Mysses Lafunky's Faith Blog is a Christian writing ministry, founded in 2012. It focuses on equipping Christians to be more like Christ in their everyday living.
Sunday, 29 November 2015
Saved From Deception
Tuesday, 24 November 2015
Abstaining From SeX - A Man's Journey to Sexual Purity
Abstaining From SeX
Abstaining from sex as a man in today's world is not a simple feat. From the moment you wake up, you're overwhelmed with nakedness from your TV to your church and from the bus stop to your office; I know how many half-naked women I encountered on Monday alone.
I didn't wait, but I am waiting now…
Thursday, 19 November 2015
The Case of a Pregnant Virgin
The case of the pregnant virgin
A young nursing student came to my clinic with a complaint of delayed menstruation. From her menstrual history, it was established that she had been regularly having her period every month until this month when she was already delayed by two weeks. Being a standard-operating-procedure (SOP), I asked about intimate sexual relations which she, and her boyfriend who came along with her, vehemently denied. I explained to her that for us obstetricians, pregnancy or a consequence thereof is the first consideration in any delay in menstruation.
What can cause absence of menstruation?
For the record, there are conditions that can cause delayed menses or an absence of menses from someone previously having it. Some of these conditions are:
• Pregnancy or a complication thereof (i.e. abortion, ectopic pregnancy)
• PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Intake of certain drugs like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as mefenamic acid, hormones, chemotherapeutic agents (anti-cancer)
• Stress, whether emotional or physical (as in athletes)
• Depression
• Premature ovarian failure (aka premature menopause)
Was she pregnant?
Even with their denial, I had to do a pregnancy test, which turned out to be positive or (+), meaning she was pregnant. With this result in hand, I proceeded to do a physical examination to verify the pregnancy. She refused a speculum and internal examination (IE) as she still maintained she was a virgin. To my surprise, her hymen indeed was intact. As promised, I didn’t do an IE but requested for a transabdominal (through the abdomen) pelvic ultrasound instead. To their surprise, the ultrasound result showed a live pregnancy of about six weeks duration. She indeed was pregnant.
How did I determine whether she was a virgin?
The all too important hymen takes center stage here. The hymen is a thin tissue right at the opening of the vagina. It is not totally closed but has a small central opening where menstrual blood can flow out of. The opening is about 1 to 1.2 cm. Being so, one can use a tampon for menstruation and not cause any damage to the hymen. The large size tampon is only about 1 cm in diameter. Therefore, mothers need not worry about their daughters losing their virginity with the use of tampons.
So, what does it mean to lose virginity? Simply put it means there was already intimate sexual relation which connotes actual penetration of the man’s sexual organ into the female’s vaginal canal. The penis is 2cm or more in diameter. On first sexual contact, the penetration of the penis causes this membrane to be broken as the penis is larger than the hymenal opening. The hymen then breaks causing some amount of bleeding.
Therefore, on physical examination, we determine whether the hymenal ring is still intact (virgin) or the hymen has already been broken (non-virgin). Sometimes, it can also be determined whether the penetration occurred recently (fresh tears) or some time before (healed tears). There are some exceptions to the rule. In some women, this membrane may not break because it has been shown that there are those who have resilient hymen. In addition, there are those who have done some sexual acts without resorting to actual penetration. So, frankly speaking, they are not actually “virgins” in the real sense but only physical virgins, i.e. intact hymen.
The mystery solved
Needless to say, the couple had a very intense argument with the boyfriend accusing the girl of infidelity. He was very sure he has not penetrated the girl’s vaginal canal. She adamantly insisted she had no other man in her life. I had to show the man that indeed the girlfriend’s hymen was intact. I had to solve the mystery myself so I sat them down together to get a clearer view of the circumstances. Being nursing students, I had hoped they were able to understand the situation as I am now going to narrate.
The couple in this story had been doing heavy petting, or in other words, sexual foreplay. Not wanting to have a resulting pregnancy, the man sees to it that he does not penetrate. However, there are times when he ejaculates right at the hymenal opening. During ejaculation, the semen comes out in bursts with some degree of force. It could have happened that some semen, with the concomitant sperms, were able to enter the vaginal canal. The sperms then could now travel upward through the fallopian tube and meet the ovum or egg resulting in a fertilized egg, thereby resulting in pregnancy.
If you find that hard to believe, imagine the man in this story. I had hoped he would understand but I later found out he could not fathom the explanation which eventually led to the break up.
How about the woman? The last I heard from her, she called me up to speak to her mother and to assure the mother she was a virgin. I refused. I told her you may be a virgin in the physical sense but we both know you have had an intimate relation with a man. She never came back.
Reference - http://www.herword.com/healthdesk/main.php?id=pregnant+virgin
If you have been affected by the above, please send an email to trulymakingadifference@gmail.com. If you would like to share your story, also send an email to the above email address.
- Myss Lafunky
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Monday, 16 November 2015
Jesus in Every Book of the Bible
This week's post is about finding Jesus in every book of the Bible.
Whilst growing up, I learnt a lot of biblical songs that have continued to shape my life positively. There are times that the biblical songs and stories have aided my understanding of scriptures.
Do you know that there are creative ways that you can teach the children about Jesus?
Buy pictorial bible for your children and spend time to learn fun ways that your children can learn the Bible. You can use flashcards, watch movies together, compose biblical songs together, give them regular homework, get them to also tell you stories from the Bible, get your children to be the teachers, this will help you to assess their understanding, set healthy competitions, let them participate in quiz, word puzzles, drawing, bible charades, and other biblical games.
