Sex God

While we’re on the subject of sex, I also finished the book Sex God by Rob Bell. Since I don’t have the benefit of putting the word Sex in a different color as the word God like he does on the book, the title implies something which it is not (in other words this is not a post about my husband ). It is about sexuality and spirituality and how they are very much related.
I don’t agree with Rob on everything in life but this book was really well written and has a lot of good things to say. His chapter on angels or animal is absolutely excellent and I have thought a lot about the influence of the church’s angelicness (not a word I guess but neither is angelhood; what word am I looking for?) on our society and how it likely has caused a lot of the animalness.

Our Sunday school class (yes I’m going to Sunday school for the first time in years–actually, it’s the first time I have ever belonged to a class–and it’s people I enjoy so it’s not scary) is reading the book and I could type a lot about the things we discussed but you really should just read the book, whether you’re a Christian or not. Then come back here and you can tell me what you liked. (Don’t bother with what you didn’t like; there’s always something and it’s not worth arguing over in this setting.)

Samson and the Pirate Monks

I just finished reading Samson and the Pirate Monks by Nate Larkin.

I was amazed and heartily recommend it. I didn’t plan on reading it since my husband had told me the beginning (the author engaged in some very serious sexual sin while married and in ministry) and I didn’t feel like reading another one of those stories.  But I picked it up one day and started reading and since I already knew the sordid events of the beginning, was able to make it through to what helped Nate and to the society he started. Part of me was still rebelling. I wanted his wife to divorce him instead of forgive him. I wanted to castigate these men for the sins they most definitely commit against other human beings–some are family and some are people they will never meet. But as I plowed my way through the book I could not help but realize he has hit the nail on the head of what men need and what will transform lives and what God no doubt had intended all along but somehow Christians have missed in the Bible. We skipped right to the “be holy” part without the “carry each other’s burdens and confess your sins, etc.” part (or when we try we screw it up).

Anyway, I hope the above doesn’t keep anyone from reading it.  If you’re a man, you really need to read it whether you struggle with a sexual sin or not.  (Which brings me to the fact that women need something like this too–different but something that would accomplish the same goals.  I wonder who will come up with that.)

Meat packaging

Why does meat have to come in packages that leak?  I hate buying meat because half the time you pick up the package and have blood all over your hands or if not right away, it gets on something else in your cart or it gets on the conveyor belt when you check out.

One time when Elisa was around 1 and was with me at the grocery store, I got blood all over my hands and I asked in the meat department for some paper towel and hand sanitizer and the kid said they didn’t have any.  Yeah, right.  He did give me a paper towel finally.  When I checked out I complained and the manager said he should have been more helpful but she still didn’t offer me much.  Seriously, why can’t they put meat in ziploc bags that are way more secure?  And although I’m not a germ freak or an advocate of hand sanitizer, in that situation, I think hand sanitizer should be readily available to patrons of the store.

Oh, well.  I’m not giving meat up anytime soon (see Maker’s Diet) nor am I butchering my own, so I guess I’m stuck.

Fake food could be real food

The food industry. What a joke. Little known facts: oil is usually extracted with chemicals as is caffeine. So if you drink caffeine-free diet coke, you might as well drink poison.

Recently, a woman sued Kraft foods because there was little to no avocado in their guacamole dip. Regardless of how you feel about suing, Kraft has (and other companies have) committed a terrible deception. People should not have to look at the ingredients to check on a company to make sure it is what it says (guacamole is mostly avocado if you make it at home). Why would Kraft make something mostly out of partially hydrogenated soybean oil (which is a health hazard in and of itself) and then call it guacamole? Because they can make more money. Period. When they first made a guacamole dip, it may have been very similar to what you could make at home following a recipe. Then they needed something to extend the shelf life which either means preservatives or partially hydrogenated oil or both. And they make it in a way so it still tastes like guacamole (on some level) so consumers didn’t notice.

Another good one

from perceptionpoint.

http://perceptionpoint.wordpress.com/2007/05/07/freedom-isnt-for-free-yet/

Fluoride

finally-the-media-is-recognizing-the-perils-of-fluoridated-water.htm

If you click on my myspace on the right and go to my friends, there is a guy in TN writing more about this issue.

Candy Assault!

I am SO SICK and TIRED of there being candy everywhere we go. Candy at the bank, candy at church, candy at the library, candy at school . . . My bank actually changed to stickers so hoorah for them. But at my daughter’s preschool (she only goes two days a week) for every holiday she gets about a pound of candy. Now I am not such a stickler that I think we shouldn’t celebrate holidays with some candy but one egg full of jelly beans would have been enough for a two year old I think. Sure you can save the rest for subsequent days (and we did) but it just gets to be so overwhelming (I also ate some and threw some out) and especially since I know some parents just let their kids have it all at once and eat until they are tired of it.

I understand that people don’t know that fermented or sprouted grains are the only kind of grains we should really eat but does it really take a genius to know that kids should get very little processed sugar? And there’re dyes and preservatives in it no doubt . . . . . I don’t know. . . maybe moms really are just brainwashed. I have substituted at my daughter’s preschool several times and am in disbelief at what moms send for their kids to eat. Almost all the kids have cheetos or some kind of chips covered in that orange fakey powdered “cheese” and almost all of them have some kind of dessert. I hate to break it to you, moms, but if you don’t give your kid dessert, they will live. Of course, now that they’re used to it you’ll have a hard time breaking them of it, but COME ON! If you must, if you just must, then have raisins or applesauce be the dessert. Or get your butt in the kitchen and make something with dates, raw honey, or make chocolate chip cookies with fermented whole wheat and unrefined sugar (I don’t have a recipe for this but I bet it can be done). But no, we coast around in “neutral and easy and popular” mode and the country goes to hell in more ways than one. Getting Back to Natural says criminal behavior starts in the womb and I don’t doubt it. At the very least I can pick out the kids that will have ADD (especially if they also watch lots of tv or the moms use bleach). One of these is my friend’s kid. But I’m not allowed to tell her how to parent.

Grrrr. Excuse my french but damn marketers that market to children and moms with only the thought of their pocket book and no thought to anyone else or the future or the earth or heaven or hell or anything.

Years before my daughter was born, years before I became this health nut/tree hugger/environmentalist or whatever I’ve become, I met some parents that didn’t let their kid eat sugar and I thought,”I’ll do that”.  It just sounds like a good parenting thing to do.

And if you need some reason to change your ways, here’s one.

Perception Point

Three good posts from Perception Point.

Funny!

Arab woman

the-way-of-the-warrior

I don’t agree with all the warrior points but I think she’s got the right idea.

Getting Measles versus Getting Arthritis

Three good posts from Getting back to Natural.

viruses-versus-vaccines

Report reactions to vaccines

For those who say vaccines are safe, did you know merck even admits arthritis as side effect?