Reflection

picture: courtesy of http://ramfaithphotography.com



Let’s just face it……. life can be painful! There are times when you get tossed to and fro by intense circumstances that are completely out of your control. A sudden trauma, loss of life, disease, rape, incest, a spouse leaves you. How do you stand under fervent waves of emotional pain striking you at a merciless pace? How do you breathe when a loved one is suddenly taken from you? How do you smile after being violated? How do you get out of bed when your husband of 30 years leaves you? Betrayal cuts to the deepest part of ones soul. How do you ever trust again? 


Recently some close friends have experienced great tragic events. As they walk through the dark hour of their soul, what do I say?  Hey, so sorry, I will pray for you. Don’t get me wrong; prayer is the most effective powerful response I have. But how do I touch them in this hour of need with something tangible that will soothe the wounds and bring comfort? Honestly, I don’t think there is a clear-cut answer. I have learned to be willing to step into their darkness with them is a good first step. Crying their tears but not having their answers, listening and allowing them to really speak is a good follow up. If they need to cry, let them cry, if they need to scream, let them scream.  If they need to eat chocolate, let them eat chocolate. Be a pillar of emotional support and let them lean on you in the darkness and eventually the light will break through. 


“In this world you shall have trial and tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!”  John 16:33

Confessions of a Housewife

(Found this in my last computer and yes it is a few years old. I am happy to inform everyone that I have successfully been in recovery for some time and no longer carry on these amusing behaviors.)

Now this is not a seedy lurid tell all, but a modest attempt to share some insight into the life of a housewife. Oh, not any ordinary housewife I must admit, but one of a dangerous chocoholic. No, I am not out of the closet yet, but at the reading of this blog I imagine I am exposed! 

Now what exactly is a chocoholic? Hmmm, let’s see. It is one who goes food shopping but hides the expensive chocolate bars in her pocket book so no one else sees them! It is one who takes an extra long bath with the door locked so she can eat her goodies in secret without interruption. Ah, even writing about it stirs up the craving that only a female could relate to! My husband tries to understand but he just can’t. He buys a chocolate bar and eats one square, wraps the bar neatly and puts it away until another day!  What? That is insane! I can’t fathom eating one square and neatly tucking it away. Ah, I take my time savoring every bite, but be reassured there is no evidence left when done. 

Let’s see, for instance the other night my husband went to the store and I opened up an ice cream sandwich. I understand it was 9:30 p.m. but it was organic ice cream with no added chemicals, dyes or junk. Do you hear that justification? That is a sure sign of a chocoholic. Well, much to my surprise he came home early and I knew he would give me a hard time for eating that chocolate ice cream bar, SO I ran upstairs and hid it in my bedroom. Yes, I did. Then I “took my bath,” and as the water was running I intently ate that bar. It was in that moment I knew a blog was in the making titled “Confessions of a Housewife.” How else could I warn husbands that there is an epidemic of housewives turning to chocolate at an accelerated pace? Now, keep in mind my motto is “only if it is good chocolate." That is a safeguard for me because I can pass by everyday average chocolate without a second thought, BUT oh my if it is good chocolate I will remortgage my home. I have told many a person that I will wrestle them for chocolate and I meant it!  

No doubt many women will go into panic as I expose our hidden secret, but realize I am doing it for our best interest. A friend who is fully aware of my chocolate addiction gave me a magnet that read . . .“I would give up chocolate, but I am not a quitter!” So there you have it and I assume Chocoholics Anonymous or the gym will be packed this week. 

Eat chocolate and carry on.....

***Note to trainer; this is an old blog and I am no longer eating chocolate alone in the closet :)

 * - picture of chocolate high heel from 3 sisters chocolate - Google images

*  - other pic found randomly on Google images

Cast the first stone!

The basis of Christianity is love - not just loving those who love us, but expressing the sacrificial love of God to all, whether it's comfortable or not.

One of my favorite stories in the bible is when a group of religious folk bring a woman who had been caught in adultery to Jesus. Their motive was 100% to trap Jesus and condemn the woman. Interestingly enough the bible says she was caught "in the act," which leaves me to believe they were watching.  They justified their own sin by calling out hers. Their righteous attitude severed their heart from the ability to see their own weakness. They brought her in and made her stand before the group, probably naked, in an attempt to humiliate and shame her. They were looking for validation of their hateful hearts, and looking with eyes of the law instead of compassion.

"But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, if any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground."

Love spoke and love continues to speak 2000+ years later. Jesus laid out the two greatest commandments as loving God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbor as ourself.  The Son of God knelt in the dirt with the woman caught in sin, while others were repulsed and judged from a distance. Jesus touched her with love while others condemned her to death. With love, all things are possible. With love, destinies change. With love, authentic love, people will see God.

Reflection: Am I only loving those who love me?
Am I open to embrace love, or are my fingers wrapped too tightly around the stones?

Empty your pockets and throw away the stones!

Kelly Master

kelly@diningfordignity.org

www.diningfordignity.org

www.emergeladies.org

Love never fails

"What is the greatest commandment?” the crowds inquired of Jesus. He responded with a definitive answer - To love God with all your heart, with all your soul and with your entire mind. And the second of these is to love your neighbor as yourself." 

