One of the most difficult subjects which I’ve yet to make up my mind about is that of emotional intimacy. For example, many view emotional intimacy as something only for marriage, and engaging in emotional intimacy with someone other than one’s spouse is considered emotional adultery. In our culture, where marriage is based mostly on
Rethinking Friendships and “Romance”: Cross-gender Friendships and Communication
I’ve been thinking and writing through a lot here recently. I think there are two main issues I’m running into: the existence of “romantic” passion, and what to do with it when discussing singles. These are questions which I feel Dan doesn’t answer very well. Most people have sexual desire, which has the real potential
Real Men, Real Women
Recently I’ve been seeing more and more written in the broad category of gender issues (or maybe better described as gender identity), and specifically discussing men (Dan Brennan/Sacred Unions, Sacred Passions, Where Have The Good Men Gone?, Church For Men). This has got me doing quite a bit of thinking. In some areas, I have
Book Review: An Army of Ordinary People
I wasn’t sure exactly what I was getting into when I got this book. This was in part because I was unfamiliar with it’s author, Felicity Dale. However, it turns out that I loved it and am very thankful I got it. The book’s subtitle summarizes it pretty well: “Stories of real-life men and women
Patriotism and Church (a.k.a. Hitting Two Sacred Cows With One Stone)
A year ago I attended an outdoor church service (read about it here). During communion, I noticed that among other “beauty” shots, they put a shot of a nearby American flag on the video screen. I was very disturbed by this. Jesus instituted communion as a time for his followers to collectively remember him. So
Perspective
One day you are walking along the street. You happen to see something which looks really wrong. A couple of people appear to be planting a bomb. You think quickly, call 911, and report what’s happening, along with the vehicle that the men drive away in. Thanks to your actions, the men are caught. It
Book Review: Sacred Unions, Sacred Passions
So, I finally got around to purchasing and reading Sacred Unions, Sacred Passions by Dan Brennan. I’ve been wrestling a lot here recently with his ideas, so it only made sense that I read his book in order to try and obtain a more full understanding of what he is trying to communicate. At it’s
What is Our Job?
I heard Mike Breen speak a couple of weeks ago. It was interesting; if I were to be asked to relate the basics of Christianity, I would have covered all of the same points which he did, only using different language. One thing he said stuck in my mind, not because of it being a
The Greatest Faith
Several men stand side-by-side, facing the firing squad. Shots blast through the air, the men fall to the ground. With his last breath, one man turns to the other next to him and says, “Remember me when you become president!” —*record scratching noise* What?! What did this guy say? Remember him when he becomes president??
Rethinking Friendships and “Romance”: Marriage
This seems to be in part continuing from the previous post regarding exclusivity. Presently, I’m exploring the questions: What is marriage? What makes marriage marriage and not something else? Or another way of putting it, What is exclusive to marriage? I explore these questions with some trepidation. I am not married, nor have I been