I sit every day in the tensions of our American and Latter-day Saint conversations about faith and sexuality, both as a sexual minority who has concerns about the pain felt by many LGBTQ+ clients and others I support, and as a believing and practicing Latter-day Saint who is concerned with the growing polarization in faith communities around the ethics of sexuality, marriage and family.
Increasingly, we are hearing that honoring preferred pronouns is simply a way to show love and nothing more. Yet this overlooks both the larger ideology connected to this pronoun embrace and its real-life implications, especially in the lives of young people.
In an outpouring of all-surpassing love for fallen humanity, God sent Christ to seek and save the ungodly world by dying (Luke 19:10; Romans 5:6). God did this before sinners even thought of turning toward him (cf. Romans 5:8).
Within the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exemplify perfect love and justice toward one another (cf. John 8:42; 14:23; 17:23). God is holy and the persons of the Trinity could not treat one another any other way. His holiness is the key to understanding his just dealings with his creation, as well.
He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek (Romans 2:6-10).
Paul paints a clear picture of the divine justice that rewards everyone according to the decisions they make. However, while God may allow his creatures to sin, he does not do so idly. He warns, corrects, admonishes, and eventually, disciplines.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
A God that is Three and One, Human and Divine makes possible Justice and Mercy, Individual and Communal, Fate and Choice, Unity and Diversity, Different and Equal.
Tenets of the Christian faith, Truths seemingly incompatible with one another under human logic, yet held together by the love and grace of the Cross.
This site explores the tension between those spaces.
Is there anything as satisfying as creating perfectly tense scenes between the love interests in your novel? Or as a reader, actually reading those scenes and feeling all the feelings as you hope the love interests finally get together?
People talk! Love interests should talk! Yes, backstory can come in here, but think about the ways we interact with people we like. Do your characters have playful banter? Do they roast each other? Do they have an inside joke? Special nicknames?
Besides the fun parts that add to their chemistry, think about serious conversations they might have. How might your love interests show vulnerability? At what point in the story do they have to become vulnerable with each other? Why have they been scared or reluctant to do so? What changes in their relationship once this vulnerability and trust begins to grow?
Does their stomach tighten whenever they see their love interest? Do they get a little nervous? Does their heart speed up when the love interest does something special? These non-verbal cues help readers understand what the character feels.
Essential oils work on the mind & body to counter the symptoms of tension to help your sense of balance. Combining the soothing traits of chamomile with the restorative properties of wintergreen and rosemary fused with anxiety reducing basil, this 100% natural blend will work wonders in keeping tension under control.
HOW TO USE: Keeping the bottle 6-8 inches under your nose, use your other hand to waft the aroma upwards. Apply to pulse points (wrists, temples, back of the neck), reflex zones and other areas of concern. To create a spa-like experience, add 5-7 drops to bath water.
I found this scenario enormously stressful, as I did not want anyone to die on my watch, so even on the rare occasions when it was quiet and I could have slept, I was rarely able to, because of the constant underlying tension and anxiety I felt.
I carried this tension beyond my internship. Whenever I was on call I would have trouble sleeping, and would be generally more tense and irritable, especially with my family. I found it particularly difficult when my children were very young, as for a time I was raising them on my own, so I also had to worry about how I was going to care for them if I was called in, and always had to have backup arrangements in place for their care during that time.
As a consultant surgeon, I am on call one week in four, which means once a month for 168 hours in a row. I used to jump whenever the phone rang, and my body would go into an instant fight-or-flight response. On top of the tension of the week itself, I would feel the tension building up the week before, and would take a while to wind down again the week after, so I spent much longer being physically on call than my roster showed!
All in all, those weeks on call can sometimes be more restful than usual, for if the on call is quiet, there is extra time and space in my days to enjoy. All because I no longer live in a state of constant emergency, for I know that I am not on call until I get called.
If I live a day at ease with myself and others, then my day flows more harmoniously, I feel more steady, and at the end of it I feel complete, and do not need to seek reward for all the work I have done or relief from the tension I have been feeling.
This site is written by and for doctors, but it does not assume to provide personal medical advice. The opinions expressed are our own personal opinions, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of our colleagues.
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Learn from it, and put stuff like that in your stories. If your word count is a little light, think about what adding a mini hurdle would do for you. This was simply the start of the play. The curtain could have gone up without it; there was enough tension already. One more piece was a masterful addition.
Love this movie for all the reasons you mention and more besides. This is unusual for me, so, like you, I have tried to dissect the elements and devices that work for me. There are plenty of lessons here. Thanks, Dan.
Well, you authors need to put yourselves out there to promote which is somewhat of an opposite to what some may feel inside their modest demeanors. . . Most people are happy to meet confident writers. Sure, recluse writers seem interesting but I like those who have a sense of their talents and gifts. ? ? Shine a lantern, Dan! ?️?
I know how hard all of this can be, but this is where I am learning healed hearts and healthier relationships begin. They begin when we choose to stop ignoring dysfunctional, maybe even destructive, patterns and when we get honest. When we choose to bring these issues into the light and address them in equal measures of both grace and truth. When we pursue healthy boundaries and see them as the way to love others well without losing the best of who we are.
John 10:17-18 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.
This tension is almost always painful. It is difficult to live here. It is, as Rohr says, the foundation of falling into the abyss. So, if you find yourself in this painful tension, know that you are not alone. Jesus spans the gap with you as he spreads his hands across the beams of the cross to die, so that we might live. The ultimate paradox.
When you feel a spark of attraction toward someone who also seems to feel a spark with you, it's not unusual to wonder what that energy between the two you is all about. When you understand the scope and likely effects of romantic tension, you can more accurately assess what the future holds. Whether you're good friends or barely acquainted, you can avoid uncomfortable situations by having a grasp on your own emotions.
Before you experience closeness and commitment in a relationship, there comes the initial attraction. If you feel a great deal of romantic tension -- the sort that causes simultaneous nervousness and excitement -- in someone's presence, you are likely experiencing a strong pull toward that person based on your "chemistry," which has to do with the physical or sexual interest you have for each other, according to the TeensHealth website. Even if you never thought of a friend in a romantic light, a simple and friendly hug can open the door to more romantic feelings, creating romantic tension. If you've given yourself time to make sure the feelings are not fleeting, it may be worthwhile to address the possibility of dating the person to whom you're so attracted.
Jae Kemp has been writing and editing professionally since 2010. In addition to reviewing novels, memoirs and psychology/self-help books for major review services, Kemp has served as a copywriter, commercial and creative editor, and staff article writer.
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