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Growing Up in Pornland: How Porn-Addicted Boys Are “Sexual Bullying” Our Teen Daughters

Young girls are speaking out more and more about how these practices have links with pornography—because it’s directly affecting them.

New Human Trafficking Operation Targets Adoptive Families in the U.S.

If there's anything that social media has taught us over the years, it's that for everything, there is a market.

Random Girl Texts ‘Dad of 6’ a Pic of Her Dress While His Wife Isn’t Home—His Response Goes Mega-Viral

“My wife isn’t home, so I couldn’t get her opinion..."
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It “Cost Him His Life”—Mom Shares Viral Plea to Parents From Son’s Hospital Bed

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One Calgary mother’s plea is spreading a viral message this week about the dangers and heartbreak associated with the present-day opioid crisis.

Sherri Kent posted a photo to Facebook of herself lying in a hospital bed next to her 22-year-old son, Michael. He was dying, and there was nothing she could do to save him.

Sherri Kent

Along with the brutal photo she writes:

“My son was not an addict, he made a mistake that cost him his life.”

Sherri explains that Michael overdosed on fentanyl, a narcotic that is used to treat severe pain.

1st Grader Picks Out Green Dress for Picture Day—The Results Leave Mom Cry-Laughing

“This is the story of a little girl’s love of a green dress, and mother who tries to instill independence, and how those two things came together in the most epic and brilliant combination possible.

School picture day can be stressful for any mom. How should you do their hair? Will they smile? Which background will compliment your child the best? Can they stay clean until that shutter snaps? Our family is no exception to the chaos that is picture day.

All this was swirling in my head one crisp Friday morning in September, as I helped ready my oldest two children for their school photos. We had sat down and chosen backgrounds the day before, and I allowed both my son and daughter to pick out their clothing. My daughter chose her current favorite dress, a beautiful shade of green with sequins that highlights the green of her eyes.

Courtesy Laura Pyle

I woke her up a little earlier than usual that morning, so we could curl her hair. Together we decided that she could wear the special necklace that her grandmother had custom ordered for her as a Christmas gift when she was just 1 year old. My mother passed away from cancer before she was able to give Addy this gift, so it only is worn on special occasions.

My husband works long hours and wasn’t able to see her that day, so we snapped a quick photo in the drop off line at school to show her daddy how cute her hair looked.

I didn’t give the color of her dress a second thought as I waved goodbye to my children. This is the part of the story where all I can do is claim mom brain/pregnancy brain/lack of coffee. Had I been thinking about it, I should have realized what was about to happen.

On my birthday, I received an email with her school photo preview. I opened it up, hoping to see Addy’s smiling face, excited about how beautiful my little girl would look with her sparkly green dress and the purple background she has helped choose. I immediately dropped my phone, laughing hysterically. I screenshotted a few photos and sent them to my husband, tears streaming down my face from laughter. Our school’s photographer uses a green screen. Our little 1st grader was now hilariously blended into every single background, from the regular single-color backgrounds to the scenic views.

She’s a bridge!

Courtesy Laura Pyle

She’s a road!

Courtesy Laura Pyle

She’s an American flag!

Courtesy Laura Pyle

Courtesy Laura Pyle

The sequins on her dress made it even better. The wheat field really shimmers!

Courtesy Laura Pyle

THERE ARE 87 STYLES. I NEED THEM ALL! I originally ordered the purple.

Courtesy Laura Pyle

Honestly, I have never messed up anything so brilliantly in my entire life. Addy’s photos perfectly fit her Addy-tude, and our entire family cannot help but laugh over how amazing and hilarious they are. Where some might be upset, my husband and I definitely find the humor in our story, and Addison absolutely loves looking through them. This is an event we will cherish and laugh about as a family for years to come.

School photos don’t have to be such a serious thing. As a mother, I am so proud that my daughter was able to see these photos and find joy and humor in them. My husband and I hope to continue teaching our children that while life can be stressful, you can always find happiness in little things, even unintentional mishaps involving a green dress.”

**This story was written by Laura Pyle of Pennsylvania and originally appeared on Love What Matters. Used with permission. 

Photo of Dad & Grandpa Just Watching Toddler Throw Tantrum in Whole Foods Goes Viral for All the Right Reasons

Parenting toddlers is not for the faint of heart. Somewhere in that moment between birthing this adorably helpless infant and proudly sending them off to their first day of kindergarten, parents welcome the wonder years that are the ‘terrible twos,’ threes and beyond.

