Sometimes you see things that make you sick to your stomach. That was the case several years ago while I was leading a week-long camping trip.

I was leaving the dining hall when I heard a group of giddy girls talking. Amid the giggles, I heard one say to her friend about a certain boy, “He was totally looking at your [butt].” The friend didn’t appear to be embarrassed or feel uncomfortable in any way. In fact, she looked as though she were flattered and reveling in the attention. It would probably be helpful to mention that she was 12 years old.

The culture of sex hits our daughters early, giving them a skewed view and reducing them to body parts. One veteran pornographer, whom I will not name, stated that girls these days come to the set “porn ready.” Another famous porn star, whom I will also not name, consistently had 13-year-old girls describe her as their role model.

It may be tempting to try and avoid awkward conversations or think that it is a mom’s job to talk to your daughter about sex. But our daughters need our guidance. They need to hear from their fathers.

Here are five important points when talking to your daughter about sex:

1. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Talking about sex with your daughter will be as uncomfortable as you make it. If you are at ease with the topic, it will go a long way towards putting her at ease. A daughter talking to her dad about sex may always feel awkward to her, but don’t tip-toe around it. Just dive in without fear. Don’t let her discomfort make you shy. Using humor or remarking about her discomfort can also lighten the tension. It’s also best to have multiple conversations with as little formality as possible. Talk and teach, but be sure to ask her questions and then listen.

2. Start the conversation before puberty hits. You may not think she’s ready, but in a world saturated with sex, your daughter needs your help to make sense of it. If she doesn’t get her information from you, she will find it somewhere else. Unfortunately, whether she identifies it or not, she has been told lies about herself her entire life.

3. Her true identity vs. the culture of sex. The images she has observed in the media have communicated that her value comes from her sexuality. If she’s sexy, she has value, and if not, then she doesn’t because “sexy” looks a certain way. There’s pressure to look like Victoria’s Secret models and assume a sexual persona or risk fading into obscurity. Wrapped up in these confusing messages, young girls feel a sense of shame they can’t identify while trying to meet a cultural expectation they know deep down is wrong. So they try and walk both sides of the fence. They engage in oral sex and convince themselves it is OK because it isn’t intercourse. The wounds this causes are devastating and affect future relationships.

They shouldn’t feel any of this pressure. The truth is she was created with tremendous love and significance. Her identity is rooted in something far greater and deeper than being sexy. As her father, you need to instill in her the truth of who she is and protect her from the lies.

4. The male perspective. As her dad, you are able to give her insight into how boys think about girls and sex. Traditionally, while girls are looking for a romantic connection, boys are looking to become a man. One of the lies most boys have been taught is becoming a man involves losing their virginity. While she’s looking for a relationship, he is looking to conquer. This still occurs, but in recent years girls have begun to approach sex in the same way guys do. Whether it is because they are buying into the same lie, losing their virginity makes them a woman or an attempt to equalize the situation, the unfortunate result is sex being reduced as a means to achieve power.

5. Sex is best in the right context. Sex was not created for that purpose. It was created as a gift for intimate connection. Relationships are what make life rich and full. We desire to know and be known. Sex is about being unified emotionally, spiritually and physically at the deepest level. Reaching the most pleasurable and fulfilling experience involves love, trust and a lifelong commitment. Sex was designed for the context of marriage, where there can be a complete vulnerability. Without a marriage commitment, barriers remain.

Many times when people have sex outside of marriage, the relationship loses its life or eventually ends leaving both people broken. It’s like gluing two pieces of paper together and then ripping them apart. They will always carry a piece of that relationship with them. {eoa}

BJ Foster is the director of content creation for All Pro Dad and a married father of two.

For the original article, visit .

The United States of America’s leadership is the most degraded thing in our country, prophet Rick Joyner tells panelists on The Jim Bakker Show.  

“We’ve had the truly competent soldiers, warriors, officers replaced by those who were politically compliant,” Joyner says.  

