WHEN TO CORRECT AND WHEN TO KEEP THAT BIG MOUTH SHUT!

Justin Taylor, over at The Gospel Coalition, shared an excellent post today on "When An Issue Is Important Enough To Correct Someone?"

This is an excellent piece with some real practical insight that anyone can benefit from... Really good stuff... Enjoy.

When An Issue Is Important Enough To Correct Someone?
Justin Taylor

In the appendix to Sam Crabtree’s Practicing Affirmation he reproduces a helpful grid:



(Beevers’ Grid copyright 1986 by Ernest Beevers. Used by permission.)

Crabtree explains (pp. 161-162) how this can be used to help determine when to correct someone and when to let it go.

The vertical axis indicates the importance of the issue being considered. The bottom reflects issues of low importance such as trying to resolve whether President George Washington ever wore socks that didn’t match. It is an issue of virtually no consequence. Moving up the axis, toward the top we reach issues that are important, issues that have life-and-death significance, perhaps for a great many people. Between the top and the bottom is an array of issues and their relative importance or unimportance.

The horizontal axis indicates my certainty that I am right. Toward the left are issues about which I don’t have the foggiest clue (what is the name of the dog owned by the bit player in that 1938 movie that no one saw?). Toward the right are issues about which I am sure that I’m sure before God, the angels, and all the witnesses that could be summoned that I am right. Most people find that there are surprisingly few of these issues.

Any issue of controversy can be plotted on this matrix.

The lower-left quadrant contains issues that meet two simultaneous criteria: (1) they are of low importance, and (2) I do not know much about them. For example: how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Who knows? And who cares? Here’s the point: it wouldn’t be worth consuming relational energy to argue about this issue or to correct someone else’s viewpoint.

The upper-left quadrant contains issues that meet two simultaneous criteria: (1) they are of high importance, but (2) I still don’t know with certainty what the truth is. For example: When is Jesus returning? That is of crucial and everlasting importance to every person who lives or ever has lived! And yet I don’t know when he’s coming back. One of the things about which I’m certain is that I am not certain about exactly when he’s returning. The point is: arguing about it or correcting others is not worth the relational energy it would consume.

The lower-right quadrant contains issues about which (1) I’m certain I’m right, but (2) they are of low importance. For example: how many knots are in the log I am now looking at? I know the answer, but why make an issue of it?

And now we arrive at the main observation to be derived from Beever’s Grid. The upper-right quadrant simultaneously contains the issues (1) that are important, and (2) for which there is virtually no possibility that I will be shown to be mistaken.

And here’s the point: reserve your conflict, your arguments, and your persistent corrections to that quadrant.

Here’s its corollary: keep that region small. The fruitfulness of correction tends to come from a smaller region than we assume. We default to making that region larger than is fruitful. We wear people out by putting more issues in the upper-right quadrant than belong there.

"GOD IS STILL GOD AND GOD IS STILL GOOD!"

Some time ago I shared the video testimony of Zac Smith, who at that time was battling with cancer. Below is the video testimony of Zac's wife, Mandy, one year after Zac's passing.

One describes Mandy's story: FAITH. Dynamic, resilient, immovable, steadfast, firm FAITH.

God will no doubt use Mandy's story to strengthen some who have wondered what to do when God doesn't "come through" the way they had hoped and dreamed that God would "come through."

A Story | Tears of Hope from Adam Kring on Vimeo.

BODY - Game Plan 7 Extended Notes

Here are the extended notes from this morning's message at a2. This message focuses on the fourth area in life where a GAME PLAN is absolutely essential: our physical body. You can check out the podcast of the entire message by clicking here to go to our website or here if you prefer to access it via iTunes.


BODY
GAME PLAN Part 7

“Americans are fat and getting fatter by the year…”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than one third (34%) of all adults, that’s over 72 million people, were obese in 2005 – 2006.

Another report indicates that 65% of Americans are overweight…

Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled… If we don’t deal with this growing problem, one third of all children born in 2000 or later will eventually suffer from diabetes… Others will suffer from stuff like obesity-related heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and asthma…

Alabama now has the second worst eating habits in the nation, only following behind Mississippi. Alabama has the seventh highest obesity rate in the nation, and the second highest diabetes rate…

Unfortunately, Americans who struggle with obesity are “more likely to have diabetes, coronary artery disease, strokes, and certain forms of cancer.”

