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Pedophiles Are All Around Us…

 

Hello World,

If anything good has come from this whole Penn State scandal, it is the awareness that pedophiles are truly all around us, and often they are people that are trusted and revered by others. Since the news of these allegations broke, people across the nation are admitting they were sexually abused when they were children and are no longer hiding in secret shame.

Here is one person’s story on NPR: Penn State Scandal Emboldens Other Abuse Victims

This summer when I attended the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference in August, I met Angela Williams, who shared her story of being sexually abused by her stepfather for 14 years. Williams, who lives in the metro Atlanta area, founded VOICE Today, a grassroots initiative to launch child sexual abuse as a highly visible public issue. It is a multifaceted program that engages all forms and outlets of media and is designed to bring about social change by increasing awareness and advocating PREVENTION education. Below are some alarming statistics about child sexual abuse from the VOICE Today website:

  • Numbers of children abused before they are 18 years old: 1 in 4 girls, 1 in 6 boys. Only 1 in 10 children tell.
  • 90 percent of children are abused by someone they know.
  • Serial child molesters may have as many as 400 victims in their lifetimes.

VOICE Today offers various services for child sexual abuse victims including education and prevention workshops and healing workshops. For more information, please go here.

I also met New York Times best-selling author Cec Murphey, who was a victim of child sexual abuse as well. Through his blog menshatteringthesilence.blogspot.com, he provides a safe place for other male victims of child sexual abuse to connect with each other. He is also the author of “When a Man You Love Was Abused: A Woman’s Guide to Helping Him Overcome Childhood Sexual Molestation” which is available on the blog site.

I pray that all of us, even those of us who are not parents, take care of our children…they need us…

Any thoughts?

 

 

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We Are a Bunch of Lushes…

Hello World,

*Hiccup*…Pardon me while I put down my bottle of Olde E so that I can write today’s post…I’m just kidding…

But if you live in the state of Georgia, you probably know what I’m talking about…In last Tuesday’s election in Georgia, most of the state’s 51 metro Atlanta jurisdictions voted to legalize Sunday alcohol sales. According to an article “Sunday Alcohol Sales Prove Popular With Most Voters” in the AJC, the scrapping of Georgia’s ban on Sunday alcohol sales demonstrates the slow but continuous abolishment of blue laws which are “designed to enforce religious standards, particularly observance of the Sabbath through restrictions on alcohol and shopping” that date back to the 1800s in Georgia and throughout the country.

This vote comes in the aftermath of Georgia’s legislature voting earlier this year to turn the issue over to individual citites rather than legislating a statewide ban on Sunday alcohol sales. Georgia was only one of three states nationwide that still prohibited Sunday liquor sales, according to the article…

How do I feel about it? As a Christian, I feel that we should set aside one day, the Sabbath, to rest, worship God and reflect on our relationship with Him and spend time with family and friends. The older I get, the more I see God’s wisdom in commanding us to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. He made this a law for our benefit not His…In this world of constant contact via smartphones and other devices, if we are not careful we can find ourselves working virtually 24 hours a day and 7 days a week! We desperately need to unplug – even just for one day…

Some of y’all lushes out there are probably like kicking back with a 40 is how I relax…Why shouldn’t I able to stop by my local gas station and pick up a six pack on Sunday if I feel like it?

Well, my answer to you is this verse…

“You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’–but not everything is good for you. You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’–but not everything is beneficial.” 1 Corinthians 10:23

You can buy a chicken & biscuit bowl at KFC too— but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you…This new item at KFC boasts mashed potatoes, corn, crispy chicken pieces, gravy, three cheeses AND a biscuit on the side….you might as well call it “I Wanna Get A Fat Behind With a Side of Back Roll” bowl because that is what you will get over time if you eat like that all of the time..

The dismantling of this ban represents a shift in how we approach the Sabbath, the ONE DAY that God asks us to set aside, and over time, we will start showing the effects our decision…

Any thoughts?

 

 

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Seven Surprising Scriptures That May Keep You From Getting Divorced…

Hello World,

If you know me, you may be wondering why I, a single woman (with a boyfriend), would be qualified to write a post about divorce prevention…Well, I submit this…What’s the best way to not get divorced? My answer: Not Marry The Wrong Guy…And that I have managed to do so read on…

Today’s post is dedicated to my fellow soon-to-be single sister Kim Kardashian, who as we all know by now, opted to file for divorce from NBA player Kris Humphries after a mere 72 days…But this isn’t her first divorce although her first ex-husband Damon Thomas, a music producer, was reported to file for divorce in this marriage…

The next time that Kim K. decides to get married (and I’m betting that she will since she really seems to want to be a wife), I suggest that she crack open a Bible…Reading these surprising scriptures will likely give her a new perspective on what to look for…

Everyone at some point has heard about 1 Corinthians 13 aka The Love Chapter or he that findeth a wife findeth a good thing or the be equally yoked verse.While these are great verses, they are used over and over again to help people select a mate…The Bible is full of other great but not as popular verses that just may surprise you…

  1. “Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.” Genesis 24:14  Maybe Kim should consider an arranged marriage (Read the whole chapter for the entire story)….Before you start rolling your eyes, just think about it…The divorce rate in this country should make all of us reconsider what constitutes marriage. Check out this interesting article “Marriage Around the World” on Oprah.com.
  2. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. ” Romans 12:2 In the world of the Kardashians, it seems that only athletes (Bruce Jenner, Lamar Odom, Kris Humphries) or people somehow connected to Hollywood are suitable mates. Kim should try dating outside of her family’s type and maybe then she would be able to make a more informed decision about whom to marry…Dating outside of Hollywood via Match.com worked for Essence Atkins of TBS’ ‘Are We There Yet?’
  3. “Where no wise guidance is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Proverbs 11:14  It has been reported that Kim & Kris recently saw the pastor that married to help them get closure. I hope that Kim continues to seek guidance from a pastor or a therapist to help her sort through her issues in her failed marriages. If you are the common denominator in a pattern, then you must address it…And she is in Tyler Perry’s new movie “The Marriage Counselor!”
  4. “So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.” Genesis 29:20 From various conversations I’ve had with men and personal experience, I’ve learned that men respect you more when they work to get your love. Kim & Kris met, married & will divorce in just over a year…Maybe if Kim had let Kris work for her love for a long while, she may have discovered that he just wasn’t The One…
  5. “His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my lover, this my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.” Song of Solomon 5:16 I think your husband should be your lover and your friend…Being someone’s lover can happen automatically, but being a friend takes time…From what I’ve read, Kim eloped in her first marriage when she was just 19 years old suggesting an impulsive pattern that just isn’t working for her… patience is a virtue…
  6. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 Maybe Kim should take a break from dating and develop her relationship with God first. Maybe if she seeks God first instead of a mate, He may bless her with a mate that is beyond her wildest dreams…They say the right one typically shows up when you’re not looking…
  7. “Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am.” 1 Corinthians 7:18 This verse brings me back to my original point. The best way to prevent divorce is to not get married…After all, marriage ain’t for erebody…Just ask Halle Berry…

Do you have any advice for Kim? Comment and let me know…

Any thoughts?

 P.S. I hope I don’t sound mean…what do you think?