TRAPPED A
(This is a model, not the real person)
lthough I was raised in church, I’ve struggled with porn from the time I first saw it! Growing up, my brother, “Freddie” and I fought like cats and dogs. My father had to break us up almost every day for something or another. Dad was in the ministry, and my best guess is that’s why he was so strict and critical—the whole church was watching our family. He seemed okay with “Fred,” but made me feel I couldn’t do anything right and I’d never be quite good enough for his standards! Plus, he rarely talked to me. It seemed like all he wanted was for me to just do what he said! I knew I’d never meet his expectations, and still to this day, I have a lot of self-doubts. He grew up the same way. His father didn’t approve of him either. And, I’m sure the pressure of having to have a “perfect” family added to his frustration. I just wish he hadn’t taken it out on me! On the other hand, my mom was very kind and soft spoken. Even though I definitely had issues, if it hadn’t been for her, I don’t know where I’d be today! When I was six years old, I remember telling Dad I wanted to get saved, that I didn’t want to sin anymore. So he and I prayed together. Even with all the things I’ve done, I have never doubted that I belong to God. “Fred” and I spent most of our growing up years in Christian schools.
by “Scott Berry”
He was outgoing, but I was very quiet, shy and painfully self-conscious. I kept mostly to myself, but did have a few close buddies. My folks and I didn’t have a lot of arguments, except they strongly disapproved of my music and the way I liked to dress. One summer, when I returned from camp, all my CD’s had been thrown away! I didn’t want to be rebellious, so I just listened to the music I liked in my car. When I graduated from high school, they wanted me to attend a year of Bible college. After that year, I started hanging out with a guy who drank, smoked and went to bars. My parents didn’t like “Ray” and encouraged me to find a different friend. Deep down, I knew they were right, but I was sure I’d never do any of the things he did. However, it didn’t take long for me to find out that you can’t bring another person up— no, they usually end up taking you down. I had my first drink and cigarette when I turned twenty-one. I knew it was wrong, but I was too caught up in the pleasure of it to turn back. I moved out of my parents home to a furnished apartment. My landlord had magazines laying around, and that’s where I was exposed to pornography for the very first time. Later I experimented with self-gratification, and this became a way
of life for me for many years to come. I don’t recall ever experiencing either of these before. But, boy, it didn’t take me long to become trapped! I wasn’t attending church regularly at that time, and my relationship with my folks was strained because of all the bad choices I was making. So, I enlisted in the Armed Forces, and though Basic Training was hard, I managed to endure it. I didn’t deploy right away, and while I was in duty station, drinking and smoking became more of a way of life for me. I enjoyed going to bars to drink, dance and have a good time. Visiting strip clubs became a regular pattern, too. I was no longer bothered by anything I did or said. It was my life, and the military didn’t seem to care, so why should I! When I was deployed, my lifestyle became progressively worse. I drank almost every single day whether I had duty or not. I started going to a bar that also offered prostitutes, which I visited many times. When I got back to the states, I settled into a good job, but it didn’t change my wild lifestyle. I met “Suzie” and we hit it off great! Shortly after that, we decided, rather than just living together, we’d get married. I was so excited, but had no clue what a husband was really supposed to do. When our first child was born, I fell head over heels in love with our baby daughter. A year after “Tracy” was born, my wife got pregnant again and gave birth to our second daughter, “Maryann.” I know there is absolutely no excuse for a husband and father of two beautiful children to behave the way I did! But the next part of my story is even more shameful than the first. On my next deployment, I fell right back
into the traps the enemy had so carefully set for me! “Suzie” became suspicious, but I adamantly denied everything! However, when she found out I was still looking at pornography, and if you can believe it, carousing like I did when I was single, she was understandably mad, upset and hurt! I ended up confessing it all—things I’d just as soon have forgotten. But I was caught—and I knew my wife deserved to know. I’ll never forget that day! The look of pain on her face cut me to the core ... she had every right to leave me! We went to our pastor to try and work through it all, but he felt we needed something more intense than he could offer. He recommended Faith Family, and we made plans to spend three days at their Retreat. “Suzie” and I were blown away at what the Lord did in us individually — not to mention what He did in our marriage! Those three days were like drinking out of a fire hose! We received so much, it took us awhile after we left to process all God did in us. We were brought up in different denominations, but we were both taught to believe we had to be “good” in order to be acceptable to God. The Morgans showed us that God loved and accepted us, not on the basis of our behavior, but on the simple fact that we had received His Son, Jesus Christ, for the remission of our sin. We could stop striving to be accepted because we already were! His grace is sufficient to not only save us, but keep us! We learned that as we depend on the Holy Spirit, He gives the victory — the key is dependence! And our marriage has never been so good! We still have a ways to go in the “trust” department, but with the tools we now have, we’re definitely going to make it!
Disease Causing ... Toxicity
you think of car safety, you typWicallyhenthink of seat belts and airbags.