The journal “Health Affairs” reported that last year overall obesity health spending reached $147 billion in the U.S. That’s double what it was a decade ago…

According to the CDC, tobacco use has long been the leading preventable cause of death in America. But some research indicates that obesity is has now taken the lead as the leading preventable cause of death in America…

We are literally eating ourselves to death…

On top of that, we’re just down getting down right lazy…

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 60% — well over half — of all Americans are not regularly physically active… And even worse, 25% engage in little or no physical activity at all…


“Everybody ends up somewhere. Few people end up somewhere on purpose.” ~ Craig Groeschel, Chazown

This is especially true when it comes to your body…


1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT), Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

NOTES: The phrase “…God bought you with a high price…” contains the idea of redemption… The word isn’t used in the verse, but the concept is clear… In fact, sometimes the word “bought” ends up getting translated “redeemed” (Revelation 5:9; 14:13-14).

The word "redeemed" is the idea of buying someone back from bondage by the payment of a price… It’s the idea of setting someone free by paying a ransom… “Redemption” was the technical term for money paid to buy back a prisoner of war… ~ See ESV Study Bible


Mark 10:45 (NLT), For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

1 Peter 1:18, “…you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”

1 Peter 2:24, He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds 
you have been healed.

Matthew 8:17 (NIV), "…He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases."

Infirmities:
"1) lack of strength, weakness, frailty or infirmity
a) of the body
b) of the soul
1) …want of strength and capacity requisite
(a) to understand something,
(b) to do things great and glorious,
(c) to restrain corrupt desires,
(d) to bear up under trials and troubles…” ~ See Blue Letter Bible


NOTES: When Christ paid the ransom price for His people, He also bought our bodies back from sin, slave and bondage…


Why We Need A Game Plan For Our Body

1. God cares about your body.

1 Corinthians 6:13 (NLT), You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV 2010), Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.


2. The Holy Spirit lives in your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT), Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?

NOTES: When God purchased or bought our freedom, He didn’t buy us out of slavery to sin and Satan, to make us His own personal slaves … God’s goal in redemption wasn’t to make us work for Him, but to make us FULL OF HIM… ~ John Piper

Ephesians 3:19 (ESV), …know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:19 (AMP), [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ… …that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!


3. Your body will ultimately be raised from the dead!

1 Corinthians 6:14 (NLT), And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:35-38 (NIV 2010), But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 (NIV 2010), So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.


4. Some choices you make with your body can lead to freedom, and some can lead to slavery. You have the power to choose freedom.

1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV 2010), "I have the right to do anything," you say—but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"—but I will not be mastered by anything.


Two Questions To Ask:
• Is it helpful?
• Will it make me a slave?


5. Your body was not made for sin or immorality.

1 Corinthians 6:13b (ESV), The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

1 Corinthians 6:18 (NLT), Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.

Titus 2:14 (NLT), He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.


6. Your body was made to glorify God!

1 Corinthians 6:20 (ESV), …you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

According to John Piper, to “glorify God in your body” means to, “…use your body in a way that will show that God is more satisfying, more precious, more to be desired, and more glorious than anything else your body craves…”


A Few Practical Tips:

• Eat healthy.

Here are some simple steps that basically all nutritionists agree upon…

(a) Eat smaller portions…
(b) Drink lots of water and avoid soft drinks…
(c) Learn to make wise, sensible, healthy choices…
(d) Substitute healthy snacks for junk food garbage…

• Exercise consistently.

• Get the proper amount of rest and sleep (Psalm 127:2; Exodus 20:8).

Psalm 127:2 (NIV), In vain you rise up early and stay up late… for [God] grants sleep to those he loves.

• Ask God to set you free from self-defeating habits and addictions.

1 John 4:4 (NIV 2010), You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

• Release your stress and anxiety through prayer and worship.

• Claim God’s promises for healing.

Psalm 103:3 (NLT), He forgives all my sins 
and heals all my diseases.

Psalm 107:20 (NIV), He [God] sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

Isaiah 53:5 (ESV), …he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

Malachi 4:2, …the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy…

James 5:15-16 (NIV), And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.


1 Corinthians 6:20 (ESV), …you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Romans 12:1 (AMP), …make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God…

MONEY - Game Plan 6 Extended Notes

Here are the extended notes from yesterday's message at a2 Church. This is Part 6 in our series titled, GAME PLAN. It focuses on the third major area in life where a GAME PLAN is crucial. You can check out the podcast of the entire message by clicking here to go to our website or here if you prefer iTunes.

