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Tag Archives: sexuality

A Couple's Prayer for 2014

Geri and I have been praying this prayer each day for our marriage as it articulates our vision as we enter into 2014. If you are married, pray it for your marriage several times a day. And if you are single, pray it for the marriages in your church. It is a prayer filled with a rich theology that the sexual love between a man and woman is the closest thing we have to the intimacy of the Trinity and the passionate life-giving desire God has for each of us. (This is adapted from a pamphlet distributed by the Pastoral and Matrimonial Renewal Center.) Lord, grant us the strength to answer your call to become a living sign of your love. Make our love for each other like your love for us: passionate, permanent, intimate, unconditional, and life giving. May we be as present to each other as you are to us, so that all the. Read more.

The Best Way To Help Fathers Be Good Dads

According to a report from New York City’s Mayor’s office called “The Mayor’s Fatherhood Initiative,” more than 24 million children are growing up in homes without a father. In New York City, about 33% of children under 18 years old are growing up in fatherless households (Sadly, the number climbs to 51% among Black and Latino children). They note the effect of fatherlessness as being poor, being in jail, and doing badly in school. What is most shocking are their 3 recommendations – uncover and remove any barriers fathers face in interacting with City agencies, support fathers as they try to be good dads, and assist in the creation of memorable moments between fathers and their children. There was no mention of the best way to help fathers be good dads (and create memorable moments) as marrying and remaining married to their children’s mothers. Interacting with a city agency will never come close to taking the. Read more.

The Best Way To Help Fathers Be Good Dads

According to a report from New York City’s Mayor’s office called “The Mayor’s Fatherhood Initiative,” more than 24 million children are growing up in homes without a father. In New York City, about 33% of children under 18 years old are growing up in fatherless households (Sadly, the number climbs to 51% among Black and Latino children). They note the effect of fatherlessness as being poor, being in jail, and doing badly in school. What is most shocking are their 3 recommendations – uncover and remove any barriers fathers face in interacting with City agencies, support fathers as they try to be good dads, and assist in the creation of memorable moments between fathers and their children. There was no mention of the best way to help fathers be good dads (and create memorable moments) as marrying and remaining married to their children’s mothers. Interacting with a city agency will never come close to taking. Read more.

Christian Marriage (and Sexuality) as a Sign and Wonder: Part 2

We lead out of our marriages as leaders. The center of this marriage is a passionate sexual atmosphere that serves as the power source for the relationship.  Since Geri and I started our emotionally healthy spirituality journey in 1996, we had a deep sense that our sexuality and spirituality were deeply connected. We have spent almost eighteen years unpacking that truth. At a New Life Fellowship retreat this past weekend, Ron and Kathy Ferrer, founders of Living in Love, shared 4 wrong attitudes that lower the sexual atmosphere of couples. 1. Sex is Fun. Most people have the attitude that you work before you play. And since sex is play, all your work must get done first (leaving little energy, if any, to cultivate a great sex life). This is very different from seeing sex as a serious responsibility for each spouse to reveal God’s love to one another and the world. 2. Sex is Something We Do. Lovemaking. Read more.

Christian Marriage (and Sexuality) as a Sign and Wonder: Part 2

We lead out of our marriages as leaders. The center of this marriage is a passionate sexual atmosphere that serves as the power source for the relationship.  Since Geri and I started our emotionally healthy spirituality journey in 1996, we had a deep sense that our sexuality and spirituality were deeply connected. We have spent almost eighteen years unpacking that truth. At a New Life Fellowship retreat this past weekend, Ron and Kathy Ferrer, founders of Living in Love, shared 4 wrong attitudes that lower the sexual atmosphere of couples. 1. Sex is Fun. Most people have the attitude that you work before you play. And since sex is play, all your work must get done first (leaving little energy, if any, to cultivate a great sex life). This is very different from seeing sex as a serious responsibility for each spouse to reveal God’s love to one another and the world. 2. Sex is Something. Read more.

The Illusion of “Fast” Church

We want deep churches where people are transformed. We also want wide churches that grow rapidly in numbers. The problem is that these two values are often incompatible. Think about it. Let’s say you are committed to bridging racial barriers in the church. That requires you slow down enough to listen to people’s stories, to ponder the complexity of structural and personal racism, to wrestle with issues of power and privilege, to read history and perspectives different than your own. Let’s take sexuality, singleness, and marriage. You can offer a class for 300 people at a time, touching broad theological issues at the 10,000-foot level. The problem, however, is that the issues are highly complex and nuanced. Each person and marriage has personal questions and struggles that require one-on-one conversations. The very preparation for this kind of formation slows you down. Think about the breadth of what is involved in a person’s formation in. Read more.