So what does this mean for America’s future?

Watch the video to see!

•     A hearing aid—loss of hearing or dulled hearing is not uncommon for people of Clinton’s age, particularly for those who have suffered a traumatic head injury, like a concussion. Many different companies market hearing aids that are meant to be concealed.
•     An inductive earpiece—stage actors often use these to help with cues and missed lines during performances. They are meant to be concealed, and with Bluetooth technology, those speaking to Clinton through it wouldn’t even have to be in the same city.
•     An anti-seizure device—sound can trigger certain forms of seizures. A German-engineered device called the Epitect fits inside the ear and can detect and warn of an impending seizure, but more closely resembles a more traditional hearing aid with a component that hangs behind the ear.

There’s much debate this morning over the results of last night’s presidential debate. Since undecided voters will likely decide the race, today’s Wall Street Journal is focusing especially on their response. And CNN is fact-checking the debate and discussing its implications for the race.

My question is different: How does God view the debate and what it says about America? I think He would respond in at least two ways.

One: He is grieved by the divisiveness of our culture.

Today’s New York Times actually understates the tone of the event: “Trump and Clinton Press Pointed Attacks in Debate.” From the email scandal to the birther issue, the candidates spent a great deal of time attacking each other. In this sense, they represented the nation they hope to lead. 

Lee Drutman noted in a recent New York Times article: “Rather than being one two-party nation, we are becoming two one-party nations.” Drutman explains: Most large cities, college towns, the Northeast and the West Coast are what he calls “deep-blue Democratic.” The South, the Great Plains, the Mountain States and suburban and rural areas in between are “ruby-red Republican strongholds.” 

Neither “nation” is changing anytime soon.

“Confirmation bias” has been defined as “a tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions.” We do this when we read and listen only to news sources with which we agree. Or when we watch a debate hoping our candidate will win rather than seeking to learn how each candidate would govern.

By contrast, God calls us to “be all of one mind, be loving toward one another, be gracious, and be kind” (1 Pet. 3:8, MEV). How much were these traits on display last night?

The Spirit wants to draw us to the Father that we might find unity in community with our Savior. As you discuss last night’s debate and the ongoing campaign, will you be a force for division or a voice for Jesus? For more on ways we can respond to the divisiveness of our culture, please see my latest website article, Why Are We So Divided?

Two: He wants us to serve His children.

I think God cares less who won the debate than He cares who is winning and losing in America. He grieves that 43.1 million people in our country woke up in poverty this morning and that 42.2 million Americans live without access to sufficient food, including 13.1 million children. More than half a million of us are homeless. We are in the grip of “the worst drug addiction epidemic in United States history,” according to one expert. Seventy-seven percent of Americans view pornography at least once a month. 

How should we respond to these critical problems? By following God’s call to serve those who need our help. Jesus taught us that whatever we do to “the least of these brothers of Mine,” we do to Him (Matt. 25:40).

The divisiveness and challenges of our culture will persist long after last night’s debate is forgotten. So will our opportunity to speak the truth in love and care for God’s children. What our nation needs most can be found only in Christ. 

C. S. Lewis was right: “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”

Note: For more on the debate, listen to Nick Pitts on WBAP at 7:15 a.m. and Point of View with Kerby Anderson at 1:00 p.m.

You feel crazy. And your man is certain you’re crazy. You feel as though you are a victim to your raging hormones, and you never know what to expect from one day to the next.

If only I could get my hormones under control!

You’re not the only woman who feels this way. Questions about women, their hormones and their mental health is one of the most frequent health issues I am asked about by my patients, their husbands, radio listeners, readers or audience members when I speak. If you feel crazy, you’re not alone. And there is hope!

You don’t have to feel crazy and out of control. There are things you can do to master your hormones instead of letting them master you. Don’t be a victim any longer.

