Sexual Discipleship

Why Josh Butler’s Book Beautiful Union Matters

Why Josh Butler’s Book Beautiful Union Matters

If you pay attention to Christian Twitter, you are probably familiar with the online backlash a few weeks ago to the excerpt of Josh Butler’s forthcoming book called Beautiful Union. This short excerpt of a 288 -page book created a firestorm of criticism and dialogue...

4 Reasons to Join a Sexual Discipleship® Cohort

4 Reasons to Join a Sexual Discipleship® Cohort

Scripture is filled with examples of the importance of working with one another. We learn about iron sharpening iron in Proverbs, how two are better than one in Ecclesiastes, and the metaphor of the body of Christ throughout the New Testament. We need one another in...

How to Choose a Wise Counselor

How to Choose a Wise Counselor

(Presione aquí para leer en español)  All your own efforts and gumption, your prayers and advice-seeking, your reading and research—you've tried it all, and still your struggle persists. You've reached it: the point at which you know you need help. You need a...

4 Things To Remember If Someone You Care About Is “Deconstructing”

4 Things To Remember If Someone You Care About Is “Deconstructing”

“I don’t believe in God anymore. At least not in the God I heard about in church.” Have you heard someone you love make this statement? Have you read similar declarations from people you once admired? According to the Barna institute, this trend is likely to continue....

Reader’s Corner: “Understanding Sexual Abuse” by Tim Hein

Reader’s Corner: “Understanding Sexual Abuse” by Tim Hein

My first response after reading this book was,“This guy doesn’t waste a word!” In 182 pages, Tim Hein addresses some of the most pressing and complex issues related to childhood sexual abuse, while also sharing from his own journey. Tim's official role is that of...

Reader’s Corner: “Pure” by Linda Kay Klein

Reader’s Corner: “Pure” by Linda Kay Klein

I recently read a very sad book, Pure by Linda Kay Klein. This book keeps popping up in my newsfeed, which tells me that people want to talk about it. The subtitle of the book hits precisely why this book caused my heart to ache: “Inside the evangelical movement that...

Why I Went to a Marriage Intensive

Why I Went to a Marriage Intensive

In November, I took my first sabbatical since starting Authentic Intimacy in 2012. What a gift! The sabbatical was for rest and refreshment but also for personal reflection. For the past year, Mike and I have tossed around the idea of going through a marriage...

Java Pack: Conversations that Heal

Java Pack: Conversations that Heal

This Java Pack is a Christian leader’s guide to addressing sexual pain. As Christians, we often spend a lot of time debating what we should believe about sexuality. We may devote some time to ensuring we are personally honoring God with our own sexual choices....

How We Love Each Other

How We Love Each Other

I grew up in a family of six kids, all very close in age. My position as “number five” out of six is probably a huge part of why I became a psychologist. My earliest pictures are often of me in a playpen observing family life. As teenagers, my sisters and I became...

Sex and the Great Commission

Sex and the Great Commission

Several years ago, I shared with a friend the vision of Authentic Intimacy. My friend listened patiently and then shared her honest opinion, “Why is it important to help people have better sex lives? Shouldn’t we be spending our time feeding the poor and sharing the...

Reader’s Corner: “Single, Gay, Christian” by Gregory Coles

Reader’s Corner: “Single, Gay, Christian” by Gregory Coles

Single, Gay, Christian by Gregory Coles is a small, easy-to read book that packs a powerful punch. Coles is exceptionally articulate and does an excellent job of communicating his thoughts and feelings. Coles wrote the book as if he is sharing his ponderings and...

When Cancel Culture Invades the Church

When Cancel Culture Invades the Church

Your social media feed is probably filled with examples of the latest person who has been “cancelled” because of something they said years ago or an unpopular position they recently expressed. Being cancelled is a weapon powerful enough to prompt teens to take their...

3 Things Women Want You To Know About Their Addiction to Pornography

3 Things Women Want You To Know About Their Addiction to Pornography

As someone who serves in ministry with my own history of struggling with pornography, women often pour out their stories to me with a sigh of relief. While sitting on my living room couch, Jessica shared her struggle with porn: I was exposed to pornography as a first...

Reader’s Corner: “Embodied” by Dr. Preston Sprinkle

Reader’s Corner: “Embodied” by Dr. Preston Sprinkle

I remember standing in the grocery store checkout line not more than five years ago while listening to a podcast. The host of the podcast suggested that within just a few years, gender would be considered a fluid concept, simply a social construct, by mainstream...

Words Have Consequences

Words Have Consequences

We live in a day and age in which there is a lot of debate about words. What’s okay to say? What is politically correct? How can we speak in ways that are not offensive? As we discuss issues like politics, racial justice, and sexuality with others, we can feel as if...

#288: Max Lucado Says #MeToo

#288: Max Lucado Says #MeToo

Max Lucado has never pretended to be something he’s not. The beloved author and pastor has always been open about his struggles. But...

#216: Do You Have an Agenda?

#216: Do You Have an Agenda?

Relationships are tricky. Loving others well takes intentionality. It’s hard to watch our friends, co-workers, or kids make sexual...

#196: Public Me vs. Private Me

#196: Public Me vs. Private Me

What things in your life do you try really hard to hide? If my friends knew that I’m struggling with big temptations If people ever...

Why the Church Needs to Address Porn for Women

Why the Church Needs to Address Porn for Women

Pornography impacts men and women, yet when was the last time you heard a sermon on porn in your church? When was the last time you heard it specifically address women? Most female porn addicts feel alone and often feel left out of the conversation. Instead of finding...

Java Pack Listening Guide: Sexuality Meets Discipleship

Java Pack Listening Guide: Sexuality Meets Discipleship

Our culture is adept at sexual discipleship. Have you noticed? In every media outlet imaginable, we are confronted with an aggressive message of how to think about marriage, sexual activity, and sexual identity. Even Christians are far more likely to think like the...

God Says Not To Judge… Right?

God Says Not To Judge… Right?

Whenever I write a blog on a controversial sexual issue, I typically hear from people who remind me that God says not to judge other people. Whether I’m teaching about pornography, Fifty Shades of Grey, living together outside of marriage, divorce or homosexuality,...

When Christians Disagree About Sex

When Christians Disagree About Sex

When the Nashville statement was released, it brought conservative Christianity’s relationship with sexual issues front and center into the mainstream media. USA Today described the Nashville statement this way, “A coalition of conservative evangelical leaders laid...

Why I Care About Your Sex Life

Why I Care About Your Sex Life

In case you haven’t heard, Fifty Shades of Grey was recently named the best-selling book of the decade. When I saw this come through my newsfeed, my first thought was, “Here we go again…”  I’m quite certain that we will have another round of debates about the relative...

Nervous about leading a small group?

Nervous about leading a small group?

With the start of a new season begins the start of new small groups and Bible studies in your churches and ministries. Maybe you’re a new leader and you feel sick to your stomach when thinking about leading a group. Perhaps you’re scared to commit to leading, yet God...

Hablando a Tus Hijos Sobre el Sexo: Por qué, Cuándo, y Cómo

Hablando a Tus Hijos Sobre el Sexo: Por qué, Cuándo, y Cómo

Mi esposo recien habia regresado a la casa con nuestro hijo menor después de un fin de semana fuera para una charla sobre el sexo. Christian, con once años en ese momento, tímidamente me dijo, “Mamá, me siento demasiado joven para saber todas estas cosas sobre el...