for less than you could have tomorrow. You must reject that kind of thinking for the worldly garbage that it is. Did Jesus Christ settle for the church? No, he loved the church, and gave his life as a ransom for her (Mark 10:45).”

This is a really good article on discussing the importance of grace being revealaed in your partners as the days pass. I don’t agree with the sin paragraph.

What Girls Wish You Knew :

“After getting to know Anna for a semester his freshman year of college, my brother began experiencing feelings for her. She was my best friend, so the three of us naturally hung out and they connected easily. Matt decided he wanted to pursue Anna, so one evening he invited her to a coffee shop to talk.

Anna recalls that the music was loud, so my brother practically yelled as he began to tell her all the qualities he appreciated in her. Just as Matt was building momentum, a song suddenly ended. At that moment, every person in that coffee shop heard him say loudly, ‘I really like you.’ Anna, now Matt’s wife, fondly recalls the embarrassment of that moment. That night she was taken by surprise and unable to reciprocate Matt’s feelings, but she was impressed by his directness. Within two months, she had gone from seeing him as my little brother to being enamored with his bold leadership and corny jokes.

Joe may feel like throwing in the towel, but he may be closer than he thinks to a breakthrough. The women in his life aren’t looking for perfection. They are watching for consistent kindness, unflinching respect and honest initiative.

As Joe cultivates these characteristics, women will notice. And Joe may realize they’re not looking for J. Crew Jesus after all they’re looking for Jesus in him.”

Aside from the section about sin/accoubntability rarely produces desire for God which makes sin a non-issue, this article is inspiring because offers “Seeking God’s face” guidelines to seriously consider a potenital martial relationship. The power of prayerful intentionality was the drawing card of me to my husband.