I’m happy to share this video with you, in which I talk about women, their hormones and their mental health. In this video you’ll discover:

• The three times during a woman’s life when hormones impact mental health most dramatically.
• The single most important factor that determines how and when hormones cause mental health symptoms.
• 7 specific steps that allow you to take charge of your hormones rather than letting your hormones master you—all without a doctor’s visit or prescription!

Are your hormone issues affecting your mental health and well-being? If so, click here and you’ll be able to access several additional resources that will help you apply 7 Specific Steps to Mastering Your Hormones. {eoa}

Dr. Carol Peters-Tanksley is both a board certified OB-Gyn physician and an ordained Doctor of Ministry. As an author and speaker, she loves helping people discover the Fully Alive kind of life that Jesus came to bring us. Visit her website at .

Televangelist Frank Amedia prophetically declared walls coming down with a Jericho shout for the “redeemed of the Lord, Donald Trump.” 

The video was taken at an Ohio rally for the presidential candidate earlier this month.  

But the video doesn’t stop there. Amedia begins to pray over all those gathered.  

“We ask you to release a spirit upon this nation to vote,” Amedia says. “To vote those principles of faith we believe in so dearly.” 

Watch the video to see the rest. 

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign released a new 30-second web ad that attempts to answer Hillary Clinton’s very important question: Why isn’t she 50 points ahead?

The ad, titled “Do You Really Need to Ask?” offers up three possibilities:

• “Maybe it’s because you arrogantly call Americans deplorable.”
• “Or, maybe it’s because the Director of the FBI said you lied about your emails.”
• “Or, maybe it’s because your policies have allowed ISIS and terrorism to spread and made America less safe and less prosperous.”

The ad is now running everywhere one can access the internet. Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller said Clinton is becoming more and more frustrated with “how out of touch she is with the American people.”

“Her message is not resonating with everyday Americans, as evidenced by the closing poll numbers, and she has completely underestimated the influence of Mr. Trump’s movement,” he said. “Expect to see more aggressive outbursts from the Clinton camp as she realizes her email scandal, horrific record and disdain for the American people block her from being coronated as she originally intended.”

Beyond visiting children’s hospitals and building giant crosses on hills, actor Chris Pratt of Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World fame is known for being an “all around nice guy.” However, the movie star has no qualms speaking his mind to rude fans, especially if they’re doing so while wearing cross necklaces.

While exiting an airport, Chris Pratt was swarmed by people looking for autographs. One person looking to get a rise out of Pratt immediately asked him if he heard about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s announced divorce. Pratt responded by simply saying, “I’ll be praying for them, man. That’s too bad.”

After signing several more posters and getting into his car, one fan threw a fit for being missed. Pratt responded, “You should be nicer. You got a cross on your chest and you’re cussing me out. I just made you guys a bunch of money right now. Don’t be a jerk.”

Pratt regularly talks about his faith in interviews and on social media. This week on the Stephen Colbert show while promoting his new movie The Magnificent Seven, he explained the story behind building the steel-beam cross on Easter in Texas with some buddies. Colbert replied, “If you were helping people drag a cross up a hill, I think more people would go to church.” Watch the video beginning at 4:31 to see why Pratt carried his cross. 

//

Two men stood next to one another on the crowded subway platform in New York City. It was rush hour.

The train came to a stop and the doors flew open. As the men stepped forward to enter, a man who had become nauseous on the crowded, swaying train lost it, and soiled one of the two men.

The doors slammed shut. The train sped off into the night with its red rear lights disappearing into the darkness. The two shocked men remained standing on the platform. Said the one who had been the recipient of the unexpected eruption, “Why me?”

That’s the spirit reflected in Psalm 44, a troubling prayer of accusation against God himself.

Glorious Past

It begins with a remembrance of what “our fathers have told us”—namely, that the planting of Israel in the land resulted from God’s efforts and not theirs (vv. 1–3). An underlying complaint within the psalm is that God’s activity in our lives does not seem evenly placed. He appears to have moments of intersection with us when His activity bursts forth in plenty, followed by long periods when nothing seems to be happening.

