Leadership through humility

Paul’s humility was a striking characteristic in the early church.  As a former Pharisee, he would have had a deep understand of the Old Testament and it’s teaching on humbleness.  He knew of Isaiah’s text that said God would “put an end to the arrogance of the proud” (Isaiah 13:11).  He would have examined and honored the life of Moses, a man who “was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3).

This basic knowledge alone wasn’t enough to change his heart.  He needed a powerful catalyst that would propel him to become a man of humbleness.  That event was the Damascus Road in 33 AD.  On that remarkable day Paul’s human strength and wisdom finally failed him.  His entire life spent living for himself and keeping the law as he knew best, suddenly came to a crashing halt when he came face to face with the object of his persecution.  Rather than dropping him dead for atrocities against His bride, Christ offered him a path of redemption: to become a disciple of the true Rabbi, and to carry the salvation message to the world. 

The reason that Paul included humbleness in this passage is because he viewed himself as one of the greatest recipients of grace, and seemed to have no other choice but to remain prostrate in the presence of an eternally merciful Savior.  Paul received a gentle hand instead of a death sentence.  He was suddenly aware of “the appearance of wisdom and self-made religion” (Colossians 2:23) and finally understood that a heart of “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” was incredibly valuable, especially as a beneficiary to such mercy.

I believe Paul displayed his humility through an overwhelming love for people.  It is doubtful, after living a life promoting his own power, that he would ever consider himself to be higher than another person in stature or position (Philippians 2:3).

Church leaders today, myself included, should take a healthy slice of Paul’s humble pie.  An old Indian proverb says, “Don’t cut off someone’s nose, then ask them to smell a rose”.  As Paul discovered, a knowledgeable mind, embraced by a heart of humility, is a powerful witness to the Gospel of Christ.

Hezekiah Reed Anderstrom

The past few days have been a whirlwind to say the least.  As you may know, my wife and I are what you might call "social-butterflies".  The month of June was no exception.  As I was thinking about all we did before Hezekiah was born, it kind of blows my mind.  Take this for example:  Just 15 days before he was born, my wife and I ran around town at midnight picking up 8th grade students while dressed as a gorilla and graduate (yes, with a creepy Samurai in the background).

Or just 6 days before he was born, we made a trip to Vite Greenhouses to pick up loads of plants.  Then we went home and actually planted them in the hot summer sun!

Two days before he was born, we went to a fantastic concert by Joanna Beasley.  I still don't know how my wife managed to stand on her feet that entire time...

And finally, just six hours before labor, we spent the night eating Mexican food with some fantastic friends.

Then the moment finally arrived.  Our greatest joy and gift from God.  Hezekiah Reed Anderstrom.

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They shall not be ashamed, When they speak with their enemies in the gate. -Psalm 127:3-5

The Highest Responsibility

People often ask me what I do to keep the faith.  I hear this a lot:
"Jonathan, life is really hard, I don't know what to do."

If the person is a Christian, I usually reply,
"Are you reading the Bible every day?"

The answer, almost 99% of the time is "no".

That's how I keep the faith.  I renew my mind with the object of my faith, which is God, displayed through His Son, Jesus Christ.  The only way to do that is through prayer and daily Bible reading.

The English pastor, Robert C. Chapman (1803-1902), penned these true words about the Bible:

"This book contains the mind of God,

the state of man, the way of salvation,

the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.

Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding,

its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe,

and practice it to be holy.

It contains light to direct you,

food to support you,

and comfort to cheer you.

It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass,

the Soldier's sword, and the Christian's character.

Here, paradise is restored, Heaven opened,

and the gates of Hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand object,

our good is its design,

and the glory of God its end.

It should fill the memory, rule the heart,

and guide the feet.

Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.

It is given you in life,

will be opened in the judgment,

and will be remembered forever.

It involves the highest responsibility,

will reward the greatest labor,

and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents."

Priorities in Ministry

A little over a year ago I sat across from a young man who said he was hearing the Holy Spirit tell him to go into full-time ministry.  He believed that the first step he needed to take was to attend a Christian college to study theology and music ministry.  It seemed to be a tremendous step of faith, but after praying about it, I sensed God was really speaking to him.  He is an incredible musician and comes from a stable family that could support his tuition.

