A Guy’s view on a Woman’s Seminar…

I’m a man of simple tastes.  I enjoy a good steak, a good football game and a good action movie. If a good ribeye is cooked medium rare and served to me on a plate, by itself while I’m watching the Packers play, that’s a darn good day for me. My wife, on the other hand, loves the Notebook, baking cookies, then getting together with her friends to exchange the cookies (then eat them) and talking about her feelings. So, when my wife told me that she was going to a women’s bible study, I’ll be honest and say, the first thing that came to my mind was a group of ladies sitting in a circle, crying and doing some sort of group hug or exchanging cookies. I really had no idea what went on at a “woman’s seminar” and to be very candid, I wasn’t all that interested in finding out. Now before you judge me and think I’m a cold-hearted person, just know that I have a three year old daughter, whom I adore. I would love nothing more than to develop a deep bond with her and I find myself constantly thinking about how I can grow the relationship I have with her. Recently, I started the reconstruction of this website, Lifebuilder Seminars. I found myself in the position of strategizing, planning and implementing this site, alongside a group of women who lead Lifebuilder Seminars. These are women who dedicate so much of their time, energy and efforts to impacting the lives of other women. I have been so impressed and inspired by this group.  I actually attended two of the seminars to get a better feel for what they are trying to do and how to best represent their vision through the website. I will admit that I have learned a great deal about how women operate. The first meeting I went to, I was so encouraged by this group of ladies. The leaders of LBS have shown me the importance of excellence in my work, they’ve shown me how to be more encouraging to others by being so encouraging to me, they’ve shown me how to organize better, how to plan better and reminded me of the importance of thinking about things from someone elses point of view. You’d think after almost 10 years of being married, I would’ve known this stuff…but hey, God is never done teaching. Through this experience, I realized a few things. For my wife and my daughter, I have to be intentional about communicating effectively with them, even when I may not completely understand where they are coming from. I have to put myself in their shoes. Thanks to Lifebuilders, I am better equipped to do that. I also realized, in seeing the women who bring their daughters to the Seminars, that I need to encourage the relationship between my wife and daughter. I thought a lot about what that entailed and it’s not just encouraging them to hang out. It’s making sure my daughter is confident by treating her mom well. After all, I’m setting the expectation for her when she leaves (God Forbid) to go get married. Thanks to Lifebuilders, I am better equipped to do that. It’s very interesting to me how someone can find so much satisfaction from such an unexpected place. I think that’s the point, though. God works in many different ways. You never know how Lifebuilder Seminars and its amazing leadership will bless you, you’re just going to have to come to one of the seminars and find out. As a pretty stubborn guy, I can tell you that if I was blessed, I KNOW you will be. You’ll just have to come to find out.