Call + Response, a movie addressing the human sex slavery problem, is coming out soon. It’s not going to be showing any where near my little Jersey town, but if you live in a large city, it may be available to you. I encourage you to check it out. (I hope I can get it on DVD… )
HT: Tall Skinny Kiwi
Of all the books I’ve given away here at Paper Bridges, this is by far the most important because of the subject matter it deals with: pornography addiction and healing when a spouse is unfaithful.
From the back cover of The Healing Choice:
In the wake of betrayed intimacy, you may feel nauseated, angry, humiliated, desperate. Why am I not enough for him? Can our marriage be saved–and do I even want to try? Will this unbearable ache ever go away?
Amid the devastation that follows a spouse’s sexual disloyalty, you need to know that you are not alone. God walks alongside you, offering comfort and a promise to transform the pain of the present into hope for the future. In addition, there is a community of women who know firsthand the agony caused by a husband’s sexual compromises and who offer the compassion, strength, and biblical wisdom you need to make healthy decisions for yourself and your family.
The Healing Choice reveals the hope-filled stories of two such women, authors Brenda Stoeker and Susan Allen, who draw on their own experiences and those of many others to offer step-by-step advice for rediscovering intimacy with God and finding the support you need to move toward genuine spiritual and emotional restoration.
Their down-to-earth insights light the path toward help and healing for every woman who longs to move beyond the pain of broken trust and experience God’s promise of hope.
And from Amazon.com:
“What an empowering, freeing book! In The Healing Choice, Brenda and Susan open their lives and share how our choice to be whole is not dependent on the actions or choices of our husbands. Healing can begin now! Your life is not on hold until your husband is free. Freedom is yours regardless of where your husband is in his journey. Brenda and Susan, thanks for reaching beyond your pain to pour life into others.”
–Lisa Bevere, speaker, cofounder of Messenger International, and author of Fight Like a Girl and Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry
“This book hits very close to home. Fred’s and Clay’s struggle with lust and pornography are very similar to mine. And just like Susan, my wife came to the realization that to heal from such a deception can only come from a deeper walk and intimacy with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Brenda reminds all of us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, and no matter what horrible circumstances we may end up facing, whether it be a drawn out tragic death of a dear loved one or a husband who has broken his marriage vows time and time again, Christ ultimately provides our hope of survival. Thank you, Brenda and Susan, for sharing your hearts with us so that we can see how the power of God truly transforms people here on earth.”
–Michael O’Brien, singer/songwriter/musician and former lead singer of Newsong
WaterBrook Press provided two copies of The Healing Choice for two of my readers. Please leave a comment below to enter. Contest open to everyone. Due to the subject matter of this book, if you do not want to comment publicly, send me an email at monicambrand (at) embarqmail.com, and I will enter you in the contest privately.
Contest closed next Wednesday, August 6.
Let’s talk about Miley.
Miley is a pretty and talented girl. A pretty, talented under age girl who is now some guy’s fantasy.
Ever hear the expression “sex sells?” Of course you have, because it’s true. Every time you turn on the TV, listen to the radio or flip open a magazine, you are exposed to a plethora of sexual images used to sell us a product. Now Miley is one image of millions, perhaps billions.
And this mommy-blogger always thought kiddie porn was illegal. With that in mind, I will not be linking to the now infamous picture.
The way I see it, Annie Liebovitz knew what she was doing when she took that picture of Miley half naked. In the picture, Miley looks a bit bedraggled, doesn’t she? Poor girl seems a bit lost, confused, maybe a little scared?
Don’t be too surprised. I’m sure that’s the way Liebovitz coached her. You know Liebovitz didn’t snap that picture with young Hannah Montana wannabees in mind or the women that usually buy Vanity Fair.
The publisher, editors and advertisers of Vanity Fair could care less who buys the magazine; as Mr. Crabs of Spongebob Squarepants would say, “Me loves me money.”
Sex sells. Annie Liebovitz knows it, the magazine people know it, Disney knows it and Miley is going to figure it out soon if she hasn’t already. At 15, Miley is still too young to be expected to stand up to the demands of a famous photographer, so if Miley felt any reservations over the pose, I can’t expect her to stick up for herself.
From what I’ve read, her parents left the shoot early, and were not there for the controversial pose. I can only imagine the conversation between the girl’s parents and those unfortunate to have approved of the photos after they left. Maybe the grandmother and teacher were too trusting?
I want to blame Liebovitz for taking advantage of the girl, but I can’t really fault her either. I guess you could argue her job is to take lovely portraits, but I would have to disagree. Ultimately her job is to sell magazines for Vanity Fair. When she told Miley to pose half covered in a bed sheet, she was just doing her job.
So who to blame? I accuse our society’s burning consumption that craves all-things sexual. Even the sexual image of a teen girl wrapped in a bed sheet.