Mommy-Porn. Say What?

I recently read an article in Thriving Family that brought a new vocabulary word into my brain. The word was “mommy-porn”. The article, “Christian Women and Mommy-Porn”, basically challenges women to have a healthy and holy mindset concerning sex. This got me thinking about my passion for sexually pure relationships before marriage. By the grace of God, my husband and I began our marriage on the right foot, in this area at least. Praise be to Jesus alone! Then I started thinking, about a continual pursuit of sexual purity after marriage. It’s not like the sin of sexual temptation goes away after you’re married. For the record, I hope this blog does not leave anyone feeling condemned. That is not my desire. I do, however, want to give you a challenge and a hope that is straight from the Bible. Whether you are single, dating, engaged, married, divorced, or homosexual, you are called to a life of purity, specifically, sexual purity. And, whether you have had sex before marriage, are addicted to pornography, have had an affair, or are constantly bombarding your brain with “mommy-porn” through romance novels or sketchy movies, you can change and be free. In our world and culture, this is something that requires intentionality and straight up hard work. Be intentional about choices of entertainment, whether it’s movies, magazines, or a novel, choose to put things out of your viewing that will tempt you! Be intentional about memorizing scripture. Here’s a good black and white one, “Flee (or run for your life) from sexual immorality. (I Corinthians 6:8) I think God told us to flee because he knew how powerful the stuff could be! I know from experience. I was introduced to pornography from a neighbor’s older brother when I was in like second grade. Actually, I had two neighbor friends whose fathers left magazines and videos out in the open for any eight-year-old to peruse through. Come to think of it, none of my neighborhood friends that I grew up with, spending the night at their house and all, were Bible-believing families. So, on that note, be intentional about where you send your kids and in finding out who their friends are. When I was fifteen I got a job, and both of the other workers were men, and they also had pornographic files left up on the computer. Then, as an adult, and missionary, I was fronted again with it in Spain. There are magazines in kiosks and storefront windows for eyes of all ages, and on the local television, porn is available for your evening viewing. We decided to unplug our TV in Spain because even we, as missionaries there, were not above such temptation. A life given to purity is also hard work. Our culture and society encourages us to look at whatever we want, whenever we want. On your phone, the TV, the internet, spam emails, billboards, the list goes on and on. I am not anti-social media, but I am pro-purity! If you are married, work hard at pursuing your spouse, enjoying your spouse, sharing intimate moments with your spouse, and falling in love with your spouse every day. You know, I’ve heard people say, (heck, I’ve even said it) negatively, about sex in marriage, “it’s not like the movies”. Well, of course it isn’t always like the movies. Movies are fake. They are actors. But, I think God gave us a gift of sexual purity in marriage that has every capability to be better than the movies. If you don’t believe me, read Song of Solomon. Work hard at living in grace if you have fallen to some sort of sexual sin. Confess. Tell a stronger brother. Repent. And then bask in his glorious grace. Work hard at spending alone time in prayer and in the word. This is like the magic that transforms us. Please, don’t make excuses for sin even if it is culturally acceptable. Stand up for God’s word! It is clear as crystal concerning sex. And, the good thing about the Bible is it is absolutely true.

Who Cares About the Socks?

Today I was listening to the radio and heard about the 49ers running back, Frank Gore, being fined $10,500 because his socks were too short. He commented how he was so focused on winning the game, he didn't give his uniform enough attention. I think we could learn a lesson from Gore. Sometimes we focus so much on our uniform, or how we look on the outside to ourselves or to others. You may worry your house is too small, or your body is too big. Maybe you focus on another's uniform. Their jeans are too tight, or they shouldn't wear that t-shirt to church. Remember though, they are the church, if a follower of Christ. The church building is not the house of God. Even though many mean well when they use phrases like, "isn't it good to be in the house of God", I can't help but cringe. I am the house of God. You are the house of God. The bodies which make up the church are the house of God. Let us focus on the most prized possession within the house of God, not on the uniform or the outer appearance many of us try to perfect. Unlike Gore, we should have no fine or penalty for being too focused on winning. Hebrews encourages us to lay aside anything that may slow us down or get in our way and run our race. We all know every race has a winner. I Corinthians 9:24 tells us to run our race to obtain the prize at the end, to be a winner! Lets forget about how high or low our socks are. Forget about how others might view our social status, our parenting style, our weight, or our marriage. Set your eyes on the prize and focus on winning a Christ-like heart and then sharing the lot with all you know. Ask God, now to help you see yourself in His eyes. Ask him to remind you that you are precious in his sight, that you have been bought with His blood. And ask the Lord to show you where you can run like a winner today.