Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. – Philippians 2:1-4
“Housekeeping” –
We are closing in on the Final Weeks of the Winter 2015 study of The Third Option.
We will meet for the next 4 Mondays, and wrap things up as below:
Apr 6: Begin Topic 12 – “Feelings and The Hurt Spiral”
Apr 13: Begin Topic 13 – “Forgiveness and Repair”
Apr 20: Begin Topic 14 – “Re-Building Trust” (Also: Study Evaluations: YOUR chance for feedback!)
Apr 27: Wrap up Topic 14; Study Review / Possible “Bonus” Material; “What’s Next?” This will be the last night for the WINTER 2015 Study.
May 4 – Jun 8: Spring Study – “The Best of The Third Option” 5 class sessions (No classes are scheduled on May 25th, Memorial Day)
IF you missed any of the topics this Winter – or are simply interested in revisiting a few of them – the Spring Study will feature some of the “Highlights” of The Third Option study. Participants in this session will have input as to some of the Topics we cover, as well as possible “Extra” material.
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The video that Doug & Michele showed last week was “It’s Not About the Nail,” from Jason Headley.
It can be found at https://vimeo.com/66753575, along with a link to other videos by Jason Headley.
(Disclaimer: There are 48 titles credited to Mr. Headley; we cannot vouch for the contents of all of them!)
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Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. – 2 Timothy 2:23-26
Last week we wrapped up “Speaking the Truth in Love” during our first hour, and then began our discussion of Topic 11: How to Fight Fair: Conflict Resolution. Copies of the Worksheet and Notes for Topic 11 (“Conflict”) are attached.
This Monday, of course, we will begin by looking at the Homework for Topic 11:
- What is your reaction to the “Ground Rules” provided on the Worksheet for “Conflict Resolution?”
- Are there any you DISAGREE with, AND/OR have problems sticking to? Which One(s)? Why?
- How easy is it to follow “The Process” shown on the Worksheet? Which one(s) of these would you Modify to suit your particular circumstance / personality(ies)?
- Have you established / attempted to set any Policies for handling disagreements? Any you would suggest to the group?
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble…. – Hebrews 12:14-15
During our 2nd hour this Monday, we will begin the discussion of Topic 12: “Feelings and The Hurt Spiral.”
These remaining Topics will cover some challenging-to-downright-difficult material, and we hope you will be able to participate in them.
Have a Blessed Easter Weekend, and we look forward to seeing you Monday evening –
The Marriage Builders Team
“I want to be married to somebody like Jesus,” a woman said to me as she and her husband sat in my office for marriage counseling. “I don’t mean somebody who’s perfect or has the power to be a messiah. I mean somebody who knows how to feel things like Jesus did. I wish I were married to somebody who could feel my hurts and know what rages in my soul without having to be told.”
“So do I,” her husband said quietly. “So do I.”
Regrettably, most of those who realize they have lost their first love and decide they have to do something about it end up doing the wrong thing. They get divorced…. They think new partners will bring them what they are looking for, when in reality the best possibilities for passion in marriage can be found in working things out right where they are. New marriages are not the answer. What most people need is a new approach to living out marriage in their present relationships. In the case of marriage, it is possible to pour new wine into old wineskins without having the old wineskins torn asunder.
Relationships that once burned with passion need not dissipate into dead indifference. The fading of emotion in personal relationships is not an inevitability. The gospel declares otherwise. If a marriage seems dead, remember that every Easter is an evidence of resurrection, and every Christmas tells us there can be a rebirth of love. But it takes discipline and effort to make a marriage live. And finding out just what needs to be done to make and keep marriage passionate must become our focus.
– Tony Campolo: “Carpe Diem: Seize the Day” (Chapter 20: “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”)
Worksheet #11
Topic #11 – Conflict Resolution Notes
Third Option – The Dynamics of Money