Courage

Turn on the news. Read the newspaper. Listen to radio broadcasts. Or better yet jump on the internet and check out people's blogs, facebook pages, and websites of political nature. What do you see? One cannot check out these resources without hearing, seeing, or feeling that we live in turbulent times. The scriptures speak of the last days with caution,

"This know also, that in the last days perilious times shall come, For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (2 Timothy 3:1-5). Sound familiar? Do pieces of this prophecy sound like something you've noticed happening in our day today or have you seen them all happen?

I would say that all of these things spoken of here have either already happened or continue to happen on a daily basis. In a world where these problems, and many many more not spoken of here, are all around us some would ask what is to be done, how can we keep our families safe? I may not have the perfect solution to solve all these problems at once, but I do think I've found the foundation of a solution that can solve each of these problems over time. Courage.

There are going to be many people who will believe there is no problem with the list Timothy described. There will be some who will knowingly fight against the cause of righteousness and the Lord Himself. In that moment courage is going to be your only real defense. Courage to stand for what you believe to be true. Courage to stand for the cause of righteousness. Courage to stand as Christ would and stand for what is right. In a world filled with these problems the need for courage has never been more necessary. The Lord God has need of good people to stand up, be heard, and be courageous in the face of adversity. We have the promise from God that courage is not only possible but we will have His presence to be with us wherever we go. "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, withsoever thou goest." I believe that in a world that is fighting itself, courage in good people can help the world become a place for good. Let us find within ourselves our resolve to our Lord in Heaven to stand our ground, to defend the cause of righteousness and our testimony, and find the courage to make that resolve resolute and unwavering. Good luck.
   

Blended Families

"Expect it will take at least 2 years to reach any kind of normalcy." a quote from class today.
Biological parent needs to be the one to make the heavy acts of discipline, not the step parent. Step parents should take on the role of the "really fantastic aunt or uncle." Both the biological parent and step parent needs to have regular meetings to discuss the needs of the family, the needs of the children, and what they can do to better meet those needs.
      - For my own family I believe those 2 years was more like 2 weeks or 2 months. I believe this is due to the extremely difficult and hostile environment we were coming from that once we were introduced into the new blended family it was instantly and infinitely better than what we knew. We saw a brighter and more secure future than anything else we felt possible before and willingly accepted that. Although the statistics may show 2 years I can say from my own personal experience that there are exceptions to the rule and that I can grow to love my blended family and the new changes without reservation.
       - I feel that for children who are younger the discipline needs to stem from the biological parent. However, as the child begins to mature and becomes an adolescent that the step parent can step in and become the voice of reason and discipline, especially if done with love and respect. 

Same Sex Marriages

We've heavily discussed the benefits and vices of same sex marriages. I personally believe the idea of same sex marriages is not ordained of God, I would like to clarify that I personally do no judge or diss those who do practice. I personally feel that children can have the best growth and development if they are raised by a father and mother. We viewed this video in class:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRhGDmdG4dk

We also discussed the idea of courage in our day today. I personally believe those who have stood up for their beliefs against those who wish to discredit their views is courageous, on both sides of the same sex marriage coin. I understand it takes great courage for a person to openly admit they are homosexual to their family and community. Likewise, I believe it is also very courageous for a little girl to openly speak about her stance on this issue and stand for her parents and her personal growth.

I think this topic of same sex marriage is something that we can not simply sit on the sidelines anymore with. I believe this topic is going to heavily influence all families here in the United States. I believe the idea of idly sitting by and not owning a side is far gone. There are some who believe in equality. There are others who believe that families and the sanctity of marriage is under attack. I believe the time is now to make a courageous stand and own it.

ABCX

The ABCX model, by Hill, is something we use in our class to help families understand the events or crises that arise in life. The model is there to help not only identify what the crisis is in detail, but also identifies the resources and thought processes of the family to sum up the total experience towards overcoming the crisis.

The A is the actual event or the crisis event. The B is both the resources and responses of the family to the actual event. The C is the cognition or the thought processes that the family now has as a response to the crisis and resources, and all these together sum up the total experience being X.

If a person or family encounters a crisis it will rock them if they aren't prepared. However, this ABCX model has the power and capability to prepare ourselves and families to be able to overcome hardships and trials. I believe families can overcome anything if they can find the strength within each member of the family to in turn strengthen the family as a whole. 

Conflict

Conflict - to come into collision or disagreement; be contradictory, at variance, or in opposition; clash or discord of action, feeling, or effect; antagonism or opposition, as of interests or principles: a conflict of ideas. This is the official definition according to Dictionary.com. 

We were asked whether or not we "like conflict" more rather small conflict. If we did we were to raise our hands. I was one of the people who raised their hand. I wasn't doing so just to be funny or obstinate, but I truly appreciate those times of conflict because of the end result. The time going through the conflict is hard and sometimes feels like surrender is the only option moving forward, however perseverance is crucial to seeing the blessings of conflict. 

My wife and I have been taught very well in terms of communication and how to work through conflict. I am grateful for conflict because I know, with the help of my wife, I can get through any conflict. I know the small conflicts help us to know how to effectively work together to be able to better tackle bigger conflicts. I know that conflicts will arise. I appreciate or "like" conflicts because of the growth, deepened love for my wife, and the sanctifying power that comes through them. I do not want to sound arrogant or seem to tempt the Lord, but I can appreciate them when they do come. 

Sex Ed

It is a sad time in our society when the Godlike power given to us to procreate is no longer being taught in the home by loving parents. Rather this knowledge is being passed onto the public schools and our children's peers. To some this may seem like a good thing. Some people find it hard to be able to talk about sex with their kids and therefore procrastinate the time when those sacred things will be taught. However, what those people fail to realize is that sex will be taught one way or the other. Those parents forgo their chance to share a beautiful experience with their children and give it to the world to be taught properly. It is well understood that the world is just that, worldly. Something as sacred as sex shouldn't be left to the world to be understood by our children.
When sex is taught in the home it has the best chance of being understood for the divine nature it has. We should strive to keep the spirit in the home. That same spirit can help enlighten our minds and bring all things to our remembrance. When that spirit is present then the lesson on sex can be initiated. We should be anatomically correct in our explanations of things and do our very best to ensure that the sanctity of the topic is preserved.
I believe that as we are conscious about the development of our children then we will be given the inspiration to know when that conversation will be best served for the continued growth of our children. I further believe that as we teach our children about sex education in the home we will protect the sanctity of sex and help ensure that when the world tries to influence our children they have a firm foundation of truth and understanding to help defend themselves. I personally believe that foundation will be the means by which the sanctity of sex will be preserved for future generations.

Nature vs Nurture

The age old question and hot topic debate item is the idea of the development of a person being "Nature vs Nurture." There are many scholars and experts that make the claim for either side of the argument saying it has to be one or other. I would like to pose a third alternative of it being both. I don't understand why it has to be one or the other. The following is my claim for why it can be both.

Nature: I believe personally that God created us in His own image and gave each of us certain qualities or attributes that pertain to our gender. Those gender qualities are special and unique from others, especially from the opposite gender. I believe those qualities will enrich our lives collectively and that when paired with a spouse those differences in gender qualities can create beautiful magical experiences for the family and society.

Nurture: I also believe that a parent has a strong influence on the development and success of their children. I believe the area a youngster is raised in has a big influence as well as peers that they will have. I think the child is born with certain qualities that basically gives them the clay they will work with their whole lives, and family, friends, spouses, and society help carve that clay into something wonderful.