Porn, and sexuality in general, can be very sensitive and personal topics. Consider how people tend to get pretty defensive and have the most emotional response to personal topics. Bringing porn up in terms of how you are involved with the movement in your life could be a softer opening to the topic. Talk like you’re telling your own story, and they’ll ideally respond with theirs.
Once punishment is off the table, however, how do we move forward? First, we need to establish that both people in the relationship have the goal of restoration and are ready to do the challenging work of restoring connection and rebuilding trust. If the offending party is not repentant, or the injured party is not willing to forgive, they won’t be able to move toward each other.
When are the true Believers going to step out of the crowd of cowards and pioneer a path forward with divine wisdom, supernatural strategies, and offer the world transformative love that actually does conquer a multitude of sin?
Toxic relationships can bring you down in a way that not many other things can, because relationships are such an integral part of our life as human beings. It’s important to recognize the signs of a toxic relationship so you can begin distancing yourself from them long before you get attached.
During the pandemic, more kids than ever are staying in touch with friends with technology. We’ve received a significant number of parents asking us about what apps their younger kids should be using during these unusual times. We’ve been giving lots of advice and we finally documented it in this blog post where we’ve profiled three possible solutions:
Pornhub crosses all lines and boundaries in their thirst for traffic and money. Even in the wake of the #metoo movement, which has brought mass awareness and justice around sexual misconduct, Pornhub has somehow gotten a pass. Yet, they have failed on all humane levels to qualify as a legitimate business and must be shut down. Until they are, we will see more victims, more child sex abuse material, and more money fueling an enterprise bent on protecting and profiting off of sex crimes.
Cole and Caitlin Zick invite us into a very raw and authentic take of their stories. What would it look like if parents healthily and intentionally talked about sex where they understand God’s full design for sexuality and that He said YES, not no? They’ll talk about helpful tools for taking an inventory on the impact your childhood had on your current perspective of relationship and sexuality. In that, the depth of your vulnerability will determine the completeness of your healing and wholeness in your marriage.
As stress happens in your brain, it will turn off the relational part of your brain and send it into problem-solving mode. You and your husband may have different ways of solving the problem but because your brain has “turned off” the relational mode, it’s difficult to appreciate his strategy. You both just want the problem to stop! Whatever the challenge, remember that relational problems need relational solutions. Wait, pray, and talk through things once you are in a good emotional state and can see your husband as a resource and a teammate.
He told me that I needed to forgive the people who abused me or I would open the door to the tormentors in my life. It wasn’t easy at first but I realized that He had given me the power to forgive when He forgave me. Joyce Meyers said, “Unforgiveness is like drinking deadly poison and thinking the other person’s going to die.”
When someone is happily married, society has taught us to just give it time. Someone will fall out of love. Someone will screw up. Someone will decide marriage no longer suits them. Just give it time. And when we meet a couple who has been married for quite some time and they are still happily in love, we treat them like an anomaly- a unicorn of romance that must be documented and studied closely. This is the world we live in.
