Let's Talk about Sex

Today I headed to my alma mater Calvin College to attend the first lecture of the January Series. Lauren Winner is an author, speaker, and historian. She also is funny, honest, bright, and possesses an amazing vocabulary (I guess you pick up a few words while studying at Cambridge.) Her topic was carried over from last year's January series and from her book, 'Real Sex'. It is amazing how that three letter word can pack an auditorium full of college students. :) I can hardly do justice by trying to summarize all her points ... but the theme was to enjoy the ordinary. Married sex and living in domesticity (new word for you) has been put down by our culture and called "boring and dull" because it doesn't seem to offer the excitement, passion, or mind blowing experiences. Winner argues that married sex is in fact good sex because it is an ordinary act between two people committed to each other, God, and their family unit. She criticized an article she read in Redbook that was written as a "how to" for married couples. This article suggested that you put away all family photos in the bedroom (this is a room of passion and so it should only have pictures of you and your mate - please), install a dimmer to your lamps, light candles, play music that gets you in the mood, and put a lock on your door. (Winner thought this was the only suggestion of any value.) She argued that married sex shouldn't be seen as trying to get out of your family environment or domesticity but rather should recognize it's place in it and that sometimes you "may just get interrupted by your five year old puking in her bed." Winner believes that our culture has changed how people view sex so much that even Christians are entering marriage with preconceived ideas of what sex should be like. She was interesting & engaging and I highly suggest you check out some of her books or check out her home page. http://laurenwinner.net