The Purpose of Breaking!

Breaking the Lamb's leg

A woman who took a vacation to visit family back in Ireland. While she was there, she visited an uncle who was a shepherd.While visiting with him, she walked into a barn and saw a young lamb with its leg in a splint. “Awwww, what happened?” she wanted to know. “Oh,” said the old shepherd, “he had a bad habit of running off, so yesterday, I broke his leg.”When the old man told her that, she was appalled. “Why on earth would you do that”, she asked. “Well”, he said, “the little guy had a bad habit of running off. Every time he would do that, he would be in danger. He could fall off the edge of a cliff and kill himself, or a wolf or some other predator could find him, kill him and eat him. He was a stubborn little guy, too. Every time he ran off, I would have to go find him. Then, I would set him with the rest of the flock only to have him run off again.So, I broke his leg. But, that’s not the end of it. After I broke his leg, I also mended it. I put a splint on it, all the while, I was talking to him, comforting him, consoling him. Now, I have to carry water in to him every day. Not only that, I have to feed him by hand. As I do, I continue to talk to him and comfort him. By the time his leg heals, he will know my voice. He will know that it is I who takes care of him. He will come when I call him. He will stay with me, no matter what. Now, I will be able to lead him, and the rest of the sheep will follow him. This lamb will one day be the best sheep of the flock – why, because yesterday, I broke his leg. In order to break its will, I had to break its leg.”Often, for God to be able to use us, He must first break us.

ThiNk aBoUt It!

A Message by George Carlin: a comedian in the 70's

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Helping Teens with Pornography Addiction

Helping Your Child Avoid the Pornography Trap - By; Dennis and Barbara Rainey

Developing your child’s convictions about pornography will take many different forms. We’ve gone to junior high and high school to talk to teachers who have asked our sons to read what would be rated R in movies. We’ve sought to expose pornography’s lies by talking about its impact on men like Ted Bundy. And we’ve taken our sons and daughters with us when we’ve gone to movie theaters to talk to theater managers and protest an NC-17 (formerly X-rated) movie that came to our community.

All of these actions and more can shape your child’s convictions and keep him out of the traps. In addition, there are two other convictions your child should learn and embrace.

Child’s Conviction 1: I understand that pornography is sin and can destroy my life and my future marriage and family.
You may wonder how much detail to share about pornography with a child without drifting toward prurience. A great guideline is to look at Scripture and see how the Lord warns us about certain things. He certainly doesn’t tell the whole story to provoke our carnality and flesh to sin. For example, in Proverbs we read this description of a woman to avoid: “For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and smoother than oil is her speech” (5:3). That is not an explicit description of a prostitute propositioning someone, but it gets the point across.

When talking to a preteen or teen about pornography, you can explain that many people today look at pictures of naked women and men performing sexual activity, but none of this is pleasing to God. Pornography takes something that is beautiful when it occurs between a married man and woman and makes it dirty. At younger ages, say up to about 12, your child needs only to know that pornography isn’t good for him. He certainly doesn’t need details that would attract him.

Read all of the article at; http://www.familylife.com/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dnJHKLNnFoG&b=3576485&content_id={ED136FB8-8C7A-4772-8CB6-E9AAF59528BD}&notoc=1

Pornography!!!

Breaking Free From the Trap of Pornography - by: Dave Boehi

Note: In last week’s column, I discussed the temptations we face each day in our sexualized culture. You can’t avoid temptation, but you can control your response. I thought I’d finish the discussion about temptation by talking about breaking free from the trap of pornography, which is one of the most destructive enemies of marriages today. Even if you aren't dealing with this issue, the following (adapted from a longer article I wrote with Mike Pickle) provides valuable information you can use to counsel others.

Pornography takes something that is beautiful when it occurs between a married man and woman and makes it dirty. God created the act of sexual union as a special gift for a husband and wife. It is a celebration of love that strengthens a marriage and builds oneness.
But pornography twists and perverts the beauty and biblical design of God's creation. The focus on sensual pleasure becomes such a powerful drug that it destroys all that is important in the rest of their lives. It leads men and women to look at each other as nothing more than sex objects. It causes them to fantasize about sexual relationships with other people, and that's a terrible blow to their marital commitment.

