The Day I Found Myself on a Nude Beach

You read the title right.

Yes, I was a Christian at the time.

And the beach was marked: "Public." (I'd gone jogging on it many times.)

Which brings me to the story.

It was 1985. I was with my friend sitting on our towels. (Yes, we both had our swimming suits on.) We were listening to Christian music like we usually did.

Then it happened.

My friend turned to me and said, "Mike (I wasn't a Pastor yet), do you see that couple walking way over there?" I put my hands up to my eyes like a lookout. He went on, "I don't think they have any clothes on." Naaaah, I thought. But it was true.

They kept coming.

My friend spoke again, "I think they're walking towards us." Oh great, I thought. (I usually think like that when something crazy is about to happen.)

Sure enough, the couple was not only walking towards us (why couldn't they go talk to someone else?), but when they arrived they stood right there in front of us, birthday suits and all.

I have one question.

So where do you "look" in such a situation? Hmm? I mean, do you look up in the sky? "Lovely day we're having." Do you look to the left? Do you look to the right? (Now that would be rude.) Do you play like you've lost something in the sand: "Excuse me, I seem to have lost a quarter. I know it's somewhere around here. I had it a second ago"?

My friend and I probably did all those things.

And I don't remember the conversation. Not one word. I was rather "distracted."

(And then when they left, where do you look then?)

I know that those who don't know or love Jesus approach the subject of nudity and sex differently. (My friend and I were committed to what the Bible says about the subject that day on the beach. I am still to this day. He's already gone on to be with the Lord in heaven.) The one approach (Christ's, ours) to nudity and sex brings life (waiting until marriage); the other (the world's, lust) brings only death (sin is pleasurable for a season).

I remember in a Bible study setting years ago that the speaker said you should be able to witness to / share your faith with Raquel Welch (I'm dating myself).

Self control is a fruit of the Spirit after all. (This post is meant for men and women.)

"How can a young man (woman) keep his (her) way pure? By keeping it according to Your word." (Psalm 119:9)

"'I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman (man).'" (Job 31:1; NIV)

You might also be interested in:

• So Where Are Your Eyes? (plus podcast)
• Why Not Sex Outside of Marriage?

Why Not Sex Outside of Marriage?

"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body." (1 Corinthians 6:18; NIV)

I've always been fascinated by the tigers at the zoo. I can remember one zoo in particular (Como Park, Saint Paul, Minnesota) where you could look down upon the tigers through an upper glass area.

(And they're just big kitty cats after all? They couldn't hurt a fly?)

Sometimes the tigers would sleep up high right against the glass. You could literally reach out and touch them (without the protection).

Listen: Having sex outside of marriage is like getting down with the tigers in their cage. (Who is this for?) You get ripped apart (shredded) in your soul when you "sleep around."

Oh, you may "feel good" for a tiny bit all the while pieces of yourself are literally left here and there and there and here with this person and that ~ all strewn about.

And you become a shadow.

And your ability to trust is lost.

And your potential for true (godly) intimacy with a husband or wife in a marriage later is forever frayed.

But God can redeem...

Step 1: Completely give yourself to Jesus Christ (see "How to Be Born Again" below).

Step 2: Stop sinning. (Btw, Jesus helps you to stop.)

You might also be interested in:

• How to Be Born Again (in 30 seconds)
• Why I’m Using Four Letter Words in Church

Sins Of A Sexual Kind

"'But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.'" (Matthew 5:28)

Ted Haggard. Tiger Woods. Bishop Eddie Long. All three have something in common. (Long's situation is still coming to light as of this writing.) Sex sins. Whether you're the greatest golfer who ever lived or the most charismatic/attractive preacher, you are susceptible to not being able to keep your pants on (with women or men!)

Quite frankly, there is no way out for Tiger Woods. I expect he is still in bondage and trapped. And the (quote) "world" actually applauds a man (and it's commonly accepted as an indication of his prowess/manhood) to "sleep around." Tiger will find no help aside from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Read: The Only Hope For A Tiger Is A Lion: HERE)

And as it has to do with ministers/the clergy, my thought is: "Was there not at least one person close to Haggard and Long that could ask the tough questions?" And why can't we (or shouldn't we) ask the man in our pulpit, "Are you looking at pornography? Are you being faithful to your wife?"? Ask it.

"I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl." (Job 31:1; NIV)

Why I'm Using Four Letter Words in Church

(This is a continuation of a thinking process started in the posts: "Why I'm Wearing Pajamas to Church" and "Why I'm Showing Up Late for Church.") There's a movement towards the "casual" in our day. We're casual in our speech. We're casual in our showing up for events and appointments. We're casual in our clothing, too. It's that first area of casual I want to talk about. Before I became a Christian I used four letter words. And now, as a Christian, I'm thinking about doing it again. Actually, I've decided. I'm going to be using four letter words. (I'll tell you which ones in just a moment.) And why not? Why not use four letter words? Everybody else is saying whatever they want to say. Quite frankly, talk in the church can be downright filthy at times. Have you ever noticed (and wondered)? And it's not that we shouldn't consider subjects like sex, etc. The problem is, in a sex-crazed and inundated culture, there are so many still bound to sins of the flesh (some unknown to others ~ even some preachers in the pulpit) and it just becomes another outlet for unlawful cravings. And it's not that we schedule a sermon series, "Great Sex for You" and "Is Your Sex Life A Bore," to attract attention and grow our congregation because sex sells? (Some will click those two links to be titillated? Caught ya.) My mom used to say she'd wash my mouth out with soap with what was coming out of it. Get out the soap, mom. (Or maybe she won't have to?) Here I go with my four letter words. Like I said, everybody else is doing it, why not me? They're on the tip of my tongue. (Plug your ears?) They are: pray, hope and heal. Beep.