Sunday, May 30, 2010

New Calling

So my wife and I have been called to be co-teachers (along with another couple) of a marriage and family relations Sunday School class.  It is looking like it will be lots of fun.  Its getting to the point where Bonnie Jean and I have been married for longer than many people in the ward.  I wonder if that is part of why they asked us to teach it.

Its funny, because this is the one class I used to joke they better not ask me to teach.  I love teaching in doctrinal settings, so its not that I'm not looking forwards to it.  Its just that my experiences and suggestions for the class on how to hold a relationship would be based on my own neurological experience which is distinctively different than most peoples.  I mean, I can't really expect many people to get a lot out of it if I were to get up in front of everybody and say "If your feeling irritated shelf the feeling till it can be analyzed and deconstructed for its various causes, motives, and goals.  After analysis is complete, reintegrate those feelings with your principles and long term goals and form an action plan that may include overriding the original emotional status.  Once that is done then you can act on your feelings.  If you act before then, likely you won't like the results".  I mean, that is true of the way and I relate to Bonnie Jean, but very few people would even understand it much less believe that is how my brain genuinely tries to operate.

The lesson manuals (which I have downloaded as PDF's to view on my IPAQ), seem very principle based in the discussions, so I should have lots of material to use without having to dive into my personal experiences too much.  But there will be those moments that I'm sure I won't know how to deal with until they come.  It will be a wonderful opportunity for me to get to know the ward members better and for them to get to know me.  That's part of what I like teaching in a ward.

The lesson manual states I should try to review the entire course before beginning to teach it, so I'm attempting a rush through of the material before I begin to teach.  Even though Bonnie Jean and I took this course together when we were much earlier along in our marriage, its still amazing stuff to read through.  I'll be looking forwards to teaching it.

The call was extended last Sunday.

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