If you want to break free from the sexual sin and lust fueled by pornography, the first thing you need to realize is that you can't do it in your own power. You need the presence of God in your life. In fact, if you have never understood what it means to be a Christian, and how you can know God personally, please read this clear presentation of the gospel. It will be the most important decision of your life.

If you know Christ lives within you, here are some suggested steps for dealing with the trap of pornography:

Step One: Confess Your Sin. When you try to keep such sin secret, your spirit will become increasingly troubled. As David wrote in Psalm 32:3-4: “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.”
On one hand, confession is simply agreeing with God about sin in your life. Jesus said in Matthew 5:28, "Everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." When you look at those pictures or images to stimulate you sexually, you are committing adultery in your heart. When you confess this to the Lord, you simply say, "Yes, I was lusting after that woman. I sinned against You, Father."
You may be thinking, "I've done that. But nothing changed." That's because, when faced with a deep-rooted sin such as this—one that has involved numerous poor choices over a period of time—your confession must come with a broken heart that shows that you are repentant—ready to turn away from your sin.

Repentance means "to turn around." When you have a habit of sin in your life, it is like getting in a car and driving away from God. When you repent, you stop moving away from God and turn around to face Him, and through His power start moving toward Him again.

What does God do when you come to Him with an attitude of brokenness and repentance? He offers forgiveness and cleansing. 1 John 1:9 tells us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." You may not be freed from the desire to commit this sin again, but you can be freed from the crushing weight of guilt and shame.

Step Two: Make no provision for the flesh (Romans 13:14). Not only should you remove every trace of pornography from your home or office, but you also should take practical steps to put barriers between you and any sources. If magazines or books are a temptation, stay away from the stores where you purchase pornography. If you've been watching erotic movies on cable or satellite television, downgrade your service to eliminate the offending channels … or get rid of the service altogether if necessary. When you travel start staying in hotels that can block or turn off the pay-per-view movies in a given room. Ask the desk clerk to do that before you enter your room.

If you are involved in computer porn, you may need to change your Internet service provider, your e-mail address, and even your credit card so that porn sites cannot contact you. Find a blocking or screening program or even an ISP that screens Web sites. If you have used a computer at the office to view pornography, then ask about getting a screening system for the office.

Move your computer into an open area of the house. Tell your wife or children to come and ask you what you are doing on the computer anytime they want to. You can also teach someone in your house to check the history in your Web browser.

Step Three: Find an accountability partner. Accountability is a scriptural principle that tells us to " ... be subject to one another in the fear of Christ" (Ephesians 5:21). This means you choose to submit your life to the scrutiny of another person in order to gain spiritual strength, growth and balance.

If you do not go to your pastor first, do so immediately after making open confession to the Lord. He is spiritually responsible to pray for you and teach you God's truth. If he is the man of God he should be, he will gladly pray for and with you, and exhort you in your spiritual growth.

Step Four: Build biblical truth into your life. If you've been filling your mind with pornographic images, chances are that you have not been spending much time reading God's Word. Begin spending time every day reading the Bible, chapter by chapter. Start with a book you like to read—the Gospel of John or the Gospel of Matthew. Read a chapter each day from Psalms and one from Proverbs. Also, seek out other opportunities—like Bible studies or conferences—to learn and apply God’s Word.

Step Five: Begin to rebuild your marriage. Your spouse may not be able to respond openly to you at first. But one thing you can start doing right now is to begin praying with him or her. It may be embarrassing, it may feel awkward, or it may even be frightening, but do it anyway. There are few things in a marriage that can draw you and your spouse together like prayer.

FamilyLife offers a number of conferences and resources to help you reduce the isolation you are experiencing in your marriage. Our Weekend to Remember™ conferences may be the best place to start the rebuilding process. At some point, you also should become involved in a small group using a study from HomeBuilders Couples Series®.We can help you find out if there is a group in your area of the country.

God will honor each small step of obedience you take. He has the power to change your heart … to help you experience the joy of a cleansed heart … to wash away your sin and guilt and shame … and to help you experience oneness again with your spouse.

Do you know what is desperate!

Want to know how she feels and why she felt that way? Look up her blog at: http://jessalynn88.blogspot.com/