Thursday, September 20, 2007

LOVE and RESPECT


Our church is sponsoring a "Love and Respect" seminar taught by some alumni of the program in our local church. About thirty couples are participating and I am finding the lecture material helpful, shown on a video prior to small group discussion.

On my return to my office following sabbatical I have been reminded of the continuing need for counseling in marriages that are struggling. An article in the SACRAMENTO BEE today reminded me that less than 50% of marriages will make it to the twenty-five year mark. As I see the young children in many of these marriages--some of them needing counseling because of the abuse and dysfunction to which they have been exposed--my heart is truly grieved. The cycle of divorce and remarriage is undeniable as well as the legions of children who are forever scarred and left in the train of its impact.

When I go to the seminar at our church on Wednesday evenings, I sit in the back and survey our families who have chosen to attend. When I hear the simple truth that "women need love and men need respect", and think how simple that statement is, and consider how that is translated into life, I am encouraged that thirty couples are being handed some great tools to ensure they do not become a part of the sad statistics that tell the tragic story of failed communication.

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