As a child, I had the opportunity to memorise the books of the Bible through a church competition. Prizes were given to the winners. I was given a Bible bookmark for the books of the Bible, I learned how to open my Bible very fast using the bookmark.
Every child should have a Bible bookmark for the books of the Bible as it would help them to learn and memorise the books of the Bible.
You and your children or your Sunday School class can create time to learn the below. Give them two to four weeks to learn it, award first, second and third prize to the children that were able to recite it confidently.
In EXODUS, He's the Passover Lamb
In LEVITICUS, He's the High Priest
In NUMBERS, He's the Cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night
In DEUTERONOMY, He's the City of our Refuge
In JOSHUA, He's the Scarlet Thread out by Rahab's window
In JUDGES, He is our King
In RUTH, He is our Kinsman Redeemer.
In 1st and 2nd SAMUEL, He's our Trusted Prophet
In KINGS and CHRONICLES, He's our Reigning King
In EZRA, He is our Faithful Scribe
In NEHEMIAH, He's the Rebuilder of everything that is broken
In ESTHER, He is the Mordecai sitting faithful at the gate
In JOB, He's our Redeemer that ever liveth
In PSALMS, He is my Shepherd
In PROVERBS and ECCLESIASTES, He's our Wisdom
In the SONG OF SOLOMON, He's the Beautiful Bridegroom
In ISAIAH, He's the Suffering Servant
In JEREMIAH and LAMENTATIONS, it is Jesus that is the Weeping Prophet.
In EZEKIEL, He's the Wonderful Four-Faced Man
In DANIEL, He is the Fourth Man in the midst of a fiery furnace
In HOSEA, He is my Love that is forever faithful
In JOEL, He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit
In AMOS, He's our Burden Bearer
In OBADIAH, He's our Savior
In JONAH, He is the Great Foreign Missionary
In MICAH, He is the Messenger with beautiful feet
In NAHUM, He is the Avenger
In HABAKKUK, He is the Watchman that is ever praying for revival
In ZEPHANIAH, He is the Lord mighty to save
In HAGGAI, He is the Restorer of our lost heritage
In ZECHARIAH, He is our Fountain
In MALACHI, He is the Son of Righteousness with healing in His wings.
In MATTHEW, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God
In MARK, He's the Miracle Worker
In LUKE, He's the Son of Man
In JOHN, He is the door by which everyone of us must enter
In ACTS, He is the Shining Light that appears to Saul on the Damascus road
In ROMANS, He is our Justifier
In 1st CORINTHIANS, He is our Resurrection
In 2nd CORINTHIANS, He is our Sin Bearer
In GALATIANS, He redeems us from the law.
In EPHESIANS, He is our Unsearchable Riches
In PHILIPPIANS, He supplies our every need
In COLOSSIANS, He's the Fullness of the Godhead Bodily
In 1st and 2nd THESSALONIANS, He is our Soon Coming King
In 1st and 2nd TIMOTHY, He is the Mediator between God and man
In TITUS, He is our Blessed Hope
In PHILEMON, He is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother
In HEBREWS, He's the Blood of the everlasting covenant
In JAMES, it is the Lord that heals the sick
In 1st and 2nd PETER, He is the Chief Shepherd
In 1st, 2nd, and 3rd JOHN, it is Jesus who has the tenderness of love
In JUDE, He is the Lord coming with 10,000 saints
In REVELATION, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Monday, 9 November 2015
Two Lifestyles | A Tale of Sowing and Reaping
There's a new lifestyle that the British Government has made everyone to comply with; this is the use of carrying our carrier bags in supermarkets and shopping mall. The bags are no longer free, you don't have a choice other than to comply, although there is still an option of paying for a carrier bag, I seldom see people buying carrier bags. Are people struggling to adjust to this new culture?
- A life that believes in Jesus Christ
- A life that lives according to the guidelines set down by God
- A life that does not walk the road of those who rebel against God
- A life that is careful of the advice that he or she follows
- A life that constantly considers what God would think
- A life that is eager to do God's work.
- A life with beautiful characters
- A life that is open about their shortcomings with God
- A life that finds joy in allowing God's Word to shape their life
- A life that Christ rules everything about them
- A life that is uncomfortable when he or she has not hung out with God in a day
- A life that continues to be happy that they are living their life well in accordance with the Word of God
- A life that is always ready to learn
- A life that does not allow anything to separate him or her from the love of God
- A life of purity
- A life without pretence, and a life that is friendly and approachable
- Assurance of making heaven
- Protection by God
- Succeeds in everything they do
- Has a stable mind
- Experiences divine prosperity and favour from God.
- Generations after them enjoy prosperity from God.
- A life that is rewarded by God
- A life that flourish though, they may be despised by others
- A life that depends on their own wisdom and disregard the Word of God
- A life that believes it is impossible to live without sin
- A life that has no place to live according to the word of God
- A life that condemns God by their way of living
- A life that believes all things are possible without God
- A life of pretence, deceit, a life that deliberately cheat
- A life of murmuring
- A greedy life
- A life that keeps apart from being close friends with practising Christians
- A life that focuses on life on earth and disregard life after the earth
- A proud life
- A life that believes their kindness is sufficient to live on this earth or after this earth
- The end is ruin and the life comes to nought
- The end life leads to destruction and hell.
- Does not enjoy the goodness and blessings of God
- Faces God's judgement
- A life without substance
- A worthless life
- A life with temporary enjoyment but eternal condemnation