March 2004 Relationship Care On Feb. 8, at our Adult Bible Class the discussion centered around Malachi 2:16: "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, "and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment," says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith." We talked about how God hates divorce, how He hates husbands (and wives) treating their spouses with cruelty and violence. We also discussed the beautiful Gospel fact that Jesus was crucified for all our sins, that He has paid the price that we might he forgiven for all our sins. Divorce, bitterness, emotional and even physical abuse of one's spouse were paid for by Jesus' death on the cross. We discussed the fact that we cannot make excuses for our sins, that we cannot hide evil attitudes behind the cross of our Lord. We recalled the verse from John 8 where Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery. "Go and sin no more." Our discussion then went to the last command in Mal. 2:16, "So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith." How do we keep this command from our Lord? How do we help each other deal with the hurts, the struggles, and the pitfalls that accompany our human relationships? How do we enrich our marriages. our family relationships, our friendships so that divorces, breakups due to anger or abuse, and the loss of what God intended would not happen? Some people in the class asked if I would lead them in the study of God's word about marriage, about our relationships. It was a moment when I believed that the Holy Spirit was pointing out a definite direction for Good Shepherd congregation. I have discussed this with several key people including my spouse Colleen and our Parish Lay Assistant, Brad Niemeyer. Brad and I see the need for the parents of our children to be more involved in their spiritual training. We see the need for all of us adults to be more like Jesus in our family and work relationships. After much prayer, thought. and discussion we will proceed as follows -    Beginning on March 7, on Sunday mornings from 9 a.m.- 1O:lO a.m., we will involve ourselves in "Relationship Care." This special experience is designed for all adults who are single, married, divorced, widowed or remarried. We will all start at the same point as if we were people engaged to be married. We will look at God's description of marriage, His word about His love at work in all our relationships (marriage, family, work. etc.) and our own attitudes & thoughts about some important issues in our relationships. We will talk about - love: what it is, what it is not problem solving, forgiving, grudge-holding, how we can practice God's design for our relationships the expectations & needs of men and women toward each other how we want to receive affection & care, how we can express affection & care for another person honesty in our relationships other topics that come up. In the course of discussing these matters, we will laugh, we will examine our attitudes, our words, our actions, we may even feel frustration or sorrow. BUT WE WILL NOT BE STILL TARGETS FOR THE DEVIL'S ATTACKS!!! We will use the holy tools of Scripture, the sacraments, and prayer to enrich our relationships and enjoy more of this redeemed life Jesus has prepared for us. It is my humble request and prayer that you will come and be part of this experience. Together with our Lord, we will strengthen each other and ourselves to live and love as God intended for us. In Christ,     Pastor Hansen

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