REAL SEX the naked truth about chastity

I am sure that the title has already shocked many of you. That is what I wanted to do. Sex. In today's world it has become so impersonal and almost robotic. Anyone can have relations with someone else and it is not considered a big taboo. Does anyone else find this wrong?

I am currently reading a great non-fiction book by Lauren F. Winner. This is a very well written book. The title, REAL SEX captures readers eyes. How should sex be viewed, especially by Christians, and why should we wait? These questions are answered, and many more in the book. I recommend that you go to your library or local bookstore and check it out. You may be older, and you may be younger, but what you learn between the covers can help you understand those around you and allow you to be able to evangelize to others. It is so hard to explain why we don't have sex before marriage. The line, "Because God tells me not to," isn't good enough for others.

I sincerely believe that if you don't know how to talk about sex with others, or do not understand that sex is something to be cherished and saved for marriage, then read the book.

I give this book 4 stars.

Impersonal

Today I had to call my internet provider because our wireless internet was not working and I tried everything to fix it. Anyways, I sat on the phone for 50 minutes listening to elevator music and recorded voices and was reminded of how I live in a secular world. Not that having recorded voices is secular, but that it is so impersonal and there is no connection. I just had this feeling that God wants more from us than a recorded saying.

Our prayers are normally the exact same thing, and I have to admit that I am often repeating the same prayer. For example, when I pray for a meal I normally say, "Dear Jesus, thank you for this beautiful day and bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies... Amen." I may add some things like thanks for keeping family safe during travels or whatever, but still, it is like I am a robot, saying what I always say, in a recorded sequence.

When will we learn that God is there for us to talk to, to listen to, to love and care for. God knows us more intimately than we know ourselves. He is in our lives whether we want him there or not, because he is our father. If you didn't want your parents in your lives, not wanting to remember them and memories with them, well you are out of luck. They raised you, hopefully, and no matter how hard you want to forget, they will always be there. What really bothers me is that we think we can do that to God. Forget him and what he has done for us. Maybe even imagine that he doesn't exist.

We are in his image, not some robots. We need to stop acting like it. We have a choice to follow him. God did not make us to not react or to not be able to choose or love. He made us like him, creative, unique, entrepreneurs. It is time to stop staring at the television screen and start making something useful of our lives.

Do you pray to God like he is really there? I often don't. I catch myself in the middle of a prayer sounding so monotone and rushing it just so I can get it over with. Don't do that! Pray like you mean it. Pray like it matters. Do you praise God? Do you thank Him for everything you have?

Like I said, we aren't robots, we have feelings, we have emotions. Time to start feeling them. React to life. Live life. God gave it to us for a reason, so it is time to stop sitting around. No more couch potato. Why are so many people more interested in going to the next hit movie than going to church? Why does no one pray anymore like they mean it, and not just asking God for something? Why are our lives considered landfills? We waste so much, destroying the earth and our bodies. Time to take a stand and realize that God wants us to live to our full potential.


"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win." I Corinthians 9:24

Janet Nitsick, Bonnie Leon, and Gayle Ropers Giveaways

Check out K. Dawn Byrd's blog for a chance to win Wings of Promise, Seasons of the Soul, and Shadows in the Sand. There is also a link to go to the sister blog and win a tee shirt and novel. Go check it out! An amazing deel. This summer I have received over 15 books from entries that I have entered and won. That is a lot of money if you think about it. Get your chance to win these books.

Check out the website at http://kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com/


Seasons of the Soul by Janet Nitsick

Cover blurb
 "'Help!' said the eyes of my husband, Paul, as he stared glassy-eyed at me. He was submerged in the deep end of the hotel's swimming pool. Quickly, I swam over to him ... to pull my oldest autistic son, Brad, off of him. ..." This begins one personal story presented in Seasons of the Soul, a 20-short-story collection written by Janet Syas Nitsick. Change is a fact of life, and that change is experienced through each person's own seasonal, spiritual journey. Janet and Paul's spiritual walk includes two autistic sons. Seasons of the Soul, an inspirational book ... will make readers laugh, smile, cry and know God heals the hurting soul.

Wings of Promise by Bonnie Leon

Cover blurb

 Her spunk has always gotten her through tough times. But does she have what it takes to go the distance?
Kate Evans may be a woman in a man’s profession, but as Alaskan bush pilots go, she is one of the best. If only her personal life wasn’t so complicated. Torn between her affection for fellow pilot Mike Conlin and doctor Paul Anderson, Kate longs for clarity in her heart. But when a terrible tragedy occurs, her mind may be made up for her.

