Be intentional. Be relational. Be selfless.
In all of your relationships the effort you put into them, and your attitude, have a direct affect on you and those around you. My heart is to encourage through sharing my joys and challenges – the good, the bad and the ugly. Words served up with a bit of sweet, a dash of spicy and a healthy serving of random reality.

About Tracey

On a good day you’ll find me outdoors hiking and squeezing in some writing. I love my man and my children, [read more]

You are here: Home / Archives for Dannah Gresh

Summertime & The Livin’s Sleazy

May
29

Really?

According to many sources there are LOTS of people reading Shades of Grey.

Lots.  Of.  People.

Like, even people that are sitting in church on Sunday.

Um hum.

That’s really curious to me. Shades of Grey is erotic fiction. As far as I can tell, by the description of erotic fiction and the words of many who are referring to the book as “mommy porn” – that means everybody pretty much knows Shades of Grey is a sleazy novel.

Those who are followers of Christ reading said sleazy novel, know what they are reading and yet say – “What’s the big deal? There’s no harm. Don’t judge me. That’s my business.”  I am not judging them, but I do think they need to grow up and have the guts to admit exactly what they are reading and not try to pretend what they are reading is more than what it admittedly is. Just read the blog post written by my friend Dannah Gresh and then spend some time reading the comments (over 250 at last count) from those who are Christ followers and you will see that there are some seriously compromised people out there.

Make no mistake, if you are reading Shades of Grey, you are reading a sleazy novel.

At a very basic level, gross – the last thing any of us need to do is peer into someone else’s bedroom and read about what goes on there in explicit and graphic detail.

At a Godly level, God’s word tells us that we are to think about “whatever” is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable (Philippeans 4:8), that we are not to conform to the world (Romans 12:2) and we are to put off our old selves and not be corrupted by its deceitful desires (Ephesians 4:22).

I don’t get those striving to follow Christ defending reading Shades of Grey. However, if that’s what they are going to do they need to stop kidding themselves – they are reading a sleazy book.

Period.

Trying to rationalize it, points out that they lack true wisdom. (Proverbs 4 & 5.)

And yes I am a sinner and I have my own set of issues to deal with daily. But I am also not trying to put lipstick on a pig.

It is what it is and what it is is…sleazy.

Filed Under: People & Places, Random Tagged With: , , , 9 Comments

Fifty Shades of Grey No Way

May
16

There are days when you read something on someone else’s blog that you find so compelling you just kinda think…why say what’s already been said?

Such is the case today.

I have much admiration and respect for Dannah Gresh and she has dedicated the last several years of her life to speaking into the lives of others on the subject of purity and sexuality. She has done the research and has a pure heart in her motives to speak on these subjects.

Well, on her blog today she’s claiming, “I’m Not Reading Fifty Shades of Grey” and asks others to join her in that statement. If you have heard all about Fifty Shades of Grey and are planning to read it – might I suggest you hear what Dannah has to say and you may just want to reconsider.

I, for sure, will not be reading Fifty Shades of Gray. There are some things you just don’t want in your brain.

To make a better informed decision for yourself on wether or not to read this book, I invite you to go hear Dannah’s thoughts and join with her in making the statement, I’m Not Reading Fifty Shades of Grey!

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Church Goers Flashed-Really?

Apr
10

I have been to countless Easter morning services at church through the years, several different churches in fact, as I have moved seven times since becoming married. This year was the first time I saw my husband struggle with where exactly to place his eyes during the walk in and out of the church building. My sixteen year old son was having the same struggle.

I used to so enjoy seeing little girls, teens girls and women dressed in their Easter Sunday dresses – loveliness!

Well this Easter, loveliness was far from what I saw on several of the females.

All around us, the trip into and out of church was a gauntlet of very short skirts and very low cut neck lines. It’s bad enough that our men and boys are assaulted daily in society, but to be visually assaulted on Sunday mornings as a church goer is inconceivable to me!

