Family, family, family… is what it’s ALL about.

Below is the video for Heartland’s song, “I loved her first.”

I am challenging all fathers with daughters to sit through the whole video
without (at least) tearing up.

What a great song.

Have a wonderful weekend.

The lyrics are below the video.

Look at the two of you dancing that way
Lost in the moment and each others face
So much in love your alone in this place
Like there’s nobody else in the world
I was enough for her not long ago
I was her number one
She told me so
And she still means the world to me
Just so you know
So be careful when you hold my girl
Time changes everything
Life must go on
And I’m not gonna stand in your way

But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she’d find you someday
But it still hard to give her away
I loved her first

How could that beautiful women with you
Be the same freckle face kid that I knew
The one that I read all those fairy tales to
And tucked into bed all those nights
And I knew the first time I saw you with her
It was only a matter of time

But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she’d find you someday
But its still hard to give her away
I loved her first

From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
Someday you might know what I’m going through
When a miracle smiles up at you
I loved her first

Posted: June 29th, 2007 under Christian Marriage, Parenting.
Comments: 1

Below is the trailer for an important recent film, “Soulmate.”

This film is a documentary by writer-producer-director Andrea Wiley.

“Soulmate” explores the issues that are faced by modern black women. It takes an intimate look at the lives of accomplished, professional Black women who are finding purpose while single and offers practical advice from some of the nation’s leading Christian leaders.

It is difficult to find a good, Christian relationship. It is (statistically) almost impossible for many black women. According to the statistics on the film’s website, www.soulmatefilm.com, 42.3% of black women have never been married and according to recent U.S. statistics, 70% of all black women are now single.

Andrea says, about her film…

“My hope and prayer, always, is that ‘Soulmate’ will serve as a change agent in the lives of those who see it… I hope the testimonies of women in this film will inspire people to examine their spiritual lives, move beyond the traps that singleness sometimes creates for those who wish to be married and find wholeness in an intimate relationship with God.”

Posted: June 28th, 2007 under Christian Sex, News, Christian Marriage, Male Sexuality, Sex & Christian Singles, Female Sexuality, Christian Culture.
Comments: none

There is an article on the Inspire magazine website that
caught my attention.

Apparently, the British television station, the BBC, is
making a documentary about a British-based “Christian Sex Toy” site,
www.whollylove.co.uk.

In this article, one of the co-founders, Stella Hagarty, expresses
frustration that they are having difficulty finding Christians that are willing
to discuss their patronage of their store.

She says,

“Green Bay TV are commissioned to film the documentary for the BBC,
and they have become increasingly frustrated as no clergy or Christians are
prepared to speak on film about the website – for or against… As approximately
40% of our customers are clergy, this is surprising - and says something about
how sex is still a dirty word for the Church…The website provides information
and resources together with sex aids. We are a porn-free website, the first of
our kind in Europe, and do not stock harmful items…”

As you know, we have a relationship with an American “Christian Sex Toy”
site, MyBelovedsGarden.

We are very proud of this relationship and know (based on traffic and email
feedback) that many of our visitors have taken advantage of their “safe
environment” to purchase and explore the use of sex toys.

I would love to get some feedback from our readers on their experiences with
toys.

Posted: June 27th, 2007 under Christian Sex, Christian Sex Toys.
Comments: 1

A few days ago, I was having a discussion with my daughter.

She mentioned a local group that she learned about at church that was picketing “adult” book stores in the area.

I must have rolled my eyes, because she asked me why I made a strange face.

I told her about the guys at www.xxxchurch.com and how they spent their time going to adult movie conventions, passing out Bibles and attempting to bring the “adult” film stars to Jesus.

I was “in a mood” and was reacting emotionally; I hadn’t really taken the time to think it through, theologically. I just wanted to make a point.

I said, “What do you think Jesus would be doing?” And, “Where do you think Jesus would be?”

I don’t think Jesus would have chosen to grap a picket sign and stand out front of an adult book store. I think Jesus would have done what the guys from xxx Church are doing.

I thought I would pose the question to you…

Posted: June 25th, 2007 under Uncategorized, Christian Sex, Christians and Pornography, Christians and Pornography, Christian Culture.
Comments: none

A few posts ago, I suggested that we should support those media companies
that create and promote clean, family-oriented material.

Today is the opening day of the new movie, Evan Almighty.

This movie has been actively created and marketed to the family market.

It has received great reviews by several Christian organizations such as CBN.

If you have the chance, this weekend you should consider gathering together
the family and taking them to see this movie.

Based on the trailer, it looks very funny.

The trailer…

Posted: June 22nd, 2007 under Uncategorized, Christian Sex, Christian Marriage, Christian Culture.
Comments: none

Dr. Laura Schlessinger has written a new book, titled The Proper Care and
Feeding of Marriage.

I have not yet read her book, but I watched the following video in which she
promotes the book and read the free excerpt (link below) that is available. If
her book is as good as the excerpt and her comments in the video, it is, most
likely, a great book for married people.

Highlights from the video…

Advice for changing our attitude regarding our spouse and marriage:

When you wake up in the morning… “How, today, can I make his/her life
worth living? What can I do to make them want to be alive and want to be with
me?

