Fwd: update from Greg Griffin, Allies for Family Life

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Greg Griffin <greg@allforfamlife.org>
Date: Sun, Aug 11, 2013 at 6:38 PM
Subject: update from Greg Griffin, Allies for Family Life
To: Greg Griffin <greg@allforfamlife.org>


Hi friends,

I hope all is well with your souls an your families.

As you may be aware, I have a burden for broken families who experience the ripple effects of divorce. Since I learned about a national volunteer bipartisan group called the Coalition for Divorce Reform and their work last summer, I have been inspired to seek some changes at the Georgia General Assembly.

With the help of many people who lent their influence, shared passion and ideas, we were successful in getting a bill (House Bill 684) introduced that, based on research, can save thousands of children every year from growing up in a broken home. This bill was based upon conclusive research which birthed the Coalition’s model legislation piece.

I have been fortunate to meet with the House Judiciary Committee Chair last month, which is where the bill will be sent. He gave a favorable response, and assured me we would get a hearing. I continue working to set up appointments with the other members of the House Judiciary Committee to draw their attention and support to our effort.

Additionally, I am pleased that my request for an appointment with the governor has been granted, and together with several others, I will have the privilege of briefing him and several of his staffers on September 10. The bill sponsor, Representative Jason Spencer, is working to arrange his schedule to be present, and I have confirmation from another key influencer who will be there as well.

As we prepare for the upcoming session we have named our bill the Children’s Hope for Family Act. I have created a web site to promote awareness and support for the Act, and the address is www.ChildrensHopeForFamilyAct.org.

I am asking you to prayerfully consider any and all of the following:

1)      Please visit the site and provide feedback.

2)      Please “like” the Facebook page (link on the web site) to show the legislators our growing support.

3)      Please sign up to receive e mail updates of our progress. Going forward I will be using that list to maintain contact with those who are interested.

4)      Please consider a onetime donation to help me in this important work for children and families. I’d like to have a large winning team when we celebrate together the passage of the Children’s Hope for Family Act next spring. There is a Paypal link on the site, or you can reply to this e mail for my mailing address. All gifts are tax deductible through my nonprofit, Allies for Family Life (link on the web site).

5)      Please forward this e mail to four others in your circle of influence who would like to know about this movement.  It’s “four” the children (see what I did there?).

I realize we all have full plates, and have more thrown at us than we can handle most weeks. If this touches your heart, I would appreciate your help. If not, our friendship will remain regardless. Please let me know if I can answer any questions or address any concerns.

I welcome any wisdom and ideas in our effort to help families in Georgia facing perhaps their darkest hour. While my competency may be debatable, my persistence is not. I am humbled that God has honored my faithfulness to the call thus far, and I will give it all I’ve got the rest of the way.

Greg Griffin, Executive Director
Board Certified Pastoral Counselor
Allies for Family Life, Inc.
770-310-7190 mobile

Fwd: Daily Meditation: Being Living Signs of Love

 
 
----------Original Message----------

From: Henri Nouwen Society
Date: Aug 9, 2013 5:02:50 AM
Subject: Daily Meditation: Being Living Signs of Love
To: billandpatcoffin@verizon.net
 
Henri Nouwen Society - Daily Meditation

Friday August 9, 2013 

 

Being Living Signs of Love

 

Jesus' whole life was a witness to his Father's love, and  Jesus calls his followers to carry on that witness in his Name.  We, as followers of Jesus, are sent into this world to be visible signs of God's unconditional love.  Thus we are not first of all judged by what we say but by what we live.  When people say of us:  "See how they love one another," they catch a glimpse of the Kingdom of God that Jesus announced and are drawn to it as by a magnet.

 

In a world so torn apart by rivalry, anger, and hatred, we have the privileged vocation to be living signs of a love that can bridge all divisions and heal all wounds.

 

- Henri J. M. Nouwen  

Comment on this Daily Meditation.
 
