1. OPEN TO MARRIAGE, OPEN TO CHILDREN: OUR IDENTITY AS GOD’S CHILDREN

2. AREN’T PEOPLE ALREADY OPEN TO MARRIAGE? HERE ARE SOME MARRIAGE STATISTICS:

3. WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE NOT OPEN TO MARRIAGE?  Not Ready  Still in School  Not enough money  Not enough education  Haven’t found “the right one”  Disillusioned by parents, society, divorce  Homosexuality  It’s a trend  Don’t believe the Word of God  What’s marriage?

4. WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT MARRIAGE? WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY ABOUT MARRIAGE?  God makes us male and female  God joins husband and wife together for life  God gives man work and woman as a helper  3 purposes: lifelong companionship, intimacy, and procreation of children  Marriage of husband and wife is a picture of Christ and His Church

5. AREN’T PEOPLE ALREADY OPEN TO CHILDREN? HERE ARE SOME CHILDREN STATISTICS:

6. WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE NOT OPEN TO CHILDREN?  Not Ready  Still in School  Not enough money  Not enough education  Haven’t found “the right one”  Disillusioned by parents, society, divorce  Personal problems: emotional, mental, spiritual; addiction, depression, homosexuality  It’s a trend  Don’t believe the Word of God  What’re children?

7. WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT CHILDREN? WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY ABOUT CHILDREN?  God commands and blesses: Be fruitful and multiply!  Children are gifts, blessings, a heritage, a reason to rejoice!  Children are often sweet, cute, fun, funny, they bring joy  Children are the only blessing in this life we can bring with us to heaven  God wants more children be in the Church and in heaven with us

8. 101 REASONS TO HAVE [MORE] CHILDREN [SOONER]

9. EMBRYO – FETUS – BABY- HUMAN CHILD  “Pro-choice:” not for choice, but for prevention and murder  “Reproductive rights:” not rights, and not the right to reproduce, but the right not to reproduce  “Family planning:” planning not to have a family  “Contraception:” against conception  “Birth control:” does not control birth, but conception – of children  Conception control: Who’s in control?  Open to marriage  Open to children  Open to possibilities which are limitless and known only to God!  Adoption: the loving option  Conceived in sin, yet promised faith, grace, Baptism, God’s Word, Church, Absolution, salvation, and heaven!  Say what God says! Think about children the way God thinks about them!

10. BABY – TODDLER  Loud, messy, self-centered, complaining  Impediment to education, money, travel, career, happiness, fulfillment, friendship, health  If you do want them someday, have them later, and have fewer  Babies are gifts and blessings from God  Babies are little people, created in the image of God, which is restored in Baptism, fully in the resurrection of the body  Learning to listen, learning to speak  Observing everything you do, say, don’t do, and don’t say

11. YOUNG CHILD  “Sexual from birth”  Needs more information, sooner, about everything  Here by chance, not by God’s design  Beginning school, learning more about the world around him or her  Asking questions about God, Jesus, Church, babies, family  God gives husband or wife as a gift or blessing!  God creates babies!  “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

12. TEENAGER – ADOLESCENT  Priorities: sports, popularity, success, grades, education, money, job, career, travel, self-fulfillment, happiness  Time to make your own decisions about intercourse, parenthood, children (in whatever order you like), time, self-identity, church & faith  Whose are you?  What’s your identity?  What do you want to be when you grow up?  Marriage?  Children?

13. YOUNG ADULTS  First things first: happiness, education, career, wealth, own a home, travel, self-fulfillment  Most will leave the Church  Most who leave won’t come back  What’s the foundation?  Whose are you?  What’s most important?  What if God wants to give you a husband or wife?  What if God wants to give you children within your marriage?

14. MIDDLE AGED  Priorities: career, vacation, travel, kids’ sports, stress, schedule  Looking for a better car, better home, better vacation or travel, maybe a better spouse  Done parenting?  Whose are you?  What’s most important?  How do you encourage others by teaching and by example?

15. RETIRED  Now what?  Identity: achievements, pension, career, house, self-worth  Grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother, sister  Encourage marriage and family  Lead by example: worship, daily prayer, works of service

16. END OF LIFE  What’s his or her “quality of life?”  Pain prevention even at the cost of life  God gives value to every human life at every stage of life, from conception until death.  For God, every life has infinite “quality.”  God will take you to heaven when He’s ready!

17. HOW CAN I BE OPEN TO MARRIAGE?  Young or old  Single, married, or widowed  Fertile or barren  Public, Private, or home schooled  Working inside or outside the home, or retired  Child or parent  Created, Baptized, called, redeemed, made holy (sanctified), forgiven, blessed

18. HOW CAN I BE OPEN TO CHILDREN?  Young or old  Single, married, or widowed  Fertile or barren  Public, Private, or home schooled  Working inside or outside the home, or retired  Child or parent  Created, Baptized, called, redeemed, made holy (sanctified), forgiven, blessed