tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52020550694836424912024-02-20T12:23:00.160-08:00423 Men"Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." Proverbs 4.23davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-88711364539698940482016-11-02T07:53:00.000-07:002016-11-02T07:53:55.955-07:00"Tell Yourself the Truth"<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em>James 1.21b-24 NASB </em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“<strong>But prove yourselves doers of the word</strong>, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like <strong>a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror</strong>; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.”</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mirrors tell the truth. They say it like it really is. There are very few people with Hollywood star-quality looks. Mirrors prove that. Mirrors reveal to the honest mirror-looker what everyone else already knows. Look in a mirror. You may or may not like what you see. But what you see is visual reality. Mirrors don’t lie. They cannot lie. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Politicians ‘spin’ the truth. Photographers enhance the truth. Salespeople embellish the truth. Fishermen exaggerate the truth. Addicts ignore the truth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But mirrors <em>tell</em> the truth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Can you bear to take a mirror into your soul? There you cannot be a victim. You will find no one to blame. It’ s just <em>you</em> alone with <em>you</em>. What you see is super-visual, spiritual reality. Look deeply into this mirror. Memorize every broken, marred, and blemished detail in your reflection of self. Never forget the image. Be faithful to what you see. Be real with Jesus and everyone else. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>“But prove yourselves doers of the word, </em></span></span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em>not merely </em></span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em>hearers </em></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em>who delude themselves... like a man who looks... in a mirror;... </em></span><em style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and gone </em><br />
<em style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">away, </em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">[and] </span><i style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">has immediately forgotten what king of person he was.”</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">The photo above is called <em>"Reflection in the mirror" </em>by photographer Sergey Mikhalchik from Copenhagen. You can view his excellent work on "Yet Another Blog" at <a href="http://www.mikhalchik.com/">http://www.mikhalchik.com/</a>. </span><br />
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davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-75398441200477621822016-10-23T08:10:00.001-07:002016-10-23T08:22:14.339-07:00"The Great Porn Experiment" TED Talk by Gary Wilson<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wSF82AwSDiU" width="560"></iframe>
davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-26394790351787376312016-10-10T08:07:00.001-07:002016-10-10T09:06:02.437-07:00"Purity"<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em>Titus 1.15-16 a NASU <span style="color: #cc0000;"></span></em> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“<strong>To the pure, all things are pure</strong>; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">and their conscience are defiled. <strong>They profess to know </strong></span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>God, but by their deeds they deny Him</strong>,…”</span></em> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What is purity? Purity happens when profession and performance match up. A person consistent in word and action is pure, without inner conflict. He says what he believes and acts accordingly. A pure man is transparent, authentic, real. With the pure, what you see is what you get. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jesus taught with great power because He was pure. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em>“…the crowds were amazed at His teaching; </em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>for He was</em></span> <em><span style="color: #cc0000;">teaching as one having authority </span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">and </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">not as their scribes.”</span></em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Matthew 7.28-29 NAS</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The scribes and the Pharisees were <em>not</em> pure. No one really believed what they said because they did not practice what they preached. They were hypocrites and Jesus nailed them: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“Woe to you, teachers of the law </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">and Pharisees, </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">you hypocrites! </span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">You are like whitewashed tombs, </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">which look beautiful on the outside</span></em> <em><span style="color: #cc0000;">but </span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">on the inside are full of dead men’s </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">bones </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">and everything unclean. </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">In </span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">the </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">same way, </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">on the outside you appear to people as righteous </span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>but </em></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”</em> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Matthew 23:27-28 NIV </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Pharisees of Jesus’ time were phonies and posers. What they displayed on the <em>outside</em> was</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> not what you’d find on the <em>inside</em>. These guys were not congruent within themselves. For them, life was a show to impress and control the multitudes. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>“They say they know God, </em></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>but</em></span> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>their </em></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">actions </span></em></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">speak louder than their words.”</span></em> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">Titus 1.16a </span><span style="font-size: 85%;">"The Message" </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In 423 Men we try to
tell the truth. We don’t sugarcoat, pose, pretend, defend, excuse, over-explain, understate, dismiss, minimize, rationalize, or
justify. We simply tell the truth about our sexually addictive behavior
patterns. During meetings, members report on their previous week’s successes
and failures with sexual sin and lust issues. Overgeneralized statements about
“acting out” are not acceptable, nor do we tolerate graphic detail which could
sexually arouse listeners. Group members are simply required to confess and
take responsibility for their sins in the presence of empathetic and supportive
brothers. This transparent and honest process has an immediate freeing effect, prompting some members to discover freedom from sexual bondage for the first time in decades. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jesus said, <em>“You are the light of the world... Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven”</em> (Matthew 5.14a, 16). We are tempted to paint our bulbs yellow to simulate the light. Ultimately, that hypocrisy won’t fool anyone. We may decorate our globes with glitter and fluorescent colors, but the light will not shine without an in tact filament on the inside. The pure light from heaven shines with the brightness of day through the clear glass of a transparent and authentic soul.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>A legitimate 423 Men prayer</u>: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lord, make me a pure man. Help me make...</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">my profession and performance match up. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">my actions speak just as loudly as my words. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">what I <i>profess </i>to be true and <i>show </i>to be true exactly the same thing.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">”</span></span></li>
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davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-56806140315334385662016-08-17T09:00:00.001-07:002016-10-23T08:14:37.076-07:00Important TED Talk...<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_you_know_about_addiction_is_wrong.html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="560"></iframe>davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-7796412571571764992016-03-15T06:40:00.003-07:002016-03-15T08:02:10.908-07:00"Driven to Isolation"<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<em></em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em>Luke 8:29b NIV </em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“…and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been <strong>driven by the demon into solitary places.”</strong></span></em> <u></u></span></div>
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<u style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Good Earth</u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> describes the plight of a peasant farmer, Wang Lung, and his family somewhere around the turn of the century in China. After enduring unspeakable poverty, Wang Lung finally achieves a measure of success and wealth. He becomes arrogant and loses his moral bearings. Driven by lower instincts he pursues his lust for a young prostitute…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new";">“…fevered, filled with a sickened hunger, he followed slavishly, bit by bit, her unfolding, until the moment of crisis, when, like a flower that is ripe for plucking, she was willing that he should grasp her wholly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new";">“Yet never could he grasp her wholly, and this it was which kept him fevered and thirsty, even if she gave him his will of her. When O-lan [Wang Lung’s wife] had come to his house it was health to his flesh and he lusted for her robustly as a beast for its mate and he took her and was satisfied and he forgot her and did his work content. But there was no such content now in his love for this girl, and there was no health in her for him. At night when she would have no more of him, pushing him out of the door petulantly, with her small hands suddenly strong on his shoulders, his silver thrust into her bosom, he went away hungry as he came. It was as though a man, dying of thirst, drank the salt water of the sea which, though it is water, yet dries his blood into thirst and yet greater thirst so that in the end he dies, maddened by his very drinking. He went in to her and he had his will of her again and again and he come away unsatisfied.” </span><span style="font-family: "courier new";">[1]</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pearl Buck’s hero is inexplicably determined to destroy himself. What compels a smart man to do stupid things? Ask New York’s Governor Eliot Spitzer[2] or an Islamic suicide bomber or a compulsive gambler or a guy hooked on endless hours of internet porn or the abused wife returning home for more of the same. There is no answer beyond pointless rhetoric, pathetic excuses, or empty apologies. Like the Gerasene demoniac, they are <em>“driven by the demon into solitary places</em>” of personal destruction. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The same man who forced a <em>“Legion”</em> of devils into a herd of pigs, offers you and me <em>“authority over all the demons”</em> (Luke 9.1). Are we, like Wang Lung, driven by personal demons down the path of isolation and despair? </span><span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">We must face the truth, come out of isolation and into the light. Take Jesus up on His offer and join a community of recovery before you do something irreversibly destructive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">[1]</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> <u>The Good Earth</u>, Pearl S. Buck, Washington Square Press, 1931, p. 181. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Don’t let your life slip away without reading this 1932 Pulitzer Prize winner and Oprah’s Book Club selection in September 2004. The book was adapted for use in a major motion picture by MGM in 1937 and seen by an estimated 23 million viewers. Peal Buck’s work offered Americans of the 1930’s a glimpse into Chinese culture and may have paved the way for consideration of the Chinese as allies in our war with Japan a decade later. Pearl Buck was a civil rights and women’s rights activist and a great humanitarian. She grew up in China and served as a Presbyterian missionary to that country from 1914 to 1933. Buck founded Welcome House®, the first international, interracial adoption agency which has placed over 7,000 children since its inception in 1949. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">[2]</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-sting-the-fbi-the-prostitution-ring-and-the-governor-794488.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-sting-the-fbi-the-prostitution-ring-and-the-governor-794488.html</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">. </span></div>
davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-54536662884764572902016-02-20T10:04:00.002-08:002016-02-20T15:37:56.915-08:00"The Annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue"<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em>Mark 6.1 NKJV </em><em></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>“Then He</em><span style="color: black;"> [Jesus]</span><em> went out from there and came to His own country, and <b>His </b><strong>disciples followed Him</strong>.”</em></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I follow Jesus. I am a disciple of Christ, but not always a very good one. Sometimes I want to lay down my cross and veer a little from the path. That’s why God gave me 22 years with a great woman. He knows I mean well and, with a little help from my wife, I just might stay (nearer to) the course. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Adonica was a sports fanatic. She once subscribed to Sports Illustrated magazine and enjoyed the weekly updates on favorite teams and the mostly well written articles about athletes</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">’</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> personal and team achievements. I occasionally glanced at the magazine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like most guys, I was aware of the annual swimsuit edition in which beautiful women model tiny bits of fabric. I’m not sure what this has to do with sports but I am fairly certain it boosts magazines sales and revenues. Maybe I would take one of my “occasional glances” when the swimsuit issue arrived in the mail. I would be nonchalant. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Adonica informed me the annual swimsuit issue had arrived.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Oh yeah, where is it?,” feigning only casual interest. <br />
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“In the recycling. I didn’t even bring it into the house,” she replied. <br />
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“So you mean its in the red recycling box in the garage?” <br />
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“No. I mean it was picked up today and taken to the dump. It’s gone for good.” <br />
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“Good,” I said. “Darn,” I thought.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My dear wife saw this as a teaching opportunity. She explained that the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated is really soft pornography and had no business in our home. She also discovered that subscribers can ‘opt out’ of receiving the swimsuit issue and get an extra magazine at the end of their subscription. I learned that’s what we would do if we re-subscribed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Truthfully, I probably would not have opened the magazine. God faithfully provides a way of escape with every temptation I face (1st Corinthians 10.13). By His amazing grace, I have not viewed pornography (or an SI swimsuit issue) for over 15 years or more. Nor have I started up my old sexual addictive behavior patterns since my dear Adonica died nearly 6 months ago. I am acutely aware of the enormous weight that sin once carried in my life. I don’t want to go there again. However, I most certainly would have been tempted and I am glad I had a marriage partner who understood that. I am weeping as I write these words, for she is no longer here to remind what a good man is and does. Now I must figure that out on my own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And yet, she <i>is </i>here. Last August, Adonica joined </span><em style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">“a great cloud of witnesses” </em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">that surrounds and reminds me to </span><em style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">“throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” </em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">me, (Hebrews 12.1). </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Together we </span><em style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">“followed Him”</em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> on earth and stayed on the path. Alone, I might have taken a detour. I certainly was not watching where I was going. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The woman I married lovingly removed stumbling blocks and helped me remain true to my convictions. She was the most beautiful woman on earth. Now she</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">’s in heaven. She</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">’s still <i>beautiful</i>, I still <i>love </i>her,<i> </i>and I </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">still </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>have </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">her. By God</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">’</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">s grace, I will not dishonor Adonica<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">’</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">s memory</span>. I will <i>keep </i>following Jesus and be the man she always wanted and deserved and expected and helped me to be. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The beautiful image of the ring on the Bible casting a heart-shaped shadow is by Canadian photographer Travis Parsons of Vinland Photography, Newfoundland. You can view his exceptional wedding photography at </span><a href="http://www.vinland-blog.com/"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">http://www.vinland-blog.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span></div>
davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-43424201536861980112015-11-10T06:50:00.002-08:002015-11-10T06:51:39.973-08:00"The Dark Room"<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ezekiel 8.7-10a, 12 NET </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_jyQACCwu6z4JnE27ZeonjPjgYF9-aWaoXh6bxF1FOFMp3FV4MRfT49giAn5W8JhQZvKt3tUAGHG0iCZhQUFPgIEr18IFaomtURJQqO47n65b1NjRujmUEjSv4_mF9q7nPHNPFqgTddS/s1600-h/dark+room.jpg"></a></em><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“He brought me to the entrance of the court, and as I watched, <strong>I noticed a hole in the wall</strong>. He said to me,<strong> ‘Son of man, dig into the wall.’</strong> So</span></em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <em><strong>I dug into the wall and discovered a doorway</strong>.” “He said to me, ‘Go in and see <strong>the evil abominations</strong> they are practicing here.’ So <strong>I went in and looked</strong>.” </em></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>“He said to me, ‘Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing</em> <em><strong>in the dark</strong>, each in <strong>the chamber of his idolatrous images</strong>? For they think, “<strong>The Lord does not see us! The Lord has abandoned</strong> the land!”’”</em></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I would be mortified if others knew exactly what I was thinking. If the images of my mind were projected on a wide-screen television for all to see, I would be more than just a little embarrassed. If I imagine myself as an ancient city. The wall around the city is what I project to the outside world. I welcome friends through the proper gate into the town square where I present entertaining shows and engage in inspirational conversation. Only trusted friends receive an invitation to my personal residence where they may observe how I actually live. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But there is a room in my imaginary home no one is invited to enter. I call it the <em>“dark”</em> room and I try never to go in there. In this <em>“chamber of… idolatrous images”</em> hangs pictures of lust and greed. It is decorated with idols of jealousy and selfish ambition. People I despise are imprisoned there. I am ashamed of this room and tightly lock the door. Though it beckons me relentlessly, I try to forget its existence. I’m afraid of this room. It’s very dark in there. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkCagAYJBjKXTrK5WgCau0-lRDrZ1491WAuVTJGU763uT1VdLWGvDLfpNnWsN-z53iLqbbtdj0YK90Yx7uGVnpP35diC00aLHI0atL7AR-21SmLwE9wv4etRkShzjobZ0WSrDEbtf0kAL/s1600-h/locked+door+bright.jpg"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Lord found <em>“a hole in the wall”</em> of my fortified city of self. He <em>“dug into the wall and discovered a doorway” </em>to my <em>“dark”</em> room! He <em>“went in and looked”</em> around. I was ashamed. I thought <em>“the Lord does not see”.</em> But He <em>does</em>. I thought <em>“the Lord… abandoned”</em> me to my room alone. But He <em>didn’t</em>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Instead of politely avoiding this area of my abode, Jesus found His way in and shed His light. With the same righteous anger He exhibited in the Temple at Jerusalem [1], Jesus engaged in serious house cleaning. The junk in my <em>“dark”</em> room was exposed, ripped from its sacred pedestal, and thrown out with the trash. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sometimes I feel sad, lonely, afraid, or otherwise <em>“abandoned”</em> by God. I am tempted to sneak back into my <em>“chamber of… idolatrous images”</em> and close the door behind me. I know this room well. I can hide from my outside realities, fully embrace my self-pity, and practice the <em>“evil abominations”</em> of my secret sin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How thankful I am for the <em>“Son of man”</em> who will <em>“dig into the wall”</em> of my dark and private space and expose me to the light of His relentless and unending love.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">[1] John 2:13-16a The Message <em><strong>13</strong> “When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. <strong>14</strong> He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength.” <strong>15</strong> “Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. <strong>16</strong> He told the dove merchants, <span style="color: #cc0000;">‘Get your things out of here!...’</span>”</em> </span></div>
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davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-49144515588282112142015-07-18T08:19:00.002-07:002015-07-18T08:23:39.639-07:00"Eye Covenant" <div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em></em><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Job 31.1, 7-8 NIV </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTe8RIT_dcx0npqk_JXYLnlxYiDcBCOR6SUmUt0rmW7pwztZ3KkXbI5h-qP-Yf3HgHHJPTadhzPEXgf2sDamNtNVKaxa-RbkiHbYxgkqV5P4rsCk1-AVW8ms3c068x0X4xw7jcxgpyqXo/s1600-h/camera.jpg"></a></em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZflJ9SHbzn1o8vO-qp-hTe_iBV1AFYMGNEf5cy1BEFy629brQ1reFyWdoBp4sP1yHa5nz84qcBLAi3zH8uTbPqwLXH4YWcABryr3jkNk2efgpDohRzFRWLNT7PH293a9KPNAOa7k4rg4/s1600/iphone-07-01-09-2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZflJ9SHbzn1o8vO-qp-hTe_iBV1AFYMGNEf5cy1BEFy629brQ1reFyWdoBp4sP1yHa5nz84qcBLAi3zH8uTbPqwLXH4YWcABryr3jkNk2efgpDohRzFRWLNT7PH293a9KPNAOa7k4rg4/s400/iphone-07-01-09-2.gif" style="border: medium none;" t="" true="" width="212" /></a><em><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“I have made a covenant with my eye</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNM3Mg_74DDhrar06eJm3o6bCTZN4WaNwoaAQe8PGAGAgc6kZMjparTW_SEwMTqXVojojGlCKxVpU2rG0JIj1DhU1J8lfUi66UD0wtGS34YqsnJkOiQIpsO-vbMrfJeji7SqaS5FOHCs/s1600-h/flim-clock.jpg"></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">s not to look lustfully at a girl.”</span></strong></span></em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“If my steps have turned from the path, </span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>if my heart has been led by my eyes, </strong>or if my hands have been defiled, then may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.”</span> </em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I purchased my first iPhone a several years ago and took a crazy number of pictures. It’s easy. Anytime the thought occurs to me, I press the camera app and capture the moment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The human brain functions like a camera. Our eyes are viewfinders. Once we’ve selected subject matter of interest, we fix our gaze and take a mental snapshot. It’s easy. Just point and shoot. The image makes an impression on our brain and we can pull it up anytime we choose. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BlKv2cIp4sObvZ20o9zdytQ5BujUFthMbdIZNeNEU0LkOW1p2mAZ6I9N0Ct5NHCmckDHNIg7zOew7Aw2X8DuPOBOYtz9aDSJLIriPkLa-Zb2ZTsWFcXFqrDVztFxT50PxG_pG7PbgPA/s1600-h/camera+2.jpg"></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This photographic capacity of the human mind is amazing. If we direct our eyes toward that which uplifts and benefits us, we capture a cerebral image that will motivate us to achieve God’s best for our lives. For example, when I see a man treat his wife like a queen and his children with respect, I remember that. The idea is filed somewhere in my gray matter and reminds me to repeat that behavior with my own family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There’s a danger also. If I am indiscriminate in my choice of subject matter, then, like Job, my <em>“my heart has been led by my eyes”. </em>That’s <em>not</em> a good thing. My heart is my control center.[1] It should control my eyes, not the other way around. My heart is the operating system that makes everything else in my life work right. If my heart is <em>“led by my eyes</em>”<em>, </em>marred by unwholesome images and past negative recollections, I set myself up for a fall. I must use caution in what I choose to look at or I will inhibit the flow of God in me and potentially destroy my life, as the Bible says...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>“Watch over your heart with all diligence, </em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>for from it flow the springs of life.”</em> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">Proverbs 4.23 NASB </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In the words of Jesus… </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“The lamp of the body is the eye; </span></em><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>if therefore </em></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>your </em></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>eye is clear, </em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>your whole body will </em></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>be full of light. </em></span><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">But if your eye </span></em></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">is bad, </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">your whole </span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">body </span></em></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">will </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">be full of darkness. </span></em></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">If therefore the light </span></em></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">that is in you </span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">is </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">darkness, </span></em></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">how great is the darkness!”</span></em> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">Matthew 6.22-23 NASB</span> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Job <em>“made a covenant with</em> [his] <em>eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.”</em> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Q: Why would Job, or anyone, make a covenant with his eyes? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A: Clear eyes = clean heart = happy man = effective follower of Jesus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">[1] The terms <em>"heart", "mind",</em> and <em>"brain"</em> are used interchangeably in this post. In ancient Hebrew times, the concept of heart and mind were synonymous. The notion that all internal human processes merge to form a singular concept is common in ancient literature of the middle east. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">"The thinking processes of man are said to be carried out by the heart. This intellectual activity corresponds to what would be called mind in English. Thus, the heart may think (Est 6:6), understand (Job 38:36), imagine (Jer 9:14), remember (Deut 4:9), be wise (Prov 2:10), and speak to itself (Deut 7:17). Decision-making is also carried out by the heart. Purpose (Acts 11:23), intention (Heb 4:12), and will (Eph 6:6) are all activities of the heart".</span></span></blockquote>
