We're overdue for a give-away!

This give-away is a bit random in nature, but I was inspired by seeing this on Facebook. Grab the nearest book to you and turn to page 56. Scroll down to the 5th sentence on the page and copy and paste it into your reply on this post. Don't forget to leave your email if you don't have a blog profile I.D., so we can find you if you win. One week from today, we will draw for 3 winners and each will receive a signed copy of my newest release, 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter. In fact, I'll let you pick between the book or the new Bible study workbook. Best of luck!

Oh, and just for fun, I turned to page 56 of 5 Conversations and here is the 5th sentence: "And for the record, if the pediatrician isn't worried, you shouldn't be either." Pretty random!

Not your grandma's wedding

I found the following article from Newsweek.com regarding new bridal trends rather depressing:

Like a Virgin No More
Why modern brides are opting for racy gowns, wild bachelorette parties and sexy Maxim-style pre-wedding photo shoots.
Jun 4, 2009

Two decades ago, when young girls wondered how brides were supposed to look and behave, they'd most likely conclude—with some prompting from Cinderella—that on their big day they'd be a princess. They'd be blushing, virginal and wrapped from head to toe in tulle and lace.

So why is it that these days, some brides seem to be taking their cues more from Jessica Rabbit than Cinderella? More vamp than virgin, they're having bachelorette parties that are as raunchy as their fiancés' sendoffs. They're selecting cleavage- or lower-back-baring bridal gowns that might get a gasp from conservative relatives. "A big-selling style is a sheer lace corset midriff," says Millie Martini Bratten, the editor in chief of Brides magazine. "It's clearly meant to look like you're seeing through someone's shirt." And today's wife-to-be is hiring photographers for what are called "boudoir shoots," where they pose Maxim magazine-style in lingerie or nothing at all and give the prints to their grooms—a trend that Bratten says began about three years ago. (Click here to read the remainder of this article.)

The article goes on to cite the trend of cohabitation as a contributing factor to the escalation in bridal trends that seem more centered on lust than love:

Couples are also living together before they get married, of course. About six out of 10 brides check their single lives at the door of a shared apartment years before their wedding day. In response, sociologists say, the sexier dresses and the handoff of pin-up pictures—which was introduced into the wedding prep about three years ago—are ways to add spark to an already-established couple's sex life and mark the marriage as a monumental life change.

"When a girl left her parents' house to be married, she was making an enormous transition," Wallace says. "The wedding celebration was to help her negotiate the change. Now very often there is no functional difference between marriage and living together." And some of the new emphasis on sexuality is an effort to mark the occasion in a new way.

In 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter, I devote an entire conversation to the topic of marriage and motherhood. As part of the necessary "conversation," I encourage mothers to candidly discuss the consequences of living together prior to marriage before their daughters leave the nest. Many Christian girls are justifying the decision to live together prior to marriage, some even claiming it is a necessary cost-saving measure in today's economy. The devaluation of the marriage ceremony is only one consequence of playing house before the wedding. There is a direct link between cohabitation and marital problems on down the road (separation, divorce, infidelity, etc...). We owe it to our daughters to give them all the facts lest they buy into the popular opinion of the day.

How about you? Have you noticed this trend of raunchy bachelorette parties, racy bridal gowns, or one-time "good Christian girls" shacking up before their wedding day? Maybe it's because I'm in the Bible belt, but I've not witnessed the trend of racy bridal gowns at the half a dozen or so weddings I've attended over the past couple of years. They have erred on the side of innocent rather than inappropriate. Now, senior prom dresses are another story. I think we'll save that topic for another day!

Looking for a new routine?

Being a Christian is not about "playing it safe." I've never been one to hug the beam, but I have been guilty of resorting to the same-old dull routine. Lately, I've felt like God has been nudging me to upgrade my routine with some bold, new moves. It's time to throw a cartwheel or two. I could end up with some bumps and bruises along they way, but hey, it sure beats hugging the beam. Wanna join me?

The Michael Jackson I will remember...