Shadows in the Sand by Gayle Ropers

Cover blurb Carrie Carter’s small café in Seaside, New Jersey, is populated with a motley crew of locals…although Carrie only has eyes for Greg Barnes. He’s recovering from a vicious crime that three years ago took the lives of his wife and children—and from the year he tried to drink his reality away. While her heart does a happy Snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her, to Carrie’s chagrin.

When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries…and into her life. But when Carrie’s own painful past becomes all too present, her carefully constructed world begins to sink. She and Greg struggle with God’s help to find a way to keep the fragile relationship they’ve built from imploding under the weight of the baggage they both carry.

Check out the website at http://kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com/

Blind Side by Catherine Coulter

With two cases to solve Catherine Coulter couldn't have made the novel more thrilling. Savich and Sherlock, an FBI couple known for their crime fighting skills, are called in to assist on the investigation of the deaths of 5 teachers in Washington. If a serial killer wasn't enough, Savich's best friend and former FBI agent, Miles Kettering, discovered that his son Sam was kidnapped and must race against time to save him before any harm can come to him. Katie Benedict, the local Sheriff in a small town in Tennessee finds Sam, but this case is long from over. With Sam's life hanging in the balance, there is nothing that they wouldn't do to stop the kidnappers from achieving their ultimate goal. The question is what is that goal and why?

Join Katie, Miles, Savich and Sherlock in their fight against evil. Who wants Sam and what are they going to do with him? There is only one way to find out.


I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It did seem a little long at the end, but hey, sometimes it seems that way. When you think it is all over, another twist falls into place and you must scramble through the mess to discover the truth behind the lies and deceit. Highly recommended, especially if you enjoy thrillers and intrigue.

Marylu Tyndall Giveaway

I have the scoop!!

Go check out http://thesweetandthesassy.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/giveaway-2/ to enter in a chance to win the new book by MaryLu Tyndall "Surrender The Dawn".

This is a great chance, so just follow the steps and you are on your way to success!

Cookies

So I recently tried out a new recipe. Soooo gooood!

If anyone doesn't know I am allergic to gluten (wheat) and dairy.  My grandma found me this recipe and I tried it the other day. Let us just say that I ate 2 dozen cookies in two days. :P

If you don't want gluten free look at the bottom of the recipe and there is the alternative way to bake these deliciously scrumptious cookie. Enjoy!!

Ginger Molasses Cookies
For a soft chewy cookie make as directed, but if you want a crisper cookie, bake an additional two to four minutes.

1/2 c.    butter - 125 mL
1 c.       brown sugar, packed - 250 mL
1           large egg
1/4 c.    fancy molasses - 60mL
2 c.       quinoa flour - 500 mL (I used a mixture of gluten free flour, but you can do whatever)
2 tsp.    baking soda - 20 mL
1/2 tsp. salt - 2 mL
1 tsp.    ground ginger - 5mL
2 tsp.    ground cinnamon - 10 mL
1/2 tsp. ground cloves - 2 mL
1/4 c.    white sugar - 60 mL

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C)

Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the egg and molasses. Set aside.

Mix the flour, baking soda, slat, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium bowl and blend well. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and mix to form a smooth dough.

Roll the dough into 1 1/2 - inch (4cm) balls. Place the white sugar in a shallow bowl and roll each ball to coat. Place two inches (5cm) apart on a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven rack for eight to 10 minutes. Let them cool for one minute to set before relmoving them to cool completely on a cooling rack. The cookies should be puffy and slightly browned on the bottom when you remove htem form the pan.

Store for one week in a sealed container in the refrigerator or four weeks in the freezer.

For gluten free cookies only use gluten free flour. For a more traditional cookie use 1 c. gluten free flour and 1 c. all-purpose flour.

I got this recipe from Quinoa 365, The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming

Bus ride!!!

So I went on a bus trip the other day to Calgary, Alberta and that was a 9 hour bus ride! I know that to be a good blogger I should post pictures, but I have a slight problem. I don't have a camera. So for now you are stuck with a couple pictures... sometimes. (this is where you laugh)

The whole reason for this trip was to help my grandparents. You see, my grandpa has vascular dementia and Alzheimer's. They live on a huge farm in Saskatchewan in a dinky town called Hepburn; 40 minutes out of Saskatoon. Otherwise fondly known as "THE CITY".