And while safety features definitely help, there are other items that aren’t so safe, and need to be considered. For example, cushions, floor coverings and plastic dashboards. Recent studies show that the interior of cars out-gas fire retardants that are embedded in the plastics and foam cushions in our vehicles. They also emit formaldehyde, toluene, xylene and pesticides. Plus, plastics in dashboards and door panels are just the tip of the iceberg that give folks toxic levels which create diseases. That precious little infant strapped in a car seat has a more immature detoxification capability, so the effect of chemicals is amplified in his delicate system. In fact, it can be creating damage to his testicles, brain or thyroid when you can’t even smell that “new car scent.”
HealthPoint
If you travel an hour or more a day, or less but in heavy traffic, consider having a Foust air purifier that plugs into the cigarette lighter. You see, auto exhaust has been shown to trigger allergies, arteriosclerosis, respiratory infections, cancers and many more maladies. Disease pops up when our system can no longer handle the amount of toxins we have stockpiled — and our environment is full of them! We are exposed to more chemicals than we could ever detoxify in a day, so every little bit that we do is a step in the right direction. Because fire retardants are in mattresses, airplanes and car seats, Americans now have levels forty times higher of these pollutants than Europeans. And they are doubling every two years in the U.S. So, when it comes to protecting your family, why take a chance with something that is so easily remedied?
Reaching Out past March I (Bill) had the privilege Tofhisbeing deployed with the Billy Graham
Rapid Response Team as a chaplain in High Point, North Carolina The people we helped were victims of an ice storm that left tree limbs and, in some cases, trees down on and around their homes. I worked with a team of eight chaplains from around the country who sought to minister to the spiritual needs of the relief teams working with Samaritan’s Purse and the home owners who received their ministry. The week was absolutely incredible! We shared Christ’s love with well over a hundred people during that time. God will use any situation to open the door for His truth, and that’s exactly what He did. One man and his wife were very receptive to hearing the Gospel. They had been church members for many years. The wife was confident in her salvation, but her husband was uncertain. As we shared God’s word with him, his eyes were opened to the Good News, and he asked Jesus into his heart! This man was ninety-one years old, a World War II veteran who landed on Normandy on day five and spent thirty months on the front lines all across Europe.
G o d k e p t him alive through all that so he could hear and receive the Gospel from a couple of men who were newborns when he was defending our freedom “across the pond.” Needless to say, we were elated at the way the Lord used us to share His love with this former soldier! Every day we had the opportunity to give out the compassion of Christ to those He brought our way. While this was a special opportunity in a new environment, each of us can use the openings we encounter every day to share that love and care. By helping others find what they need, we are actually helping ourselves to fulfill the vision God has placed in us. Giving of yourself is its own reward, of course. And seeing the light on the faces of others as they experience Christ’s love through you is awesome! We can all be “ministers”—we just need to look around at our family, neighbors and even our fellow believers! Each one of them has a need, and we can put them in touch with the “Need Meeter!”
The Winning Edge I
have often heard it said, “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!” That sounds good and should be followed. But, in order to make lemonade, you need more that just lemons. You have to have sugar. In life, this concept is very much a part of every situation that comes our way. Real life “lemonade” can only be made with the “sweetness” of love — love of God and love of others. Jesus said that these were the two greatest commandments. So following them will give you the “sweetness” necessary to make something tasty out of even the most sour situation. For example: the Apostle Paul went to Philippi to share the Gospel, but there he was arrested, beaten and thrown in prison. He could have easily complained that he was treated unfairly and an injustice had been done in this situation, and later he did just that. But he first chose to rejoice instead! By singing praises to God in this circumstance, he showed that his joy was not dependent on the environment around him or even his personal comfort. As he and Silas praised God, the entire building shook so that the doors of the jail opened and their chains fell off. But rather than escape, they stayed and shared the Gospel of Christ with the prison guard. The result was the jailer and his household were brought to the saving knowledge of Christ’s love for them. This was a case of using a bad situation to bring life to someone who didn’t know Jesus as Savior and Lord. So, when life hands you a difficult situation or person to deal with, use it as an opportunity to express God’s love. You see, life is not all about the blessings God pours out on us. While they are wonderful, it’s not the blessings that make us grow stronger as Chris-
tians. No, it’s the trials of life that bring growth. And that’s God’s goal. He’s fashioning us into the image of His Son, and as we yield to His Spirit, the Lord becomes evident in our life. Paul put it this way, For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). Jesus’ life was not one of ease, but of challenges from the very beginning — no place to be born except a stable, hunted by Herod soon after His birth, and the list goes on throughout His entire life. Even today there are those who would seek to destroy His life in us. How we respond to that treatment is the key to our growth. We are being conformed to His image. I’m not saying that you roll over when opposition arises. Jesus never did that. His response was always one of love for the person as He sought to bring resolution — without compromise. His love was flowing out of a heart yielded to His Father. And His yieldedness was the key ingredient to having sufficient “sweetness” for every situation He encountered. Being yielded is a choice and one that is easy to make, but very requiring to walk out. The point of all this is that when life is giving you something that you’d prefer not to have, ask your heavenly Father, “Lord, how can I let You flow through me with Your love in the midst of this situation?” Remember, He is our source of love, and He will make any difficulty we face the best “growth” experience it can possibly be—as we choose to surrender, giving Him our all. Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your fellowman as He has loved you! As you follow this two part principle, life will turn out sweet — every time!