What Is Bonding?

The other day I was invited to attend a Women’s group at our church with a friend (her and her husband came over for supper the other day and to watch the hockey game…this friend enjoys bashing the Canucks so it was rather interesting hearing her among all us Canucks fans in the room, anyhow she invited me to this group and offered to pick me up…in fact, anytime I want to go. She doesn’t work so she has a lot of time on her hands too…which is great…anyhow back on track…so we went to this seminar together), it was yesterday, she offered to pick me up. When we arrived I followed her up some stairs to a room where the meeting was held, I heard singing and yup sure enough I walked into a room full of ladies, most in their late thirties early forties but there were some in their late twenties too like 4 or us maybe the friend I go with is in her early thirties I think all I know is that her husband is 40 years old…and mine’s almost 30 but that doesn’ t matter right? Anyhow all these ladies in one room worshipping was a little weird at first to be honest but after I thought this is really great! Why was this great? Well I think because I have not been around that many ladies since Bible College 9 years ago and have instead been hanging out with my hubby and his friends… I have indeed felt very manly!!! Does that make sense I wonder? SO when I warmed up to the fact that "yes I am a girl" I checked. I thought I am one of them…we are all the same here in this room!!! Woohoo…it’s the whole relational aspect of bonding I guess that came out of me at this point of the meeting…I noticed snacks and drinks to one side of the room…the room, candlelit up and very soothing… we sat down or rather I sat down (because of my leg and yes I cheated a bit and walked the short flight of stairs up to the room, I do it everyday in our house too…oh and the box has not been moved yet, b/c my husband just thinks I need to be more careful …but I have almost hit my leg again…(Sorry Art~but you might not want to read the rest of this sentence) and that’s all I need to scrape and yank all the stitches out.  Anyhow…) (Ok Art start here:) We sang only a couple songs because we came late and then we sat down to listen to a couple speakers, after that we watched a couple dvds on a variety of subjects, my favorite subject would have had to have been "what is bonding?"

One of the things that stood out to me from the dvd was when the fellow on the screen said (paraphrasing here), "not just being in a room of people is bonding or connecting with them, you need to be in communion with them, talking with them and relating to them." After each dvd, a speaker would stand up at the front and ask us questions, basically it was sharing time. It was good to hear what some of the other ladies have gone through or are going through. I actually didn’t realize that this "seminar" was a series entitled: "Changes That Heal"…there is a novel that goes along with the dvds and a binder to put all your notes in. I don’t have either so I sat there with the note paper and pen, while using my lap to write on. (As if you really needed to know that though? How interesting is that? Sorry…) So ya some of the questions the speaker asked after the dvds were: "What things in your life do you hate (about yourself) that you just want to change?" I could think of a few…my height (which I can’t change I know that, but I can compensate for it by getting in shape right? so that I feel better about myself so that’s why the next thing is…), my weight (or healthiness), my confidence, and my self-esteem. So basically for the next couple weeks, or until I get a job if I get one, I’ll be attending this seminar to work on these issues…how exciting!!! Not, it’s kind of scary really~Anyhow welcome to my world, and please do fess up…if there are things in your life you just want to change for the better what would they be? You know the first step to recovery is "fessing up" or being honest with yourself and others right? Oh and the best part is I’ll be doing this along side another friend…she has even offered to go for coffee (my husband hates coffee and I love mochas so to have someone to go with is great) how exciting!!! I love relating to people in the same boat as myself, so fun!!!

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Ephesians 4

To Be Mature

 1-3In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

 4-6You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.

 7-13But that doesn’t mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift. The text for this is,

   He climbed the high mountain,
   He captured the enemy and seized the booty,
   He handed it all out in gifts to the people.
Is it not true that the One who climbed up also climbed down, down to the valley of earth? And the One who climbed down is the One who climbed back up, up to highest heaven. He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.

 14-16No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 1st, 2007 at 4:03 am. Come visit me at demara.me thanks!!