Session Notes

Session Notes:

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The God Who Speaks – July 7, 2006 I was gearing up for soul-restoration, not issues-exploration. But Cam is usually right, so I kept my eyes open and asked the Lord for a strategy. Sure enough, not long into my “breather”, up came some “stuff” that wants to bully me towards isolation. How do you rest when old insecurities, temptations, or “demons” rise up when you finally still your heart? Or am I the only one who didn’t automatically get all his shortcomings washed away at baptism? If not, read on:

The Lord showed me that during a time of rest, first of all, I don’t need to go digging for my issues. They will surface on their own, thankyou very much.

Second, when they surface, I don’t need to work at fixing things. Rather, I can sit WITH them in HIS PRESENCE, allowing them to RIPEN. That way, instead of running around the tree of my life picking off old “bad” fruit, I can sit at the tree of HIS LIFE /the Cross) and let the fruit simply rot and fall off. I found that this took some patience and a little courage. But to extend the tree analogy, it was a reminder that Christ is the Pruner… not me. And if you give Him a chance, He is faithful to do it. I hardly had to help him; my role was to simply ripen in His presence. SOOO restful… in fact, the biggest breakthrough came just this morning through a one-minute dream. It was Jesus, teaching me “the unforced rhythms of grace” (Matt. 11:28 MSG).

And third, it dawned on me, “Why don’t I ALWAYS take this approach?” Perhaps there is a time to take the initiative and really pursue one’s healing ruthlessly and thoroughly… but I’ll ask Jesus about that later. After my rest. In the mean time, can I challenge you to ask the Lord if there’s anything “in your face” that He’d like to have ripen in His presence.

Brad Jersak

This is an inspiring article!!! I pray we can allow God to reveal His healing love to us, our families, friends, clients, churches, school, and world.

Ok, I just got this sent to me and had to post it — actually, I owe it to the world, Bill W. and Dr. Bob to post it…

Are you too serious? Take these 12 steps…

1. We admitted that we were powerless over seriousness — that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that only by lightening up could we achieve a state of non-seriousness.

3. Made a decision to turn our constant self-criticism over to our sense of humor and learn to “lovingly and wholeheartedly” laugh at ourselves.

4. Decided to give ourselves a break once in a while, instead of constantly doing searching and fearless moral inventories of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being that our wrongs were often in our heads.

6. Were entirely ready to accept that our characters were as good as anybody else’s and possibly better than most.

7. Quit harping on our shortcomings.

8. Made of list of all persons we thought we had harmed and saw that they’d forgotten all the crap we’d blown out of proportion.

9. Quit making amends for breathing air and taking up a few square feet of the planet’s surface.

10. Resigned ourselves to the fact we were going to criticize ourselves at times, but would try to stick to our guns when we knew we were right.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to calm down and realize we’re not responsible for everything.

12. Having experienced immense relief from these steps, we would try to carry this message to other over-serious people and to practice these principles in all of our affairs.

God Is For Me – Grace Walk Ministries:::Sharing the Love & Life of Christ:

” When things are going the way you want, God is for you. When life seems to be falling apart, God is for you. When the Philistines chased David down in Gath, he wrote, ‘This I know, that God is for me’ (Psalm 56:9). What a time to make a declaration like that! Many of us have found ourselves in a place similar to David’s situation at times. Life is closing in . . . the enemy seems to have us cornered and there appears to be no way out. Pleasant circumstances disappear before our eyes and the world turns dark. At times like that, we may be tempted to cry out, ‘Why is God against me?’ Not David. He assured himself with the truth, ‘God is for me.’ He didn’t say, ‘This I feel, that God is for me.’ There are many times in life that we don’t feel like God is for us. No, he said, ‘This I know, that God is for me.”

This is a great article esp in times of minor challenges or when God seems silent. I find grieving also helpful, like Job to experience THE LORD is NOT AGAINST US. It shows the process of THE FATHER proving His love through His assurance, MAYBE THROUGH SENSING HE IS HOLDING US, until we can go from-affirming, to feeling, to knowing GOD IS FOR ME THIS I KNOW. MAY IT BE SO FOR US, OUR FAMILIES, FRIENDS, AND THE WORLD!