On a hot summer evening in July, 1984, I was among the spectators in a sold-out crowd of 40,000 people at the Texas Stadium in Dallas, Texas who had come to see Michael Jackson perform live. I was 20 years old and it was the summer before my junior year at the University of Texas. As a high schooler, I had fallen in love with Michael Jackson's music while driving around (cruising the Sonic in Irving, Texas) on weekend nights with my friends and listening to a Motown cassette tape. I knew every word to "I'll Be There," and "Rock With You." Thriller released during my freshman year of college and I doubt there is anyone my age who didn't watch the music video with sheer amazement.

When the Victory Tour was announced in 1984, it was a no-brainer that I would go. The only question was Dallas or Houston? I'm glad I chose Dallas because it just so happened to be the only stop where Eddie Van Halen joined Michael and his brothers onstage to perform his signature solo on the song "Beat It." Oh yes he did.

While I'm sad that Michael's life took the turn that it did, I am glad that I was able to witness his tremendous God-given talent up close on that evening in 1984. The clip above is from the Victory Tour. If you're my age, you might enjoy seeing some of the people in the crowd. The 80's were grand. Regardless of your age, you will want to see Michael's dance moves at 3.35 and 5.46 in the clip above. The place went nuts when he started moon-walking across the stage. I'm sure I was among those screaming in the crowd. My friends and I had logged many hours attempting to duplicate the move in our white ankle socks on slick kitchen floors.

A few fun trivia facts about the Victory Tour: (according to Wikipedia)

The Jacksons' Victory Tour was the group's final concert tour of the United States and Canada in 1984. The tour commenced on 6 July in Kansas City and concluded on 9 December in Los Angeles.

The tour reunited all Jackson brothers including Michael, who had just released the highly successful Thriller album in 1982, two years previous to the tour, and Jermaine Jackson who had not recorded or toured with his brothers since they left Motown in 1975.

The tour consisted of 55 concerts to approximately 2 million fans.

The tour reportedly grossed $75 million and set a new record for the then-largest grossing tour.

Michael's whole share of the proceeds from the tour were donated to charity.

The set list did not include "Thriller" itself. Despite rumours suggesting Thriller was not included for spiritual reasons, Michael reportedly was not satisfied with the way the song sounded live.

There was a huge ticket controversy surrounding the tour. Fans wanting to see the concert had to buy the tickets in blocks of four (at a cost of $30 per ticket), with a limit of one block of four per address. Tickets had to be paid for using a US Post Office money order, using the original application form found in participating newspapers and copies of forms were not allowed. Because of these requirements, some post offices had run out of money orders. How I managed to jump through all those hoops as a scattered college student still remains a mystery to me. I do recall driving to the post office by campus nearly every day the week prior to the concert to see if my tickets had arrived. They arrived the day before the concert and we piled into my car the following day and made the road trip from Austin to Dallas. And boy am I glad we did. I will never forget that Michael Jackson. The white sequined glove...moon-walking across the stage...Beat It...Billie Jean...Rock With You...Shake Your Body. Never.

What's your favorite MJ song?

NOTE: As an update to this post, please note that by sharing a post that centers on my nostalgia associated with attending a Michael Jackson concert in 1984, I am in no way endorsing or excusing his unconscionable behavior in the years that followed. I realize that there are many opinions regarding Michael Jackson, the person. I too, am greatly disturbed by the allegations that followed a decade of more later. I felt it necessary to clarify this point after receiving a comment from a concerned reader who felt the post might be misunderstood. The post was intended to be a celebration of the music that undeniably marked an era...not the man that followed.

A step at a time

Last week, God answered a prayer and delivered some much-needed wisdom in a rather creative way. I have a dear friend who is a new believer with somewhat of a similar testimony to my own. (Translation: A one-time doubter who was previously critical of Christianity and viewed it as a crutch for the weak). It has been exciting to watch my friend's journey of discovery from the sidelines and witness God's relentless pursuit of his heart along the way. I count it a privilege to be one of many "gardeners" who have been granted the task of planting and watering seeds of salvation into his life. (1 Cor. 3:6)

Witnessing my friend's journey has served as a reminder that we are all at different places in the journey. Too often, I write and speak to my audience without taking the time to filter the presentation of the message through the eyes of a skeptic or new believer. It's easy to become desensitized when talking with others and assume that we're all tracking along in the Christian journey at the same pace. I cringe at the thought of how many times I may have launched into a mini-sermonette with someone, seasoned with churchy-sounding lingo only to be met with a blank stare in return.

