Suzanne Schaffer

Fifty Shades of Whatever I’ll admit I’m pretty tired of the brouhaha regarding the Fifty Shades series. I have seen posts from Christian women on social media praising the storyline and its romantic tones, yet pornography, in any form, has no place in the life of a Christian. Period. I’ve heard murmurings of a second film set to release in the upcoming months and while I haven’t seen the movie or read the books I did take a recent trip to Barnes and Noble to read a few random pages so I could comment with a bit of knowledge. I don’t need to watch the films or read the books in full to know this is not something I should be entertaining. What I saw on those few pages was appalling and it broke my heart for my friends who are entranced with the writings. My own past is littered with some novels I shouldn’t have read, things that awakened feelings in me physically that should have been saved for my marriage bed. I’ve always been a vigorous reader and as a teen I read anythi...

I've never been one to be impressed by what the world finds important. I don't care what kind of car you drive. I don't care how big your house is. Your sparkly jewels don't make me envious. I don't care who you know or who you've met (I find name-dropping one of the worst things imaginable). Your accomplishments, or the letters after your name, don't change my perception of who you are. Your designer handbag doesn't impress me one bit. You're either nice or you're not. Kindness is impressive. Your ability to forgive is admirable. Your work ethic that motivates you to get up early every day and get the job done is what I'll remember about you. What I find impressive is when you reach down to tie the shoe of a toddler who isn't yours. When you give your shirt to someone. Receiving a thank-you note impresses me. When your kids ask for more vegetables at dinner (seriously, I had a family over for dinner not long ago ...