Klampert

I had the honor and privilege to receive a pre-release copy of “Sex, Lies & Religion” by Randy Elrod and I was able to read it in one day. The question you may ask yourself is “1 day?…must have been short”. It is not a long book at 166 pages, but it is a riveting book. I was not able to put it down.

A year ago I was able to meet Randy in person and talk with him. What I encountered was a man of integrity and transparency. A Godly man with a great marriage. This alone made me want to read whatever he put out.

This is a book that tries to debunk the old church rules about sex and nudity. It talks about the history of our creation and what we were created for. It delves into the connection between sexuality and spirituality starting first with nudity and sex onto our longing for God.

I am an artist and have drawn nudes and been around that culture a long time, but I am also aware of how much the nude body terrifies the main stream church. Randy talks about the lies that are out there and delves into teaching the reader how to achieve freedom from the way we have always been taught. There is a difference between “beauty” and Pornography” and Randy gives us a pretty great check list to determine that.

There is so much in this book to go over and re-read. I will be reading it for a second time next week and will probably need to blog again about it to really dig deeper.

A great quote from the book which really stood out to me was:

“Simply gather a handful of the succulent fruit described in this chapter and your mate will be literally eating out of your hand while racing you to the bedroom for an endless time of wild and abandoned lovemaking.”

Randy goes on to talk about the Fruit of the spirit and making that the most important Foreplay in a marriage. Something I am sure we all need a reminder of daily.

Last but not least it talks about communion and the sacraments. For the sake of a long post I won’t get into it, but let me tell you the connection he makes to the above is amazing.

Folks, this is a must read and maybe the top book I recommend this year. It’s not very often you will hear me say I need to read it again.

Do yourself a favor and order this book, but order it with an open mind because it will challenge you.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from cre:ate 2.0 Publishing to read and post a review on my site. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> >  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I received another book from the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program. This one is called “This is Your Brain In Love” by Dr. Earl Henslin.

I have been married for over 12 years now so anything I can read about how to keep passion going, how to fix communication or how to realize how many issues are my fault (I hate that part) I will read.

This book is about identifying your “love style” and talks about scientific research into brain scans. Now I know what you are thinking now that you just read that line. BORING! Amazingly enough I read this book in about an hour and it kept my attention just fine.

I really liked his take on the sacrament of Sex and how sex is typically tacked on almost as an addendum to marriage or a perk. Dr. Earl tries to make you realize that sex and spirituality go hand in hand in creating a healthy marriage.

After that he discusses the issues in our brains and how to have healthy brains so we can eliminate issues.

He identifies the five types of lovers, with ground-breaking insights and effective solutions for the challenges presented by each:

* Scattered Lover
* Over-focused Lover
* Blue Mood Lover
* Agitated Lover
* Anxious Lover

There are 5 tests in the book and it teaches you to analyze the results. They are simple 3 minute tests. I learned a lot by them, but I also ranked broderline on every test. I don’t know if that means I’m am only slightly screwed up or if it means that I have every one of the issues he discusses.

Either way this was a great read with valuable insight. I am passing it along to my wife this week so we can talk some of the topics through. I would recommend this book to anybody who is married even if you are “issue free”.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Great interview with mark driscoll. I love his writing and teaching. I don’t always agree, but I also can’t name anybody I always agree with any way. God is using Mark in a great way.

Mad at the World: 1987-1998

This is a little known band these days, but probablly in the top 5 Christian bands that have influenced me. They were a band that always reinvented their sound. The first CD was almost like Depeche Mode and Tears for fears…later they went into Goth and hard rock ending their music foray with a 60′s 70′s feel. Brilliant stuff here.
Lyrically it they were very challenging dealing with things like suicide, sex, addiction, drugs and ultimatly hope. It is kind of hard to find the CD’s but many were reprinted and can be found on amazon and other sites like www.radrockers.com.

I recently found out Founder and lead singer of MATW Roger Rose is at it again with some demos online.

This is a band the shaped the way for Christian rock and really needs to be revisited often. Go buy the Cd’s

Here they are live…audio isnt hot, but this song rocks!

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=hEVQdFtqDEY]

Mad At The World Discography

• Mad At The World

Released in 1987 on Frontline Records

Genre: Synthpop

• Flowers In The Rain

Released in 1988 on Frontline Records

Genre: Synthpop

• Seasons Of Love

Released in 1990 on Alarma Records

Genre: Hard Rock

• Boomerang

Released in 1991 on Alarma Records

Genre: Hard Rock

• Through The Forest

Released in 1992 on Frontline Records

Genre: Hard Rock

• The Ferris Wheel

Released in 1993 on Frontline Records

Genre: Alternative Rock

• The Dreamland Café

Released in 1995 on Alarma Records

Genre: Retro Rock (60′s)

• World History

Released in 1998 by KMG Records

Genre:Best of

Reviews:

• Phantom Tollbooth
• HM Magazine[1]

• Seasons Of Love / Mad At The World

A 2-for-1 re-release in 1999 on KMG Records

Genre: Hard Rock / Synthpop

Review: Rad Rockers Review

• Flowers In The Rain / Boomerang

A 2-for-1 re-release in 1999 on KMG Records

Genre: Synthpop / Hard Rock