Everything seemed to line up.  God's will and man's desire to obey.

Then I warned him.  I said, "You've just told me that you desire to be in full-time ministry.  Your life is about to get real hard.  The forces of darkness do not want you to make that decision and will try to stop you any way they can."

He agreed and said he'd stay on guard against such attacks.

Needless to say I watched over the next year as this young man's life was interrupted by difficulty and he eventually decided to not go.  It was a sad day.  Thankfully, I'm encouraged to hear that he is back on track and following the call God has placed in his life.

Ministry is hard work.  People frequently tell me that I must keep God first, family second, and my job (ministry) third.  This catch-phrase sounds Biblical and even looks great on this blog right now; eliciting warm feelings of being an "ideal Christian family man" and "keeping my priorities in line".

Unfortunately this tiered list of do's quickly falls apart with the question: Why does my love for God and the calling he's placed on my life get split into two different categories?  Aren't they one and the same?

"No Jonathan, what you don't understand is that keeping God first means doing your devotions in the morning and going to church on Sunday.  It also means you should keep your wife above your job."

Although that response reeks of American Christianity, it begs another question.  What if my "job" causes me to lose my life?  

Let's take Chinese pastors for example.  Could you ever imagine telling them to stop putting God's calling above their family life?  It sounds ridiculous, but that's how watered down our mission has become in American church culture today.

The calling that Chinese pastors have is the same one we have in America.

Most of the Apostles are believed to have been married with children.  We definitely know Peter was married because the Bible speaks of his mother-in-law.  We assume the other Apostles were, because a requirement to be an overseer was to be the husband of one wife (1 Timothy 3:2).  And yet, most of these men threw themselves into full time ministry; traveling the world preaching the Good News, probably with their wives and children by their side.  Except for John, they were all executed in gruesome ways; some even watched as their wives and children were raped and murdered before the executioners turned their sword to the Apostle.  All because of their "job"?

My point is this.  Jesus did not call us into a life of comfort.  He did not say "When things get rough in your family, or you feel the strain of ministry (aka job for pastors), or your health is failing, that's when you need to back off and get your priorities straight."

Actually He had some harsh words about the strain of ministry:

"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.  Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple ... So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:26-27, 33)

How should Christ followers interpret this passage?  How do you interpret this passage?

American culture and God's calling are diametrically opposed to each other.  I would go so far as to say that American culture is an enemy of God.  If we are unwilling to forsake all, continuing to speak these fake-Christian talking points to each other, we will constantly be defeated in our mission.

Since I have a beautiful wife that I love deeply, I have one final thought.  I will continue to pour as much love as possible into her life while maintaining the calling God has placed in mine.  I'm not giving permission to ignore my wife so I can sit at my office and do work.  I'm talking in more broad terms about enduring hardships in ministry as a couple.  And yes, sometimes the trials and struggles we endure will not synch with the ideal American dream.

But they don't have to.

Small Group Dynamics

Small groups launched this week and I couldn't be more thrilled!  I have been journeying with a group of 8th-9th grade guys for the past year and it has been phenomenal to see God move in each of their lives.  Paul and Noah Cooke, Jesse Gonder, Levi House, and Marc England Jr (Dos) are some of the most Godly young men I know.  And yesterday we decided to begin a new study on the book of Revelation with an emphasis on current events.  What a great way to encourage these guys that their time on earth is short and to be prepared for the second coming of Christ.  Should be an exciting series!