In such a period of seeming abandonment, all that is left are the memories of God’s power and love: “It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them” (v. 3).

In the second stanza (vv. 4–8), the psalmist relates the “correct” theology, which should be held to through tough times: Victory still results from God’s activity and not ours; therefore, trust and praise are due Him.

Disastrous Present

But quickly, confidence and faith disintegrate before the reality of the present situation. In the third and fourth stanzas (vv. 9–12, 13–16), God seems to have rejected and forgotten His people. Despair and disgrace reign. We walk in defeat and shame whenever we feel God has abandoned us. It’s the worst sting of all—God Himself gives us up to be plundered, devoured, scattered and sold for a pittance.

Despairing Question

The fifth and sixth stanzas (vv. 17–19, 20–22) forthrightly proclaim lack of cause for God’s treatment: “All this is come on us, yet we have not forgotten you nor have we dealt falsely in your covenant” (v. 17).

Have you ever felt that way? “Why me? Why is God picking on me? Why has He allowed all these hateful circumstances into my life? I just don’t understand it.”

Ironic melancholy settles on the prayer as the psalm writer dejectedly laments that God’s treatment of us is no different than sheep—we are alive only to be killed (v. 22). It is a premise to which Paul shouts an emphatic “No!” in Romans 8:36-37.

Why does Paul say no? He says no to being a victim, but says yes to being a victor: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

Thus, the New Testament response to this psalm is to turn upside down its mentality. In our worst moments, we may feel God has forgotten us (v. 24).

Negative circumstances are not a sign of His rejection of us; rather, He is working for the good (Rom. 8:28).

Plaintive Cry

The seventh and eighth stanzas (vv. 23-26) contain the pathetic plea for God’s intervention from a person who really doesn’t seem to expect God to do anything.

But God is never asleep at the switch. He is not a Baal or false god who gets lost in reverie, fails to pay attention, takes long journeys, or naps (1 Kings 18:27).

This psalm gives us perspective on praying when we are in difficulty. The content of the psalm is testimony to the fact that our prayers are more filled with doubt than with faith. The Lord, in His mercy, does not strike us down for saying things about Him which are not true. He lets us vent, even when our venting is in error.

When you feel, “Why me?” you don’t have to pathetically implore the Lord, “Wake up. Remember Your love and do something!”

Rather, because of who Jesus is, you can pray boldly, with faith and confidence (Rom. 8:38-39).

If there are moments when you feel Psalm 44 describes where you are, acknowledge those feelings to the Lord. But then go past those feelings to the real truth: The Lord does hear, know and help. {eoa}

George O. Wood is general superintendent of the Assemblies of God in the United States. Visit his website at .

Several hundred people reported to the U.S. courthouse in Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday for the start of jury selection in the death penalty case against a white man who shot dead nine black parishioners in a church in June 2015.

Prosecutors have said the man, Dylann Roof, 22, is an avowed white supremacist who carried out a racially motivated attack. Defense lawyers have said he would plead guilty if prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.

Roof sat in shackles and kept his head down as U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel explained the timeline for the trial, which begins on Nov. 7.

Roof faces 33 counts of hate crimes, obstruction of religion and firearms charges in the shooting deaths of the parishioners during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.

Twelve jurors and six alternates will be chosen from a total of 3,000 people summoned from several counties for the trial. The final jury panel will be selected after a smaller group is questioned further in court in November.

Jurors will not be sequestered, but the court will pay for their hotel rooms in Charleston, Gergel said.

The judge urged people to avoid researching the case or talking to anyone about it but acknowledged that the killings had received wide publicity.

“I know that many of you have seen, read or heard about this case,” Gergel said. 

Roof also faces murder and attempted murder charges in state court, with jury selection in that trial set for January. {eoa}

© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.