Last week, I checked in on my friend to see how he was doing. He expressed that he was experiencing some discouragement, which is all too common for a new believer. Seeing the length of the Christian journey before him after coming out of the starting blocks strong, he found himself overwhelmed and frustrated with his lack of progress. Similar to those maps you find in amusement parks that conveniently mark "YOU ARE HERE" and provide the route to your targeted destination, my friend was caught off guard by the distance from point A to Z. I encouraged him to stay the course and more importantly, prayed that God would further encourage him.

After praying for him, I took a few minutes to try and remember back some 24 years ago when I found myself in the same place in the Christian race as a new believer. Since I often mark up my Bibles in the margins, I felt compelled to grab my first study Bible off the shelf that I carried in my first five years of being a new Christian. After brushing a layer of dust off the cover, I opened the Bible and began to fan through the pages. It is not uncommon for me to find notes tucked away in my old Bibles, some written on offering envelopes or old event program guides, marking my journey along the way. As I flipped through the Bible that marked the beginning of my journey, I found many notes written in the margins, but only one loose piece of paper tucked in the pages.

I could hardly believe it when I read the title of a page that I had torn out of an old "Daily Bread" devotional: "A step at a time." As the only scrap piece of paper tucked in my Bible, it obviously had significant meaning at that time in my life. The key verses were from Colossians 2:6-7 which says, "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude." The first paragraph of the devotion reads:

Scripture portrays the Christian life as a process of growth in which we advance from one stage to the next. From spiritual infancy to maturity, from milk to strong meat, from being rooted in Christ to being firmly established. We may want to be grown up all at once, but we must learn to take one step at a time.

What I found most interesting is that the entry was dated Wednesday, June 7th. Having become a Christian in 1985, I wondered if perhaps I had torn the page out within the first year of my journey. I pulled up an old calendar to solve the mystery and discovered that June 7th fell on a Wednesday in 1989, not quite four years after I had begun the Christian journey! Four years? Shouldn't I have felt like an old pro by then? Probably not, since some 20 years later, I still don't feel like an old pro!

As I reflected on my state of mind in 1989, some five years after making my leap of faith in 1985 as a single college student, I quickly realized why the devotion must have spoken to my heart at that time. I was now a married, stay-at-home mom of a one-year old and probably feeling way in over my head. I was surrounded by seasoned believers (including my own husband) and no doubt, I was feeling frustrated over my own self-perceived lack of progress. I guarantee you that I couldn't have spelled "Colossians" at the time, much less found it without looking it up in the table of contents in the front of the Bible! And trust me, there are some books in the Old Testament that I am STILL having to resort to the table of contents to find even today!

It's been two decades since I left that devotional page in my Bible and yet its wisdom still speaks to my heart today. While I have certainly matured as a believer, I am far from having my act together, so to speak. In fact, I have found that the longer I am a believer, the further it seems I have to go in the journey. Oh sure, I can distinguish between the Old and New Testaments now, spell "Colossians," flip to Bible passages much faster, and have an arsenal of Bible verses memorized, but I am still slow at times to apply God's truths to my everyday life.

My friend made the statement that his progress seems more like taking "baby steps." I think if we're all honest, we can relate to feeling like we're taking "baby steps" throughout various legs of the race that mark the journey to Christian maturity. Sometimes our progress will seem slower than at other times, but it is essential that we keep moving forward with our eyes fixed on the finish line. And for the record, I wouldn't be one bit surprised if twenty years from now, my friend has logged many hours cheering others along in the journey, myself included! I can hardly wait. ☺

The demasculation of Scout, the wonder-pup

Clearly, we have way too much time on our hands this summer...