Steve McVey:

“I’ve taught several times about how sailing is a metaphor for the grace walk. On land, we seem to have control of our own forward motion, which I’ve suggested depicts a legaslitic lifestyle of self-sufficiency. Once we abandon ourselves to the wind (the Spirit) and the water (The Word/Jesus), we have no illusions that we are in control anymore. Safe sailing necessitates that you go forward as the wind leads you. To fail to cooperate with the wind can bring dire consequences – not because the wind is punishing you, but because you are experiencing the natural result of independence and pride. Happy sailing involves watching the wind and water and cooperating with what they are doing. That’s what we plan to do today. Will we go? Will we stay? We don’t know yet, but we are willing to do either one, once the wind lets us know. So it is to be in life if we want a successful and enjoyable journey.”

This is a great article regarding resting in that EVERYTHING, HAPPENS FOR A REASON. Any situation can result in experiencing/showing God’s love understanding and grace because Jesus took any the sins of the world. May the Lord give us/our families/teachers/friends that rest.

Babies born to women who suffered morning sickness may be smarter:

“‘They can be dehydrated, they cannot work. Poor quality of life. So in a way this study further supports them and empowers them to treat themselves.’ Koren and colleagues wanted to look at whether there were any signs that using diclectin during pregnancy was harmful. The drug has been on the market in Canada for decades, but was pulled from production in the U.S. about 25 years ago over concerns it might be harmful to fetuses. It is being reintroduced in that market. The concerns, which came to light after the thalidomide scandal, led to the drug being extensively studied, said Dr. Tina Chambers, a teratologist at the University of California, San Diego’s School of Medicine. Teratology is the study of abnormal fetal development, congenital malformations and what causes them.”

This is a very reassuring article that the med has been safe for a least 10 yrs. Nausea is actually a sign of a healthy pregnancy. God seems to say so as well. Isn’t it great that technology can even reassure you if it is even possible to become pregnant. Now women can really wait for His best timing for marriage/family!

John Eldredge: June 2008:

“First, we really need vacations, just as we really need Sabbath rest each week. There’s a rhythm to life. The heart beats, then it rests. It beats, then rests. We wake each morning, then we sleep every night. We wake, then we sleep. We spend energy, then we take in food to replenish what we spent. Vacation is like that. We’ve got to have periods of rest and joy and beauty in our year. So here is what we’ve learned about vacations: First, ask God! Don’t just assume you know what is best this summer. Ask God what he’d have you do, and when, and with whom. Too many folks squander their vacation because they don’t ask God what he has for them. We went to Kauai because we prayed about it last winter, several times. ‘Where should we go, Lord? For how long?’ Visits are not vacations. Most folks spend their vacation time visiting relatives. That rarely is restful and restoring. Visits are not vacations. Don’t confuse the two. Pray over your vacation beforehand! You know there is a thief. You know he hates joy. The mistake we often make is somehow thinking that vacation time is exempt from the Battle. It’s not. I spent weeks ahead of time praying over our Kauai trip – praying for safety. For the weather. For our travel. For our love as a family to be full. Don’t spend your vacation running. Too many times the temptation is to fill the time with busy-ness, running here and there, touring, trying to ‘fit it all in.’ Most folks get home and need a vacation from their vacation. Don’t squander it running around. We spent most our time within a few miles of the place we stayed. Resting. Being renewed. Don’t drop your guard. The temptation when we get to wherever it is we were going for vacation is to drop our usual prayer life, drop our armor, and think ‘this is time out.’ It’s not. To protect the time, I got up early every morning and prayed hard over the day. Don’t be lulled into a false security. Okay. Now ask God what he has for you this summer.”

May it be so for everyone!!!

6 Reasons to Drink Green Tea:

“6 Reasons to Drink Green Tea The steady stream of good news about green tea is getting so hard to ignore, that even java junkies are beginning to sip mugs of the deceptively delicate brew. You’d think the daily dose of disease-fighting, inflammation-squelching antioxidants — long linked with heart protection — would be enough incentive. But wait . . . there’s more! Lots more. “

What is of paramount importance is the content of what truth is:

“With my wisdom firmly placed in Him, I can enjoy fellowship with others who are in Him and who may understand some truth differently than I do. I can desire to know the ‘what’s’ and the ‘why’s’, but be at rest. I can also live perfectly at peace with my lack of knowing. I no longer expect of myself or others to understand all about ‘truths’. Jesus, who I am ‘in’, understands it all. This is what abiding is about. My life does not independently contain all that it needs to live. The truth is in Someone else- Jesus.”

