50 Shades of What?

I first saw the title, “50 Shades of Grey” on Facebook a couple of years ago.  It seemed to pop up everywhere after that.  Now there is even a movie.   When I first saw it mentioned, I googled the title to see what all the fuss was about.  My face turned red just reading the synopsis. This is what Wikipedia stated, “It is notable for its explicitly erotic scenes featuring elements of sexual practices involving bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism (BDSM).”

Yes, you read that correctly. 

I have tossed around the idea of blogging about this topic several times, but something kept holding me back; I did not want to associate my name with the title of this book/movie.  I did not want anyone to even search for the title and read ABOUT the book or movie, much less read the actual book or watch the actual movie.  But someone had to say this and I guess it will be me. 

The fact that our society has embraced something like this does not surprise me, but the fact that Christians have embraced it shocks me to my core.  And even more heartbreaking… the fact that parents are letting their teenagers read/watch this.   Just thinking about what it could do to their still developing minds is very frightening to me.  I have read in several reviews where this series of books (and now the movie) is being called, “Mommy Porn.”  (Those are two words that do not go together.)

“This is not pornography, this is art,” you say?  

noun: pornography : printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.

50 Shades is most definitely pornography. Pornography in the form of a novel is still pornography…and this pornographic novel has sexual violence and emotional abuse as its theme.  We need to beware of what we approve of and make available to our children.         

“Pornography can reach out and snatch a kid out of any house today. It snatched me out of my house 30 years ago.…The most damaging kinds of pornography are those that involve violence and sexual violence. The wedding of those two forces brings about behavior too terrible to describe.” Ted Bundy on Dr. James Dobson, “Fatal Addiction: Ted Bundy’s Final Interview,” Video, Focus on the Family Films, 1989. 

The acceptance of this novel and the movie are just the end result of how satan has used the entertainment industry to slowly entice us into thinking that this is all good.  (Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5:20 NIV)  He has masterfully bombarded our minds with sexual impurity through media for so long that when something as damaging as 50 Shades of Grey came out…our society embraced it as healthy and fun.  In 2012,  author E.L. James was even listed as one of Time magazines’s   “100 Most Influential People in the World.” As Christians, that fact should disturb us immensely. 

 

With God, there is no “grey” area.  There is good and evil.  There is darkness and light.    If we are a true child of God and His Spirit lives in us, we know right from wrong.  We KNOW that we should not fill our minds with the immoral junk that the entertainment industry calls “art”.  We have to guard our hearts and minds and the hearts and minds of our children.     

“So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires.”  Colossians 3:5

If we as a society say this type of sexual behavior is not only acceptable but encouraged, we are creating our own Sodom and Gomorrah.    

“And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.”  Jude 1:7

I am not writing this because I am claiming that I am so holy and have never watched, read or participated in anything that was not pleasing to God.  I am writing this because I have done all of those things, and I know the effects that they can have on the mind and on our witness and on our relationship with Jesus.  We have all fallen into the traps that the enemy has laid and have gotten entangled in various forms of sin, so we must remember these words from 1 John 5-10…

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

...and we must fix our eyes on things above...     

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”  Phillipians 4:8 NIV

Is the Grinch Stealing Your Christmas?

We all know and love the timeless Christmas classic,

 “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” 

 

 

 It’s the story of a disgruntled “Who” who was sick of Christmas and everything that went with it- the noise, the presents, the feasts, the singing, and just the pure joy of it all-so he decided to steal Christmas.  He wanted to take away everything that brought happiness to the Whos down in Whoville.

       

Do you know that we have a “Grinch” that is trying to do the same thing to our Christmas?  He hates the joy of it all and is stealing it away right before our eyes.  Jesus warned of this in John 10:10, “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

 

 

I have spoken with several people this Christmas season that have absolutely no joy.  Actually, they are frustrated and are dreading Christmas.  Their joy has been stolen by satan, the awful Grinch himself.  He has convinced them that Christmas comes from the store and if you have no money, you cannot possibly have a good Christmas.  He is a liar. 

    “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

Just take a look around you if you want to see how successful satan has been on his mission to destroy Christmas.  I guarantee that if you talk to 5 people, 3 out of the 5 will speak negatively of Christmas. The saddest thing of all is the fact that most of the negativity comes from Christians. We have lost sight of the true meaning of the season. 

