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I offer you these tidbits of wisdom as prayer prompts to remind you (and your constituents) of the sacredness of marriage vows and the value of every child. The commitment to love a spouse forever, and the generous gift of life parents offer a child are indeed spiritual under-takings and cannot be done alone. May the God of Love be with you and your work.
*FOR MORE extended marriage and parenting articles, plus archived Marriage Moments and Parenting Pointers, go to: www.SusanVogt.net
*BLOG: Living Lightly.
*TWITTER: @Vogt_Susan
*EDUCATORS, LEADERS, & MINISTERS: You are welcome to reprint these MM's and PP's in bulletins, newsletters, and on your website with proper credit, ("By Susan Vogt, www.SusanVogt.net")
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Dear Bill ,
Below are your Marriage Moments and Parenting Pointers for October.
NOTE: As Halloween approaches, why not share my October Enrichment Activity, Marriage & Masks, with your married couples.
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541. Oct. 7: "Bear your share of hardship for the gospel." (2 Timothy 1:8) Married couples might substitute "for your beloved" since there are always hardships entwined in any marriage. What was the last hardship your spouse bore for you?
542. Oct. 14: "Do you love me?" "Of course!" says the loving spouse. But that's not usually a very satisfying response. Try coming up with a new, fresh reason today besides, "You're pretty/handsome, smart/funny." It can be silly. Mostly it needs to be uniquely personal.
543. Oct. 21: "Aaron and Hur supported [Moses'] hands" so that Israel would be victorious. (Exodus 17:12) Support for your beloved can be financial, emotional, physical, sentimental, inspirational, favors, doing chores... Which kind of support is easiest for you? Hardest?
544. Oct. 27: "Two people went up to the temple area to pray." (Luke 18: 10) Which of you is the better prayer? Be careful about claiming to be better or worse than your spouse lest it be pride or false humility. To play it safe, say a quiet prayer for the good of your beloved right now.
*Marriage Moments go out to individuals on Mondays. For Sunday bulletins use the Sunday immediately before the above date.
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PARENTING POINTERS*
540. Oct. 4: Toddlers can be cute, full of energy, entertaining, creative...and tiring. If you're the parent of a toddler relish this phase as it will pass all too soon (or not soon enough depending on the day). If your children are older, reminisce about one delightful thing they did as a toddler.
541. Oct. 11: It should be natural and human to respect all human life, but sometimes it gets difficult when someone is nasty or unappealing like modern day lepers (the poor, criminals, people with annoying personalities). Whose life do you find it hardest to respect? Look for the good. Pray for the unlikable, unwashed, unwanted people in our society today.
542. Oct. 18: "Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it. (2 Timothy 3:14) Parenting is hard. We talk with other parents, we read, we follow our instincts; AND we are subtly influenced by how we have been parented ourselves. What's the best / worst parenting practice you learned from your own parents?
543. Oct. 25: Halloween is a time when we all get to pretend we are someone prettier, scarier, or different than our usual self. Enjoy the fun of dressing your kids up or becoming someone different for a night yourself. But remember, God loves our true self - warts and all.
* Parenting Pointers go out to individuals on Fridays. For Sunday bulletins, use the closest Friday.
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© 2013 Susan Vogt
MAIL: 523 E. Southern Ave., Covington, KY 41015
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