MONEY
Game Plan - Part 6

77% (almost 8 out of every 10) Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck. That’s up from 61% in 2009. ~ CareerBuilder.com

One in five (22 percent) indicate that they’ve missed paying bills within the last year. ~ CareerBuilder.com

Most of us are one setback away from economic disaster…

The average American household carries almost $16,000 in credit card debt. ~ creditcard.com

According to frugaldad.com, the average American consumer has about:

* $6818 in credit card debt
* $193,036 in home mortgage loans
* $52,559 in home equity loans
* $14,449 in car loans, and,
* $26,368 in student loans…


Craig Groeschel has accurately said:

• Everybody ends up somewhere.
• Few people end up somewhere on purpose.
• Maybe that’s why, most people end up in the hole. ~ Craig Groeschel, Chazown


NOTES: In Matthew 25 Jesus told a story about a wealthy CEO and three of his employees… All three of the employees where given an incredible opportunity and all three of them had to make a decision about what they wanted to do…

This story teaches us five facts about God, money and you and me… It starts in Matthew 25:14.


Five Facts About God, Money and You and Me:

Matthew 25:14 (NLT), …the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a trip. He called together his servants and gave them money to invest for him while he was gone.

Matthew 25:15 (NIV), To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.


NOTES: One talent was equal in value to about 10,000 denarii. In the first century, the average worker would work an entire day for one derarius. But a single talent was worth about 10,000 denarii. So, one talent was the equivalent somewhere in the neighborhood of fifteen years’ wages…

The majority of people in this time period lived from day to day... They didn’t have a savings account… They didn’t have a 401K… One talent or ten thousand denarii represented a staggering fortune….

If you or me were one of these employees and something like this happened to us, it would have totally changed our life… This was the opportunity of a lifetime.”


Matthew 25:16 (NIV), The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work…


FACT #1: We’ve All Been Given the Opportunity of a Lifetime.


NOTES: God has entrusted His property to you and me... Everybody receives a gift… We’ve all been given the opportunity of a lifetime… This isn’t a story where some are gifted and others are not. We’ve all been given the shot of a lifetime… The question is, “Will we prize and appreciate the gifts and resources God has given us? We will respond ‘at once’ to the shot that is before us…”

The third servant took the greatest gift he had ever be given and buried it in a field…


Matthew 25:18 (NIV), …the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.


QUESTION: “Who did this money belong to? Did the money belong to the CEO or the Employee?”

This was the Master’s money! The Master was the Owner and the servant was the steward.


FACT #2: Eventually Every One of Us Have to Come to Terms with the Issue of Ownership.


Ownership is a myth. Stewardship is a reality.


Stewardship Defined: The biblical concept that describes our management of the resources and assets God brings into our lives is the word “stewardship.” A “steward” is a manager. When it comes to our resources (things like our time, energy, abilities, finances and possessions) we are managers, not owners.

Stewardship is about using God-given resources according to God-given principles, purposes and goals. It's about managing everything God brings into my life in a manner that honors God and impacts eternity.


NOTES: Every one of us have to come to terms with the issue of ownership. From beginning to end, Scripture repeatedly emphasizes the fact that it all belongs to God…


Deuteronomy 10:14 (NLT), Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God.

Job 41:11 (NLT), Who has given me anything that I need to pay back? 
Everything under heaven is mine.

1 Chronicles 29:11-14 (NLT), Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. 13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!

Psalm 24:1 (NLT), The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. 
The world and all its people belong to him.

Haggai 2:8 (NLT), The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.


NOTES: Stewardship begins with the realization that everything we have has been given to us by God and that ownership still rests in his hands. The way we think about our money and possessions hinges on this reality… Because if it’s really true that God owns it all, then God has the rights and I have the responsibility.


IMPORTANT: If God really owns it all, then maybe I need to implement a plan that will allow me to wisely manage the assets God has placed at my disposal…


The 10-10-80 Plan

1) Honor God with the first ten percent of your income.

Malachi 3:10 (NLT), “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse…”

2) Set aside ten percent of your income for savings.

3) Live on the rest!


APPLICATION: Settle the ownership issue and implement a plan!