Why do we celebrate Christmas?  Because JESUS, our Savior, was born.   He came down to this world, God in the flesh, so that He could become the sacrifice for our sins.  That sacrifice, if we choose to believe,

 buys us eternal life in Heaven with our Father. 

 

 The celebration of this amazing gift is the reason for the Christmas season.  Every time you take your focus off of Jesus and start worrying about how you will afford Christmas, satan does a happy dance.  Even he knows what this season is really about, that is why he tries so desperately to ruin it.

My husband and I have two grown children.  I bet if you asked either of them to name a gift that they received for Christmas in the past, they would have a hard time remembering.  What they CAN remember are the traditions that we upheld as a family each year, the food, the games, the Christmas movies, the love, the joy, the time spent with family, the songs of the season and the story of Jesus’ birth. These things produce a feeling of joy that will not be forgotten. 

   The author Maya Angelou once said,   “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  That is so true. 

 

 

This Christmas, don’t let the Grinch steal your joy.  Focus on Jesus and the gifts that He brings: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These produce memories that will last a lifetime.

 

“He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME!

Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?"

"It came without ribbons! It came without tags!"

"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store."

"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

Taken from How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess

 

Where Are You Going, My Little One?

Where are you going,

my little one, little one?
Where are you going my baby, my own?
Turn around and you're two,

 turn around and you're four,
turn around and you're a young girl going out of the door.

Author: Recorded by Harry Belefonte, N. Griffith and K. Loggins



My daughter, Maddie - Senior 2014

 

Yes, another "last". 

Last Homecoming. 

My beautiful princess...

headed out the door.

 

 

I pray that today you feel beautiful,

because you're more beautiful

 than words can say.

I pray that today you feel cherished,

because you are...every minute of every day.

I pray that today you feel favored,

because you're a chosen child of a King.

I pray that today you feel blessed,

because you bless everyone you meet.

 

Love, Mom

 

The Last “First Day”

Today is my daughter’s last first day of school.   Bittersweet is the only word I can think of that describes how I feel.  I realized on my way to work that it was the first time in her life that I had not dropped her off on her first day.  Actually, I think it was a little easier not having to drive away and leave her behind.  Today she drove away and left me behind. 

 

 

I guess that is something that I will have to get used to now; her driving away and leaving me behind.  Part of me can’t breathe when I think about her leaving one day soon.  The other part of me is jumping for joy that she has the opportunity to live her dreams and reach her goals.  I would never, ever hold her back from that.  Loving means letting go.

 

 

So today, I begin the process of letting go.  One “last” at a time.   Last first day, last football game, last mum, last time to cheer, last day of high school…

 

I will cherish each and every minute.    

And I will look forward to all of the “firsts” yet to come! 

Happy First Day of Sr. Year my angel. 

 

 

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

A couple of weeks ago we took 39 teenagers to church camp.  It was a glorious time! We saw lives changed and hearts set on fire. Our camp theme this year was “Called Out.”  We focused on being called out of darkness into light (salvation), called out to be different (holiness), and called out onto the waves (faith). Today I want to share the message with you that God gave me to show our teenagers when we returned from camp.  I reminded them that the first few days is always the hardest time for anyone returning from a spiritual get-away.   The enemy attacks with full force because he knows that you are on fire for the Lord.  We have to remember to keep our eyes on Jesus. 

In Matthew 14, Jesus’ disciples had just witnessed a great miracle.  Jesus had fed over 5,000 people with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.  I can imagine that their faith was strengthened and their hearts were set on fire!  In verse 22, immediately after this great miracle, Jesus sent all of the people home and sent his disciples out in the boat while he stayed back to pray.  While Jesus was praying, the disciples were experiencing high winds and heavy waves.  In the wee hours of the morning, Jesus decided to go check on them.  He walked out to them on the water.  When the disciples saw Him coming toward them on the water, they though He was a ghost. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” vs 27

"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" Matthew 14:28-31    

 

 

What I want you to see in this story is of great importance.  Jesus didn’t just stop the wind and calm the waves immediately.  He wanted to use that moment to increase the disciples’ faith even more.  When Peter stepped out of the boat onto the water he looked to Jesus to keep him from sinking.  He put his complete trust in Him.  But the moment he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to focus on the storm around him, Peter began to sink.  The key is to keep our eyes on Jesus.  In the middle of the storms that are guaranteed to come, that is the only way we will not sink.  The wind is going to howl.  The waves are going to toss us back and forth.  We have to learn not to turn our eyes away toward these things.

