So fast forward to like yesterday or Tuesday, or something, and I get an email from Phylicia about Christian Cosmo.
Thought #1: Man. Maybe this is a drink recipe that’s different from other Pom Cosmos
Thought #2: What makes a Christian Cosmo drink “Christian?”
Thought #3: Hahahaha, I’m so funny
Thought #4: And mature
After gleefully snickering to myself for a goodly amount of time, I proceeded to read the (very obvious, okay, Whimsy) sub-heading: The Sex Talk You Never Had.
Confession 1: Until later, I was totally ignorant that the “Cosmo” referred to the magazine “Cosmopolitan.”
My curiosity was piqued.
I’m a single, twenty-something (six, okay) year old female. I grew up in a super tight-knit family, was homeschooled until college, grew up in the church and began to follow Christ at a very early age. I was totes steeped in church culture.
From my earliest rememberings, my spiritual constitution had a distinctly legalistic leaning; although I was definitely the turbulent child of the family, internally I created for myself a nice system of checks and balances for outward and inward behavior (disclaimer: mother might argue against my assertion of outward conformity and obedience. heh).
Fast forward to middle school and high school and I was the grandest pharisee of them all. Parable of the Prodigal Son? I was the older brother. So when I was confronted with sexuality, maaaaan, it was so gross and disgusting. And kind of awkward, you know? And embarrassing. And, yeah, let’s not talk about it.
(Proceeds to be emotionally infatuated with anime guys, because reasons and totally legit, right? And besides, he’s pretty; brooding selfishness notwithstanding)
http://www.socwall.com/images/wallpapers/19104-1920x1358.jpg
Bless his poor, tragic heart, if he has one.
Currently, I’m definitely older and maybe more comfortable in this concept of sexuality. By the Lord’s grace and through the wise mentoring of older women, I have grown to recognize those places in my life where I have absolutely believed lies regarding biblical sexuality; I have (somewhat) matured in recognizing the beautiful gift it is and its place in the Christian’s life, regardless of celibacy, marriage, or widowhood, among others. My great desire is to continue to grow in the knowledge and experience of the Gospel, that it may continue to reform and conform every area of my life to the person and work of Christ, because He has set His children free so that we may be free, that we may live free. Lies of any sort—whether brought about by religion, ourselves, the culture, the devil—weigh down the light heart. Instead of looking to the heavens, we begin looking to the earth; we trade wisdom from above for wisdom of dust.
Nowadays, I find myself in the curious position of serving as a leader in our church’s high school group (What even!).
Youth group is a difficult and often under-appreciated and misapplied form of church ministry, I have found. Both from my own experience as a youth grouper in past churches and from observing other groups, it can often devolve into a zany club that may or may not feature the Bible (or Jesus) but provides a safe space for games, friend time and… questionable activities like goldfish swallowing (why… Just. why…..).
This should not be so. We can not, should not, be a place of entertainment but of hope, the true hope of the Gospel that can redeem and save, and make free the burdened and weary heart! These girls and their souls are so precious to me. And like it or not, we live in our culture. Which is secular, if you haven’t noticed. Hope, or a bastardized form of it, is rampant, as are lies. Unfortunately, these lies inform the hopes, and these hopes often lead to disillusionment, confusion, anger, a sense of loss, feelings of abandonment and of being forgotten, insecurity, capitulation, hardening of tender hearts and consciences, and the list goes on and on. In our culture, sexuality is the meaning of life, our own Aphrodite. At least, she’s one of the meanings, because there are too many to name and too many please.
While my church firmly espouses parents to be the primary disciplers of their own children, we also absolutely believe that the greatest single thing these kids (and us adults. and everyone!) need is the Gospel. We believe that the Gospel permeates every aspect of life; mind, body, soul. This includes sexuality, too. I so wish in my younger years that I had been given more mentorship in this area!
As I have read, mused, and prayed over this book, I am so excited to grow in my own God-given sexuality and be more equipped to walk alongside and disciple the young ladies whom I am privileged to call my sisters in the fellowship.
Christian Cosmo: The Sex Talk You Never Had by the dear, the beautiful Phylicia D. Masonheimer will be released on March 1, 2017!!! So basically coming super soon, so be excited.
http://phyliciadelta.com/christiancosmo/
In which the cover of this is so freakin' brilliant
Disclaimer 1: please note that when I’m conversing about sexuality with my highschool gals that the parents are absolutely privy to these conversations and encouraged and/or harassed to participate in them (the harassment part was a joke, okay). Safety of our young ones is a priority that we do not take lightly and we absolutely respect the parents of our kiddos to know whether their child is mature enough to think through and/or interact with such a topic in a group setting.
Disclaimer 2: putting down a disclaimer is so freeing and dang will I be using this in the future.
Also, Voltron.
http://cdn2us.denofgeek.com/sites/denofgeekus/files/styles/insert_main_wide_image/public/2016/05/voltron-legendary-defender-cast.jpg?itok=5reQYD2q
Best. Pic. Ever.
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