This is an excellent brief article on searching for truth, but also being at rest not knowing until it is revealed to us. May it be so for us.

Abiding:

” second reason we do not understand abiding is that our humanness does not want to. The heart of abiding is dependence. Dependence is the mortal enemy of self (our flesh). Our flesh screams out against dependence. We like the idea of improving ourselves ‘for’ God. We are drawn to ways that increase our strength, wisdom and abilities ‘for’ Him. This is why we can not relate to Paul when he says, ‘Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.’ (2 Cor. 12:10) We long for love, acceptance, value and identity; but we want it the old fashioned way- we want to earn it and deserve it. You can not understand the concept of abiding (let alone live in it) until you are willing to recognize that living the Christian life is not about you getting better or working harder. As Christ said, ‘you must deny yourself’. You living the Christian life, in fact, is impossible. You must be convinced that only Jesus within you can live the Christian life.”

This is an excellent article on resting in our completeness because of Jesus rising from the cross. We can be at peace. May it/this, His wisdom be so for us.

My Personal Psalm 23:

“…I shall not want (lack). I used to fall so short in my self-efforts to achieve goodness and happiness (Romans 3:10-12). But now the Lord has given me His righteousness as a gift (Galatians 2:20-21) and His life as my joy (Galatians 5:22, John 17:13). I am now complete in Christ and, therefore, I lack nothing (Colossians 2:9-10)!   He makes me to lie down in green pastures… God makes me lay down my self-efforts (Philippians 3:8).  The pastures where I then rest are lush green, and full of life (John 15:5). God nurtures me there in my true identity and life in His dear Son (Romans 8:16, John 6:51).   …He leads me beside the still waters. God then leads me to a quiet place to assure me of the finished work of His dear Son through the cross for re-creating me (Galatians 6:14-15). He leads me beside still waters to show me my reflection is now a reflection of Christ Himself (2 Corinthians 3:18)!    He restores my soul. This truth restores my soul (mind and emotions).  God turns my focus from temporal things to the indwelling eternal life of Christ (1 John 5:11-13). My mind is being renewed and my emotions are being healed by beholding the glory of His presence (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:20-24).   He leads me in the paths of righteousness…  God delights in ordering each of my steps (Psalm 37:23)… the unique ways Christ expresses His life through me (Colossians 1:29). Christ leads me in His righteous paths, not an external guide, but as my very life (Colossians 3:4).”

This is an incredible personal interpretation of the most common reading of the Bible at funerals for comfort/peace! It reveals we have so all of His LIFE/spirit in us if we just allow it show and not try. I pray we let Him have this control of our lives.

calgary.ctv.ca – Calgary news from CTV:

“Even though most Albertans have been vaccinated when they’re young doctors are learning one dose may not be enough.

Most Canadians born after 1990 did receive two doses of the vaccine, one as an infant and another a few years later and they shouldn’t be affected by the outbreak.

In the second phase of the initiative, all Albertans aged 17 to 26 years who may be at risk of the disease will be targeted for a mumps vaccination.
/
Mumps is generally a mild viral illness that results in fever, swelling and tenderness of one or more salivary glands, located at the angle of the jaw.

But officials say some people can be infected but show no symptoms and thereby unknowingly infect others.

Complications of mumps can include inflammation of the testes or ovaries, meningitis and more serious infections of the brain.”

Even though I have given the fear/confusion that my girls could get meningitis, He seemed to say it will be allright whatever we decide for boosters. I have peace at this point rather than terror when we vaccinated before. I pray so for all He lives out His faith/protection for us to trust Him in our choices.

What to do if Someone You Know is Raped:

“ Victims of sexual assault are apt to suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts and attempts – even months after the attack. With this in mind, every attempt should be made to encourage crisis intervention with trained counselors and social workers who are committed Christians.”

