Session Notes

Slate Magazine

University of California professors Gordon Dahl and Stefano DellaVigna compared what happens on those weekends. The bottom line: More violence on the screen means less violence in the streets. Probably that’s because violent criminals prefer violent movies, and as long as they’re at the movies, they’re not out causing mischief. They’d rather see Hannibal than rob you, but they’d rather rob you than sit through Wallace & Gromit.

A brief but interesting rebuttal of the idea that what people watch makes any difference in the crimes that they commit. Apparently what we have always known is still true: Contrary to the screeches of the fundamentalist right, art still imitates life — and not the other way around.

MoralArmor.com

Imagine if you could achieve perfect moral clarity, rid yourself of fear, guilt and moral hesitation, pass down traits of the greatest advantage, take total control and live a life filled with invigoration and inner calm. If that interests you, then this is the most important book you’ll ever read.

My name is Ronald E. Springer. As a child, I experienced firsthand, the nightmare of dishonest people abusing others through a dishonest moral code. I endured, grew strong and broke free, but continued to run into problems in life, caused by mass moral confusion in society. With a philosophy background, I set out to change things. Someone has to stand up and fight for us.

As a result, I’ve developed an organic moral code that will show you exactly how to move through life with complete moral certainty. It will show you how to secure better relationships, safeguard your family, reform our country’s moral drift, and send evil packing.

Funny how we humans still are so convinced we know better then God. We are so sure that if we just figure it all out, we will come up with the perfect strategy to make life work for us — that of course we can then sell to others.

Trouble with that theory is, we end up creating just another set of rules — rules that Paul made very clear will kill us (2 Cor 3:6) and rules that place us firmly under the wrath of God (Rom 4:15). We think we are finally figuring life out — but we are actually just joining up with a lie. It’s a lie that will kill us as we will never manage to live up to even our own expectations.

If the life to which Christ has called us is based upon a seeking of acceptance in Christ through our moral efforts (which of course will never work) so that our continued following Him only proves how unacceptable we are, then Christ would be nothing but a dealer or an enforcer of sin. (Which is totally absurd since Christ is the one who did away with sin.) If I rebuild another “gospel” that re-establishes a relationship with God, myself or anyone else through some form of legality, then I am the one proving myself to be a law-breaker, or sinner.

BTW: This article was originally posted on Fark under the heading of, “Every time a batshiat crazy person learns HTML, God kills a network admin.”

It’s Not Good For a Man to What-What? – TrueU.org : Men’s Hall:

” If we believe that the Bible sets the pace for our worldview, then asking it to reflect our desired beliefs will not lead us to a biblical worldview. It will simply lead us in a circle back to what we wanted to believe in the first place.”

This is a good article which helps clear some of the frustrating confusion of our beliefs. Having more questions than answers is disorienting. We doubt, when we have in mind what we feel a verse should be saying. It is so crucial we give God our presuppositions/beliefs in order for God’s truth to manifest in us. Lord, may it be so. Unfortunately a person wants his/her understanding to be correct so badly that what he wants to be true, or liked to think of as true determines truth for him/her.

Husbands and Wives: What to Do if You Suspect Your Spouse Is Viewing Pornography:

“If it appears your spouse may have viewed pornography on limited occasions in the past, pick a time the two of you can talk confidentially about the matter. You may want to wait until you have a free evening together. One idea is to plan a date. On the way to your favorite restaurant, take three or four minutes to calmly talk about what you have discovered. Then quietly wait for your mate to talk. Be careful not to raise your voice, make accusations of a worse problem, or impart shame. Over dinner or dessert, reaffirm your unconditional love for your spouse. For women, it is important not to shame your husband. Affirm your relief that his connection to pornographic Web sites has been infrequent and not a recent occurrence. Inform him that you’ve deleted the photos and links from your computer. Acknowledge that you love your husband unconditionally, respect him greatly, and realize it’s normal for men to be tempted to look at pornography.”

This article exemplifies a truth encounter with love which one can feel. It does not continue to talk about what it means to encourage a believer that one is to focus on the spiritual self as the physical (sinning one is dead).

