The Question Box is one element that is used in Our Whole Lives classes to provide a safe and anonymous ways for participants to ask questions and the whole class to hear the response. OWL Facilitator Paul Kaiser gave an example of this during worship last week. All of these questions were posed in the physical and online Question Box and Paul answered two of them with grace and compassion during the service. Watch the recording for his insightful answers.

Question: Menopause: How do we stop it? Or how do we ease hot flashes?
Menopause is a normal part of human aging and development. You cannot stop it. Even if you
remove your uterus, you will experience menopause directly after surgery. This is because
menopause generally begins when your body stops making the amount of estrogen it made for
a large part of your life. Estrogen affects many systems in your body, so when your body has
significantly less estrogen, all those systems have to adjust their expectations of how to get
through the day — and they are not happy about it. Just think if coffee was suddenly unavailable
to the entire world. Many people would be freaking out while they adjusted to No More Coffee.

What about hot flashes?
The best thing you can do about hot flashes is take really good care of yourself. Alcohol,
Caffeine, Smoking, Sugars, Spicy foods — these can all trigger hot flashes. Basically, eat well,
drink plenty of water, exercise regularly, and don’t be afraid to turn on a fan or use one of those
cold pillows when your body heats up.

Question: How is a baby formed?
Answer: There are a number of ways for babies to be formed, some natural, and some requiring
medical help. In general, a baby is formed when an egg from a female is united with a sperm
from a male. The egg then needs to hook on to a female’s uterine wall, where it can begin to
exchange nutrients with that female in order to grow.

Question: How does a girl get pregnant?
Answer: I will give a basic answer, as this question has many different exceptions and
complications. First, a girl’s body must be mature enough to be ovulating — releasing eggs from
her ovaries. Second, sperm from a boy’s body must get inside the girl’s body and come into
contact with the egg. Third, the egg must implant into the girl’s uterine wall. If all that works out,
the girl is essentially pregnant.

Question: How can I allow or welcome love and intimacy from another when it’s hard to
welcome it from myself?
Answer: If there is a specific person you want to engage with, I recommend letting them know
about your own struggle with self-love. Be honest about how you feel for this person, but also be
honest about your concerns over entering into a relationship when you are still trying to make
peace with yourself. I would encourage you to at least attempt engaging — rather than deciding
to keep yourself shut off from intimacy while working on yourself.

Question: Is masturbation okay?
Answer: Biologically, masturbation is normal and healthy. There have been a number of health
benefits found by researchers, as well. Unfortunately, some religions and other cultural groups
see masturbation as something bad.

Question: How to embrace the experience of jealousy and cultivate compersion when a
person we love is experiencing joy and intimacy with someone else?
Answer: Your jealousy is likely related to fear that your relationship is threatened by your loved
one enjoying someone else intimately. Compersion is a form of happiness, and it’s hard to be
happy when you’re feeling threatened. If your relationship is healthy, you should be able to
safely tell your partner how you are feeling: “I feel jealous.” Also make sure they understand
why. “I have a need for security and connection.” It would be super helpful if you could make a
request of them, basically helping them understand how to help meet your needs. “When you
are going to be with your special someone, could you please give me reassurance that our
relationship is secure?”