Shovel Writings: Intro:

“It’s amazing what you hear when you really listen.  It’s not easy because you and I are so used to hearing others from our own perspective — and not from theirs.  Why do you think people pay psychologists so much money to sit back and listen to them answer their own questions?  What if we were to do this with each other, but our questions were driven by the desire ”to know nothing among you except Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor2:2)“?  ”

This is the key to the Good News. I pray our focus as sin for believers is not the real issue. When we surrender our self-protective feelings there is no need to avoid/defend. Pray our eyes remain seeing Jesus took the offense feared away.

Substance Abuse:

“Other siblings negatively affected because the family is preoccupied or overwhelmed by consequences of drug user’s behavior.”

This is a good article outlining the progression which can happen if grief and our ways are not given to the Lord. An adult child may feel overwhelmed, shutdown, and not reach out for support if he/she has been neglected or worried about the parent’s emotions.

JunkScience.com

The guesses of significantly larger warming are dependent on “feedback” (supplementary) mechanisms programmed into climate models. The existence of these “feedback” mechanisms is uncertain and the cumulative sign of which is unknown (they may add to warming from increased atmospheric carbon dioxide or, equally likely, might suppress it).

The total warming since measurements have been attempted is thought to be about 0.6 degrees Centigrade. At least half of the estimated temperature increment occurred before 1950, prior to significant change in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Assuming the unlikely case that all the natural drivers of planetary temperature change ceased to operate at the time of measured atmospheric change then a 30% increment in atmospheric carbon dioxide caused about one-third of one degree temperature increment since and thus provides empirical support for less than one degree increment due to a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

There is no linear relationship between atmospheric carbon dioxide change and global mean temperature or global mean temperature trend — global mean temperature has both risen and fallen during the period atmospheric carbon dioxide has been rising.

Ok, I just finally sat down and watched it. Strangely, I also feel sick — though not for the standard reasons. It’s a sick feeling that comes from realizing we are dealing with the death of rational thought and the ability to understand information by the scientists of North America (in favor of pure hype and federal science grant chasing.) Al Gore can divorce his own voice and receive it back as thunder a thousand times by referring to, “Scientists,” but the facts simply do not always march in unison with his shrill rhetoric.

I wish I could have just ignored it (like I also do with everything Michael Moore presents…) However, after dealing with a number of clients (And their raw anxiety) who have watched Al Gore’s pathetic little piece of propaganda, I figured it was time to watch it. It’s now clear it’s also time to post some real science from real scientists who can actually do math and who manage to comprehend some basic concepts of statistical analysis (Like: correlation does not prove causation for example…).

BTW: No one is questioning that global warming is happening. What is in question is the degree of such (Remember, most readings from any more then 45yrs ago came from fishermen with buckets/thermometers), whether we have much of anything to do with it and whether it’s effects will actually be any sort of disaster. Geological reality states that for Greenland to do what Gore is predicting we would have to experience a seismic event capable of destroying at least one entire mountain range — so disastrous we’d mostly be dead anyway. (Also, remember, Greenland used to host vineyards in the time of the Vikings and the rest of the world somehow managed to keep on functioning.) Somehow global cooling managed to happen without our help — perhaps we have had as much of an impact on the opposite effect…

The Acton Institute also has a brilliant philosophical commentary on the subject.

Update: Someone also sent me thisand this. They are a much more comprehensive (And less mathematical) debunking of Gore’s static.

American Lung Association

41. Be flexible. Some things are not worth perfection.


43. Change pace on weekends. If your week was slow, be active. If you felt nothing was accomplished during the week, do a weekend project.

Worth the read.

Semi-Intelligent or Semi-Stupid Debt:

“A home equity loan, curiously known in the industry as HEL, is typically a second mortgage that positions itself in such a way to allow the homeowner access to the equity (that margin between what is owed and what the property is worth). Equity is the borrower’s asset—and a precious asset at that. A HEL opens a large line of credit for you, pledging your equity as the collateral. You can borrow against it whenever you want. Technically it is a secured debt because of the collateral feature. And the borrower’s safety valve remains because the home can be sold to satisfy both of the debts. But it can be very risky—and that is when it can cross over into stupid territory. There are five ways the stupid factor can sneak into an otherwise intelligent mortgage situation: 1. If you borrow against your equity to clean up your credit card debt and then run up your credit cards all over again, that leaves you with twice the debt—the equity line and the credit cards. Not smart.”