Quote from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, <em>"Heart", </em>copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers. </div>
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davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-32030643314026731172015-04-27T14:33:00.003-07:002015-04-27T14:33:21.518-07:00Jesus Loves Porn Stars<div id="fb-root">
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This Porn Star Took a Bible to Her Last Shoot. What Happened Next Is Beyond Amazing.<br />
Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/persecuted">International Christian Concern</a> on Sunday, April 26, 2015</blockquote>
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davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-86179485270208537142015-04-07T06:38:00.001-07:002015-07-18T08:22:04.139-07:00"The Ambush"<em></em><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Judges 20.29-30, 37, 42 Amplified Bible </span></em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvzvi2uJemH-SLc84mm9vnX8WaCplQjz2UWDVfxXuLzOZJdZWMLtJfjrRTiKn5i8Ef_3_9mqRbW91rrHoANbvghGoHAlS-vyPSs4kOxFZtn5Jfh8IMDPjbODhyG-55yEonOjiIYqp_8k/s1600-h/ambush.bmp"></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><em>“<strong>So Israel set men in ambush round about Gibeah.</strong> And the Israelites went up against the Benjamites on the third day and set themselves in array against Gibeah as at other times.” </em></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><em>“And the men in ambush quickly rushed upon Gibeah, and the liers-in-wait moved out and smote all the city with the sword.” </em></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><em>“Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel and fled toward the wilderness, but the battle followed close behind and overtook them; and the inhabitants of the cities destroyed those </em><span style="color: black;">[Benjamites]</span><em> who came through them in their midst.”</em></span><span style="color: #990000;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sexual sin is tricky business. Due to its </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">addictive nature, it becomes impossible to sin just a little, especially for any length of time. The devil’s strategy includes plans for your complete destruction. Don’t be fooled. Sexual addiction is progressive. You can be easily lulled into tolerating an acceptable level of sin only to discover there’s no such thing. You are quickly swept into the power of your enemy, engulfed by the flames of fire you meant only to touch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The tribe of Benjamin had two military victories under its belt. This day would be no different. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Benjamin’s </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">fighters would chase and defeat the men of Israel as before. But this time Israel set an ambush. As Benjamite warriors left Gibeah to pursue fleeing Israelites, those in hiding sneaked into town and burned it to the ground. The smoke of their victory signaled Israel to turn on their attackers. Benjamin was caught in an ambush, surrounded on almost every side. Benjamin’s soldiers were out of options and <em>“fled toward the wilderness”</em> where they were slaughtered by more Israelites secretly waiting there for them. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFLXAv9aYI_jHl-NcBIBxGxnfcqQW_v8OGM-W_fVt0waFQOfmA9qtme1CXy5PzOqjC5hybFZuwkrZa-4wRmfrWCtwhhfB_xkjvJ5Pl-ArPf6YGtAica3FKYwhHEd2q0_eeRrpAI9UD48/s1600-h/trap2.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjW_KJsaav_H9JPpr7vNg0b_gai4wzaMbjyJOTjXtU4nFElUAQpjjzobBzytfPVtRfkJqs9DX43-9G2HBPIkbzfHlY5H-7B2Hru1bjTR4umtAAu-dz6rZzDPiFWFnl5wXAyHb4t8uUyCs/s1600-h/trap2+crop.jpg"></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sexual sin has a way of drawing us outside the protective walls of our inner city. While chasing our pleasures, something inside of us dies. We violate our integrity. We are no longer who we claim to be in Christ. We stray too far from home and get caught in a spiritual ambush between the sinful desires of our flesh and the loss of self. We’re forced into the wilderness where we die at the hands of our souls’ enemy. <span style="color: black;">The </span><em><span style="color: black;">“wages</span> of sin<span style="color: black;">” </span></em><span style="color: black;">(</span>Romans 6.23) and Satan’s plan are the same... death! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There is another way. Stand still. Don’t be fooled by the temptations of the evil one. Never play with the fire of sin. Refuse to be lured into open interaction with the enemy. That’s a set up for a spiritual ambush. There’s nothing for you out there. Press into Jesus. Stay close to center of His will. Avoid the boundaries of permissive behavior. Don’t peer over the edge of holy living to imagine a life of sin. Run to Jesus. He’ll fight your battles for you.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will </span></em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #990000;">see </span></em><span style="color: #990000;"><em>the deliverance </em><em>the Lord </em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><em>will bring you today... </em></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #990000;">The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” </span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">Exodus 14.13-14 NIV</span></span></div>
davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-56402961107872241472014-12-31T06:20:00.003-08:002014-12-31T06:28:25.745-08:00"Inventing Reality"<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em></em><em>Genesis 4.9 NIV </em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“Then the LORD said to Cain, </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>‘Where is your brother Abel?’</b></span></em><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em><strong><br /></strong></em></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em><strong>‘I don’t know,’</strong></em> <em>he replied. </em></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em><strong>‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’</strong>”</em></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cain was a <em>murderer</em>. In the fit of jealous rage <em>“Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him”</em> (Genesis 4.8). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But, was Cain a <em>liar?</em> At first glance it seems that he was. Surely Cain knew of his dead brother’s where- abouts. The LORD inquired, <em>“Where is your brother?”</em> Cain responded, <em>“I don’t know.”</em> <em>Did</em> he? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Our minds play amazing tricks on us. We see what we allow our minds to visualize. We know only what we can comprehend. Some realities are more intense than we choose to tolerate. We minimize, pretend, ignore, forget, anesthetize, rationalize, or medicate reality away. Our brains possess a remarkable capacity to invent new realities more palatable than the old ones. Invented realities work well for us. They allow us to function. Pure reality can emotionally cripple and render us helpless, or worse, force us to face the truth and become responsible. Denial is a much easier and more desirable path. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Did Cain know where his brother was? Maybe not. To allow himself such knowledge would have meant taking <span style="color: black;">responsibility for his brother’s condition. The answer to the question, </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;"><em>“Am I my brother’s keeper?”</em> depends entirely upon my choice of realities. If I </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">invent my own reality, as did Cain, then I may honestly reply, <em>“I don’t know”</em>. If I make it my business <em>not</em> to know where my brother is, how then can I be required to become his <em>“keeper”? </em>This self-serving logic lays the groundwork for a life of denial. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Denial is an alluring and powerful form of self-deception. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: times new roman;">The excellent image of Cain peering at his brother Abel is called <em>"Cain"</em> by eikonik whose amazing Bible art you can view and purchase at his Deviant Art site (<a href="http://eikonik.deviantart.com/">http://eikonik.deviantart.com/</a>). </span>davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-75996396760683076452014-11-13T15:00:00.002-08:002014-11-13T15:02:27.831-08:00"Master"<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">nd</span> Peter 2.19b <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">NAS</span> </span></em><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKncgkNHWyz3Ub5d99SLdS8SpygDXeu_-B7dIqjfO7jrZs3AKpoP_sUP1A_wvsy1kvuILy9AB6Ge0dsh8-i5rWlDlr71gjevNP-StPSDPrg1H0Sm4QueTafHa_9Y1mBCH50moKY-6dvYI/s1600/slavery.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKncgkNHWyz3Ub5d99SLdS8SpygDXeu_-B7dIqjfO7jrZs3AKpoP_sUP1A_wvsy1kvuILy9AB6Ge0dsh8-i5rWlDlr71gjevNP-StPSDPrg1H0Sm4QueTafHa_9Y1mBCH50moKY-6dvYI/s1600/slavery.bmp" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542839706086728530" style="border: medium none; margin-top: 0px;" /></a><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>“…for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.” </strong></span></span></em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKncgkNHWyz3Ub5d99SLdS8SpygDXeu_-B7dIqjfO7jrZs3AKpoP_sUP1A_wvsy1kvuILy9AB6Ge0dsh8-i5rWlDlr71gjevNP-StPSDPrg1H0Sm4QueTafHa_9Y1mBCH50moKY-6dvYI/s1600/slavery.bmp"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A man is enslaved to that which he cannot stop himself from doing or thinking. He is a slave to his addictions.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“…for if they are addicted to corruption –</span></em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">and they are </span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">– </span></em></span><em style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">they’re enslaved.”</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">nd</span> Peter 2.19b </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">“The Message” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are many varieties of addictions. All of them are insidious and seem harmless at first. Even when the addict is fully overcome by his drug of choice, he may not recognize his sorry plight. The impact of his condition is gradual, relentless, and very real. Others see it but he denies it. He is deceived by the lure of sin and his fascination with its false promise of happiness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There’s a hole in the addict’s heart and he is desperate to find enough meaning to plug the hole. He escapes often into an artificial, fleeting comfort offered by his cruel master. His vision is clouded by temporary relief from the pain of his sad existence. His judgment is impaired and yet he remains resourceful enough to develop an intricate system of lies and cover-ups. His excuses and self-validations do not work. Everyone who matters soon learns the truth. Even the sinner becomes aware of his imminent demise. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In lucid moments, the addict may express (and truly feel) a sorrow resembling repentance. But he possesses neither strength nor courage to walk away from the grip of sin and its medicating power. The prodigal son has not yet ‘hit bottom’ in the pigpen of his own making. It may take another divorce, job loss, car wreck, or treatment center to get his attention. He may never come to his senses. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Are you that man? It’s not too late. It’s never too late. Peter was that man. He was <em>“overcome”</em> by shame, hopelessness, and despair on the day he denied Christ. He was <em>“enslaved”</em> by the bondage of his addictions until he exchanged one master for another... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>“This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave… of Jesus Christ.” </em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">nd</span> Peter 1.1 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">NLT</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Slavery to Christ is freedom from self. He who proclaimed <em>“release to the captives”</em> (Luke 4.18) sets us free from the private hell of our secret addictions. </span></div>
davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-39279281921801899252014-07-01T07:41:00.000-07:002014-07-01T07:41:10.029-07:00"Keeping Hope Alive"<em><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRJzhY1D3sj8QQGczmLKO6Tmlykpin8wz5J8m0zp89kltqmcHZuN2MoBjlhktz3v-yyCY6MuYm1wAMHbUfE_H2NNCOJ7NlojuHe-mT4XTOedId1UrP1a7zezCmuERjX8SEwx1yC0MV81y/s400/2267937438_15fea361e9+bright.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491016634613575842" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; cursor: hand; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 370px;" /></em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Romans 15.4 NASB </em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that <strong>through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope</strong>.” </span></em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Our existence depends on hope... hope for a future filled with fun, love, and adventure, peace and security. We possess an incredible capacity for patience in difficult situations as long as hope is alive. But when the flame dims and hope is extinguished, it’s all over. We engage in a process of slow death grasping at habit-forming addictive behavior patterns and their false promise of a life with meaning. We want truth that <em>“will set you free” </em>(John 8.32). Instead, we settle for a <em>'B.T.N.' </em>(better than nothing), lesser truth. It’s counterfeit truth, but it’s all we have. Our <em>bad</em> situations turn <em>worse</em> and misguided actions escalate in our desperate search for hope. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Many 9 to 5-er’s live for the weekend in hope of filling the space of 48 hours with enough television, recreation, sex, food, sleep, and alcohol to sustain them for another 5 days of drudgery at meaningless jobs. The overachiever falls into exactly the same trap. As a 'successful professional', he gropes for significance and he trades his family and faith for a career promising status, peer approval, and the finer things only high salaries can provide. But h</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">ope is not a commodity. It cannot be bought even with hyper-dedication toward a temporal goal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hope begins at a particular point… the point of <em>truth</em>. It’s more than theological truth. It’s the truth about <em>you</em>… your calling, your important responsibilities, your God-given design, purpose, and dreams, your right standing before God. You must be clear, <em>very</em> clear on the truth about you. Get to know and appreciate this truth. Don’t sell out for a lesser truth or another person’s truth. Find your <em>own</em> truth. Keep searching until you peel away every layer of false hope and find the real, naked, and unencumbered <em>you.</em> Jesus will meet you there. He’ll take you by the hand and show you the worlds you must conquer. He’ll reveal your original destiny. He’ll impart a single-minded focus-ability empowering you to drive with all your might <em>“toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”,</em> (Philippians 3.14). This is <em>your</em> truth and it’s the <em>only</em> place to find lasting hope. This is the hope worth <em>living</em> for because it’s based on a truth worth <em>dying</em> for. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is 423 Men... the journey of self-discovery in the search for hope. Once you get <em>this</em> hope, never lose it. Keep hope alive... </span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">“...through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures”.</span> </span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman;">The image of the child looking through the curtains is called <em>"3\365 a new hOpe"</em> and used here by permission of an artist from Kuwait by the name "Anwaar. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman;">The portrait <em>"Hope"</em> is by photographer Ferran Jordà of Queralbs, Catalonia, Spain. Ferran gave me permission to post this beautifully expressive photo here.</span></div>
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<em style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“So then, I thought to myself that <strong>I had to do many things hostile</strong> to the name of Jesus of Nazareth… And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, <strong>I tried to force them</strong> to blaspheme; and <strong>being furiously enraged at them</strong>, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.”</em><br />
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<em style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Acts 26:9, 11 NASU</em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Anger is an effective drug. Uncontrolled negative emotion creates massive energy and the addict is consumed by its power. He feels no pain as he presses deeper and deeper into his false reality. With a dark sense of fulfillment, he masks guilt with the pleasure derived from his unrestrained expression of anger. He is dimly aware of the havoc his rage causes but easily justifies himself... </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“I am doing the <em>right</em> thing”. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“They are wrong and <em>deserve</em> to be punished.” </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“I am called by <em>God</em> to do punish wicked”. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Rage is destructive but the ‘rage-oholic’ can’t stop himself, especially when he claims divine authority. He is driven by a force greater than himself to coerce others by the strength of his personality. Nothing can stop him. Nothing, that is, except the Lord. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Paul, at the height of his fury, met Christ and everything changed. He was driven by a self-righteous anger he described as <em>“being furiously enraged”</em>. For Paul, it took an extraordinary encounter with Jesus Christ before he could see himself for what he was… <em>out of control</em>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Remarkably, God did not perform a spiritual lobotomy to cut out the ‘passion center’ of Paul’s brain. Rather, He miraculously redeemed it. The amazing reality is... <em>Paul had the same personality before and after his encounter with Jesus! </em>There was a difference, of course. Paul’s driven and forceful persona came under the control of the Holy Spirit and his passion was re-directed toward the way and purpose of Christ. This man was destined to become the inspirational powerhouse of the early church and the motivating force for the expansion of the kingdom of God into regions untouched by the Gospel. This was no job for a <em>milk-toast. </em>God needed a <em>real</em> man. A <em>dynamo</em>. Paul was that man. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I too must learn relinquish control of my negative emotions to Him who is able to redeem my passion and make become <em>wholly</em> zealous about <em>His</em> cause alone. I need not apologize for the force of my emotions but I must earnestly seek Christ’s grace to display them in a godly way. I pray to become a ‘fully redeemed and forceful man’... <em>fully</em> engaged in the <em>forceful</em> advancement of God’s kingdom on earth.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” </span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 85%;">Jesus, Matthew 11.12 NIV</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman;">The sketch above is entitled <em>"The Angry Man" </em>and used by permission of Calcutta born artist Samita Basu whose amazing work you can view at <a href="http://www.samitabasu.com/">http://www.samitabasu.com/</a>. In the artist's own words: "This is a conte pencil drawing. I was intrigued by this elderly relative of mine because whenever I said something that he didn’t approve of, he would go into a sulk and he work himself into a kind of repressed anger. I noticed how his facial muscles changed when he was angry. This drawing doesn’t resemble the subject, only the expression". </span>
davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-62529332543104863572014-03-31T11:18:00.004-07:002014-03-31T21:54:00.215-07:00"An Un-Keepable Promise"<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Luke 22.31-32 NKJV</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But <strong>I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren</strong>.’”</span></em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OtuQ1HItOQ5wq8FRTh5SDNadM5MRsGCMW9fELHfkxbTwCN99Y7WzU71T-3EJLJLPNuCpsrXHyO8nydWgcYY0CdGRuWdJcQ_-8kQRGUNuLmc2zNvoyeFx7Gld7F-rCDMmLekcYrzq1dbZ/s1600/weeping+man+lightened.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OtuQ1HItOQ5wq8FRTh5SDNadM5MRsGCMW9fELHfkxbTwCN99Y7WzU71T-3EJLJLPNuCpsrXHyO8nydWgcYY0CdGRuWdJcQ_-8kQRGUNuLmc2zNvoyeFx7Gld7F-rCDMmLekcYrzq1dbZ/s1600/weeping+man+lightened.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Simon Peter made a promise he could not keep…</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”</span></em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">Luke 22.33 </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Simon had more confidence than he deserved. As Jesus predicted, the disciple denied his master three times before the rooster crowed that day. The real test for Peter was not in the moment of his denial of Christ. That was expected. Jesus did not pray that Peter’s <em>“faith should not fail”</em> the temptation to bolt at the crucifixion. Jesus knew what His disciple would soon realize. Peter was destined to betray his conscience, and deny Jesus in that crucial moment of truth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The real test came later when Simon faced the crushing weight of his own remorse. It began the moment <em>“a rooster crowed”</em> and <em>“Peter remembered the word of the Lord”.</em> Knowing deeply, perhaps for the first time, the depravity of his tortured and empty soul, Simon <em>“went out and wept bitterly”</em> (Luke 22.60-62). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Once confronted by his own weak and sinful nature, it is difficult for a man <i>not </i>to quit. Hence, Christ prays that our</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> <em>“faith should not fail”</em> in our </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">darkest hour of personal regret</span><em style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</em><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Peter found the grace to forgive himself and he returned to Jesus after a colossal failure. This same man advanced to lead the early church and fulfill Christ’s charge to </span><em style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“strengthen your brethren”.</em><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Out of every man</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">’s</span> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">brokenness and profound sense of failure, there is a story of redemption. In that place he must find the faith to </span><em style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">‘return to Jesus and strengthen the brethren’.</em>davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-10350370945323738742014-03-11T07:32:00.001-07:002014-03-11T07:32:39.538-07:00"Driven to Isolation"<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<em></em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Luke 8:29b NIV </em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“…and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been <strong>driven by the demon into solitary places.”</strong></span></em> <u></u></span></div>
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<u style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Good Earth</u><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> describes the plight of a peasant farmer, Wang Lung, and his family somewhere around the turn of the century in China. After enduring unspeakable poverty, Wang Lung finally achieves a measure of success and wealth. He becomes arrogant and loses his moral bearings. Driven by lower instincts he pursues his lust for a young prostitute…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;">“…fevered, filled with a sickened hunger, he followed slavishly, bit by bit, her unfolding, until the moment of crisis, when, like a flower that is ripe for plucking, she was willing that he should grasp her wholly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;">“Yet never could he grasp her wholly, and this it was which kept him fevered and thirsty, even if she gave him his will of her. When O-lan [Wang Lung’s wife] had come to his house it was health to his flesh and he lusted for her robustly as a beast for its mate and he took her and was satisfied and he forgot her and did his work content. But there was no such content now in his love for this girl, and there was no health in her for him. At night when she would have no more of him, pushing him out of the door petulantly, with her small hands suddenly strong on his shoulders, his silver thrust into her bosom, he went away hungry as he came. It was as though a man, dying of thirst, drank the salt water of the sea which, though it is water, yet dries his blood into thirst and yet greater thirst so that in the end he dies, maddened by his very drinking. He went in to her and he had his will of her again and again and he come away unsatisfied.” </span><span style="font-family: courier new;">[1]</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pearl Buck’s hero is inexplicably determined to destroy himself. What compels a smart man to do stupid things? Ask New York’s Governor Eliot Spitzer[2] or an Islamic suicide bomber or a compulsive gambler or a guy hooked on endless hours of internet porn or the abused wife returning home for more of the same. There is no answer beyond pointless rhetoric, pathetic excuses, or empty apologies. Like the Gerasene demoniac, they are <em>“driven by the demon into solitary places</em>” of personal destruction. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The same man who forced a <em>“Legion”</em> of devils into a herd of pigs, offers you and me <em>“authority over all the demons”</em> (Luke 9.1). Are we, like Wang Lung, driven by personal demons down the path of isolation and despair? We must face this truth and take Jesus up on His offer before we do something irreversibly destructive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: times new roman;">[1]</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> <u>The Good Earth</u>, Pearl S. Buck, Washington Square Press, 1931, p. 181. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman;">Don’t let your life slip away without reading this 1932 Pulitzer Prize winner and Oprah’s Book Club selection in September 2004. The book was adapted for use in a major motion picture by MGM in 1937 and seen by an estimated 23 million viewers. Peal Buck’s work offered Americans of the 1930’s a glimpse into Chinese culture and may have paved the way for consideration of the Chinese as allies in our war with Japan a decade later. Pearl Buck was a civil rights and women’s rights activist and a great humanitarian. She grew up in China and served as a Presbyterian missionary to that country from 1914 to 1933. Buck founded Welcome House®, the first international, interracial adoption agency which has placed over 7,000 children since its inception in 1949. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: times new roman;">[2]</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-sting-the-fbi-the-prostitution-ring-and-the-governor-794488.html"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-sting-the-fbi-the-prostitution-ring-and-the-governor-794488.html</span></a><span style="font-family: times new roman;">. </span></div>
davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-36803205054640613262013-11-13T09:08:00.002-08:002013-11-13T09:11:17.313-08:00"The Dark Room"<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ezekiel 8.7-10a, 12 NET </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_jyQACCwu6z4JnE27ZeonjPjgYF9-aWaoXh6bxF1FOFMp3FV4MRfT49giAn5W8JhQZvKt3tUAGHG0iCZhQUFPgIEr18IFaomtURJQqO47n65b1NjRujmUEjSv4_mF9q7nPHNPFqgTddS/s1600-h/dark+room.jpg"></a></em><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“He brought me to the entrance of the court, and as I watched, <strong>I noticed a hole in the wall</strong>. He said to me,<strong> ‘Son of man, dig into the wall.’</strong> So</span></em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> <em><strong>I dug into the wall and discovered a doorway</strong>.” “He said to me, ‘Go in and see <strong>the evil abominations</strong> they are practicing here.’ So <strong>I went in and looked</strong>.” </em></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>“He said to me, ‘Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing</em> <em><strong>in the dark</strong>, each in <strong>the chamber of his idolatrous images</strong>? For they think, “<strong>The Lord does not see us! The Lord has abandoned</strong> the land!”’”</em></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I would be mortified if others knew exactly what I was thinking. If the images of my mind were projected on a wide-screen television for all to see, I would be more than just a little embarrassed. If I imagine myself as an ancient city. The wall around the city is what I project to the outside world. I welcome friends through the proper gate into the town square where I present entertaining shows and engage in inspirational conversation. Only trusted friends receive an invitation to my personal residence where they may observe how I actually live. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But there is a room in my imaginary home no one is invited to enter. I call it the <em>“dark”</em> room and I try never to go in there. In this <em>“chamber of… idolatrous images”</em> hangs pictures of lust and greed. It is decorated with idols of jealousy and selfish ambition. People I despise are imprisoned there. I am ashamed of this room and tightly lock the door. Though it beckons me relentlessly, I try to forget its existence. I’m afraid of this room. It’s very dark in there. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkCagAYJBjKXTrK5WgCau0-lRDrZ1491WAuVTJGU763uT1VdLWGvDLfpNnWsN-z53iLqbbtdj0YK90Yx7uGVnpP35diC00aLHI0atL7AR-21SmLwE9wv4etRkShzjobZ0WSrDEbtf0kAL/s1600-h/locked+door+bright.jpg"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Lord found <em>“a hole in the wall”</em> of my fortified city of self. He <em>“dug into the wall and discovered a doorway” </em>to my <em>“dark”</em> room! He <em>“went in and looked”</em> around. I was mortified. I thought <em>“the Lord does not see”.</em> But He <em>does</em>. I thought <em>“the Lord… abandoned”</em> me to my room alone. But He <em>didn’t</em>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Instead of politely avoiding this area of my abode, Jesus found His way in and shed His light. With the same righteous anger He exhibited in the Temple at Jerusalem [1], Jesus engaged in some serious house cleaning. The junk in my <em>“dark”</em> room was exposed, ripped from its sacred pedestal, and thrown out with the trash. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sometimes I feel sad, lonely, afraid, or otherwise <em>“abandoned”</em> by God. I am tempted to sneak back into my <em>“chamber of… idolatrous images”</em> and close the door behind me. I know this room well. I can hide from my outside realities, fully embrace my pity, and practice the <em>“evil abominations”</em> of my secret sin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">How thankful I am for the <em>“Son of man”</em> who will <em>“dig into the wall”</em> of my dark and private space and expose me to the light of His unending love.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">______________________ </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">[1] John 2:13-16a The Message <em><strong>13</strong> “When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. <strong>14</strong> He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength.” <strong>15</strong> “Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. <strong>16</strong> He told the dove merchants, <span style="color: #cc0000;">‘Get your things out of here!...’</span>”</em> </span></div>
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davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-35880134315355369782013-11-07T10:03:00.001-08:002013-11-07T10:05:48.243-08:00"6 1/2 Minutes Worth Spending"<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CkJuvDArya0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-31234044183339374062013-10-14T08:40:00.003-07:002013-10-14T08:40:58.162-07:00"What If I Told Them..."<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7qXoXopRu9s" width="560"></iframe>davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-39546813647258924222013-08-25T20:16:00.001-07:002013-08-25T20:33:45.643-07:00"Three Things You Don't Know About Your Children and Sex"<h1 class="entry-title">
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This excellent and insightful article below was posted by
<span class="author vcard" jquery1377485514639="30" kwvisibility="true"><span class="fn" jquery1377485514639="31" kwvisibility="true"><a href="http://www.annemariemiller.com/author/anne-jackson/" kwvisibility="true" rel="author" title="Anne Marie Miller">Anne Marie Miller</a> and used here with her permission. It is crucial for every parent to make time for frank, loving, and age-appropriate discussions about sex with their children. My wife and I found help from </span></span>“God’s Design for Sex” ser</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ies by Stan and Brenna Jones. We read the entire series to some of our kids with great results. You can find these books at </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.navpress.com/series/SR1022/Gods-Design-for-Sex">http://www.navpress.com/series/SR1022/Gods-Design-for-Sex</a>. It</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">’s far too easy and tempting avoid the subject of sex with your children. If you don</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">’t tell them, they will learn about sex from their peers and the Internet. Which is better? </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Please read on...</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dear Parents,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please allow me a quick moment
to introduce myself before we go much further. My name is Anne Marie Miller. I’m
thirty-three years old. I’m newly married to a wonderful man named Tim. We don’t have any children yet, but
we’re planning on it. <em>For the purpose of this letter, you need to know I’m a
recovering addict. </em><strong>Pornography was my drug of choice.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I grew up in the church – the
daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher man with a passion for learning the
Bible. I was the honors student; the athlete; the girl who got along with
everyone from the weird kids to the popular ones. <strong>It was a good life. I
was raised in a good home.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was 1996, I was sixteen, and
the Internet was new. After my family moved from a sheltered, conservative life
in west Texas to the ethnically and sexually diverse culture of Dallas/Fort
Worth, I found myself lonely, curious, and confused.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because of the volatile
combination of life circumstances: the drastic change of scenery when we moved,
my dad’s depression, and a youth pastor who sexually abused me during my junior
year of high school, I turned to the Internet for education. I didn’t know what
certain words meant or if what the youth pastor was doing to me was good or bad
and I was too afraid to ask. <strong>What started as an innocent pursuit of
knowledge quickly escalated into a coping mechanism.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I looked at pornography, I
felt a feeling of love and safety – at least for a brief moment. But those brief
moments of relief disappeared and I was left even more ashamed and confused than
when I started. Pornography provided me both an emotional and a sexual
release.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For five years I carried this
secret. <strong>I was twenty-one when I finally opened up to a friend
<i>only</i> because she opened up to me first about her struggle with sexual
sin.</strong> We began a path of healing in 2001 and for the last twelve years,
although not a perfect journey, I can say with great confidence God has set me
free from that addiction and from the shame that followed. I returned to school
to study the science behind addiction and family dynamics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em><br /></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>Over the last six years I’ve
had the opportunity to share my story in a variety of venues: thousands of
college students, men, women and teens</em>. This summer, I was invited to speak
at several camps to both junior high and high school students and it’s without
exaggeration when I tell you with each year I counsel students, the numbers and
the stories shock me more and more.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are more students
compulsively looking at pornography at younger ages and with greater frequency
than ever before.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This summer, by a long stretch,
was the “worst” in terms of what secrets I learned students carried. After my
last night speaking at my last camp, I retreated to my room and collapsed on the
bed face-first. Tim simply laid his hand on my back to comfort me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em><br /></em></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>I could not logically
reconcile in my mind all the confessions I heard over the summer with the
<strong>children</strong> who shared them.</em> While every story was unique in
the details, in most situations, there were three common themes that kept
surfacing.</span><br />
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<a href="http://annemariemiller.com/images/2013/08/Screen-Shot-2013-08-17-at-10.35.33-AM.png" kwvisibility="true" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Google Sex Image Search" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5900" height="205" kwvisibility="true" scale="0" src="http://annemariemiller.com/images/2013/08/Screen-Shot-2013-08-17-at-10.35.33-AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li jquery1377485514639="48" kwvisibility="true"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Google is the new Sex-Ed:
</b>Remember the first time you, as a parent, saw pornography? Likely it was a
friend’s parent who had a dirty magazine or maybe you saw something somebody
brought to school. Now, when a student hears a word or phrase they don’t
understand, they don’t ask you what it means (because they fear getting in
trouble). They don’t ask their friends (because they fear being ashamed for not
knowing). <em></em><em>They ask Google.</em>Google won’t judge them for not
knowing. Because of our short attention spans and desire for instant
gratification, they don’t click the first link that shows up – they go straight
to Google Images.<strong> In almost all of the stories I heard, this is how
someone was first exposed to pornography – Google Image searching</strong>. The
average age of first exposure in my experience was <span jquery1377485514639="49" kwvisibility="true" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span jquery1377485514639="50" kwvisibility="true"><em>9 years old.</em></span></span></span></li>
<br />
<li jquery1377485514639="51" kwvisibility="true"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>If Your Child was
<i>Ever</i> Molested, You Likely Don’t Know:</b> Another <i>extremely</i> common
theme was children being inappropriately touched, often by close family members
or friends. When I was molested at sixteen, <em>I didn’t tell a soul until I was
in my twenties</em>. I didn’t tell my own mother until I was twenty-eight. The
stigma and shame of being a victim coupled with the trauma that happens with
this experience is confusing to a child of any age: our systems weren’t made to
process that event. Many things keep children from confessing abuse: being told
they’ve made it up or are exaggerating, being a disappointment, and in most
cases, getting the other person in trouble.
