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What’s happening…
We embarked on the journey to Phoenix, Arizona on Monday with great expectation and excitement, recognising that the 2008 Marriage and Family Ministry Training Conference of the Association of Marriage and Family Ministries (AMFM) this week was one of the highlights of our U.S. attachment.
It was indeed a powerful conference with tremendous learning opportunities. Led by the anointed husband-and-wife team of Eric and Jennifer Garcia (AMFM founders. You may find more information on AMFM on http://www.amfmonline.com/), the conference was an ingathering of top experts and practitioners from the wide spectrum of family life development in the U.S. We learned not just from people like Norman Wright, Gary Rosberg, David Ferguson and Kirk Weaver, who are known in our part of the world for their works in the family life arena, but also from other experienced and learned practitioners known for their respective works here in the States.
From the start of the conference with the Marriage Forum (presented by 9 experts) to the end, one cannot but hear the consistent battle cries of protecting and building strong homes in the nation.
It is obvious that the rally is on here. This is understandable, considering the devastations experienced in the families here. A Marriage Commission Research Report states that 1.2 million annual U.S. divorces cost taxpayers an estimated US $30 billion per year, not counting the cost of human sufferings which are often long-term.
The workshop conducted by Rob Rienow on ‘Visionary Parenting’ was stirring. With excellent oratory skills and a passionate and fiery heart, Rienow set out the visions that each parent should have for their children to truly succeed in life.
Kirk Weaver (who also co-wrote resources for the Heritage Builders series of Family Night Tool Chests of Family Time (http://www.famtime.com) shared his heart in two workshops on how parents can actually mentor their children with valuable life principles and values consistently and with passion. Participants could see the fruit of his success with his own family through the presence of his own daughter, Madison, in the workshops. He gave us the whole set of his resources as a blessing to what we are doing.
Professor Ben Freudenburg, who is a key forerunner in this emphasis in the States, again bared his heart in his call to all parents to take primary responsibility (and not to outsource character building to others) in nurturing their children in three workshops he conducted (one workshop with four other known family life practitioners). It was very impactful.
A surprise of the conference was our experience with coaching during the workshop conducted by Dave and Dawn Lind of Focus On Purpose. Their heart in coaching other leaders was infectious.
A distinctive feature of the conference is the excellent platform it provided for networking.
Rose and I had the privilege to meet up and spend an enriching time over a meal with Clint and Penny Bragg of Inverse Ministries. They have been so helpful in the works we do in the Marriage Reconciliation area back home.
We also caught up with a great couple, Gary and Mona Shriver of Hope and Healing. They specialise in helping couples to recover from extramarital affairs.
Another chance meeting was with Dr. Robert Paul, Co-President of National Institute of Marriage. He is also the co-author of the book ‘DNA of Relationships’.
This weekly account is not complete without the story of the family who hosted us at their home in Phoenix: Dr.James Poyak and his lovely wife, Susan (and their cuddly dog, Halley). Dr.Poyak, an international Orthodontics Instructor, is one of the famous dentists in Phoenix, known for his services. Not only is he highly skilled in the dental area but he is also particularly concerned for the wellbeing of his patients. The carefully-designed clinic ambience is one of its kind. We were really blessed by their warm hospitality and their love during our stay at their beautiful home located in a scenic part of the city. They took one day off to show us around the city, even meeting up with their two daughters (Lindsay – married with 2 boys and expecting another one – and Jordan). Perfect hosts.
What a week it has been!
Just Pondering…..
A word that captures the whole essence of this week is ‘relationship’. The conference, with its wide coverage of topics, basically dealt with relationships in the home; between husband and wife, and between parent and child.
Though there are many kinds of life relationships that affect the quality of our life, we know family relationship is the most basic and fundamental and powerful, besides our relationship with God. Its effects on us are pervasive and long-lasting.
Looking inward even for a brief moment about our own relationships within the family easily prompts us to certain feelings about the kind of life we live.
Gazing at the time of growing up in our parents’ home brings back not just memories but the realisation of how it has significantly shaped our life.
Obviously, the current state of relationships with our spouses and children and our siblings very much determines the quality of our present life.
Living in the midst of the myriad demands of life that frequently pull us in all directions, what a battle it is to stay focused on nurturing a healthy relationship with our own family! It requires reminding myself constantly that my life depends on it to keep it within the radar of the daily grind.
Yes, my life depends on it! I better remind myself more of this…..
Word of Wisdom
A proverb: ‘Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.’ The condition of my heart for my family directly determines the kind of life I am having with them.
What’s ahead!
This week begins a time of settling down to studies after one whole month of much travelling.
We (the Family Life Department) are also preparing for the return of the students in the next few weeks. The new fall semester will start on 3rd September. There are many events on campus that coincide with that.
One highlight of this coming week is the Early Childhood Conference - Healthy Me, Healthy You conference (refer http://cuaa.edu/) on Thursday. Professor Ben will be the keynote speaker.