Wanted to share a few thoughts from a book I've been reading on small group dynamics*:

1.  Small groups should be value-driven not curriculum-driven.
2.  Small group relationships are more important than small group attendance.
3.  Effective leaders make sure the content serves the mission, not the other way around.
4.  The mission of a small group leader is to develop meaningful relationships with students and help shape them into the people God designed them to be.
5.  Small group ministry goes beyond small group meetings (see #6).
6.  Good leaders are always on the lookout for ways to make connections with students outside of the scheduled meeting time.
7.  A small group leader can't control a student's spiritual journey, but they can provide a nurturing context for growth to take place.
8.  Small groups are more than just opportunities to impart information.  They allow students to experience a real, meaningful connection in a relationally starved world.
9.  Small group leaders who take their call seriously will go with their students after the meeting ends.  Not physically - but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

*Small Group Strategies: Ideas and Activities for Developing Spiritual Growth in Your Students
by Laurie Polich and Charley Scandlyn
Youth Specialties  2005

Purpose in every step

“I have become a servant of everyone so that I can bring them to Christ”, were tearful words from Paul I’m sure.  The rest of 1 Corinthians 9 continues with his personal plea to pursue the lost with all the strength his battered body could muster:

“When I am with the Jews I become one of them …” (9:20)

“When I am with the Gentiles, I fit in with them as much as I can…” (9:21)

“I try to find common ground with everyone so that I may bring them to Christ …” (9:22)

As an Army Soldier I can relate the question of the church’s mission to our nation’s military.  What is the purpose of the U.S. Armed Forces?  To train soldiers who will perform well?  To develop better technology than our enemies?  To build bases all over the world?

While these are all good functions of our military, none of these is its primary directive, which is to fight and win America’s wars, at home and abroad. 

The same is true of the local church.  I think it’s good to encourage Christians through Bible studies and church programs, but it seems the same to me as continuously training soldiers how to shoot a gun, without ever sending them to war.    

Our primary job as a church is to seek and save the lost.  It’s what Jesus came to do, and it’s what we’re commanded to do first, even before teaching them to “obey all things”.

“So I run straight ahead to the goal with purpose in every step” (9:26).  What is the goal that Paul is talking about?  He is running for an eternal prize, training his body to do what it should, to preach the gospel to those who need to hear (9:27).

Two chapters later Paul exhorts the Corinthian church again, telling them to “follow my example as I follow Christ’s” (11:1).  I believe Paul put all his heart into training church elders and infant-minded Christians into greater Biblical understanding, but his primary purpose reflected the primary purpose of Christ’s, which was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

The local church should reflect this same purpose in all it does without compromising Biblical principles.

An excellent story illustrating how the church is a lifesaving station that has slowly evolved into a Christian club can be read below:

http://executableoutlines.com/top/lifesave.htm

Should we segregate children from adults in Sunday School?

As a youth ministry worker, this topic intrigues me. A documentary recently published (and viewable online for free) called “Divided”, seeks to condemn youth ministries as unbiblical because they’re never mentioned in the New Testament (although neither is the word “trinity” but that would take much longer to explain). I agree that the Bible depicts a strong family model for discipleship (Deut. 6:7, Prov. 22:6, and Eph 6:4). As Gene Getz says, “each believing family in a given community, ideally speaking, was to be the ‘church in miniature’ and the father the primary spiritual leader” (1 Timothy 3:4-5). But at what point does a father and mother allow other influential Godly men and women to help instruct their children in the knowledge of the Lord? As Gene Getz explains in his book Elders and Leaders, we must look through the lenses of Scripture, history, and culture to reach decisions on such delicate matters (28). Getz further explains that the church can “use cultural insights without compromising divine absolutes” (29). The history of educating American youth began in large, single-story buildings of 30-40 students, ages 5-16. As the American education system grew, culture had to adapt and segregate it’s children using age as it’s primary criteria. Since those early pioneer days, the act of separating children by age has become an American tradition. We train our children, for eight hours a day, five days a week, 9 months a year, for 16 consecutive years, to learn in an age-segregated environment. We teach them to “find kids your own age to play with” and to have birthday parties where they invite other children in their age group. Why would the church separate from this culturally ingrained learning style for one hour a week, because the first century church implied that children were present at home church gatherings (Acts 2:46-47; 4:32-35; 16”31-34)? Christians are often guilty of adding to Scripture what isn’t intrinsically there. To combine adults and kids into a large corporate worship service each week is not commanded in the New Testament. Rather, the New Testament directive to “teach what is in accord and sound doctrine”, and “to encourage the young men to be self-controlled” (Titus 2:1,6) is not hindered because the form of that command has changed.