Visit our website for inspiration, resources, news, events, community.
Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Photo by V. Dobson.
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Fwd: Purchase Fairfield-Louisville Basketball Tickets Today

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Friends of Fairfield Basketball <friendsofbasketball@fairfield.edu>
Date: Fri, Aug 9, 2013 at 11:31 AM
Subject: Purchase Fairfield-Louisville Basketball Tickets Today
To: Stag Hoop Fans <billcoffin68@gmail.com>


Fairfield University Department of Athletics - 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824

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Fairfield University
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Fwd: Upcoming Mastering the Mysteries of Love Workshops for Couples

 
 
----------Original Message----------

From: newsletter@nire.org
Date: Aug 8, 2013 10:01:25 PM
Subject: Upcoming Mastering the Mysteries of Love Workshops for Couples
To: billandpatcoffin@verizon.net
 

Please come, or pass this along to others!

Also, please send this out to any list serves you may beon.

Mastering the Mysteries of Love

Weekend Workshops for Couples

The National Institute of Relationship Enhancement®is offering the Mastering the Mysteries of Love version ofthe Relationship Enhancement® Program for couples inaddition to the classic version of the RE Program.

Upcoming dates:

  • September 14-15, 2013 - Mastering the Mysteries ofLove with Carrie Hansen, LCSW-C
  • October 19-20, 2013 - Mastering the Mysteries ofLove with Carrie Hansen, LCSW-C
  • November 16-17, 2013 - Mastering the Mysteries ofLove with Rob Scuka, Ph.D.

All workshops are held in Bethesda,MD.

Cost is $450 per couple.

Further information can be found at www.nire.org.

Research: The RE Program and Masteringthe Mysteries of Love is backed by 35 years of empiricalresearch validating its effectiveness. In addition, anaward-winning meta-analytic study involving thousands ofcouples and over a dozen approaches, demonstrated that REclients showed far more powerful improvement effects thanclients in any of the other interventions for couples orfamilies with which it was compared.

Description: Couples spend two dayslearning 10 practical skills that deepen connection andempower them to resolve current and future problems on theirown.

The skills you and your partner learn will help you:

  • establish a constructive, cooperative atmosphere forresolving difficult relationship issues
  • foster increased openness and trust
  • reduce defensiveness, anger and withdrawal
  • express your deepest feelings, concerns and desiresopenly, honestly and safely
  • nurture deepened caring and compassion
  • increase love and affection
  • create solutions to conflicts at their deepestlevels
  • successfully implement agreed-to solutions andbehavioral changes

The weekend program usually numbers between 4-10 couplesin order to maintain a more intimate atmosphere. It alsofeatures significant time for private couples' exercises anddialogues, which part of the time are facilitated by trainedcoaches.

The program is non-residential and meets on Saturday from9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.Information on discounted hotel room rates for thosevisiting from out of town are available upon registration.Snacks and beverages are provided; participants have lunchon their own.

For further information, or to register,please call NIRE at 301-680-8977.

Please note new contact info below:

Fax: 502-226-7088
Mail:
NIRE - Administrative Office
306 West Main Street #507
Frankfort, KY 40601

If you register by fax or mail, please include your name,address, home and work phone numbers, and the dates forwhich you are registering.

Payment may be made either by check or credit card.Registrations by fax must be accompanied by a credit cardnumber.

If payment is made with a credit card number, pleasewrite your name exactly as it appears on the card, theexpiration date and your signature.

Please note: It is not safe to send credit cardinformation via email.

 



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Fwd: Smart Relationships August Newsletter inspired by Facebook events

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Smart Relationships <info@smartrelationships.org>
Date: Thu, Aug 8, 2013 at 10:53 AM
Subject: Smart Relationships August Newsletter inspired by Facebook events
To: Bill <billcoffin68@gmail.com>



You are receiving this email because you provided your email address to thinkmarriage.org or Smart Relationships (same people, new name). If you don't want to be on our list, please unsubscribe by going to the bottom of the email. Please don't mark us as spam. We can be prevented from sending any emails to the subscribers who want to hear from us. 
View this email in your browser.