This article makes good suggestions about eliminating and preventing debt. However the judgement should have been given to the Lord. The bottom line is a second job is needed to eliminate dr.

Effective Co-Parenting, Part Two:

“Schedule a monthly (perhaps more often) ”business“ meeting to discuss co-parenting matters. You can address schedules, academic reports, behavioral training and spiritual development. Do not discuss your personal life (or your ex’s); that part of your relationship is no longer appropriate. If the conversation turns away from the children, simply redirect the topic or politely end the meeting. If you cannot talk with your ex face to face due to conflict, use e-mail or speak to the answering machine. Do what you can to make your meetings productive for the children.”

This article offers good suggestions on not capitalizing on the hurt of others/your children to berate the other parent. It is important not to disappoint by being unreliable.

Effective Co-Parenting, Part Two:

“Schedule a monthly (perhaps more often) ”business“ meeting to discuss co-parenting matters. You can address schedules, academic reports, behavioral training and spiritual development. Do not discuss your personal life (or your ex’s); that part of your relationship is no longer appropriate. If the conversation turns away from the children, simply redirect the topic or politely end the meeting. If you cannot talk with your ex face to face due to conflict, use e-mail or speak to the answering machine. Do what you can to make your meetings productive for the children.”

This article offers good suggestion on effective co-parenting.

Effective Co-Parenting, Part One:

“Unfortunately, this put her in constant turmoil, as she was forced to choose which parent she would invite to certain events. If the other wanted to come but couldn’t, Julie heard that parent’s disappointment and felt guilty. ”Why can’t they just put aside their differences and tolerate a couple of hours in the same room?“ Good question.Because Terrance’s parents always ended up fighting on the phone, he became the middleman to their visitation arrangements. His mother stopped speaking to his father and asked Terrance, at age 9, to communicate her preferences for drop-off and pickup. Terrance had no choice but to oblige, since he enjoyed spending time with his father on weekends.In both these examples, children carried undue emotional anxiety and burden because their parents could not set aside their differences and act like adults.An effective co-parent arrangement for Julie’s parents would mean she could invite both parents to her recitals and not worry whether they were fighting or anxious. An effective arrangement for Terrance’s parents would include their finding a way to talk rationally about their schedules instead of triangulating Terrance.The bottom line is a system that allows children to be children and adults to be their parents.”

This is a good article regarding the confusing feelings of children from separation/divorce. It is best to only do email contact with a difficult ex in regards to children.

Sexual Abuse:

“Hypervigilance Anxiety and fearDysfunctional relationshipsSpiritual void or disillusionmentDifficulty concentrating Performance-based self-valueIntimacy problemsTrust issues”

This is a good list where one needs to come to the end of the way they are coping to deal with it, surrender to the Lord so His loving responses/hope emerges.

Shovel Writings: Too Much Jesus?:

“So … how much Jesus is too much? What do you think? Now, it’s often said that too much grace will lead to sin, but what in the heck does that mean? Oh, we have adopted this cute little word called, licentiousness, which reminds us that too much of a good thing is bad for you … but do we really know what we’re talking about? Don’t we know that we have demanded that too much Jesus is bad? I don’t know about you, but that don’t sound right!! Yeah, yeah, we can play the word games, but the too much grace we refer to is the same that comes through Jesus.”

This is a good point. We need to understand that even though some have a fear that too much grace will lead to sin. Fear is not of God.

Shovel Writings: The New Covenant:

“What’s the first covenant?  It was a contract based upon the performance of those who were part of it.  Guess what?  It didn’t work!  It never worked.  That was the point.  And guess what else?  We are very familiar with the nature of the FIRST covenant and didn’t even know it!  It was based upon the same principles we learned as children:  do good and be rewarded, do bad and get punished!  It convinced us that the only way around our hopeless situation is to LOOK like you were doing good and not doing bad.  It works because everybody else needs the same excuse!
BOTTOM LINE:  So, here’s how the new covenant replaced the first.  After the people failed miserably in their attempts to be good, God brought about His promised miracle:  people who would from the heart operate from love.  He did this by putting an end to the lifeless, dead heart (life-source) and created a new one. ”

These are the central points that are often missed. In parenting making kids obey doesn’t work. It is important to discipline based on the law of love so kids do not just try to look good.