<strong></strong><strong></strong><strong>While a child can look at pornography
without being abused, children who have been molested by and large look at
pornography and act out sexually.</strong></span></li>
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<li jquery1377485514639="53" kwvisibility="true"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong></strong><b>Your Child
is Not the Exception: </b>After speaking with a youth pastor at a camp, he said
most parents live with the belief their child is the exception. <strong><i>Your
child is not</i></strong>. The camps I went to this summer weren’t camps full of
children on life’s fringes that one would stereotypically believe experience
these traumatic events or have access to these inappropriate things. <em>You
must throw your stereotypes aside</em>. Most of the children at these camps were
middle class, mostly churched students.Let me give you a snapshot of a few
things I heard from these students:</span></li>
</ol>
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<li jquery1377485514639="55" kwvisibility="true"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They’ve sent X-rated photos of
themselves to their classmates (or received them).</span></li>
<li jquery1377485514639="56" kwvisibility="true"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They’ve exposed themselves to
strangers on the Internet or through sexting.</span></li>
<li jquery1377485514639="57" kwvisibility="true"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They’ve seen pornography.</span></li>
<li jquery1377485514639="58" kwvisibility="true"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They’ve read pornography.</span></li>
<li jquery1377485514639="59" kwvisibility="true"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They’ve watched
pornography.</span></li>
<li jquery1377485514639="60" kwvisibility="true"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The girls compare their bodies
to the ones they see in ads at the mall or of actresses and keep those images
hidden on their phone (or iPod, or whatever device they have) so they can try to
imitate them.</span></li>
<li jquery1377485514639="61" kwvisibility="true"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They question their
sexuality.</span></li>
<li jquery1377485514639="62" kwvisibility="true"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They’ve masturbated.</span></li>
<li jquery1377485514639="63" kwvisibility="true"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They know exactly where and in
what movies sex scenes are shown and they watch them for sexual
gratification.</span></li>
<li jquery1377485514639="64" kwvisibility="true"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They’ve had a same-sex
experience.</span></li>
</ul>
<div jquery1377485514639="65" kwvisibility="true">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And they’re terrified to tell
you. </span></i></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="65" kwvisibility="true">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="66" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>(Update: </i><i><strong>The
focus of this article is on the conversation, not the action, though as parents,
you need to be aware of the fact young children are experiencing these
things. </strong></i>I feel the need to clarify none of these actions make
someone a “bad” person. While this specific list does contain things many people
with a Christian background consider to be sin, it is lack of communication that
makes this dangerous <span jquery1377485514639="67" kwvisibility="true" style="text-decoration: underline;">at this age</span>. Most of us go
through exploratory phases before sexual phases: a three year old masturbating
because he knows it feels good and a seventeen year old masturbating to porn for
a sexual release are two different things. <i><strong>If your child is
uninformed or uneducated about things they need to know based on what is
appropriate for their age and sexual development, regardless of your beliefs, it
leads to shame and self-doubt.</strong>)</i></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="66" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="68" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>But maybe you’re right.
Maybe your child <i>is</i> the exception.</strong> I would argue at this
juncture in life, <em>being the exception is as equally dangerous.</em></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="69" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="69" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em></em>At the end of every
session I presented I intentionally and clearly directed students to ask me or
another leader if they didn’t understand or know what a certain word meant. “Do
<i>not</i> go to the Internet and look it up.”</span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="70" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="70" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sure enough, there is always the
child who stays behind until everyone leaves and quietly asks what the word
“porn” means or if God is angry because that boy or girl from down the street
told them it was okay for them to touch them “down there.” There is the child in
the back row who leans over to his friend and asks, “what does molest mean?” and
the other boy shrugs.</span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="71" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="71" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This summer, I am beyond
grateful that mature, God-fearing adults were available to answer those
questions with grace and tact and maturity; that we were in a setting that was
safe for questions and confessions. It was entirely appropriate. <em>Not every
child gets that opportunity</em>. Most won’t. Most will find out from the
Internet or from a peer who isn’t equipped to provide the correct answer in the
correct context.</span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="71" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="72" kwvisibility="true">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Parent and Child" class="aligncenter" height="333" kwvisibility="true" scale="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8490/8193178086_5cd52f3be5.jpg" width="500" /></span></div>
</div>
<div jquery1377485514639="73" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="73" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As the summer camp season
ends,<em> I feel a shift in my heart</em>. For the last six years, I’ve felt a
calling to share with students how God has set me free from the shame and
actions of my past and that they aren’t alone (because they truly believe they
are). One college dean referred to me as “the grenade we’re tossing into our
student body to get the conversation of sex started” because they realized how
sweeping these topics under the rug caused their students to live trapped and
addicted and ashamed. I will continue sharing my testimony in that capacity as
long as there is a student in front of me that needs to hear it.</span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="74" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><br /></strong></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="74" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>However, I am more aware
now more than ever before in my ministry <i>how little parents know</i> about
what’s happening.</strong> And because I’m not a parent, I feel terribly inadequate in telling you this.</span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="75" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="75" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But I can’t <i>not</i> tell you.
After seeing the innocence in the eyes of ten year olds who’ve carried secrets
<i>nobody</i>, let alone a child, should carry; after hearing some of the most
horrific accounts from students I’ve ever heard this year, <i>I cannot go one
more day without pleading with you to open up and have these difficult
conversations with your children</i>. Would you prefer your son or daughter
learn what a “fetish” is from you or from searching Google Images? Talk to them
about abuse and yes, even trafficking.</span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="76" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><br /></strong></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="76" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>Just this month I met a
relative of a girl whose own mother was selling her body from the time she was
five until now, when she’s sixteen</strong>. This was not in some drug-infested
ghetto you’d see on a news story. It was in a very upscale town in a very
upscale state known for its nature and beauty and summer houses. Abuse does not
discriminate.</span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="77" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><br /></strong></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="77" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>Your children need to
know. </strong>If not for them, maybe for a friend. Maybe they can help bring
context or see warning signs.</span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="78" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><br /></strong></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="78" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>Ask them what they know.
Ask them what they’ve done. Ask them what’s been done to them.</strong> Show
grace and love. Stay far away from judgment and condemnation. If you feel ill
equipped, ask a pastor or counselor for help. If you hear an answer you didn’t
expect and your first instinct is to dismiss it – don’t. Find a counselor. Look
for resources. Continue following up. <strong>If you struggle with this (and
let’s admit it, statistically, a lot of us do), get help too.</strong></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="79" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="79" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do the right thing, the hard
thing, for the sake of your children. If we don’t do this now,<strong> I am
terrified of how the enemy will continue stealing hope and joy from our youngest
generation and how they’ll be paralyzed to advance the Kingdom of God as they
mature.</strong></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="80" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="80" kwvisibility="true">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We cannot let this happen on our
watch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">_______________</span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="81" kwvisibility="true">
<span jquery1377485514639="82" kwvisibility="true" style="color: #888888;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div jquery1377485514639="81" kwvisibility="true">
<span jquery1377485514639="82" kwvisibility="true" style="color: #888888;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Specific details that could
identify children have been changed in such a way that it does not affect the
story and only protects the children. Mandatory Reporters reported confessions
that involved abuse or neglect or situations that indicated a child was in any
type of danger by using proper state laws and procedures.</span></i></span></div>
</div>
davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-36810166685254336282013-07-08T10:20:00.001-07:002013-07-08T10:20:31.573-07:00"Grace and 423 Men"<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The following is an email reprinted here with permission by one of our 423 Men leaders, Joel Day. It is his response to the question of grace and the process of recovery from sexual addiction. Joel well articulates our need and utter dependence upon the grace of God in our fight for purity: </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
_______________</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"I too have felt that our group is often soft on guys, but I
wouldn't define it as Grace so much as tolerance, or worse, indifference. The
recovering Pharisee in me used to think that it was too much Grace. Only
recently am I coming to understand and articulate what is actually going on. It
is not a matter of too much Grace, but too little Gospel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"We need to be <i>"speaking the truth in love" </i>(Eph
4v15) to the guys in a way that they will grow in maturity of their faith. I
used to think that meant saying really difficult things to people, even when
they don't want to hear it. I am now coming to understand that "the
truth" is found in the person and work of Jesus. So, speaking the truth in
love is another way of saying "Speak the Gospel to one another." We
are to be speaking the hope, the life, and the truth of Jesus. We can't say a really
hard word to a guy that has nothing to do with Jesus and expect him to grow up
into maturity in Jesus. We need to speak into the guys in a way that they will
grow up into maturity in Christ. We need to be speaking the truth of Christ
into every situation. The only hope for growing up is not more (so called)
"truth", but more Jesus. Not just the Jesus who saved us from hell,
but the Jesus who, by his Holy Spirit, is saving us today.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"The gospel is God's power to save everyone who believes. (Rm
1:16). It is not our works for him, but our faith. The righteous live by
faith. (Rm 1v17).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Simply put, the Gospel is God's power (God's works) to save
and the people of God are those that live by faith.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"God is a God of love and his grace abounds. But He is also a
God of wrath (Rm 1v18).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Grace does not mean saying "It's no big deal" and
I think that is what happens a lot in our group. God would not just sit back
and say "It's no big deal, I don't really care, do whatever you
want..." He is angry about it. Showing Grace to a guy does not mean at the
expense of our sisters. I love my wife. If some guy started hitting on my wife,
or worse, I'd be pretty angry. A God of love must be a God of wrath because he
loves us and he hates it when we are evil in our hearts and rebel against him and
take advantage of others. He hated it so bad, his son had to die for it. If he
didn't hate it, then why did he suffer?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"I believe the reason the guys (myself included) are
struggling is because of a lack of faith and trust in God's power to save. We
are measuring our own standing before God, by our own works, and our own
ability and we live in shame because we know we don't measure up to a holy God.
