Randy Elrod's Blog, page 19

Nudes

Why Does God (and His Followers) Hate My Penis?

If one believes the creation myth, the ideal Adam and Eve were created nude. Then God proclaimed, “It was good…except for Adam’s penis.” Nope. The story did not include a disclaimer. It seems that God was quite pleased with his handiwork. Ahem. I’m sure Adam had an uncircumcised tool that John Holmes would have envied. […]

Candid Thoughts on Baring It All (Nude Beaches)

I write about the meaning of our sexual fantasies in my latest book, “The Quest.” In it, I mention renowned sex therapist Robert Stoller and his insightful observation that our porn preferences reveal our personal myths—our life stories—things we have repressed, our attachment styles, our […]

Books I…

BOOK I HATE: “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren BOOK I THINK IS OVERRATED: “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy BOOK I THINK IS UNDERRATED: “Elderhood” by Louise Aronson BOOK I LOVE: “The Magus” by John Fowles BOOK I CAN READ OVER AND OVER AGAIN: […]

What Kind of Reader Are You?

Growing up in a hyper-religious ultra-conservative old-time pentecostal preacher’s home, the only place I found to call my own without fearing ridicule for my ridiculous crewcut and out-of-style clothing, in the rebellious world of the seventies where bell bottoms, tie-dyed t-shirts, and long hair were […]

The Making of an Atheist (My Trajectory from Evangelical Minister to Enlightened Humanist)

The journey to enlightenment is invariably complicated, tracing a winding and sometimes traumatic path with many forks and detours along the way. I did not ultimately turn against religion or become a critic of its most prominent leaders simply because they fell short of my […]

Peace Like A River

Although I sang this lyric countless times as a child and during my thirty-year career as a music/arts director, primarily in mega-churches, I never truly experienced peace as a Christian. My primary emotions were negative: guilt, fear, anxiety, shame, and judgment. The first moment in […]

Eight Books I Wish I Had Read Much Earlier In Life

We live in a world of media over-saturation—tens of thousands of streaming movie options, thousands of TV series, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and so many others. It may be hard to believe that my childhood home had ZERO computers, televisions, or cell phones. Yet, with […]

To Gina On Our Tenth Anniversary

It has been a wild ride! And I would not trade this decade of happiness together for anything in the world. Every moment has been priceless—well, there may have been a few days we would not want to repeat when we were carving out a […]

I Took A Trip Yesterday

Often I wonder why some of us are allowed to live a charmed life. Yesterday was one of the most significant days of my six decades on earth. I never cease to be amazed that we live in a world where I can wake up […]