CTV.ca | Doctors say how we taste affects health:

“One in four people is what scientists call a supertaster, born with extra taste buds. ‘They live in a neon taste world,’ as Bartoshuk puts it. They find some vegetables horribly bitter, and hate the texture. They get more burn from chili peppers, and perceive more sweetness than other people. Nor do they care for fat. They tend to be skinny because they’re such picky eaters. Scientists came up with the name because these people give an extreme ‘Yuck!’ when given a certain bitter chemical widely used in taste research — a chemical that certain other people, dubbed nontasters, can’t even detect. Those nontasters make up another quarter of the population. They like veggies, but unfortunately prefer heart-clogging fat, too, along with sweets and alcohol.”

This is a fascinating article tasting. It is not just genetics. emotional connections play a role. Eating at the moment you sit done is the best time.

Be Your Own Health Care Quarterback:

“Take five minutes every morning or evening to think about your personal inventory, any decisions you’re struggling with or any steps you intend to take to improve your (or your child’s) health. Write down all your thoughts in a brainstorming session. Don’t hold anything back. Just write for five minutes. Then, after two weeks of journaling, reread what you have written down for each day. See if there’s a pattern that may suggest a different approach or solution to something that’s been bothering you.”

This offers some good questions and direction to prayerfully choose treatments.

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.

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.

Family.org %u2014 Focus Over Fifty %u2014 Coping When Your Spouse is Unemployed:

“Remind yourself and your spouse to take this one day at a time. Help your husband avoid catastrophic thinking (I’ll never find work!). Be positive in your attitudes and pray together every day for God’s provision %u2014 for your physical, emotional and material needs, and for your relationship. And keep talking! Deliberate communication mitigates the effects of depression and helps boost bruised self-esteem. Accept that you’ll have good days and bad days. On the good days, discuss what makes them good and brainstorm ways to keep up positive energy (going to bed at a reasonable hour, rising together, morning exercise, prayer time, etc.). Maintain a routine as much as possible. Be mutually accountable, setting a daily agenda for both of you: job interviews, personal appointments, chores around the house, etc. Unemployment can make people want to withdraw, but avoid becoming socially isolated. Continue to attend church and keep up social commitments during the week. Share what you’re going through with friends. You need support now more than ever, and contrary to what you might think, friends will be honored by your desire to confide in them. Plan activities together that will help you let off steam. Many big-city zoos and museums have occasional,free days. Get outside in the fresh air, take a bike ride, have a picnic. Plan time where you agree to put aside job worries and focus only on having fun.”

Husbands and Wives: Why Isn’t Marriage the Way I Thought It Would Be?:

“Tom’s expectations about marriage weren’t being met. Through reading and counseling he finally recognized that those expectations were an effort to cope with a painful childhood. Growing up, he’d often been under his mother’s controlling thumb. He’d brought into marriage a vow that he’d never get close enough to his wife to let her control him as Mom had. As a result, he’d never gotten close enough to truly connect with Jill. Tom had to work through his hurts before he could begin to relate to Jill in a more meaningful way. The two of them met periodically over coffee with a seasoned couple in their church, learning what they might expect in each new stage of marriage. They still have struggles. But Tom is learning more about God’s expectations for their marriage. Unless he depends on God for the ability to love Jill, he doesn’t have a prayer to make it happen. He’s also learning that by staying true to his marriage, he’s growing in ways he never thought possible.”

This is a good explanation of the importance of grieving through family of origin issues and surrendering vows. I disagree that we grow. It is God’s work of loving others through us that produces the so called growth.

How is Your Teen Wired?: Your Teen’s Sensory Preference:

“Sensory preference refers to the type of sensory input that registers most quickly in one’s brain. Unimpaired, we’re able to use all the senses. But each of us tends to rely on sight, sound or touch for more of our “data collecting” than on our other senses. We feel most comfortable and understood when we get data through our preferred system — visual, auditory or kinesthetic.”

An excellent article on capatilizing on one’s strengths.