Suddenly, your little human has decided that she is queen of this world we call planet earth—and you just so happen to live in it…so make WAY.

No father could know this better than Justin Baldoni, whose daughter’s latest tantrum in Whole Foods caught the public eye in a way he would’ve least expected. You see, it is often an instinctual reaction as parents to get that kid under control to stop the embarrassment, but this dad went for a little different approach.

In what he now describes as one of his “favorite photos ever” with his father, the two men are pictured standing over their little temper-tantrum princess, seemingly undaunted by the the meltdown that’s happening six feet below…


Facebook

Two men, standing together in silence, forever bonded by an unconditional love for both each other and this brand new, raw and pure soul who we would both go to the ends of the earth for,” wrote Justin. 

“I can only imagine how many times I did this when I was her age,” he added. “My dad taught me so much about what it means to be a man, but this post is about one thing and one thing only. Being comfortable in the uncomfortable. Something I grew up watching him do with me over and over again.”

While the image captured by his wife, Emily, certainly speaks for itself, it’s the explanation Justin offers alongside it that is just seeping with parental wisdom. He detailed the life lesson ingrained in the picturesque moment in a viral Facebook post:

“There are no perfect parents, but one thing my dad taught me is to not parent based on what anyone else thinks. My dad always let me feel what I needed to feel, even if it was in public and embarrassing. I don’t remember him ever saying ‘You’re embarrassing me!’ or ‘Dont [sic] cry!’ It wasn’t until recently that I realized how paramount that was for my own emotional development.

Our children are learning and processing so much information and they don’t know what to do with all of these new feelings that come up. I try to remember to make sure my daughter knows it’s OK that she feels deeply. It’s not embarrassing to me when she throw tantrums in the grocery store, or screams on a plane. I’m her dad…not yours.

Let’s not be embarrassed for our children. It doesn’t reflect on you. In fact.. we should probably be a little more kind and patient with ourselves too. If we got out everything we were feeling and allowed ourselves to throw tantrums and cry when we felt the need to then maybe we’d could also let ourselves feel more joy and happiness. And that is something this world could definitely use a little more of.”

Now amassing nearly 150,000 likes, comments, and shares, Justin’s words of fatherly wisdom have struck a powerful chord with parents across the country.

Several have even commented that the lack of judgment portrayed by onlookers in the photo helped ease their own anxieties about public “freak outs” with their kiddos.

Kudos to this bold, loving daddy for showing us all that it’s OK to shake off the shame of being imperfect parents, and most of all, that it’s OK for your kids to be kids.

…After all, they only get one shot at it. ❤️

Steve Harvey’s Heartwarming Act of Compassion on Family Feud Leaves Contestant in Tears

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From his supercharged faith talks to taking the bullet for the Miss Universe mishap, Steve Harvey has continued to inspire America as a class act comedian, TV personality and advocate of Christian values.

The 65-year-old entertainer may be a big success now, but Steve will never allow the life of the rich and famous to rob him of his humble beginnings. As the son of a coal miner, he knows what it means to work hard and what it means to not have enough.

That’s why his heart just broke when he met one particular gentleman on an episode of Family Feud.

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In between tapings of his talk show, Steve told the story of one of the most memorable moments of his television career.

During the episode, the host recalled this contestant “sweating profusely” to the degree that they actually had to change his shirt. In his typical lighthearted manner, Steve tried to joke around with the guy, but deep down, he could tell something was really wrong.

The Steve Harvey Show
The Steve Harvey Show

“He had played three days and they didn’t win the money, and he was just a wreck,” said Steve.

Finally, this man (who was also the captain of his team) won the 20 grand, and he immediately collapsed to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

“He just fell on his knees, and he wouldn’t stop crying,” Steve recalled.

Even more curious about the man’s condition at this point, Steve remarked on how emotional he was about winning the money.

That’s when the team captain looked him square in the eye and said, “Steve, I’m terminally ill. I’ve got three months to live, and because of my illness, I can’t get insurance. I need this money for my family.”

White Mother Gives Birth to Three Black Babies, And Her Husband’s Reaction Is Absolutely Beautiful

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Families look a lot different now than they did just 50 years ago. Interracial marriage is widely accepted, adoption and foster care means that children with bad home lives are given hope in a forever family, and it’s not uncommon for a family to be made up of parents and children of different ethnicities and skin types.