But just like Peter, sometimes we will look away.  We will hear the thunder in the distance and turn our eyes toward the storm.  But the beautiful thing is, all we have to do is cry out, “Lord, save me!”  Immediately He will reach out His hand and pull us back up.

Already these past couple of weeks I have had to refocus my eyes several times.  Harsh winds have come.  Lightening has been striking all around me.  I have been tempted every day to look at the storms.  Each time I have practiced consciously keeping my focus on Jesus.  I have prayed. I have read His word.  I have listened to praise music.  I have remembered all that He has done for me. It is sometimes difficult, but I know that as I continue to practice these things, it will get easier and easier. 

Today, I encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus.  The storms will come, but I promise you will not sink if you focus on Him!!

                                                                                                          

Are All Sins Equal?

Sin is sin is sin…or is it?  One Sunday during our adult Sunday School class, we had a visitor ask this question, “Do you really believe that all sin is equal?”  Several people spoke out and gave an answer based on what they believed to be true.  The general consensus was that, yes, all sin is equal in God’s eyes.  I didn’t have an answer.  I had to take some time to ponder that.  So ponder I have!

First and foremost I must establish that we are all sinners and without the righteousness of Jesus covering us, we would all be doomed to hell. That is the meaning of GRACE. 

 “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 3:22-23 

 As children of God we are going to continue to sin, but does God see all sin as equal? 

I asked Him this question and as He normally does, God showed me an answer that I could relate to.  As a parent, I set rules for my children. Some rules ensure that they will learn to be respectful, productive members of society.  Other rules are for their safety and protection…even protection from potential death. When they break the rules (sin) there are different degrees of punishment.  For example, if my child lies to me about a bad grade at school he/she may get grounded or have something taken away for a day or so.  Lies are not acceptable and must have consequences. But if my child gets drunk and gets behind the wheel of a car and ends up wrecking and hurting someone…not only would that hurt me, it would hurt my child and the other person.  So not only would he/she be punished more severely by me (take away car, grounded for a long, long time etc.) but he/she would also have to face many other consequences that were more severe, more far reaching and could last a lifetime.     

Both of those instances of breaking my rules would cause a problem in our relationship.  But as soon as my child asked for forgiveness with a repentant heart, I would forgive them.  But I would be doing a huge disservice to them if they did not have consequences for their actions.  And I believe the punishment should fit the crime. 

So in comparison, I feel that God is the same with us.  He has rules for a reason.  When we break those rules (sin) it causes our relationship with Him to be affected.  So in that sense, all sin is equal as far as hurting our relationship with our Father.  Sin separates us from Him.

The bible has many rules for us to go by like the 10 Commandments.  And yes, they do still apply to us!  He gave us rules for a reason.  Breaking those rules will result in consequences. Being a child of God does not exempt us from the consequences of sin any more than being my child exempts Cody or Maddie from the consequences of breaking my rules.  And the punishment will fit the crime…the bible tells us that He will repay us according to what we each have done.

Jeremiah 25:14

“They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands."

Ezekiel 18:30

“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.”

Revelation 20:13

“The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.”

 So what is my answer? Are all sins equal? 

All sin is equal in its effect on our relationship to God, but the

 consequences of our sins are very different.  

The Sword of the Spirit

Ephesians 6:17 “…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” 

 

 In the armor that we have been looking at, you will notice that all of the other pieces have been defensive tools.  They are for protection.  The final piece is the only offensive tool we are given…God’s word. 

 Hebrews 4:12  says “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  

 It is so important to know God’s word and be able to apply it to any temptation the enemy puts before us.  In Luke 4, that is exactly what Jesus did.  When in the desert with satan, Jesus used the word of God to dispel all of the temptations that were thrown at him.  Speaking the word of God is very powerful…we don’t even understand how much power it has over the enemy.  Try speaking it out loud when you are in a situation and you know that the devil is there trying to trip you up.  Sing songs that contain scripture.  (Most praise songs are just scripture.)  I am reminded of a song that we used to sing in choir “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised.  So shall I be saved from my enemies…I will call upon the Lord”.  And guess what Psalm 18:3 says? “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.” (Several of the songs that I have written are just scripture put to music.)

  Sing God's word out loud to dispel the enemy's attacks!   You already know tons of scripture…you just don’t realize it!   

  Use your weapon to fight with, don’t just retreat and hide behind your shield.  Come out fighting and have victory over the enemy!