Mere Accountability :

“God-honoring accountability does not circumvent the cross. Instead, it draws all of us toward holiness through faith in its sufficiency in both victory and defeat. If we sin, Christ offers us forgiveness through the cross. If we succeed, it is because Christ has made us new creatures through the cross. The sacrifice of Christ has purchased both our holiness and our forgiveness.”

The first part of the article gives a lot of the arguments for the motivations of accountability. However the second part seems to contradict itself when it talks about pursuing, promoting, constant fighting, asking God for conviction to kill the flesh when it already has been in Christ. The discussion of temptation is valid as on just resists by faith in the promises ofGod and the Finished work of Christ.

THE ART OF NOT PROCRASTINATING:

“Step One: Fight Fear. God doesn’t want you to be afraid. God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.(2 Timothy 1:7). The point is not to be afraid when test time comes. Step Two: Flunk Failure. God wants you to work hard and do your best, but He doesn’t require you to get straight A’s. Your worth in His eyes doesn’t depend on performance. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24). But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). If God sacrificed His only Son for you despite all the awful stuff you do, certainly messing up on a test (even though you tried your hardest) won’t bother Him. “

I think surrendering the fear and asking God to live out this verse is more helpful than repressing the feelings.

Haunted By His Absence :

“So, I spent much of my adolescence making my own rules, seeking my own way, and consequently hurting a lot of people.

There were the loyalties I broke, the girls I defrauded, and the responsibilities I neglected. I betrayed a friend by sleeping with his girlfriend. An aborted child could have been mine; I didn’t ask. And by the time I was a junior in high school, I was arrested for stealing; at the time, I had a pocket full of money earned at my summer job.

You could say I was arrested for being stupid. More precisely, though, my sins were maturing and controlling my life.”

This is a touching article on the effects of father abandonment. There is a hope in the fathering of God.

Clubhouse Magazine:

“Kinesthetic Learner:
I get bored easily at school.
I have a hard time sitting still in class.
Science labs are the best!
I learn better in groups.
My favorite thing to do after school is play computer games.

What’s Your Style?
God gives you the ability to learn. He wants you to get the most out of your brain. This means whether you’re home-schooled or attend a public or private school, you have to work hard. Understanding your learning style will help you gain knowledge using methods that work best for you.. Check out these ideas! You may even find you’re a combination of learning styles.

Visual Learner:
Sit in the front of the class so you can easily see the teacher and the board.
Take good notes.
Draw pictures that will help you remember key concepts.
If you can, type out your homework or write with colored pens.
Read illustrated books.
Do your homework in a quiet place.
Try to picture what you are reading.

Auditory Learner:
Read out loud when you can.
Use musical jingles to memorize information.
Talk out your homework with a parent or sibling before you sit down to actually do it. This can also help you study for a test!
If you’re allowed, record your teacher with a tape recorder so you can listen to the lesson again later.
Ask lots of questions.”

Focus on the Family Magazine: Facing Fears:

“I’m afraid you will die! Or I will, Ashley admits.

Children are sometimes afraid of being left alone or hurt in some way. If you don’t carefully monitor your child’s TV viewing, children take in horrid scenes of war, terrorist attacks and natural disasters. Some fear death when a parent is in the military.

Children are also bombarded with news of accidents, murders and fires. Some children will face traumas of their own, such as the death of loved ones or serious illnesses. Though many children are able to work through fear and grief, others can become emotionally paralyzed.”

This is a great article on grieving. I believe the line where it says that some people don’t follow God’s ways needs to be expressed differently. Perhaps instead of saying they are not following God’s ways. It could be stated that they are not making the best choice of allowing God’s ways in them. They are following their own. I also believe that the verse, Cast ALL your cares needs to take precedence over do not fear.

Insomnia and Other Sleep Disorders

Valerian has been used as a medicinal herb since at least the time of ancient Greece and Rome. Its therapeutic uses were described by Hippocrates, and in the 2nd century, Galen prescribed valerian for insomnia [5,7]. In the 16th century, it was used to treat nervousness, trembling, headaches, and heart palpitations [8]. In the mid-19th century, valerian was considered a stimulant that caused some of the same complaints it is thought to treat and was generally held in low esteem as a medicinal herb [2]. During World War II, it was used in England to relieve the stress of air raids [9].

As per request. This works!!!