Aaron and Rachel Halbert are strong believers that the racial turmoil in our country—and predominantly where they are from in the south—should never mean sacrificing a child’s opportunity at having a family.

In fact they believe it’s their duty to embrace the beauty in our differences.

Aaron Halbert

After struggling for years to conceive, Rachel and Aaron turned to a different method of creating a family: adoption. They proudly welcomed a little boy and a little girl—both with darker skin—into their forever family.

“We knew, especially in the South, that a white couple with non-white children would draw a myriad of different reactions,” Aaron explains. “There will always be the older white woman in Walmart who stared at us with sheer disgust, or the African-American mother who looked at us and just shook her head.” 

But love conquers all, and the couple loved everything about their little family. As missionaries serving in Honduras, the Christian couple was eager to bring more lives into their family.

Aaron Halbert

A short time later, they learned about embryo adoption. It’s where embryos that have been frozen in a Christian embryo bank for a number of years—in this case 15 years—are implanted in the mother, giving embryo babies a fair chance at life.

“If Christians—or others—really believe life begins at conception, it follows that we should respond by being willing to support embryo adoption and even take part in it ourselves,” Aaron explains.

Rachel and Aaron decided it would be great to be able to break the racial stigma and have their new babies “match” their siblings rather than their white parents.

Though they knew some people would shame them for their controversial and somewhat culturally-taboo decision, the couple knew it was the right decision for them. It’s not every day that a white woman gives birth to three black babies, but Rachel was willing to endure the criticism that may come along with it, with her supportive husband by her side.

Baby Screams While Mom’s in Shower—When She Jumps Out in Rage, 3 Words Stop Her Dead in Her Tracks

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It was the end of the day, and as I gathered up my youngest daughter for bedtime I realized I was tired too. But it wasn’t just a physical fatigue, though my eyes felt gritty. It was an emotional weariness. I had a handful of problems worrying me, and like rocks in your pocket, after you gather so many they start to weigh you down.

“Come to Poppa.”

I felt the call to lay it all down, and I smiled at the thought of surrender. It was all about trust, you know?

Earlier that day I had put the same baby daughter down for a nap. She seemed so soundly asleep, and I slipped swiftly out of the room while visions of steamy showers filled my senses. I was a sucker for hot water and hair conditioner, but as soon as I let the spray soak my tresses I heard her bawling plea. “Come get me!” her cries screamed, and I jumped out of the shower slip-sliding my way to her side before she fell from the bed.

I won’t lie; I was mad. I was mad that she had napped for less than 15 minutes. I was mad that I was wet and freezing. And I was mad that I never had a moment just for me. I honestly wanted to scream at that baby right that moment, but then she did something that changed it all around. She leaned herself into my body, and she rested her small head on my chest.

It wasn’t just the laying her head on me either. It was the whole act of it, the way it felt, what it implied. Her body was limp. She was in a position of complete abandonment and total surrender. She was exhausted, and her posture showed it. She fell into me, her full weight rested against me, and the feeling of absolute trust was palpable.

Her tiny trusting body felt so wonderful pressed against mine that I kissed the top of her head. Once, twice, then again, and I just held her. I held her until she was done resting in me.

“Come to Poppa.”

How many times do I cry out in anguish at my surroundings? How often am I so very tired, but unable to find rest on my own?

How frequently do I feel overwhelmed by the pressures of this world, yet how often do I choose to simply trust Him? And I don’t mean the “I read my Bible and believe in God” kind of trust. I mean the “let me fall face first into your chest and lay there in total surrender” kind of trust.

Atheist Doctor’s Last Words to His Wife Are “Don’t Call 911”—7 Days Later, He Wakes Up From Coma & Gives God ALL the Glory

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In today’s world of advanced technology, there’s often a battle between science and faith—especially when it comes to the medical field. Some would argue that science can be proven with theories, tests and cold, hard facts.

Of course, faith proves itself when a cancer patient, who has gone through the tests and has all of the scientific signs of death, miraculously survives as though the cancer never existed.

We’ve all heard stories like that, and Dr. Eben Alexander had heard them too. But he was a man of science, and had been for the majority of his life.

“When I was younger, I thought a heaven and a loving God made sense,” he explains. “But through my academic neurosurgery career, I saw less and less that that could be the case.”

That is—until he got sick.