Regarding a survey in which three quarters of married women stated that they
hold secrets from their husbands:

What kind of secrets are we keeping from the person that is supposed to
be our most intimate, our best friend, and the one we can really trust with our
souls?

To husbands, on the topic of “What do women really want?”:

How do you make her feel more like a woman?

Feminism, PC stuff, the stuff in the media notwithstanding, women want a strong
man that they can count on that will protect them and provide for them and lift
them off their feet and carry them up a flight of stairs to the bedroom?

On the question, “What do men want in their wives?”:

They enjoy our softness and our sweetness and how we take the rough edges off of
life and their own masculinity. They look forward to us taking a house and
making it feel like a home. All of the soft, gentle things. We don’t have to
give up being smart or competent at things to be a sweet woman to our man.

On communication within modern marriages:

There is way too much communication with words. Focus on touching and the
spectacular moments…husbands and wives can enjoy happier marriages if they
simply ’shut up’…there is far too much communication with words…stop
nitpicking and do nice, physical things for your spouse like rubbing their hand
or putting flowers on the table…provoke good moments. You create these moments
by pointing out and looking for these small (positive) things.

Highlights from the excerpt…

The first and most obvious issue in approaching the glory and angst of marriage
is to understand the fundamentals of the two people involved; one is a woman,
the other is a man. And that is no small thing! Sometimes it must seem to
frustrated spouses that each has more genetics in common with flies and
daffodils than each other. Not so; but if one doesn’t understand, admire,
respect, and at times forgive, the nuances of the opposite sex, then the beauty
and satisfaction that can arise from the uniting of man and woman in the most
important covenant of marriage will not be discovered and enjoyed…

Marriages are not business arrangements of coworkers or co-owners. Marriages are
the joining of two minds, bodies, souls, spirits, hopes, dreams, needs,
personalities, and different genders. Unisex clothing does not erase the fact
that men and women are very different creatures, and that they are each at their
best in enjoying life and love when they revel in those differences with awe and
respect.

Powerful, undeniably true…and very well stated.

You can find the free excerpt of her book here.

The video…

Posted: June 20th, 2007 under Christian Sex, Christian Marriage, Christian Romance.
Comments: none

Yesterday, I found this video by the Christian group, Casting Crowns.

It is titled, “American Dream.”

As Christians, we are not immune to the “daily grind.”

We have to provide for our families like everyone else. But, as Christians,
we should be more open to considering which part of our “busy” lives is
necessary and which is simply struggling for material gain that we really don’t
need. Many times, couples tell us that they have no choice about their
situation…both parents must work, both parents must work long, long hours,
etc.

Frankly, sometimes this is true. God endorses hard work and providing for our
families. But, many times, we need to consider the difference between “needs”
and “wants.”

Do we really need three cars in the garage?

Do we really need a big, brand new home?

Do our kids truly need to have “the best” of everything…all the time?

Or, do we simply “want” this to be so?

Only you can find the proper balance. But, this video might help you to think
about it…

Posted: June 19th, 2007 under Uncategorized, Christian Marriage, Christian Culture.
Comments: none

There is an article in the Christianity section of About.com that recommends the top eight books on the topic of Christian Marriage.

I thought that it was a fairly good list.

It includes several staples within the Christian Sex genre, such as Intended For Pleasure and The Act of Marriage; these books were big influences on our work. It also includes a few interesting choices such as Sacred Marriage and Hidden Keys Of A Loving, Lasting Marriage.

Of course, I think it should include Sexual Skills For The Christian Husband, Sexual Satisfaction For The Christian Wife and
She Loves God, Sex & Me. But, you can’t expect everything…

You can check out this list here.

Posted: June 18th, 2007 under Uncategorized, Christian Sex, Christian Sex Advice, Christian Marriage.
Comments: none

There is an article on www.catholic.org
that documents a positive trend…movies with positive, family-oriented and/or
Christian themes outsell movies with explicit sex and extreme language.

It quotes a study by Ted Baehr’s MovieGuide:

A study carried out by Ted Baehr, publisher of MovieGuide, a publication that
rates movies from a Christian point of view, looked at the top movies from 1998
through 2006. The report shows that films with a strong Christian worldview make
anywhere from two to seven times more in ticket sales than those with explicit
sex and nudity.

Recent successful movies such as “The Passion Of The Christ” and “The
Chronicles of Narnia” have moved Hollywood to re-organize and invest heavily in
Christian and family-oriented movie studios and films.

In my humble opinion, this new trend provides us with another opportunity to
move from the purely negative (moaning and complaining about Hollywood’s low
moral values) to the truly positive; we can vote to continue and expand this
trend with our entertainment dollars.

When there is a movie that has been clearly targeted at the family market and
attempts to provide solid entertainment without graphic sexuality or extreme
language, we need to throw the entire family into the car and go to see these
movies.

This new trend does not mean that Hollywood cares about our values; they only
care about profits. But, if we help to make these types of positive movies
profitable, we can ensure that they continue to be made.

You can read the entire article here.

Posted: June 14th, 2007 under Uncategorized, News, Christian Culture.
Comments: none