Stolen from Alzheimers blog.

It's nice to be important but it's more important to be nice.

Sat. seminar w/ Dr's Les/Leslie Parrott

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighly recommended ( email us if you need a scholarship ).

Housework Pays Off

Housework may seem like the ultimate romance-killer. But guess what? ...................

Our Workshop I - for training mentors

Think of it as "basic training". At the end of this class you will:

1. See how learning to assist others raises the level of your own relationships
2. Have tools for marital "maintenance" rather than just "tune ups & repairs"
3. Know if/when you are ready to mentor
4. Have a network of "peer mentors"  
   
5. Be able to go online to take a "certification" test

The format will be scripturally led in a round table discussion format with a facilitator.

We will use the text: The Complete Guide to Marriage Mentoring by Drs Les & Leslie Parrott, codirectors for the Center for Relationship Development at Seattle Pacific University.

We will also be using the seperate MEN workbook and WOMEN workbook.
Along w/ the class & workbook, we encourage note taking to help you develop your own mentoring style as a couple. We also encourage you to bring for "show and tell" very directly relevant & scripturally sound books, stories, and other resources to help other attendees develop perspective & insight.

Here's the general outline for our introductory class - the training of mentor couples.

Weeks 1-2

• Overview of what mentoring is and is not
• Who can do this, what does it take
• Common pitfalls
• Boomerang effect
  

Week 3 - 6

• Essential skills for all types of mentoring
• Building rapport / walk in their shoes / work as a team / agree on outcomes / ask good questions / listen aggressively / any question is possible / tell your stories / pray together / stay sharp / be yourself
  

Week 7 - 8

• Finding your niche in the triad
  
• The Triad: Preparing ( new couples ), Maximizing ( established couples ), Repairing ( challenged couples ).
• Referring to: another couple who may click or have more in common, the pastor to help identify sin issues that are a stumbling block, a counselor for immediate crisis intervention.
  

Wrap up week(s):

• Discussion of "tools": e.g.: an overview of how one chooses relevant books, websites, authors, radio programs, family outings, cultural events, etc.
• Sign up applications for the mentoring coordination pastors file
• Discussion & arraingement of mentoring pier support
  

Finalizing:
A meal gather concludes Workshop I. Time/Location to be announced.

We ask that you go to http://www.marriagementorsite.com/downloads/MM-assessment.php
and take the quick assessment to make sure you have some basic grasp of the eternal importance of mentoring marriages.

First of all, what is a mentor?

2 Timothy 2:2 provides perhaps the best verse regarding mentoring. “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”

We see four generations of mentoring: Timothy the second, Paul the first, faithful men the third and others as the fourth.

The goal of the mentor, is to produce an accountable, responsible, reproducing adult.

• I do, you watch
• I do, you help
• You do, I help
• You do, I watch

Mentoring and discipleship are similar but very different. Discipling has more to do with the impartation of knowledge and deals with the externals of how to live as a Christian.

Mentoring is more holistic and goes beyond discipling. The mentor deals with the inner things and addresses character and helps the person being mentored to develop a Biblical worldview.

Mentoring is Biblical
Moses built into the life of Joshua. Naomi mentored Ruth. Elijah poured his life into Elisha. Paul adopted young Timothy as his spiritual son. And, Jesus, the perfect example, chose twelve men that would walk with Him and learn what it meant to be a follower of God.

Mentoring, then, needs to be restored to its place within the life of each Christian. Mentoring is essential for the growth of the church. Everyone should have a mentor, someone who by reason of age, experience, gifting, or all of the above has something to impart to them at a personal level. Everyone should be a mentor, i.e. look for someone whose life they can enrich and help become more like Christ.