NOTES: One day the wealthy CEO returned to settle accounts…


Matthew 25:19 (NLT), After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money.


FACT #3: Ultimately, We Will All Give An Account To God For The Way We Steward or Invest Our Time, Energy, Abilities and Money.


NOTES: A performance review is coming my way that will make every other performance review pale in comparison. We won’t be able to finesse or charm our way out of this one… This is what the third employee forgot…


Here’s what the one talent guy said to the Master…


Matthew 25:24-25, “Then the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘sir, I know you are a hard man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth and here it is.’”


FACT #4: The Biggest Obstacle Most of Us Face When It Comes to Practicing Biblical Stewardship Is Fear.


Matthew 25:25, I was afraid I would lose your money…

NOTES: This servant wanted a promise that nothing would go wrong… That’s not part of the deal…

Fear makes a lot of people bury the treasure God has given them. This is one of the reasons Jesus taught so often about the subject of money… Because when you get down to brass tacks, the real issue when it comes to the way you manage your money is all about TRUST… What or who am I going to put my trust in?


Matthew 25:24-25, “…I know you are a hard man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth and here it is.’”

Here’s the way the Master responded…

Matthew 25:26 (NLT), But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant!’


NOTES: When Jesus used the word “lazy” He was not necessarily talking about “inactivity.” You can look busy and still be lazy… The word Jesus used for “lazy” refers to the refusal to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done...

QUESTION: What did this guy do that was so bad?

Jesus said the guy simply did nothing… GET THIS: the servant wasn’t judged for the bad things he did. He was judged for doing nothing. He didn’t steal, embezzle or defraud, He just took his gift and buried it…


Matthew 25:26-30, “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You think I’m a hard man, do you, harvesting crops I didn’t plant and gathering crops I didn’t cultivate? 27Well, you should at least have put my money into the bank so I could have some interest. 28Take the money from this servant and give it to the one who has ten talents. 29To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away. 30Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”


FACT #5: One Day We Will Be Rewarded For Stewarding God’s Investment Wisely.

NOTES: In Verse 20-23, Jesus calls the five talent guy and the two talent guy in and this is what He says to them…

Matthew 25:20-23 (NIV), The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’


Can you imagine hearing that from God?


Matthew 25:21-23 (NIV), “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things…

Matthew 25:21-23 (NIV), ‘…I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“Your adventure is just getting started…”


The Master is still looking for people He can trust with His stuff…

REACHING THE NEXT GENERATION

Ever so often I have the privilege of speaking at a Lee University Chapel or Convocation… I love these opportunities, and usually walk away feeling as if I’ve received so much more than I was ever able to share…

What do I love about sharing at Lee? I love this age group… I love the idealism… I love their passion… I love their desire to do something, to go out and change their world…

The church I pastor has a growing number of young adults that make up our church! For instance, most of the members of our band are in their twenties or late teens… (Yeah, we have a couple of people just in their thirties, and we also have my wife who leads the team… I think she’s still 29…) My wife and I love these guys and gals!

Tonight, our home will be jammed with a small group for couples who are either engaged in the first two years of their marriage… All of them are in their twenties… We’re pumped about doing life with these guys and gals for the next 10 weeks…

We believe that reaching and discipling the next generation is something we are called to do! It's critical! It's crucial! And we are passionate about it! We have two daughters who are in this age category (18 and 22). We so want these girls to keep living “lights out” for Jesus!

Here’s the question: How do we reach the next generation?

In the new book, Don’t Call It A Comeback, Kevin DeYoung lays out a strategy for reaching the “next generation.”

I really like DeYoung’s strategy! I like it because it’s not based on programming, musical style or really cool media… It’s based on a few…basics… Here’s a brief summary / overview of DeYoung’s strategy for reaching the next generation…

How do you and your church measure up?

(1) Grab Them with Passion.

You can have formal services, as long as you don’t have formalism. You can have casual services, so long as you do not approach your faith casually. Your services can have a lot of different looks, but young people want to see passion.

If our…faith is boring to us, it will be boring to others. If the gospel is old news to you, it will be dull news to everyone else.

We cannot pass on what we do not feel…

QUESTION: How are you and your church doing when it comes to passion?

(2) Win Them with Love.

Give up on relevance, and try love. If they see love in you, love for each other, love for the world, and love for them, they will listen. No matter who “they” are.

