This Week’s Quick Hits:
Random October Fact:
The Orionid meteor shower is an impressive meteor shower that is visible in both hemispheres. It runs from October 2nd until early November. It is named after Orion as it is usually visible in the same part of the sky as the constellation Orion. At the peak of the meteor shower, as many as 20 meteors are visible every hour.
A Quote To Think About:
Don't just learn, experience.
Don't just read, absorb.
Don't just change, transform.
Don't just relate, advocate.
Don't just promise, prove.
Don't just criticize, encourage.
Don't just think, ponder.
Don't just take, give.
Don't just see, feel.
Don’t just dream, do.
Don't just hear, listen.
Don't just talk, act.
Don't just tell, show.
Don't just exist, live.
― Roy T. Bennett, “The Light in the Heart”
Streaming:
Maid on Netflix
Whether you read Stephanie Land’s memoir or not, I think you will be completely engaged by this new series. Alex, played by Margaret Qualley, is a young mother fighting to get out of an abusive relationship and stand on her own with all the odds against her. Qualley’s real life mother, Andie McDowell, plays Alex’s bipolar, eccentric mother. Three-year-old Maddy, played by Rylea Neveah Whittet, will steal your heart. This series addresses the trauma of abuse in a powerful way. While in Florida last week, Nancy and I watched this series with her sisters and their husbands. I promise you men, this is not a chick flick. At the beach, the guys were constantly asking, “When are we going to watch the next episode?”
Listen:
Worth Repeating: The Fight to Flourish with Jennie Lusko
As Christina and I continue our brief two-week podcast break, we again open the vault and bring you a podcast that is definitely worth repeating. Jennie Lusko talks to me about coping with the loss of her daughter and how to walk through tragedy with your marriage still intact. Jennie points out that you don’t have to have it all together for God to work. He just wants you. Grief and struggles are real but the gospel truth is that we can find hope even in the dark and that in the midst of pain, God transforms us.
Read:
The Afghanistan Papers by Craig Whitlock
Craig Whitlock is an American journalist who covers the Pentagon and national security for The Washington Post. This is his first book and it debuted at number one on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list. I don’t get in the middle of politics - ever. That is not what I am called to do. Therefore, although I read many books from different points of view, I have never reviewed one. Personally, I do not see this as a political book. It is the history of a war that has been difficult for many of us to understand. Whitlock goes step by step through the war beginning with the Bush administration, continuing through the Obama and Trump years, and finishes in the present day. Both the Soviet Union and the United States fought wars in Afghanistan and neither walked away with a victory. If you ever wondered why this war was unwinnable, I think this book will help you fit the pieces together.
Insights:
A Lifetime of Awesome Sex in Marriage Pt. 7 - Understanding the Differences
Making the effort to understand your husband or wife is essential when talking about sex. We may not totally understand the difference, but accepting them is so helpful in our sex life. Our study of male / female differences helps the conversation on sex move forward.
In regards to the quality of our sex life, what are our major differences and how do they affect us? I developed curriculum and helped teach a “learning about sex” class for fifth and sixth graders. The boys and girls were taught separately. It was so interesting that most of the boys' questions were about anatomy and how things worked physically. On the other hand, the girls' questions centered on the relationship.
It does not change as we get older: Men tend to care more about the sex act. Women tend to care more about the state of the relationship.
Here’s an example: There have been times in our marriage that I looked at Nancy and thought she was the sexiest thing I had ever seen. Meanwhile, she was still thinking about how impatient I was with her that morning. There is so much value in this difference though. We learn from each other. I learn how our sexual relationship is always better when our relationship is better and Nancy learns how valuable sex is to connect us. When we both embrace these differences, our sex life is great.
A Next Step
What difference in your spouse do you need to embrace?
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