It is hard to love and accept what Jesus did for us. We want to try and fix
ourselves and manage our sin so that we can be acceptable before God. There is
still part of us that wants to take credit for our righteousness. We are in
need of the cross. Without Jesus we are hopeless. Trying to perform or manage
our sin, is simply our unbelief in the gospel. We are trying to please God
instead of trust God. We don't believe that God is sufficient enough to makeup
for our mess.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"What we have done has been taken care of at the cross and
what's been done to us can be healed in Christ and what we have to do is live
by faith, not by works.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"From my perspective, this is a typical example of what
happens in group each week: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"I express my unbelief in the gospel through sharing
(confessing) my week. I say something like, <i>"I blew it, I feel really
bad about it, I'm ashamed of myself, etc..." </i>I am waiting for everyone
else to say <i>"It's okay, It's no big deal, you're forgiven, etc..."</i> so
I'll feel better because the group has absolved me. Then I say to myself, <i>"Whew!
I don't want to do that again because I don't want to be ashamed and have to
confess to the group again."</i> Now, my accountability to the
group is going to increasingly give me motivation to not want to be
embarrassed, so out of my desire to not want to be embarrassed anymore, I'll
try harder to stop sinning.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"That is not Grace, that is massaging the idol of my heart,
which is people pleasing. So, I am not really set free from sin, I am just
using a different sin to not sin. My people pleasing is now motivating me to
not look at pornography.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"The point is not for guys to simply stop looking at
pornography, it is for their heart to be set free. I don't want to live for the
approval of others and I don't want any guy in my group to live for my
approval. I want him to know that he is accepted, loved and forgiven, because that
is going to be a greater motivation for not acting out than me. The love of the
Father is way more motivating than my opinion of him, because mine is not going
to be consistent. The Father's love is.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"When I would act out, it made me feel embarrassed and
ashamed and caused me to pull away from God and others (isolation). It often
took days (or longer) for me to get to the point where I would come back to the
foot of the cross, praising Jesus for his amazing grace and forgiveness.
Meanwhile, I was busy beating myself up saying <i>"What Jesus did for me
on the cross was not sufficient"</i> and I needed to crucify myself.
Who is glorified in that? Me!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"'Speaking the truth in love' has the goal helping
others grow up in every way into Christ. Guys need to get to a point where the
moment they act out, they fall to their knees, praise God and thank Him for
forgiving them for what they had just done. If they get to that point, then they
probably wouldn't be acting out anymore. Most of us are so stuck in Romans 7
that we never get to the last 2 verses or even on to Romans 8.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>"...Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be
to God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rm 7v24-25).</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"We need to get to Jesus in our sin, not away from Jesus. The
problem with our sin is that it drives us away from God. The heart of sin is <i>"I'll
do this on my own for myself" </i>so Satan tells us to keep doing it by
ourselves. The gospel tells us that we can't do it by ourselves. We need to get
back to the cross and exalt in what Jesus has done for us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"The penalty for sin has been taken care of. We can sin and
God's grace will abound. It's CRAZY! But it doesn't give us a license to sin
(Gal 5v13). The more we experience grace, the more we want Jesus. The more we
want Jesus, the more we don't want sin. The more we don't want sin, the more we
want to live for his glory. The more we live for his glory, the more holy we
are in all areas of life because we are set apart for Him in everything, not
just some things.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Every sin and issue is a Gospel issue, since sin is the
outcome of unbelief in the person and work in Jesus (John 16v9). When a guy is
sharing his week and confessing his sin, he is expressing his unbelief in the
Gospel. We need to regularly ask <i>"How does the Gospel address
this?", "What about the Gospel am I not believing?",
"Who is Jesus what has He done?" or "What idol/god am I putting
my trust in?" </i>As we become more aware of the people or things that have
become idols and compare them to Jesus – Jesus becomes more satisfying, more
reliable, more trustworthy, more...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Jesus is our only hope."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Joel</div>
davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-41254941217887475342013-06-30T21:31:00.003-07:002013-06-30T21:31:28.067-07:00Jacob's Story<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/31795904?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=ffffff" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe>davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-89930031232310721862013-06-29T13:04:00.001-07:002013-06-29T13:06:12.347-07:00"The Truth About Sexual Desire" <div id="menu-outer-wrap" jquery1372535776609="42" kwvisibility="true" sizcache="1" sizset="1">
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<img alt="" kwvisibility="true" src="http://www.relevantmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/field/image/Sex_Lust_Intimacy_Church.jpg?itok=enDg61-o" /></div>
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<div class="articleheader" jquery1372535776609="537" kwvisibility="true">
<div id="feature-image" jquery1372535776609="539" kwvisibility="true">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="content" jquery1372535776609="543" kwvisibility="true" sizcache="2" sizset="0">
<div class="submitted" jquery1372535776609="550" kwvisibility="true">
<div jquery1372535776609="554" kwvisibility="true">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden " jquery1372535776609="573" kwvisibility="true">
<div class="field-items" jquery1372535776609="574" kwvisibility="true">
<div class="field-item even" jquery1372535776609="575" kwvisibility="true">
<div jquery1372535776609="576" kwvisibility="true">
Whatever one thinks about sex,
the one thing we can agree on is that more people are having more sex than
ever—even in the Church. Which means the best attempts within the Church to
steer people away from sex is not working.</div>
<div jquery1372535776609="576" kwvisibility="true">
<br /></div>
<div jquery1372535776609="577" kwvisibility="true">
When I was in high school, sex
was often addressed in a shameful, embarrassing way. Young women were told if
they had sex, their worth was somehow lowered and they would become, at best,
second-hand goods. It was as though their self-worth was connected only to their
sexuality.</div>
<div jquery1372535776609="577" kwvisibility="true">
<br /></div>
<div jquery1372535776609="578" kwvisibility="true">
Young men did not fare any
better. We were often made to feel guilt for our sexual urges and lust. Never
mind that our hormones were going bonkers—we felt like perverts for the thoughts
that were streaming through our minds. Many young men were guilt-ridden because
of this and had difficulty being honest because of their attending shame.</div>
<div jquery1372535776609="578" kwvisibility="true">
<br /></div>
<div jquery1372535776609="579" kwvisibility="true">
On top of this, we heard
Christian leaders blame culture and the media for popularizing sex. They blamed
the media for its constant barrage of sexual messaging and accused our culture
for eroding our moral foundation.</div>
<div jquery1372535776609="579" kwvisibility="true">
<br /></div>
<div jquery1372535776609="580" kwvisibility="true">
</div>
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<div class="field-item even" jquery1372535776609="583" kwvisibility="true">
<div jquery1372535776609="584" kwvisibility="true">
What critics like these fail to
see is that the reason sexual messaging is so effective is because, as humans,
we have sexual desire hard-wired into us.</div>
<div jquery1372535776609="584" kwvisibility="true">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
What critics like
these fail to see is that the reason sexual messaging is so effective is
because, as humans, we have sexual desire hard-wired into us.</div>
<div class="field-item even" jquery1372535776609="575" kwvisibility="true">
<br />
<div jquery1372535776609="585" kwvisibility="true">
</div>
<div jquery1372535776609="586" kwvisibility="true">
The media is simply tapping
into something that is already there, and the Church needs to tap into the same
thing. We must speak to the God-given sexual desire that exists within us. This
has rarely been done, as we often confuse our God-given desire for sex with our
misguided, self-centered feelings of lust.</div>
<div jquery1372535776609="586" kwvisibility="true">
<br /></div>
<div jquery1372535776609="587" kwvisibility="true">
I’m not entirely sure that what
people want, at the deepest level, is sex. I think what our sex-crazed culture
really wants is what sex promises: the feeling of being desired.</div>
<div jquery1372535776609="587" kwvisibility="true">
<br /></div>
<div jquery1372535776609="588" kwvisibility="true">
When we feel desired by another
person, we tap into the deepest longing of all people who have ever lived: the
longing to be loved for exactly who we are. Sex offers this opportunity to
us.</div>
<div jquery1372535776609="588" kwvisibility="true">
<br /></div>
<div jquery1372535776609="589" kwvisibility="true">
But we seem to have confused
sex and love—you can have one without the other. In our world today, there is a
surplus of sex and a deficit of love.</div>
<div jquery1372535776609="589" kwvisibility="true">
<br /></div>
<div jquery1372535776609="590" kwvisibility="true">
Perhaps this is why so many
people are having more sex than ever. People are increasingly hungry for another
moment in which they feel desired, accepted and loved by another person. Sex
offers a tangible way for anyone to find this longing fulfilled, even if only
for a few moments.</div>
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Some scoff at this idea, thinking that sex is simply
fun and that it feels good. Yes, physically speaking, sex is wonderful, but sex
is far more than a physical act.</div>
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If sex is only about a physical
reality, then we are nothing more than copulating animals. I, for one, believe
men and women are so much more than that. Our sexuality is deeply
connecting—emotionally and spiritually—in a way that most want (or need) to
ignore.</div>
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Many wrongly believe that
desire itself is evil. As a result, they attempt to curb and deny it. This
frequently proves to be too much, and many give up, while others spend years
wracked with guilt while they privately battle lust and sexual impulses.</div>
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We can never forget that sexual
desire is God-given.</div>
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The Bible is filled with
positive talk of it. It does not only speak of desiring God, His words, or His
presence—the Bible gets sexual.</div>
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There is a book of poetry in
Scripture that is steamier than any Danielle Steele novel and has better
one-liners than a Cameron Crowe movie. The book, Song of Songs, details a
conversation between a man and a woman.</div>
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In the second chapter, the
woman says to the man, “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my
beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is
sweet to my taste” (Song of Songs 2:3). This is unbelievably provocative
language. In speaking of her lover, she uses the Hebrew word <em>chamad</em>.
