Interview with The Shack Author

Click on the subject title: Interview with The Shack Author to read the full interview.

Porn Kills

I have just been amazed lately by the staggering numbers of people who struggle with pornography. Not just those in the secular world but even within the church.

Here's some staggering info for you:
March 20, 2007: At a men's summit in Oregon before 2,000 men, Shelley Lubben of Shelley Lubben ministries challenged those who were struggling with porn addiction to stand. 30% rose to their feet. She immediately challenged them a second time, with the result that some 70% were standing.

April 6, 2007: 70% of Christians admitted to struggling with porn in their daily lives. From a non-scientific poll taken by XXXChurch, as reported by CNN.

August 7,2006: 50% of all Christian men and 20% of all Christian women are addicted to pornography. 60% of the women who answered the survey admitted to having significant struggles with lust; 40% admitted to being involved in sexual sin in the past year; and 20% of the church-going female participants struggle with looking at pornography on an ongoing basis.
From the results of a ChristiaNet poll reported by Marketwire.com

In December of 2000, the National Coalition to Protect Children and Families surveyed 5 Christian Campuses to see how the next generation of believers was doing with sexual purity:
48% of males admitted to current porn use
68% of males said they intentionally viewed a sexually explicit site at the school .

A 1996 Promise Keepers survey at one of their stadium events revealed that over 50% of the men in attendance were involved with pornography within one week of attending the event.

In 2008: Out of 81 pastors surveyed (74 males 7 female), 98% had been exposed to porn; 43% intentionally accessed a sexually explicit website.

In his book, "Men's Secret Wars", Patrick Means reveals a confidential survey of evangelical pastors and church lay leaders. Sixty-four percent of these Christian leaders confirm that they are struggling with sexual addiction or sexual compulsion including, but not limited to use of pornography, compulsive masturbation, or other secret sexual activity.

A 2007 poll showed: 34 percent of female readers of Today's Christian Woman's online newsletter admitted to intentionally accessing Internet porn in a recent poll.

In March of 2002 Rick Warren’s (author of the Purpose Driven life) Pastors.com website conducted a survey on porn use of 1351 pastors: 54% of the pastors had viewed Internet pornography within the last year, and 30% of these had visited within the last 30 days.

72 million: The approximate number of unique visitors to adult websites in 2006, per month, worldwide.
420 million: Total number of porn pages.
40 million: The number of U.S. adults who regularly visit porn websites.
Internet Filter Review

2007 Survey of divorced people: Of the 50% who get divorced in America, 70% of those marriages had one spouse who struggled with pornography at one time or another.

Please pray for those addicted, those whose marriages are torn apart by porn, those in the industry, and for those who are leaders. Pray for our nation.

Shalom,
Frank

The Thanks Tank

There's been a lot said of the marriage love tank being full, and whether or not an individual's love tank is full. For those who may not know the love tank measures just how full of love you feel and receive from others. This may include love from family, spouse, friends, God, co-workers, teachers, etc. This is a great topic and one we could go deeply into, but I'm going to put that aside for now.

Back around Thanksgiving I wrote a bit about thankfulness and I just want to address that subject again. It's something we all tend to run short on from time to time. Just as we have a love tank we also have a thanks tank. Only this tank measures what goes out and not what we receive from others. This tank wells up from the attitude of the heart.

How is your thanks tank doing? Is it empty? Is it full? Is it somewhere in between?

There are so many things for which I am thankful to God for. I am alive today. I have good health, I am saved by the grace of God. I am filled with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. God loves me. Jesus loves me. All my prayers have been and are being answered. My church family loves me and receives me. My wife loves me and she is faithful. She's my hero!! I am thankful for being able to read the Bible any time I want in several different translations. I am thankful for the spiritual gifts God has given me. I am thankful for God using my gifts. I am thankful for toilet paper. Not every country has it. I am thankful that I live in the United States according to the providence of God. I am thankful that I am not in any financial debt. I am able to pay my bills. My name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. All my sins are washed away. There are angels all around me. Nothing can separate me from the love of God. God's peace permeates my entire being. My life is in His hands. I am in my right mind (though some would argue). I have relatives whom I know I will see again in heaven. People laugh at my jokes. God has plans to prosper me and not to harm me. Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world! I am redeemed. I have clothes to wear. I have a family that loves me. I get along wonderfully with my In-Laws. God has protected me in many dangerous situations. He sings songs of deliverance all around me. His promises are true. He Has Never Failed Me!!! I am in love with my Heavenly Father. He knows my name. I am not forgotten. I will never be abandoned. I am thankful that He doesn't treat me as my sins so rightly deserve. Thanks for mercy Lord! God gives me things I don't deserve. Thanks for grace Lord!

These are just some of the many, many things I am thankful for. Being thankful helps us to love and appreciate those around us, especially God.

Make a list of some things you are thankful for. Fill up that thanks tank and pour it out.

The Desert Song: Blesseings While Waiting

The Lord truly knows how to send encouragement your way! I am so thankful for those He uses to speak life to my soul. The past few days I've been feeling a little beaten up waiting on the Lord to open some doors in my life. Waiting on a perfectionist is never easy, especially when He is the Creator of all things. Even though I know the things He is going to do and is doing will be perfect for me, that doesn't make me any more patient.

In comparison though I believe the waiting periods we modern believers go through are no where as long as in ancient times. Noah waited 120 years for a flood to come. Abraham waited several decades for Isaac to be born. We American believers pare in comparison. We live in the moment. Everything is now. A quick fix. A rapid reply. We have express toll lanes so we don't have to wait in line.

Waiting is hard. It's is harder when God promised you something and it hasn't arrived yet. However, Psalm 119:49-50 give me great hope, and I can actually remind God of His promise to me. Yes, we have permission to remind God of His promises.

The verses say this:

Psalms 119: 49-50

"49 Don't forget your promise

to me, your servant.

I depend on it.

50 When I am hurting,

I find comfort in your promise

that leads to life. "

From the Contemporary English Version

To drive this point home, a precious sister in the Lord shared this song with me today and it so spoke into my life. It's called, "The Desert Song," bu Hillsong. Click on the title topic above (The Desert Song: Blessings While Waiting) and it will take you to a short video I know will bless you. Be Ye encouraged!