Beyond the scope of sexual past, one must consider who a person is in their present. We serve a God of grace and mercy, a God who uproots us from our old selfish life and plants us into the soil of holiness and righteousness. For those who are in a true relationship with Jesus, sexual past can no longer be the defining point of their lives.
Early exposures to pornography can leave a lasting impression on young girls. Viewing pornography that depicts acts of violence, rape or other degrading acts towards women has repercussions on an impressionable teenage mind.
There are many reasons why people really aren’t ready to commit to covenant. Perhaps you are immature, or started late in the game of growing in personal responsibility?In this situation, the best thing you can do is to ready yourself: discover who you are in God, learn responsibility, get a mentor, and find someone who can help you prepare for the responsibility and joy of marriage.
The negative stigma around going to counseling or therapy is finally starting to lift. Caitlin Zick interviews Dr. Margaret Nagib, Christian Clinical Psychologist, about how to know when or why to go to a counselor. If you find yourself still stuck after doing the best you know how, it may be time to find a counselor. Dr. Margaret and Caitlin also spend time digging into the topic of trauma. How to identify trauma in your life or from your past and the side effects you may be seeing in your life from unresolved trauma. Caitlin also shares from her story and they unpack the events, experiences and effects from trauma in her teenage years. This conversation is a great “starter” for a potential need to discover and dive into more. Want to connect with Dr. Margaret Nagib? You can find her resources or book an online session here at: thedunamisproject.org You can hear more on this topic for pastors and leaders in the Sex. Church. Culture. Vol. II E-Course (SexChurchCulture.com) from Dr. Margaret Nagib or for the females at The More Gathering (TheMoreGathering.com).
When I look at the body of Christ at large, we are eerily silent on so many things that are wreaking havoc in people’s lives—things like greed, same-sex attraction, hypocrisy, gossip, self-identification, slander, moral relativism, gender confusion, abortion, pornography, and more. Is this what truly loving people equates to—silence?
My past involves drugs, promescuity, sneaking out at night, shoplifiting, and a myriad of other dumb decisions I made, mostly in my teens. So when the “have you ever” questions pop up, they’ve learned Mom almost always says yes and Dad almost always says no (the dude has never even had a cavity, come on!).
I think this philosophy of a “soul mate” has done far more harm than good in our society. First and foremost, it’s a concept that is rooted in ancient mythology. Story has it that the gods split human beings as a form of punishment for their pride. Since then, human beings have been on the search to find their “soul mate” in an attempt to reach completion once again.
This is content that’s easily accessible. On any mainstream porn site, it wouldn’t take long to stumble upon any number of racist titles that promote offensive and unwarranted ethnic and racial stereotypes. In a report titled Racism in Pornography, Alice Mayall and Diana E. H. Russell provide examples of blatantly racist titles including, “Animal Sex Among Black Women,” “Geisha’s Girls,” “Gang Banged by Blacks,” and the list goes on.
The reality is, at some point in our marriage we may find ourselves "noticing someone other than our spouse". First, let me say... there is NO SHAME. Just because you noticed an attractive human being does not make you unfaithful or "unhappily married". God created some seriously beautiful people in this world and I am impressed with His artistry.
Let’s start talking about it. A lot. The world is talking about LGBTQ everywhere we look--so why aren’t we? Let’s talk about God’s design for family with our kids. Let’s talk about His heart for those within the LGBTQ community when our kids are young--before they ever meet a gay-identified person.