A Summer Fresh Relationship

BUILD YOUR LOVE: A COUPLES' GETAWAY

Join us this September 27-28 for our couples workshop at beautiful St. Norbert Abbey, De Pere, WI, and learn some of the keys to real happiness. Fun and interactive activities will strengthen your life as a couple. Perfect for any couple in a committed relationship, whether dating for years or married for decades.  Please visit click here for further information and registration.


Wife: I love you.
Husband: I love you too.
Wife: Prove it, scream it to the world, show me.
Husband: *whisper in ear* I love you.
Wife: Why did you whisper it to me?
Husband: Because you are my world. And I show you why, next.  


 

 

The summer is here (even in Wisconsin) and excitement to go out and do stuff begins. We all know it, the feeling when cabin fever is finally lifted and smells, sights, and sounds suddenly become intensified. Indeed, the urge for winter romance does not stop here. People want to go out more, but they don't want to do it alone; rather, they seek their significant other, and moreover, they seek love. Yanai Kate in her hit song "Summer Feeling" portrays this type of feeling very well:  

Come on over, have some fun
dancing in the morning sun
look into the bright blue sky
come on let your spirit fly

livin' it up this brand new day
summer, sun, it's time to play
doin' things it feels so good
get into emotion

Refrain:
what I'm feelin'
it's never been so easy
when I'm dreamin'
summer dreamin' when you're with me


...

Wondering how to keep the summer spirit expand your relationship lifetime? 
Check out these two lists for some creative ideas:

    






 

SMART RELATIONSHIPS ELSEWHERE

SHARE THIS EMAIL
FOLLOW on TWITTER
LIKE on FACEBOOK


Relational Toolbox: Keep an Eye on the But


Setting aside the very issues that have gotten you “stuck”, even for a time, can feel like an enormous risk.  Trust me, I feel your pain.

“But…these are not petty issues.  They cause me real pain.  What if they get forgotten?”

“But…what if my partner hurts me again, after seeing my vulnerability in this area?”

These fears and struggles are all very real and perfectly rational.  You are not insane or defective for wrestling with these.  However, let me suggest a simple tool that, though small, can help diffuse the potency of the fears in your head and can help you build the fortitude to press through the rough stuff and into renewal of your relationship.  Read more here.

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Copyright © 2013 Smart Relationships, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you provided your email address to thinkmarriage.org or Smart Relationships (same people, new name). If you don't want to be on our list, please unsubscribe by going to the bottom of the email. Please don't mark us as spam. We can be prevented from sending any emails to the subscribers who want to hear from us.

Our mailing address is:
Smart Relationships
1496 Bellevue St
Suite 502
Green Bay, WI 54311

Add us to your address book


Fwd: Deepening Friendship

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Days of Deepening Friendship <lpwebteam@loyolapress.com>
Date: Wed, Aug 7, 2013 at 2:19 PM
Subject: Deepening Friendship
To: billcoffin68@gmail.com


Deepening Friendship


What Makes a Home?

Posted: 07 Aug 2013 08:30 AM PDT

It’s difficult to talk about going home, if we’re not sure what constitutes home. Here are some ideas to start with—I’ll depend on you, the DDF community, to add your thoughts.

  • Home is where I feel stable and safe.
  • Home is where I can rest and heal.
  • Home is where I have the resources to grow and to develop my gifts and interests.
  • Home is where loved ones dwell.
  • Home is where my important memories reside.
  • Home is where I grew up.
  • Home is where I live now.
  • Home must be comfortable.
  • Home must be an expression of my specific personality and desires.
  • Home is private and owned by me and/or my family.

living roomWhat do you think are important characteristics of home?

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Fwd: Discount rooms still available/NARME Conference - Register Now!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Executive Director, Maggie Russell <maggie@narme.org>
Date: Wed, Aug 7, 2013 at 3:03 PM
Subject: Discount rooms still available/NARME Conference - Register Now!
To: billcoffin68@gmail.com


NARME Logo
In This Issue
There's Still Time
There's still time for you to sign-up for the NARME conference!

www.NARMEconference.com for workshops, trainings, and discounted hotel rooms!
 