Dr. Alexander woke in the middle of the night with what he believed to be a “muscle spasm.” The pain was so extreme he compared it to that of getting hit by a freight train. But being the man of science that he is, and the doctor who believed he was “fine,” he told his wife not to call 911. Then he was gone.

Upon arriving at the hospital, it was determined that  Dr. Alexander’s muscle spasm, was actually a rare form of bacterial meningitis that had infected his brain, leaving him in a coma.

His wife was told that he may not wake up.

Luckily, Jesus is the Great Physician, and He was hard at work in Dr. Alexander—in more ways than one.

During his time in a coma, the neurosurgeon showed no recognizable signs of brain activity, but he was on a journey like no other.

He says the experience began in what felt like a dark, formless place without memory or time.

“But then, I was rescued from that by this spinning melody of light, that came closer and opened up, and was a rip in the fabric of reality that just opened up around me.”

He continues:

“The colors were extremely vivid, with millions of butterflies, and these flowers blooming, blossoms opening as we flew by.”

Dr. Alexander explains that he was guided by an unknown presence—a beautiful girl with a wide smile and gorgeous, clear blue eyes.

“She never said a word to me. She would look at me and the thoughts would come directly into my mind, into my awareness. The thoughts were, ‘You are loved, you are cherished, there is nothing you can do wrong.’”

Dr. Alexander says he remembers being told, “We will teach you many things, but you’ll be going back.”

Meanwhile, “back” at the hospital, doctors were giving up hope, and Dr. Alexander’s wife, Holley, was facing what looked to be a tragic future.

Dear Husbands: If You’re Not Doing This, Don’t Complain That Your Marriage Sucks

This is a tiny reminder to check in on your wife’s well being. Emotionally, spiritually, and physically. She might be really tired out, but not communicating with you about it very well. It’s quite possible she doesn’t even fully recognize it herself. Women tend to absorb the stress of their family members, and if not careful, they can burn out fast. Your wife might be so capable that even you expect her to handle everything with ease especially if you aren’t hearing her complain. But she can’t keep up that kind of pace. She needs you to have her back. Don’t complain about her. Don’t let her take on the world because the world isn’t always very kind. Be the buffer.

Don’t let her work her fingers to the bones trying to be everything to everybody. This makes for a very miserable wife, and when the stress starts spilling over, everyone feels her pain.

When people are under a lot of pressure, they are less kind to others. When they feel like they can’t catch their breath, they will snap at those closest to them. If you aren’t considering your wife’s needs, don’t be shocked when she isn’t acting loving towards you. There is an old saying that expresses this perfectly: hurting dogs bite. If your wife is being negative and short-tempered, she might be barely holding it all together.

I have a great picture hanging up in my kitchen of a dashing rooster and his lovely hen. The rooster is standing watch next to his mate looking very serious. Nothing is going to happen to his chicken-wife on his watch. He is on the wall. Above them are the words, “Protect what you love.”

Plain and simple. Guard the gift God gave you.

Make sure she is getting the rest she needs. Give her downtime so she can breathe and reflect. Carve out time for her to spend time with the Lord. Maybe her days are so chaotic and demanding, she can’t even hear her own thoughts anymore. Give that poor woman a break and baby her a little. If she can’t seem to cope, make the way a little easier for her. If she is screaming at you, try looking at the big picture. Maybe she is so very tired and feeling isolated. Everything is easier as a team. Are you being a teammate? Can she lean on you when she needs help? If so, BRAVO. If not, don’t complain that your marriage sucks.

Talk with her about her schedule and see if there is anything she can whittle away. Women are really good at filling every nook and cranny with things to do. They are superheroes at multi-tasking, but eventually, crash and burn. Take off her cute little cape, fold it up, and lock it away in a drawer. Tell her to slow down because you care about her and want her to enjoy some peace. She is not to save the day. She is to take a nap.

While you are not her Savior, and shouldn’t carry that burden around, you are there to protect her. She has one knight in shining armor with skin on in this world. You. There isn’t another person that can make a greater impact in her life. Don’t let a great opportunity slip by. When you love your wife well and make sure she is holding up, she will deeply appreciate you. By putting her first, you will build trust and intimacy between you. You will spark in her feelings of joy and gratefulness. Deep down, we all want someone to love us and protect us. We want to know we matter. And we want our efforts to be appreciated. This gives us inspiration to keep going. Inspire her!