Now then, back to the recount. The bus was packed. Like I mean packed. They had to turn away people because there was no free seats. Everyone was hot and tired. It was not fun. I had the chance to sit beside a lovely lady by the name of Anne. She was older and really sweet. Kind of like a granny. Anyways, I found out that she loved to read, and was currently reading a novel

called "The Help". (I will give a review for it at the end of the post). I had read that book earlier in the year so we talked about it for half an hour, and that was an intriguing conversation. We had a lull in the talking, so I just sat there and stared out the window. We were passing through

the Rocky Mountains. GORGEOUS. That is all I can say. It is so beautiful that it takes your breath away.

The streams and rivers flowing down the mountain with stunning water falls. Greenery everywhere. The mist poring over the tips of the snowy peaks, billowing snow as it went. The glittering lakes as the sun shone down on them. I watched the passing scenery and was speechless. I had driven that road many times, but I don't think I ever took the time to actually enjoy. It was beautiful. Honestly, there aren't words to describe.

The rest of the trip was the same. I read some, but mostly I stared at the the living

surroundings. Everything seemed alive to me that day. Maybe it was because I was really paying attention, but it just seemed to all glow.

How much in our lives do we take for granted? How much do we not really pay attention to in our lives. Our time here on Earth is a gift from God. How much do we appreciate the beauty that he put here for us to enjoy???

It really bothers me when I think of non-Christians who say there is no evidence of a god. Look around you! Everywhere you look you can see something that God created with his own two hands. You just have to look. The birds and bugs. Each and every pine cone. Everything! Ever notice how everything just seems to work together. How could random chance make something that everything works in. The weather and plants. The animals and their diet. Everything works. How intricate each and every muscle is, how delicate each bone can be. If someone were to actually consider how everything works like the eyes and finger prints. No two alike. How can that be? Only God can be that creative. We were made in his image. I think that it is time that we start using what God has given us as a gift and use it for good. We look at the scenery or outside and complain about the weather, not praise a God that can control those things.

"Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing." - Isaiah 40:26

The Help Review

Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny. Three completely different women. They join together in 1962, a year of unrest between colors.

Skeeter is being pressured into marriage, but what she wants most is to be her own woman. Her maid went missing while she was at school, and is now considered an old maid at the age of twenty-two. Will she ever solve what happened while she was gone and do what she wants because she is a grown woman?

Aibileen has raised many children, 18 to be exact; only one of them with her heritage. Black. Can she raise herself up after her only son dies because no one would help him because he was a different race? She starts a new job raising another white girl, and becomes attached, but tries to keep it impersonal as she knows that she will once again leave another one of her surrogate children behind.

Minny. The sassiest woman in all of Mississippi. Aibileen's best friend is one good cook, but can't seem to mind her mouth as she soon looses another job. She finally finds a new position working for a new lady in town, someone who has no idea who she is hiring. Unfortunately this is not the only secret stirring up trouble in the home.

These three women are pitted together to complete an impossible task. Something that is putting their entire lives at risk. The only reason they are willing to risk it all is that they are sick of the lines that are drawn that define their town and times. They hold hands and cross that line together, in rebellion.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable. There are many books out there about racism, but none like this one. It is a fight for good against evil, and the truth comes out in ways the reader can not imagine. It is a large book, but one that flies through your fingers. You wont be able to put it down.

The Spring of the Tiger

The Spring of the Tiger - by Victoria Holt

The Ashington Pearls... Perfect beyond prince, for generations they have been the heritage of the Ashington family brides. When Sarah goes to Ceylon to claim her plantation inheritance, she cannot avoid hearing about the legends surrounding the pearls - legends of tragedy and death. And when she wears them, the stories come to life.

A series of strange and terrifying events make her mistrust even those closest to her; Clinton, her handsome but remote husband; Clytie, her lovely half-sister; Celia, her oldest friend. Someone is threatening her sanity, even her life...

This books is amazing!! There are no inconsistencies. I was caught up at the very beginning. Unfortunately, those that like an instant action book, they will be disappointed. Victoria Holt writes her novels a little more descriptive. She writes a background story.

The only thing that I did not like is that it took her longer than usual to explain the back. Either someone messed up or something. The last 1/4 of the book was the back cover description(seen above). They should have had a little bit of the beginning, and the middle in there. I like to look at the back and determine things from it, things underlying. Well, it was frustrating because I could not really apply the back page to the book until the end. Not very well done on the editors part if you ask me.

It is also in my belief that the title of the novel should be somehow included in the actual back cover, that way it makes it more interesting, even if the exact words aren't in it. This was held out and was a disappointment to me.

Other than those above things, this book was very intriguing. It kept me on my toes and made me appreciate the hard work it goes into writing a mystery novel.

Canada Day!!

As everyone that knows me, I am a true Canadian. I love Canada through and through. I have every Canadian holiday memorized and what it is for and every tid-bit of fact that there is to be found...

