My friend Jen Zug invited me to write for her newsletter again this month. This is what came of that invitation.

I communicate things both professionally and unprofessionally. This is one of the unprofessional ones. By the relentless and sometimes kind of intense Christmas spirit vested in me—that I come to you with a list of Christmas movies that I have unreasonably strong opinions about and totally think you should watch.

Over the 11+ years REST has been walking alongside victims and survivors of sex trafficking and the sex trade, we’ve heard countless stories and reasons why survivors don’t feel welcome in churches—even when they are devout Christians.

That decision came over 300 years after interracial marriage was made illegal through colonial antimiscegenation laws. These laws vastly expanded a racist system of sexual exploitation—and we still see their impact in the sex trade today. 

While pornography is a sexually exploitative industry that objectifies, commodifies, and degrades individuals from every walk of life, it is often uniquely degrading and reliant on centuries-old racist stereotypes for people of color.

The thing is, there is no “fair trade” stamp for pornographic content—pornography consumers have no way of knowing if sexual acts they are viewing are consensual. There is no enforceable measure for “ethical production”. Even if it’s something that looks consensual or caring, there’s no guarantee that force, fraud, or coercion wasn’t involved.

At REST, we hear similar stories often—adults, who naturally hold the position of power in an adult/child relationship, twist and abuse their power to exploit, silence, and shame their victims—allowing for repeated and prolonged sexual abuse.

Housing and homelessness are near and dear to our hearts at REST, because we know it is one of the most significant hurdles for the individuals we serve. Without stable housing, it is often very difficult to achieve other goals—like getting out of the sex trade, addressing chemical dependency issues, or keeping your children safe and healthy.

Confession: I love the current terrarium trend—but they can be so expensive! So a terrarium—with low-maintenance succulents—seemed like a good foray into adding some summer vibes to my home.

With grilling weather officially here—and plenty of sunshine and daylight for evening barbeques and picnics, I wanted to put together a mini herb garden so I can freshen up my summer dishes a bit and also add a little indoor foliage to my dining area.