I literally wanted to grab a few parents and ask them if they had lost their minds. Dads walking right next to their teen and college age daughters whose skirts barely covered their backsides.

At one point my husband was looking up at the sky, then he turned and looked at me with an, “Are you seeing what I’m seeing look on his face?” That look was accompanied with a look of pain. And I knew that pain was because the father’s were turning a blind eye.

I have a very dear friend, Dannah Gresh who studies human sexuality, modesty, the effect immodesty has on boys and many other issues – she provides a wealth of information you need to make use of over on her site Pure Freedom! She also wrote a great article titled Teen Daughter Shopping Survival Skills – and you should read it if you want to keep your daughter from making the same fashion mistakes I witnessed at church this past Sunday.

I am far from a prude, I like to dress fashionably and look cute, but what I witnessed this week on a large majority of young ladies was not fashionable…it was trashy. And quite frankly it was unfair to the boys and men who were getting flashed with tempting images.

Is it just my church…or is it happening where you attend church too?

 

Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: , , , , 21 Comments

Protect Your Children

Nov
16

This whole Penn State thing has had my head reeling. I am at a loss for words. The world has within it such evil – how do we protect our children?

My sweet friend Dannah Gresh wrote an extremely helpful post that gives very doable, practical advice on how to discuss personal space safety with your child. It is a hard conversation to have, but a necessary one.

I would encourage you to follow the link over to MomLife Today to read, and then share this valuable “discussion with your child” tool with others. Knowledge is power – help equip our children!

 

 

Filed Under: Children, People & Places, Teen Children Tagged With: , , Leave a Comment

Padded Bikini’s for 8 year olds?

Mar
28

Usually Monday is “Music Monday” around here and I post some music for your listening enjoyment because I love my music…and it makes me happy to share the tunes I enjoy with you!

However, today I felt I must send you over to MomLife Today and ask you to read the post we ran on Friday afternoon. And then I’m hoping you’ll go one step further and place a link to that post on your own site, or facebook page and spread the word. You will be joining an army of others who are doing the same thing!

You see, Friday morning I was made aware of a certain despicable clothier who was selling the “Ashley Triangle Push Up Bikini Top” for girls age 8 to 14.

WHAT? Someone needs to be pulled by the ear and marched into the principals office … better yet, marched into the office a few Daddy’s I know who’d like to re-educate them on appropriate attire for their daughters.

Ggggggrrrrrr.

Anyway, back to the MomLife Today post. So, we quick contacted one of our contributors – the wonderful Dannah Gresh of Secret Keeper Girl who has had a ministry to tween/teen girls and their mothers around the area of modesty. We forwarded her the offending information and after she yelled and counted to ten (through the computer…and I so heard her) her fingers got to typing and she whipped up a very educated post that you need to read!

Please go over to MomLife Today and read our article titled Is A Push Up Bikini Top Really Worth Fighting For? (Yes…so yes!) At the bottom of that article is a link to Dannah Gresh’s website where she provides a link where you can send a letter of complaint to the deplorable people making and promoting this inappropriate clothing.

Since placing the post on our site Friday afternoon that post has had nearly 10,000 reads and none other than Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church re-tweeted our post (thanks dude!) …no doubt that Daddy would like to be the hand grasping that pulled on ear!

Truly people…what has the world come to?!

Don’t shop at A & F … EVER!  If you have hand me downs…toss em, burn em, use them to clean up after your dog on your walks in the park. And tell others!

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Daughter Love!

Jan
20

Remember when little girls used to play with Barbie dolls? Frighteningly society is working hard to convince our little girls (I’m talking 8 to 10 year olds here!) they need to look like Barbie dolls – now! Hair, make-up and even clothes formally marketed to women are being marketed to little girls.

Can this be healthy?

Join me over at MomLife Today for a video interview I did with Speaker/Author Dannah Gresh and see what she has to say about How To Keep the Little in Your Girl!

Filed Under: Be The Mom, People & Places Tagged With: , , Leave a Comment