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Genesis 4:1-26
Mark 12:29-30
“The statement that a man will rule over his wife is not a celebration but a lament. It divides and disrupts the partnership and equality they had before. “ –Udo Middelmann
"Imaginary women are always accessible, always subservient, [give] no call for sacrifice or adjustment, and can be endowed with erotic and psychological attractions which no real woman can rival. Among these shadow brides, the viewer is always adored, always the perfect lover; no demand is made on his unselfishness, no mortification ever made on his vanity... In the end imaginary women become the medium through which he increasingly adores himself. The main work of life is to come out of ourselves, out of the little dark prison of selfishness we are born in, to know God in the center of our being and from that place to offer ourselves for the sake of others. All things are to be avoided which retard this process. The danger of pornography is of coming to love the prison of self." –C.S. Lewis
“Live. And Live Well. Breathe. Breathe in and breathe deeply. Be present. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy seventy-degree day, roll down the windows and feel the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun. If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool autumn day to freeze your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be alive. Get knee-deep in a novel and lose track of time. If you bike, pedal hard ... and if you crash, then crash well. Feel the satisfaction of a job well done—a paper well written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well performed. If you must wipe the snot from your three-year old’s nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all ... because soon he’ll be wiping his own. If you’ve recently experienced loss, then grieve. And grieve well. At the table with friends and family, laugh. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then you might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then smell. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And taste. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of life. Because it is most definitely a gift.” - Kyle Lake