Ok, I lie. This is totally not me. Although I am a Canadian and I do love my country, I don't feel bound to it, or overly patriotic. This is extremely sad when I think about it, for people should be able to take pride in their country. But, since I am not like that, I am doomed to tell you the truth. I celebrated Canada day. This is shocking I know! On July 1st I went and saw the fireworks (but I shouldn't get ahead of myself). July 1st was a special day for me, and I will share why.

My friend had called me earlier in the week and asked if I could go to her house for a sleepover, for you see I was going to be leaving soon for work and then college. I immediately told her yes, blocking off everything else on the calender for that day (not that there was anything). It was supposed to be a simple party. Well that changed. When I arrived we just hung around, when they forced me to change into a dress, heels, and jewelry that they provided. I was a little bit flabbergasted, but I trusted them. I changed and fixed my makeup, a little unsure of what they were going to do to me. The three of us piled into the vehicle, and off we drove. Once in town we stopped at some random corner, and the two conferred with each other, acting like I couldn't hear them.

They were whispering...."which direction is it.""I don't know.""I don't either!"
Finally, they turned to me and were like... where is the Italian Kitchen (my favorite restaurant I might add). I pointed the right direction, after much laughing and off we went. (There is something you must know, when we go traveling down town, even in our dinky village, we get whistled at, honked at, etc. It can get down right annoying). When we walked inside I was so surprised. Three more of my friends were there waiting, making me even happier. Then they pulled something out... a crown. They put it on my head and said that this was a party for my grad. (I was very touched, for my graduation hadn't turned out how I had hoped and prayed. I graduated early, and caused a few controversies with the school and students :(.  )

We ate and laughed, and all the while were trying not to give away their big secret that they had. I was a little worried about what they had planned, but I still trusted them, because I knew they wouldn't do anything to hurt me. When it came time to pay the bill, they footed it, making me even more proud to call them my friends.

Off we walked, down the street and into the park. There was still evidence of the celebration that had taken place earlier that morning. Canada Day. I didn't go to the park earlier, making me feel even worse with the diminished pride in my country :P

We found the perfect spot and we took pictures, wishing the random people along the path to leave and stop starring at us. One guy called us princesses, but I was the only one wearing a crown, and it was from the dollar store. Shows how ridiculous people are! Although, I do have to say that we are one good looking group of girls!!

After pictures we went to the movie theater, a favorite place of mine if you must know. We were handed our 3D glasses, and my friend walked into the Cars 2 theater. At first I was like... ok. cool. But then my other friends were talking to each other, whispering. So I stood there waiting, wondering what they had up their sleeve. It seems they ended up tricking her and she had walked into the wrong theater. We walked out, me still in the dark and off we went to Transformers 3.

This showed me that we all make mistakes, even if we think we are in control, although this one wasn't that big of a mistake, and it was kinda funny. The movie was good for those that want to see it. A movie about loyalties and friendships. Keeping promises and trying to prove ourselves. Very well done. Afterwards we did our only Canadian celebration thing. We went to see the fireworks. Watching that was so nice. I love to hear the booms and pops. The colors dancing across the sky. GORGEOUS! The only word for it.

When we finally got back to the house, we were left with just the original three. We walked in and they told me they had one more surprise for me. I was made to go outside and they left me there in the dark. All of the sudden they came out and silly stringed me. (I was almost expecting worse, so I am glad that they didn't dunk me in water or something)

That was the end of my Canada Day celebration, and strangely I did feel a little patriotic after watching the fireworks. I realized that our country is doing everything it can to improve our lives, and the lives of those around us. Through international projects, or those at the home front, they are constantly going on peace keeping missions and trying to ensure that human rights are not violated. I could walk in the dark at night through town without worrying about being mugged or violated. This all got me thinking, and one more thing came into focus.

Through everything we go through, even when we are unsure of what is going to happen, God has a plan. He changes things that we originally thought was going to happen, and sometimes makes us uncomfortable, but he has a plan. When my friend went in the wrong theater I realized that God doesn't make mistakes. He doesn't lead us the wrong way. He isn't human. It also came into focus that humans make mistakes, and that is ok. No matter how big or small the mistake, things will work themselves out, just like the mistake about the wrong theater.

We need to take pride in who we are and who God is. He is our leader, our fortress. He endeavers to constantly keep us safe, but through our own actions do we make it unsafe. He doesn't want us hurt, but when we stray off the path and do the wrong things then someone gets hurt, but it isn't through his doing.


"For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29: 11-13

Trust in God, he knows what is going on. Call to him, and he will answer.