BA: Where to Meet People :

“You might think I’d recommend the Internet. Given the high number of Christian dating sites, it’s tempting to think finding love online is a sure thing. But the explosion of technological matchmaking still falls short of real people. According to research by The Marriage Project, ‘The most likely way to find a future marriage partner is through an introduction by family, friends, or acquaintances.’ They found that, ‘despite the romantic notion that people meet and fall in love through chance or fate, the evidence suggests that social networks are important in bringing together individuals of similar interests and backgrounds, especially when it comes to selecting a marriage partner. According to a large-scale national survey of sexuality, almost 60 percent of married people were introduced by family, friends, co-workers or other acquaintances.’ That said, the most obvious place to start is church. But you say the men in your church aren’t ‘worthwhile’ or ‘husband material.’ While it’s possible there aren’t any strong candidates for marriage among those in your congregation, your description of the men makes me wonder about your expectations. What characteristics do you consider worthwhile? What makes for good husband material? It’s important to weigh your answers against the standards of Scripture. What does God consider ‘husband material?’ Traits like integrity, honesty and maturity come to mind; also willingness to leave father and mother in order to form a new family; ability to work hard and provide for a wife and children; openness to babies and willingness to sacrifice for wife and children %u2014 the very thing Christ modeled in His sacrifice for our sin. As to your church, is it an environment that encourages and celebrates marriage? If so, even a lack of single men may not be reason enough to leave it. What about the older members? They may have sons, nephews, grandsons, etc. they could introduce you to.”

This is a good article on the importance of staying on track so you don’t waste time and spare you heartache. I disagree with the marriagablity part. It is God who creates all things including marriage.

Plenty of Men to Go Around, Part 2 :

“the older have a vital role to play in helping them marry well.”

This is a good article on the importance of older women who are a rich resource with a wealth of life, wisdom, spiritual guidance, and dispassionate objectivity to encourage women. there is also an enlightening survey of where to meet men.

On Run-on Relationships – TrueU.org : Women’s Hall:

“This sort of deep-seated ambivalence isn’t good for anyone. When your best friend is in a relationship with a man who’s fundamentally ambivalent, you can tell her plainly that she deserves better and should extricate herself %u2014 but when you’re the one in the fraught relationship, it is often harder to see the costs of devoting so much emotional energy to such an uncertain situation. Pots and Pans, Birds and Bees Another danger of endless dating relationships is our tendency to play house. The longer you date someone, the more you become inclined toward a certain kind of faux domesticity. You’re not likely to buy pots and pans with a guy you’ve been dating for two months, but it can seem a perfectly reasonable thing to do if you’ve been dating for two years. This playing house can feel enjoyable, but, in fact, it is disordered. You buy something with someone when you assume you have a long-term future together. But when you’re dating, you have no way of knowing if you have a long-term future, and to make purchases as though you do is to delude yourself. (I know whereof I speak: The list of quasi-domestic purchases I made with those ex-boyfriends could fill up the rest of this column.) Your desire to make long-term investments with someone else may be a useful clue: it may tell you that you do indeed want to spend your life with this particular man. But make the commitment before you buy the accoutrements.”

This is a great article on why we stay in relationships where one is toyed with more than enjoyed.

AN UNLIKELY CAST:

“aul, the great missionary of the early church, had Christians imprisoned and killed before his salvation. There are many more examples. But all these men started doing great things for God with one simple thing: a willing heart. When God called, they answered. Some took longer than others. Some failed along the way. But when God asked, %u201CWhom shall I send?%u201D each one of them eventually raised his hand. Will you? “

This is a great encouragment of grace.

Brother, You’re Like a Six :

“We are to use Scripture as the measure of our desires. We are to take every thought, every area of our lives captive to the word of God. Thankfully, ‘attraction’ does play a role in finding a husband or wife. Read Song of Songs sometime. Biblically, however, attraction as the world understands it cannot be the foundation on which a godly marriage is built. Let’s examine two problems with the ‘attraction-as-foundation’ approach to dating and marriage %u2014 one theological, one practical %u2014″

This is a good article on qualities to look for in a mate. It is also an encouragement that God gives us pleasure to make marriage intimacy sweeter.

BA: How Important is a Parental Blessing? :

“I know three years sounds like a long time, but it’s not forever. Jacob worked seven years before marrying Rachel. The worse case scenario may be that you wait. If marriage is meant to be, it will still make sense in three years, and the rest of your life together is a long time.”

This is a good article regarding waiting for God’s timing. Jacob waited 7 years for Rachel. However the justification part about attitudes seems to be another Christianized version of living by the law.