Look your wife in the eyes. Make sure there is a sparkle. Check in with her and ask her how she is doing. Pray for her. Walk beside her. Be her friend. Because this might be just the thing she is needing. If her face looks grouchy, maybe it’s because she is ready to flip out from all work and no play. We all need fun every now and then. Including your wife. She wasn’t put on this earth to simply slave away. In fact, she was once a girl. She is all grown up, but in that heart of hers are the same hopes and dreams. I am sure she has set aside many things for her family. This is precious and reflects God’s sacrificial love, but she needs space to slow down and hear God’s voice. She was created for His glory, not yours.

I am sorry if this sounds harsh, but it’s very important that you address your wife’s needs, so she can better care for yours. It’s amazing how that works out. It’s brilliant.

Pray and protect. Watch and listen. In that order.

In Christ,
Michelle

The Silent Marriage Killer More Deadly Than Sex & Money—I Wasn’t Ready for This…

Husband Leaves Wife at 8 Months Pregnant—5 Weeks Later, She Finds This in the Oven

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Amanda and her husband desperately tried to have a baby for three long years. With failed attempt after failed attempt, her heart began to sink into the hopeless reality that she may never have a child of her own. Who knew that her personal headlines would soon read, “Husband Leaves Pregnant Wife?”

Husband Leaves Pregnant Wife — And Her Community Rallied Around Her

But miraculously, after three years of infertility, she was finally able to conceive. She and her husband bought the house of their dreams, and Amanda couldn’t wait to get their new life started with their long-awaited bundle of joy on the way.

RELATED: Tim Tebow’s Mom Saved This Baby’s Life

However, her life took a tragic, unexpected turn when her husband decided to leave her and their unborn baby after she was eight months pregnant. With a little one on the way, a mound of house debt she couldn’t afford and a completely broken heart, Amanda wasn’t sure how she’d recover from the wave of tragedy that hit her out of nowhere.

Little did Amanda know, her friend Anna was devising a very special plan to give her just the spark of hope she needed to keep moving forward. Anna secretly wrote to Sydney radio show KIIS 1065, which is well known for its generous giveback segment.

YouTube screenshot

Amanda had NO idea what she was doing on the show when the hosts initially started giving listeners the background on her story.

“It’s been about five weeks since it happened,” the recently abandoned mom said through tears. “And the biggest thing is just the shock, I guess because it wasn’t really what we planned, or what I planned.”

YouTube screenshot

After the heartbreaking and emotional introduction, the hosts were ready to lift Amanda’s spirits by surprising her with the “giveback she would NEVER forget.”

The Day I Heard My Husband’s ‘Other Woman’ in the Background of His Hotel Room

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It felt like a knife to the gut. Shaking, in shock, every breath seemed to twist the knife a little deeper until I felt as though I couldn’t breathe anymore. Oh, I had been hit before, little slaps of reality, every few months.

I somehow numbed the pain before letting it do its job, before letting it sink in and hurt enough to do something about it. Anger, sadness, self-doubt, and shame, are what hit me that day I found out about the other woman, but most of all, I felt like such a fool.

I will never forget that day, that phone call, the lies and pain that followed. The blessing that was the knife that almost took my life. All the signs of the other woman were there, for years. How do you live with someone so long and not know who they truly are? Was I blind? I must have been because everyone else seemed to see it but me.

I grew up in a loving home, but somehow always chose the wrong type of guys. So when my husband came along, my family and I were swept away by his charm. Less then a year later, we were married (at 19 and 21) and moved to Texas. Life was busy, it was easy to avoid the heavy conversations and for the most part, we did.

Courtesy of Jenny Jones

A short three years was when I started to feel it. He started to withdraw, to invest in other relationships at the expense of our marriage. We would fight, talk, come up with a game plan on how to make the marriage better, but somehow always found ourselves back at square one. Lies and deceit crept in.

I thought there my be the ” Other woman.” Somehow I always fell short. I wasn’t enough to fight for, I wasn’t enough for him to give up the attention of other women. I. Was. Not. Enough.

22 God Quotes That Will Deepen Your Relationship With Your Creator

It’s often hard for us to grasp the character of God with our finite minds, but thanks to a few great Christian leaders, philosophers, poets, and thinkers we have many amazing God quotes to help us out. These God quotes will inspire you to greater faith and a deeper relationship with your Creator.