Here it’s translated “delight,” elsewhere it is translated “desire.” This woman
speaks openly and without shame about her sexual desire for her lover.</div>
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Desires are hard-wired inside
of us, and we are meant to live as people who attend to them. To want something
is not bad, even if what you want is to give yourself away in a sexual
relationship. The warning is that, like all good things, when desire gets
twisted, we get ourselves into trouble.</div>
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Any discussion about sex that
does not begin with our deepest, truest desire for love begins in the wrong
place.</div>
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This does not mean we should run from desire, rather
we must teach a proper understanding of it. When we deny it, stuff it or pretend
it’s not there, we are not living truthfully. When this happens, we open
ourselves to feelings of fear, guilt, anger because we ignore our desires.</div>
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These desires are not
ultimately about sex. While our sexual desire can, at times, seem overwhelming;
our desire to be loved, accepted and desired is even stronger. Any discussion
about sex that does not begin with our deepest, truest desire for love begins in
the wrong place.</div>
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Those within the Church should
never encourage people to stuff or suppress desire—we need to encourage them to
acknowledge it and embrace it. We must act as guides walking with them and
speaking honestly about our desires. In this, we have an opportunity to point
not only to love, but to the source of all love—a merciful, compassionate,
loving God.</div>
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And when we do this, we just
might find what we have really wanted all along—when, at last, we discover a God
who desires us.</div>
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___________________</div>
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<a class="shutterstock" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=125497727" kwvisibility="true" target="_blank">Photo via Shutterstock</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.relevantmagazine.com/user/154638" kwvisibility="true"><img alt="Michael Hidalgo" kwvisibility="true" src="http://www.relevantmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/node_author/public/user/michael-big-sq.jpg?itok=kKaYAXZV" /></a></div>
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<div class="created" jquery1372535776609="552" kwvisibility="true">
By <a href="http://www.relevantmagazine.com/user/154638" kwvisibility="true">Michael Hidalgo</a><br />
June 11, 2013</div>
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<div jquery1372535776609="554" kwvisibility="true">
Michael is the lead pastor of Denver Community Church and lives with his wife and children in downtown Denver, Colo. His first book with InterVarsity Press, <em>UnLost: Being Found by the One We Are Looking For</em>, is due out in March 2014. </div>
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davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-33893195487486731502013-05-16T04:29:00.001-07:002013-05-16T05:52:24.863-07:00"Man-boy"<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKANf6oVoOIOTnZIvlWCcZBIxoQV_a1v3gw7WiWtWFYxlVikcTp_wlPTkRkjRQAcC8Ps5YAy-ltCQ7qv6NSerPJbIQIFg8SpziZDs6HD-odOv1dt-WleHcjQwmslsF1lZysiacq8sH3pI/s1600/tantrum+by+calvin+flip.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335705199841744002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKANf6oVoOIOTnZIvlWCcZBIxoQV_a1v3gw7WiWtWFYxlVikcTp_wlPTkRkjRQAcC8Ps5YAy-ltCQ7qv6NSerPJbIQIFg8SpziZDs6HD-odOv1dt-WleHcjQwmslsF1lZysiacq8sH3pI/s400/tantrum+by+calvin+flip.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin-top: 0px;" width="360" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>1st Kings 21.4 NLT </em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“So Ahab went home <strong>angry and sullen</strong> because of Naboth's answer. <strong>The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to</strong> <strong>eat!</strong>”</span></em><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">King Ahab never grew up. He offered to pay for Naboth’s vineyard but Naboth said, <em>“I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers”</em> (1st Kings 21.4). Ahab could not have what he wanted so he <em>“went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat”.</em> His wife, Jezebel catered to his childish demands and promised to get the vineyard for Ahab. To make Ahab’s wish come true, she had Naboth falsely accused and killed. Ahab was the worst king ever…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">to do </span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife incited him.”</span></em> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">1st Kings 21.25 NASU </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The spirit of Ahab and Jezebel is alive and well. This spirit displays itself in the form of a tantrum when a child does not get what he wants. Ahab was a boy inside the body of a man. He was a man-boy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A man-boy’s fits of poor behavior are better disguised than those of a two-year-old. Adult tantrums are less of a spectacle. They go inward and live in isolation. Like Ahab, the man-boy easily becomes </span><em style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“angry and sullen”.</em><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> He turns </span><em style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“his face to the wall”</em><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and refuses to communicate with those around him. He finds Jezebel in the hidden parts of his mind, on the internet, or at a strip club. She becomes his new savior, reaching deep into his soul and fixing his hurt. Jezebel is both mommy and mistress. Man-boy leans into her, depends upon her, presses his face into the bosom of her false promise for happiness. Succumbing to her lie, the he exchanges reality for fantasy. The man-boy is deluded. He believes he can have what he wants and have it </span><em style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">now</em><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The boy inside a man’s body doesn’t care about consequences. He convinces himself he won’t be happy until he gets his needs met. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A man can delay gratification, a boy cannot. A boy falls apart when he can’t get what he wants. A man begins to comprehend and learns to graciously accept that “you can’t always get what you want” [1]. He is becoming free from the bondage of childish desires. A man of God places his faith in Christ and believes “you get what you need” when you need it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sexual addiction, at its core, is an unwillingness to grow up. Delayed gratification is the hallmark of the man who is beginning to make the choice for redemptive suffering<i> </i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>“rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” </i>(Hebrews 11.25 b). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">423 Men is the journey from boyhood to manhood.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">_____________________ </span>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">[1] <em>“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”</em>, by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, from album <i style="text-decoration: underline;">Let It Bleed</i>, 1969, with London Bach Choir. </span></div>
davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202055069483642491.post-41227231712300679072013-05-08T08:57:00.000-07:002013-05-08T08:37:39.998-07:00"The Impossible Place"<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sgpgE-lD_0bsFUPVZdUWEZzhyphenhyphengZBzJ9FMk-vef4JmCrgvzLu3hPcEqeXmx-zkta4naUfo5SWm7OoTRpCMyrDkQffLDD4QH9ei39VUOPywi9jrTluKxpks2G9p5gE51aV_aIjuXsmsch0/s1600/nail+scarred+hands+br.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578106626620319490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sgpgE-lD_0bsFUPVZdUWEZzhyphenhyphengZBzJ9FMk-vef4JmCrgvzLu3hPcEqeXmx-zkta4naUfo5SWm7OoTRpCMyrDkQffLDD4QH9ei39VUOPywi9jrTluKxpks2G9p5gE51aV_aIjuXsmsch0/s1600/nail+scarred+hands+br.bmp" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin-top: 0px;" /></a><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Numbers 11.11a, 14-15 </span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“Moses said to God, ‘Why are you treating me this way? <strong>What did I ever do to you to deserve this?’</strong></span></em> <em><span style="color: #cc0000;"></span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>‘I can’t do this by myself — it’s too much</strong>, all these people. If this is how you intend to treat me, <strong>do me a favor and kill me. I’ve seen enough; I’ve had enough. Let me out of here.’</strong>”</span></em> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sometimes you come to the end of yourself. <em>“I can’t do this by myself.”</em> It’s an impossible place. Like Moses, your soul screams at God, <em>“What did I ever do to you to deserve this? It’s too much”.</em> You dream about ending it all… Why doesn’t God just <em>“do me a favor and kill me”?</em> </span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“I’ve seen enough; I’ve had enough. </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Let me out of here.”</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">God called Moses to perform a task. Then He made it impossible for Moses to succeed. Moses found himself in the <em>“I can’t do this myself”</em> place. He was stuck between the absolute awareness of God’s calling and utter impossibility of its fulfillment. That’s a rough place to be. It’s the place of pain, despair, and shame. It feels worse than death. In fact, some reasonable people may feel they woul rather die than suffer further pain of an utterly impossible situation. As Moses discovered, God’s plan of redemptive suffering does not include suicide or any other ‘easy way out’. Moses felt betrayed by God and wanted out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“I’ve seen enough; I’ve had enough. </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Let me out of here.”</span> </em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Are you similarly stuck? Caught between Jesus’ expectation of purity and the impossibility of its achievement? Has the unshakable grip of lust and your pattern of repeated failure led you to the false conclusion that you can never beat this thing. The pain of sexual addiction has forced you into the secret place of hopelessness and resignation. The shame is too much to bear. You escape further into the unreal world of wrong sexual pleasure and are driven progressively deeper into the isolation required for this sin to flourish. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is the impossible place. But it’s here, at the absolute end of oneself, that a man has a choice to develop the depth of character necessary to carry out His will. The choice for healing begins with the recognition that a man caught in the web of sexual addiction can never get out alone. He needs Jesus in His fullness. He needs the body of Christ. He needs a community of other men in recovery with whom he will fight and overcome in the struggle that wages war in his flesh. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Prepare to suffer. You may not <em>want</em> to serve the Lord at this price. You may not <em>want</em> this depth of character. But it was never really your choice. It’s God’s choice for you. Moses, Job, David, Elijah, Paul and many others survived the impossible place. They are not our only examples. Jesus <em>also</em> hit His personal bottom at this impossible place of hardship and suffering. He literally sweat blood there (Luke 22.44). Christ discovered His absolute alone-ness in the impossible juxtaposition of God’s trustworthiness and the terrible weight of human sin (John 16.32). He suffered what appeared to be the betrayal of His Heavenly Father. There Jesus died, and in so doing, secured for you the freedom you long for. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“…Jesus cried out with a loud voice, </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">saying,</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">‘My God, My God, </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">why have You forsaken Me?’”</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, </span></em><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">and yielded up His spirit.”</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 85%;">Matthew 27.46, 50 NKJV</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The dilemma of impossibility does not last forever. It can end well. Though not immediately visible, there is a redemptive purpose for suffering. You can beat this thing, but you cannot do it alone. 423 Men is here to help. </span>davescrivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462058588564974007noreply@blogger.com0