Talk to people. Notice visitors. Invite new people over for lunch. Strike up a friendly conversation at the greasy pizza joint. Let your teenager’s friends hang out at your house.

Love won’t guarantee that young people will never walk away from the church, but it will make it a lot harder. It won’t guarantee that non-Christians will come to Christ, but it will make the invitation a whole lot more attractive…

QUESTION: How are you and your church doing when it comes to loving the next generation? Do you create opportunities to hang out with twenty-somethings? Do you genuinely love this age group from the heart?

(3) Hold Them with Holiness.

If nothing of spiritual significance is happening in your church, your Bible study, your small group, or your family, it may be because nothing spiritually significant is happening in your life.

19th Century Scottish Pastor, Robert Murray M’Cheyne once said: “My people’s greatest need is my personal holiness.”

My congregation needs me to be humble before they need me to be smart. They need me to be honest more than they need me to be a dynamic leader. They need me to be teachable more than they need me to teach at conferences. If your walk matches your talk, if your faith costs you something, if being a Christian is more than a cultural garb, they will listen…

Far too much ministry today is undertaken without any concern for holiness. We’ve found that changing the way we do church is easier than changing the way we are. We’ve found that we are not sufficiently unlike anyone else to garner notice, so we’ve attempt to become just like everyone else instead.

Ouch!

QUESTION: Are you and your church passionate about living a transformed and holy life? Does your life and lifestyle speak louder than your words?

(4) Challenge Them with Truth.

When it comes to reaching outsiders, bold, deep, biblical preaching is not the problem. It’s part of the solution.

The church in the twenty-first century must go big on truth or go home…

QUESTION: Are you and your church bold when it comes to preaching and teaching the truth in love? Or, do you acquiesce to political correctness?

(5) Amaze Them with God.

The gospel is not a message about what we need to do for God, but about what God has done for us. So get them with the good news about who God is and what He has done for us…

Give them a God who is holy, independent, and unlike us, a God who is good, just, full of wrath, and full of mercy. Give them a God who is sovereign, powerful, tender, and true. Give them a God with edges. Give them an undiluted God who makes them feel cherished and safe, and small and uncomfortable, too… Give them a God worthy of wonder and fear, a God big enough for all our faith, hope and love.

Do your friends, your church, your family, your children know that God is the center of the universe? Can they see that he is the center of your life?

As you try to reach the next generation for Christ, you can amaze them with your cleverness, your humor, or your looks. Or you can amaze them with God…

QUESTION: Are you blown away by God? Do you present people with a God-sized vision of God, or have you placed God in a box?


Check out Kevin DeYoung’s book, Don’t Call It A Comeback… The book basically contains an overview of what Christians ought to believe and what we need to do. Good stuff.

Now, let’s put this stuff into practice and go out and reach the NEXT GENERATION!

TWELVE QUESTIONS TO ASK OF ALBUMS...

I love music! Absolutely love it!

In fact, one of my favorite days of the week is New Release Tuesday, when I log on to Amazon or iTunes to find out the mp3 albums or singles that are available...

Here's a good little article on 12 questions to ask of the albums you purchase and listen to... I found these questions really helpful in evaluating the stuff I allow over the bridge of my hearing into my mind and heart.

Think. Enjoy.

THE GOSPEL AND SEXUAL ASSAULT

Here's an important article by Justin Holcomb over at The Resurgence on the devastating effects of sexual assault and how the Gospel of Jesus Christ answers the need or challenge of anyone who has ever been victimized sexually.

This is a short, but important article... Read it, and share it... Click here for the article.

Grace and peace.

THE TRUTH WITHOUT PHOTOSHOP

This is one of the most moving spoken words I've ever heard... Poet Janet from Passion for Christ Movement shares the story of the sexual abuse perpetrated on her and her subsequent healing and freedom in Christ...

WARNING: portions of Poet Janet's story are somewhat graphic and heart-wrenching... Ultimately, her story is a story of Christ's victory and Poet Janet's freedom and healing. (Thanks to my daughter, Caley, for sharing the link.)



A few thoughts:

First, this spoken word is an example of how some of the most moving pieces of art are born out of our deepest agony and pain.

Second, this spoken word is an amazing example of 2 Corinthians 1 on display.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT), Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Third, let's pray for anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse, that they will find the grace and healing that Poet Janet has experienced.

Peace and Grace.