Category: Podcast

Released on the Spark My Muse podcast

Path to Porn..for women (part 1)

(click image for photo source)

Confession: I recently viewed porn. It’s not the first time.

And so have you.

Porn: noun
1 pornography.
2 television programs, books, etc., regarded as catering to a voyeuristic or obsessive interest in a specified subject.

In this case, it was clips from a primetime television show on NBC, not graphic and explicit sexual content. But, porn has much to do with lacking purity, and self-discipline. I wasn’t interested in either at the time. It doesn’t matter how graphic it was or wasn’t, I picked a path.

I know it’s a common path, so I’m starting a post series on porn, to get the topic out in the open. You’ve seen porn. Of course you have. That’s just simple statistics. The only thing in question is for how long, or how often…but far more importantly, why are you, and are you hiding it, and do you feel stuck or trapped? Well, the gig is up.

7 Reasons this porn stuff is a typical situation:
• Television/especially cable/dish/satillite

• Smart phones/phone with internet access or image viewing capabilities

• Internet…duh. It’s got to be reason # 1. (plenitude of images & privacy to do as one pleases=lack of discipline.)

• Over-Sexualized culture/media, especially in advertising

• Plentiful supply normalizes or excuses inappropriate or damaging behavior/habits.

• Video games/books/products

• Cultural Idolization of beauty, youth, virility, and social acceptance.

We’ll get into the heart of the issue, behaviorally, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, and find some ways to detour this path that will damage us and our relationships. We’ll help each other out, okay?

I will speak from my purview, as a women. We live in a time that is highly visual, tied to fantasy, that supplies huge amounts of voyeuristic material. It’s not something mostly “men do” (look at or participate in). Women do too.

However, I challenge you men reading to cover this topic in the next two weeks in a post or post series, or at least link to this post to support bringing this topic to light.

And ladies reading today, I challenge you to take on this topic, too, not as something that you wish guys wouldn’t do, etc., but as something that somehow effects your life somehow personally, and convicts you to somehow find a better way.

Often “Literature” and Story/Fantasy are like gateway drugs to this type of porn for women…I wrote a bit about this sort of thing in a past article, 5 Reasons I Don’t Read (Christian) Chick Books. 

Confess what trips you up.

Coming up in the next post…thoughts, feelings, and reasons you and I try the Path to Porn.

In later posts, we’ll work together to discover some resources to help and guide us: detours from the path. 

But, here’s the question for today: What particular vehicle makes porn all too accessible for you or someone in your life? Anonymous comments are always welcomed.

The Cheers “Hymn”?

Granted: We live in cynical times. Several generations of television viewers are chronically jaded from advertising so that skepticism is part of the fabric of our worldview. Consequently, now is the era that we desire to truly belong before we believe, or trust.

In 1982, there started a half hour television sitcom called Cheers. You can see all the episodes on Netflix now. The lyrics to the theme sang that an atmosphere of acceptance and grace could be found at a bar more than anywhere else… What? Not in a church on a Sunday morning? Um. yep. Of course. “Duh,” we might say.

Of course, in response some churches have made their gathering spots pubs or bars, like here…

Shoreline “Church in a Bar” promo from life in motion films on Vimeo.
But this is rather old news. This video is about 5 years old.

Sure, times have changed a lot in the last 2 decades, but the funny thing is, they have also stayed much the same. (Like in this video, for instance, have you noticed how church groups love to use fonts that feel “cool” and “with it”?)

Regardless, of where we find it, genuine belonging still matters.

Where have you felt that you most belonged? At work? On a team? In the military? In a certain group or club? In a fellowship of believers? I’d love to know.

Cheers Theme Song Lyrics
“Where Everybody Knows Your Name”
by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo

Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.

Wouldn’t you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name,
and they’re always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.

You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.

Do these lyrics below ring true for you?

Oneness/Unity (Flow Chart)

I snapped this photo of a white board at Evangelical Seminary on Tuesday. I think a Marriage and Family Therapy class was in before I got there.

The word unity can be used for oneness here.

Really absorb the elements of this visual. What do you notice?

It seems the path diverges at choice. Reflection and Confession can be chosen over blame. The result is restoration and forgiveness instead of isolation and brokeness.

It’s a lesson I need. It’s a lesson I have to impart to my kids.

What are Your thoughts?

Teaming Up with Beacon Ads

Good news!

The folks at Beacon Ads thought I had enough “blog / internet cred” out there on the interwebs to join their stable of websites/bloggers with advertising management. Last year though. Nope.

What? you say…..is this….well, you know…The Big Leagues? Um, a wee little bit.

I’ve made some big gains in the last 6 months, but I’m still what you might call an “up-and-comer” …Fortunately if you have something to promote, this also means, compared to other Beacon sites (like Donald Miller, Michael Hyatt, the Gospel Coalition, and so on, you can click this to see them) ads here are a primo value. For this year anyway…Prime Spots, and Super reasonable pricing. After that? Who knows. I could be the next Beiber of the inter webs…or I could turn out more like Screech from Saved by the Bell.

Wasn’t that fun? (If this 10 second video didn’t play for you, here’s the link.)

Remember when Zach kissed Lisa, which was totally like stabbing Screech in the back? Screech just rips his shirt in calm but potent teen outrage. (Zach was a preppy, so this was NUTZ!) Late 1980s Saturday morning television in its heyday, people.

So if you have a book, a service, an album, a blog, a product, a trendy t-shirt, or some such “merch,” consider advertising right here, at this blog. To learn more just click the Advertise Here squares, and the folks at Beacon will make getting good promotion for you a snap!