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10 Stages of Sex, and How to Withdraw Consent at Each One

Dating is hard. Especially when people come from different backgrounds or cultural norms, based on religion or geography, for example, it can be difficult to know what another person’s expectations for. Spelling out expectations can feel unromantic. Plus, you may not know exactly what you want right away — a big part of dating is about figuring that out!

So, how can you be sure you are setting boundaries, but also exploring love and romance in a way that is healthy?

One question that comes up often is around consent. As a conservative Christian, I was taught to never date non-Christians, because we would be “unequally yoked” and it was “missionary dating,” which “never works” — i.e., you won’t likely convert your non-Christian boyfriend into a Christian. I was also taught that all men want is sex.

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True Love No Shame: Talking about dating with Laurie Davis Edwards of The Worthy One

For this week’s episode, I interviewed Laurie Davis Edwards, founder of The Worthy One — a community to empower women and their love lives — and author of Love at First Click.

You can listen to our conversation in full on iTunes or Stitcher, or read the edited version below. Continue reading “True Love No Shame: Talking about dating with Laurie Davis Edwards of The Worthy One”

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Review: Every New Day

The first time I heard “Every New Day” was at a church youth group in junior high.

It was the kind of church where the teenagers met in a basement room and played foosball before the service started, and they’d put us on teams to play games based on popular TV shows, like challenges where kids would count marshmallows shoved in their mouth without swallowing, or races where teens would drive other teens around town in their parents’ minivan on scavenger hunts. Of course your parents always felt safe dropping you off at a church event, and that’s what made the apparent danger so delightful.

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Review: If I Die Young

Recently I’ve been obsessed with this song – playing it on repeat in my house – and I can’t get over how beautiful it is.

I think it resonates with me because I am absolutely having the time of my life. I love my job, I love my neighborhood and the place I live and I have great friends. I feel like I am accomplishing something and making a positive change in the world. I am happier than I have ever been, I think, in my entire life. This kind of happiness – it can’t be sustainable, right? There are times when my circumstances looked perfect, but inside I was still miserable and torn apart. Surely I’ll go down that road again.

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