Comparative Christianity

I do not stay awake at night wondering about the self-esteem of high school students.  

I do not stay awake at night wondering if our seniors will find a good college.

I do not stay awake at night wondering about the sports students will play.

What keeps me awake at night is thinking that the majority of students I come in contact with will potentially be in hell for all of eternity.

The greatest hindrance to knowing the truth has become our own American culture of church, where we have thought it right to compare ourselves by ourselves, consequently never realizing where we stand in eternity.

My prayer is that students today will take a radical stand for the cause of Christ.

"And you will know them by their fruits..."

~ Matthew 7:20

Do parents wield a leash of power?

Yes, this is our dog: a psychotic black lab named Koda Bear, who enjoys sticking her head out of my sunroof as I drive.

My wife Susanna and I were walking her the other day and realized that she is such a good dog!  As we walked along the South Bend riverside, we removed her leash and she bounded ahead of us, sniffing and jumping at every new discovery.

If someone approached her or if she wandered too far ahead, we called her name and she quickly returned to our side.  I have never seen a dog so obedient and loyal to her master's voice.

We pondered why Koda was so obedient compared to other dogs we've had in the past, who would have been yanking at the leash throughout the entire "walk".  We concluded that it was because Koda was raised on an open farm, where she never had to wear a leash.  She learned at a young age to follow the voice of her master, without being forced to do so by a harsh object.

We related this analogy to our future job as parents.  We don't want our children to obey us because we wield power over them, rather, we want them to experience freedom to make their own decisions and willingly choose to listen to a loving voice steer them in the right direction.

Values and Morals

Most secular psychologists today are educated and trained to be "value free", meaning that they should give advice that does not impose their value system onto their clients.

The overriding question arises:  How does a person dissect their values/beliefs from their morals?

Simply put, what a person believes determines how they behave.

Window on the Word

English pastor Robert C. Chapman (1803-1902) penned these true words about the Bible:

This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners and the happiness of believers.  Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.  

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.  It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.  

It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's character.  

Here paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.  Christ is its grand object, our good is its design, and the glory of God its end.  It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.  

Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.  It is given you in life and will be opened in the judgment and will be remembered forever.  It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

Richard Allen

Once a slave, who paid for his freedom through working off his master's debt, Richard Allen became a fiery preacher and proponent for the free worship of African-Americans.  In 1799 he was officially ordained as the first black deacon of the Methodist Church, and opened the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first fully independent black denomination in America.

As Richard sought God for a way to bring his people out of poverty and shame, God guided him through a process that made a tremendous difference in many lives - not only of the citizens of Philadelphia but also of many black heroes to come.  Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Biddy Mason all attended the AME church.

If we are lazy and idle, 

the enemies of freedom plead it as a cause 

why we ought not to be free, 

and that giving us our liberty would be an injury to us.  

By such conduct we strengthen the bands of oppression, 

and keep many in bondage.  

Will our friends excuse - will God pardon us - 

for the part we act in making strong the hands of the enemies of our color?

Richard Allen

(1760-1831)

Don't let integrity slip away

As I recount the tragic story of Benedict Arnold, I can't help but think of how dangerous and slippery a deceitful heart can become.  A highly decorated American general, Arnold never thought his name would one day be known as "traitor".

It began as a slow fade: stealing supplies from troops at Valley Forge so that he could sell them to make a little bit of cash on the side.  Once he lacerated his mind from his morals, it became easy to meet with General Andre, a British officer, to sell classified documents describing the defense system at West Point Naval Base.

Through a series of "coincidences" his plan was discovered, and his reputation was ruined forever.  What if the young militia men hadn't stopped Andre?  What if Andre hadn't let it slip that he was a British officer?  What if Tallmadge, the only American who suspected Arnold was a traitor, had not been passing through the area?  The British would have attacked, and West Point would have fallen.  The American army would have been divided and conquered.  The Revolutionary War would have been an unsuccessful colonial revolt against the most powerful empire in the world.  The colonial leaders would be hung as traitors.  Arnold would be known around the world as a great British war hero who had single-handedly turned the course of the war!  He could well be living in luxury as a governor of the once-again-peaceful American colonies instead of in an English hovel, despised by both Americans and Englishmen.