Not a day passes that one can't find dozens of quotes, seminars and conferences on how to find one's purpose, niche, or place of success. Christ laid out the answer for success over 2000 years ago with a simple direction to love. The problem is this love is not easy and requires everything. It's not a love that is self-seeking, but a love that sacrificially pours into others. It requires our whole heart, our whole soul and our entire mind. How do you do that in a world that is filled with self-gratification?  Media is ignited with self-promotion and you can purchase followers to create an image of success. How crazy is that! All the daily noise of having your name at the top, having the most followers, reposts, tweets, shares, etc. has us all in a holding pattern of keeping our eyes on ourselves. It's so easy to get sucked into the undercurrent and stay so busy being busy, but never breaking out and changing course. 

Today as I scan through my Facebook wall and see all the paid ads luring me to promote me, I take a step aside to catch my breath and refocus on the words of Jesus. He is not asking me to be #1 on twitter, Facebook or instagram. He is directing me to love those around me, and in that love I will find true meaning of success. 

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Porn Culture

A  23-year-old teacher in my state was sentenced to 10 years for multiple sex charges. She raped a 13-year-old boy and photographed him receiving oral sex from an 8-year-old girl. Sadly, this is not an isolated case. There has been an alarming growth of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children! We live in a generation like no other. Never before has there been hard-core, violent, graphic porn accessible at the click of a button to anyone, any age. We are facing an influx of pornography of tsunami proportion, and we are just catching a devastating glimpse of the effects. Everyday gut wrenching stories involving children being raped by other children and adults are on the news. One 10-year-old boy raped his 8-year-old sister after viewing live porn streaming on his X-Box. Arrests involving sexual exploitation of minors has dominated the media this past year. Numerous worldwide operations were busted, and millions of images revealing children being sexually violated were discovered. We, as a society, are facing a reality that is staggering!  

“USA is the #1 child porn producer in the world.”

In 2004 when The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received reports for potential child pornography, the volume was approx. 450,000 files. Recently that number has expanded, and has increased to over 17 million. The age of children being violated has become increasingly younger and the crimes more violent.

Social Media is a doorway for major porn distribution. No longer do you need to visit a windowless adult bookstore, but you can tap into any perverted sexual fantasy in the luxury of your home. Millions of customized pictures, videos or stories can be accessed immediately for your pleasure. Unfortunately, sex addictions are never satisfied with simply watching porn. The stats clearly indicate the parallel between hardcore porn addiction and increase in child sex crimes. Children as young as four months old are being raped, recorded and their images shared around the world. This insatiable appetite for violent sex has infiltrated our society. Online bookstores such as Barnes & Noble sell hundreds of books that glamorize daddy daughter rape, including S&M, bondage and sodomy. These books are available simply by typing in the keyword “daddy.”  Immediate availability of porn is exponentially increasing the exploitation of our children.

As a society, we must do a better job at protecting our children’s rights.  The answers may not be clear, but the resolve to find them must be.

(To be continued……….)

Kelly Master

www.diningfordignity.org

Kelly@diningfordignity.org

Drag Queen Evangelist

Recently a group of Christians armed with bullhorns and picket signs gathered at a gay pride parade in Seattle with intent to protest the gay community. Their motives were quickly exposed, and a drag queen named Mama Tits was recorded confronting their hypocrisy. I do not agree with everything Mama T stands for, but I found myself cheering her on as he called them to walk in love. No doubt, his passion stemmed from years of watching the “church” bash the gay population, and he was not going to tolerate it that day. Momma brazenly declared, “My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ loves you and loves me just as much!” Such powerful words spoken from the one being condemned. She further cited the Christians for their own hate and called them to read their bible. Bam! Mama T just may have a second calling as an evangelist!

What if the church had shown up to serve the gay community without any other agenda? What if the Christians were fueled by love and not a self-righteous holiness? Christ declared, “by this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Not once did Christ protest people, but He loved them. He did not hold up signs implicating the crowds; nor did He yell at them over a bullhorn. Mama T saw through the hypocrisy and implored the crowd to love. Whether you agree or disagree with homosexuality is not the point. If you are a Christian, then your call to action is love.

Due to the nature of my work, I am engaged with the adult sex industry quite often. I partner with a Christian organization, XXX Church, and attend sex conventions in NJ. Instead of bullying the industry, we serve them; and instead of bullhorns and picket signs we give industry workers Starbucks coffee and granola bars. We introduce them to a God who radically loves them no matter where they are. This method of sharing God’s love disgusts many Christians, for it’s not the typical way the church has normally shown up. It’s not ordinary or comfortable for many; but when loves not hate fuels your actions, you won’t mind stepping out of your comfort zone.

Strippers, porn stars, prostitutes and cross dressers are now my friends. I invest in them with prayer, time, money and energy. I love them and I know God does too! I am a Christian and my convictions are not blurred. When I saw that video of the gay community being bullied, it hurt my heart. That certainly was not an accurate depiction of the God I serve. He passionately loves people, and His love is not contained for the church only.  When I saw Mama T preaching love, I stood up and shouted out Amen. If we are going to be guilty of anything, let it be love, not condemnation!

see video clip here: http://youtu.be/OeHW-s3ajJw

 “Let us be guilty of love, not condemnation.”

Kelly Master, Director of Emerge A.I.O.

emergeladies@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/Emergestripchurch