Great 1 Day Training

Tina & Ron Konklin are offering a free one day workshop for local couples prior to the NARME conference.  Pls forward this to any couple in Greater Los Angeles / Anaheim area that might want to attend!  

 

RELATIONSHIP BOOTCAMP IN A BOX:

Tuesday August 27, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Come join Ron and Tina Konkin -sought after relationship experts and the founders of Relationship Help Centers and Relationship BootCamp for a free workshop on August 27th. This is an exciting opportunity for you to hear Ron and Tina teach on the R3 principle (reVEAL - reWRITE - reNEW) and the "3 Deadly Emotions of Relationships." Join Ron & Tina as they teach you how to radically change your story through experiential learning. This interactive seminar will give practical tools to Reveal and identify the hurts from your past causing destructive behavior in the present, to Rewrite your story in the context of truth, and Renew your mind with techniques to replace the lies we believe with right and positive thinking. Isn't it time to stop letting your past dictate your relational future? Come experience freedom and renewal and start enjoying relationships the way they were intended to be. 
 
Register Now at  www.narmeconference.com

  

NYT Debate with Beverly Willett
Dear friends, 

 

The New York Times asked me to be part of tomorrow's Room for Debate about the kind of advice Huma Abedin's been getting and what to do when a friend is in an unhealthy relationship.  

 

I understand Huma Abedin's situation.  And I admire her courage to forgive the person who has hurt her deeply and invite that person back into her life.  As I say in the debate, "Indeed, the hardest thing in the world is to choose to do what the world expects you not to."  

 

Here's the link if you'd like to read the debate which is officially open for comments today:   http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/08/04/what-to-do-when-a-friend-is-in-a-bad-relationship/the-advice-i-needed-but-didnt-get 
 


Research News
Marriage Alive and Well - For Some

Boy, are some Americans losing interest in marriage these days.

According to a National Center for Family and Marriage Research (NCFMR) study, the U.S. marriage rate is on the decline.

 

Whereas 92 out of 1,000 single women married in 1920, only 31 out of 1,000 are marrying today.  Read More


Like us on FacebookForward this issue



Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved.

This email was sent to billcoffin68@gmail.com by maggie@narme.org |  
Nat'l Assoc. for Relationship & Marriage Education (NARME) | P.O. Box 14946 | Tallahassee | FL | 32317

Fwd: Virtual Marriage Enrichment Group (MEG) - Tonight!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Better Marriages <phunt@bettermarriages.org>
Date: Tue, Aug 6, 2013 at 2:01 PM
Subject: Virtual Marriage Enrichment Group (MEG) - Tonight!
To: billcoffin68@gmail.com


Logo 500x400
Monthly Virtual 
Marriage Enrichment 
Group (MEG) 

Tonight, Aug. 6  
8 pm Eastern

Please Join Us and Invite Friends! 
Couple with computer
Did you miss your monthly MEG?

Don't have a MEG in your area?

Do you want to try something new?

To listen to the replay of the last Virtual MEG on Love Languages, visit http://attendthisevent.com/?eventid=42959478
Your Facilitators:
Bill and Linda McConahey

Bill and Linda McConahey
Click here to learn more about Marriage Enrichment Groups (MEGs)
Click here to learn more about Membership in Better Marriages
Click here to see photos of the Better Marriages Conference in Raleigh, NC

 
This Month's Topic 
Communication: Speaking 

Communication is inevitable - we cannot NOT communicate.

Communication is learned - it can be unlearned and relearned.

Join us and explore:
  • types of communication
  • styles of communication
  • the art of couple dialogue. 
INSTRUCTIONS TO ATTEND
 
By Phone:

Primary dial in number: (206) 402-0100
Secondary dial in number: (408) 343-4243
Guest pin code: 367457#

By Webcast:

To attend as a webcast and view slides on your computer, click this link at the time of the event: 
http://AttendThisEvent.com/?eventid=44370552

By Phone and Webcast:

1) Log in to the Webcast on your computer
2) Dial in on your phone

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This email was sent to billcoffin68@gmail.com by phunt@bettermarriages.org |  
Better Marriages | P.O. Box 21374 | Winston-Salem | NC | 27120