22 God Quotes That Will Deepen Your Relationship With Your Creator

1.) “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”– Corrie ten Boom

2.) “God doesn’t give you the people you want, he gives you the people you need. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you the person you were meant to be.”– Anonymous

3.) “Every man’s life is a fairy tale written by God’s fingers.” – Hans Christian Andersen

4.) “God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.” – Billy Graham

god quotes

5.) “Disappointments are just God’s way of saying – I’ve got something better. So be patient, have faith and live your life.”
– Anonymous

6.) “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.” – Mother Teresa

7.) “We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.” – C.S. Lewis

8.) “Listen to God with a broken heart. He is not only the doctor who mends it, but also the father who wipes away the tears.” – Criss Jami

god quotes

9.) “Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

10.) “Don’t worry about other people’s opinions of you. God never told you to impress people; only to love them.”– Dave Willis

11.) “Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.” Soren Kierkegaard

12.) “If you suffer, thank God! It is a sure sign that you are alive.” – Elbert Hubbard

13.) “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.” – Albert Einstein

god quotes

14.) “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing”–. C. S. Lewis

15.) “For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel.” – Martin Luther

16.) “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” – Jesus Christ

17.) “Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.” – Robert H. Schuller

18.) “God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?” – William Arthur Ward

god quotes

19.) “Spending time with God through prayer and His Word is a prerequisite for having a great life and fulfilling your purpose.” – Joyce Meyer

20.) “Pray, and let God worry.” – Martin Luther

21.) When the solution is simple, God is answering.” – Albert Einstein

22.) “As we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. And day by day, the hope of God’s light will grow within us.”–Dieter F. Uchtdorf

7 Lies About Sex — Even Within the Christian Culture

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Things aren’t always as they seem — whether in Hollywood or even as a Christian. Take Prince Hans in the movie Frozen, for example. That fool pretends to be a charming, stand-up guy. And when Anna needs him most, Prince Hans pulls an Okie-Doke on her, leaving her for dead. What a jerk. I’ll get to how this relates to sex.

I seriously think I threw my couch pillow at the tv the first time I saw it. My wife then stared at me with a look like, “Did you really just throw a pillow at the tv over a cartoon movie?”

I was slightly embarrassed. But I don’t regret my actions.

Many Christians have believed lies about sex

Hollywood has built an industry on the “Prince Hans Principle” (yeah, I just made that up). Movies will paint a character one way, then drop the bombshell. But let’s be honest. Hollywood doesn’t hold the rights to this principle. Unfortunately, things aren’t always as they seem in the real world either. This is true of people, political and social ideas, and everything in between.

If you grew up in Christian culture, the “Prince Hans Principle” applies to many things, but it especially applies to sex. I remember the first time someone told me sex was a gift from God. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to slap them for insulting God or cry because they might actually be right. In the days and weeks that followed, I started to realize sex was a gift from God.

And it changed everything.

You see, I always thought intercourse was from Satan. Christians just borrowed it for procreation or something. But the more I talked to other people and studied Scripture, the more I realized things weren’t as they seem.

Today, I see sex as a beautiful, powerful gift from God. But getting to this point wasn’t easy. And I still have baggage from the years of lies I had to destroy. Some (or maybe most) of these lies I acquired from my Christian culture. Others I picked up from Hollywood, friends, etc.

Regardless, here are 7 lies Christians believe about sex.

1. Sex is dirty, nasty, and only useful for procreation.

So, what if I told you it is a gift from God? I know. That destroys the foundation of your understanding of sex. But it’s true. It isn’t dirty and nasty. And its purpose isn’t solely to keep the world populated.

But, for most Christians, sex is like that annoying family member. You know the one. God didn’t bless him (or her) with qualities like self-awareness. But he has a double portion of obnoxiousness. You dread family gatherings because the annoying family member will be there. But it’s your family. So, what choice do you have?

Sex and Christians have a similar relationship. We seem to tolerate sex because it is necessary to carry on the family name. But aside from that, it has no real purpose. So, we just deal with it. Because, well, we have to.

What if Christians embraced sex as a gift from God? What if the church viewed sex as a gift to be enjoyed by two people within the covenant bond of marriage? What if the church encouraged married people to explore sex? What if the church taught and discipled single people to see sex as a form of enjoyment and pleasure instead of the annoying family member no one wants to be around?

We might just build anticipation and excitement around God’s design for sex. Maybe single people would want to know more about this gift. And maybe they would share their current sexual struggles because they want to enjoy God’s gift…God’s way.