Husbands and Wives: Curse of Codependency:

“Admitting We Are Powerless to Change Our Husbands I know firsthand how hard it is to keep our eyes off a husband’s behavior, because it’s a monumental struggle for me, too. But the reality is that no amount of energy, no magic formula – nothing will bring about true change in another person. However, if we take the same energy and apply it to ourselves, God can do great things in our lives. First we have to really “get it – down in our heart of hearts – we are powerless to change our husbands.” In his classic book, If Only You Would Change, Christian marriage counselor Mark Luciano tells us “you have to admit that you cannot manage your marriage problems by yourself. This means that you recognize the futility of your attempts to change your spouse.” Put simply, we must admit that the strategies we have used to change our husbands have not worked and that every attempt to change or control them will ultimately fail. Admitting we are powerless requires surrendering our husbands and our lives completely to God. It requires accepting that this is our reality. This doesn’t sound like much of a solution, but it is the only solution that will calm our screaming fears and bring peace to our troubled hearts. We must surrender the obsession to try to change our spouses because it is this obsession that blocks our emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth.”

Time Enough for Me:

“Truly effective people learn how to separate the wheat from the chaff. They let the small stuff go. I’m not so good at this. One time, while turning in a torturous twenty-page paper, I suddenly realized that I’d left the bibliography at home. I was so frustrated that I nearly broke down in front of my teacher. His stern face softened and he shook his head at me. “Jenny, there are big things in life, and there are little things. This is a little thing.”

A few words of advice on not sweating the small stuff.

HOMOPHOBIA: A Scientific Non-Political Definition

Calling all responses to homosexuality other than it “is a normal sexual variation” as homophobic is anti-scientific and decidedly anti-therapeutic. Even in the Textbook of Homosexuality & Mental Health (Cabaj, 1996) published and sponsored by the American Psychiatric Association, the position is taken that homosexuality is a normal variation of human sexuality and not a mental illness. There is no doubt that homophobia exists. There is also no doubt that there are rationalized and irrational anti-homosexual attitudes. However, it would be very valuable for society in general, and therapists in particular, to have a clear picture of homophobia separated from all the other topics that have been lumped under that rubric.

This is probably the most technical link I have ever posted. It is a detailed analysis of what a phobia is and how such is specifically applied to homophobia. It is also a solid explanation of how a loving, caring therapist performing reparative therapy for a client who requests such is nowhere near that definition.

READY FOR TAKEOFF?

Andrew was looking for truth: truth about God, truth about God’s promise of personal change.

This article is a good example of trusting God. One doesn’t need to know everything about Him, just enough to believe what he says is true.

Dinner and a Movie

‘m not sure what’s worse: falling for a great guy but having no idea where the relationship’s headed or having no prospects in sight. Both are frustrating. And both leave you feeling no closer to marriage than when you started.

This article could offend as it discusses the danger of sharing to emotional deeply before a commitment.

Dinner and a Movie

‘m not sure what’s worse: falling for a great guy but having no idea where the relationship’s headed or having no prospects in sight. Both are frustrating. And both leave you feeling no closer to marriage than when you started.

This article could offend as it discusses the danger of sharing to emotional deeply before a commitment.

You Can See Better if You Don’t Cover Your Eyes

Rather pray “God, if you intend me for the married life, there must be a Christian man for me, so please lead me to him, and him to me.

This is an O.K. article. It does discuss the best posture for your heart about marriage.

God’s Wardrobe for Successful Dating

A final word of advice: If you’re Instant Messaging with your beau, watch what you write as well. Words, as they say, mean things, and your typed-out words can carry extraordinary power.

This article is good as it discusses the importance of not saying too much to the opposite sex in letters. You tend to say more in letters and it increases connection that does not happen naturally in face to face meetings.

TrueU.org | Career Services: Egypt

God leads us in the direction of “Egypt” and instead of going we tell Him why we need to stay in our current state of comfortable affairs.

Craving Crisis “Meaning in life is not found in fulfilling divine purposes, but in a relationship with God.

This article stresses the primary aim in life is to know Christ fully.

Reaching For Perfection

“A verse that drove my perfectionism in the past was Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect.” I’ve learned from my pastor that the word “perfect” comes from the word tellios, which means to fulfill a purpose.”

We do not have to do everything right.