A Week in PassingWe embarked on the journey to Phoenix, Arizona on Monday with great expectation and excitement, recognising that the 2008 Marriage and Family Ministry Training Conference of the Association of Marriage and Family Ministries (AMFM) this week was one of the highlights of our U.S. attachment.
It was indeed a powerful conference with tremendous learning opportunities. Led by the anointed husband-and-wife team of Eric and Jennifer Garcia (AMFM founders. You may find more information on AMFM on http://www.amfmonline.com/), the conference was an ingathering of top experts and practitioners from the wide spectrum of family life development in the U.S. We learned not just from people like Norman Wright, Gary Rosberg, David Ferguson and Kirk Weaver, who are known in our part of the world for their works in the family life arena, but also from other experienced and learned practitioners known for their respective works here in the States.
From the start of the conference with the Marriage Forum (presented by 9 experts) to the end, one cannot but hear the consistent battle cries of protecting and building strong homes in the nation.
It is obvious that the rally is on here. This is understandable, considering the devastations experienced in the families here. A Marriage Commission Research Report states that 1.2 million annual U.S. divorces cost taxpayers an estimated US $30 billion per year, not counting the cost of human sufferings which are often long-term.
The workshop conducted by Rob Rienow on ‘Visionary Parenting’ was stirring. With excellent oratory skills and a passionate and fiery heart, Rienow set out the visions that each parent should have for their children to truly succeed in life.
Kirk Weaver (who also co-wrote resources for the Heritage Builders series of Family Night Tool Chests of Family Time (http://www.famtime.com) shared his heart in two workshops on how parents can actually mentor their children with valuable life principles and values consistently and with passion. Participants could see the fruit of his success with his own family through the presence of his own daughter, Madison, in the workshops. He gave us the whole set of his resources as a blessing to what we are doing.
Professor Ben Freudenburg, who is a key forerunner in this emphasis in the States, again bared his heart in his call to all parents to take primary responsibility (and not to outsource character building to others) in nurturing their children in three workshops he conducted (one workshop with four other known family life practitioners). It was very impactful.
A surprise of the conference was our experience with coaching during the workshop conducted by Dave and Dawn Lind of Focus On Purpose. Their heart in coaching other leaders was infectious.
A distinctive feature of the conference is the excellent platform it provided for networking.
Rose and I had the privilege to meet up and spend an enriching time over a meal with Clint and Penny Bragg of Inverse Ministries. They have been so helpful in the works we do in the Marriage Reconciliation area back home.
We also caught up with a great couple, Gary and Mona Shriver of Hope and Healing. They specialise in helping couples to recover from extramarital affairs.
Another chance meeting was with Dr. Robert Paul, Co-President of National Institute of Marriage. He is also the co-author of the book ‘DNA of Relationships’.
This weekly account is not complete without the story of the family who hosted us at their home in Phoenix: Dr.James Poyak and his lovely wife, Susan (and their cuddly dog, Halley). Dr.Poyak, an international Orthodontics Instructor, is one of the famous dentists in Phoenix, known for his services. Not only is he highly skilled in the dental area but he is also particularly concerned for the wellbeing of his patients. The carefully-designed clinic ambience is one of its kind. We were really blessed by their warm hospitality and their love during our stay at their beautiful home located in a scenic part of the city. They took one day off to show us around the city, even meeting up with their two daughters (Lindsay – married with 2 boys and expecting another one – and Jordan). Perfect hosts.
What a week it has been!
Just Pondering…..
A word that captures the whole essence of this week is ‘relationship’. The conference, with its wide coverage of topics, basically dealt with relationships in the home; between husband and wife, and between parent and child.
Though there are many kinds of life relationships that affect the quality of our life, we know family relationship is the most basic and fundamental and powerful, besides our relationship with God. Its effects on us are pervasive and long-lasting.
Looking inward even for a brief moment about our own relationships within the family easily prompts us to certain feelings about the kind of life we live.
Gazing at the time of growing up in our parents’ home brings back not just memories but the realisation of how it has significantly shaped our life.
Obviously, the current state of relationships with our spouses and children and our siblings very much determines the quality of our present life.
Living in the midst of the myriad demands of life that frequently pull us in all directions, what a battle it is to stay focused on nurturing a healthy relationship with our own family! It requires reminding myself constantly that my life depends on it to keep it within the radar of the daily grind.
Yes, my life depends on it! I better remind myself more of this…..
Word of Wisdom
A proverb: ‘Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.’ The condition of my heart for my family directly determines the kind of life I am having with them.
What’s ahead!
This week begins a time of settling down to studies after one whole month of much travelling.
We (the Family Life Department) are also preparing for the return of the students in the next few weeks. The new fall semester will start on 3rd September. There are many events on campus that coincide with that.
One highlight of this coming week is the Early Childhood Conference - Healthy Me, Healthy You conference (refer http://cuaa.edu/) on Thursday. Professor Ben will be the keynote speaker.
Acknowledgement…
This blog is updated with the creative input of Miss Trish Wong, an incredibly talented multi-media IT savvy young lady. She may be contacted at blueshores86@yahoo.com
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