Choosing to sacrifice integrity for personal gain never works.

I pray that I can live a life of sincerest integrity, never compromising myself for flashes of worldliness.

MIN 660 - Principles and Practices of Prayer

What a wonderful course this has become!  Grace Theological Seminary has already proven to be a great place to continue my education.  I feel as though I am not just learning spiritual truths, but also developing spiritual disciplines.  It's more than an education, it's becoming an eye-opening life experience.

Reading through Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala, has been such an encouragement.  It has challenged me to not only pray more, but to come before God with the right attitude.

"God is attracted to weakness.  He can't resist those who humbly and honestly admit to how desperately they need him.  Our weakness, in fact, makes room for his power."


"I was tired of the escapist mentality I had witnessed since childhood - always glorifying what GOd did way back in some revival, or else passionately predicting 'the coming great move of God' just ahead.  The truth is, I knew there were countless churches across the city and the nation that had not baptized a hundred truly converted sinners in a year, and most not in several years."

This quote really got me thinking.  How many students in the youth program have truly come to know Christ this past year?  Am I constantly proclaiming a coming movement of God without taking the steps of faith he has asked of me?

"Anybody who could make any money was trying to get away from our area."


This reminded me of South Bend and the decline in jobs and business opportunities.  I have been doing research on the latest statistics for the 46628 zip code and they are staggering.  I'll make that a separate post in the near future.

"One day I told the Lord I would rather die than merely tread water throughout my career in the ministry... always preaching about the power of the Word and the Spirit, but never seeing it."


"As one pastor told me with a smile, 'I don't steal sheep from other churches, but I do like to leave my gate wide open'."


In South Bend, all we do is swap Christians from one church to the next.  Where are the true converts?

"You can tell how popular a church is by who comes on Sunday morning.
You can tell how popular the pastor or evangelist is by who comes Sunday night.
But you can tell how popular Jesus is by who comes to the prayer meeting."


"The condition of the church may be very accurately gauged by its prayer meetings."


"God's first people were not called Jews or the Children of Israel or Hebrews.  In the very beginning their original name was THOSE WHO CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD."


"The truth is that the devil is not terribly frightened of our human efforts and credentials.  But he knows his kingdom will be damaged when we lift up our hearts to God."


"If our churches don't pray, and if people don't have an appetite for God, what does it matter how many are attending the services?"


"There is to be no one who shares the stage with the Lord."


"The feature that is supposed to distinguish Christian churches, Christian people, and Christian gatherings is the aroma of prayer."


"Does the Bible ever say anywhere from Genesis to Revelation, 'My house shall be called a house of preaching'?  Does it ever say 'My house shall be called a house of music'?  Of course not.  The Bible does say, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'."

The Armor of God

Jeff Myers came by the church today and asked if I'd be willing to film a couple clips for their current GSM series: The Armor of God.

Here are the clips:

100th Post

Well, it's been a long journey these past few years.  God has brought me through so many challenges; both life altering and life threatening.  There is no doubt that every moment I can see God in fresh new perspectives and increasingly learn to trust in Him.

This past year has been no exception.  I can honestly say that at the beginning of this year I would never have dreamed that God would have brought me to the place He has now.  The year started off great in the Israeli countryside--What an experience!  The Master's program at Bethel College was also a challenge but I am looking forward to learning more about the Scriptures and God.

The opportunities to advance God's kingdom have never been more real than at Calvary Baptist Church.  I have never been a part of such an amazing working of God and the Holy Spirit.  I can honestly see lives changed every week and new believers coming to Christ.  In Michiana the Christian population has been estimated at around 30,000 people.  Too often, I feel, we just shuffle these individuals from church to church and "hey, we've got a new family".  I'm so tired of church-bouncers.  It has been refreshing at Calvary to see people who have never even owned a Bible, much less stepped through the doors of a church or interacted with the body of Christ.

The final exciting news of the year, and one that I was not expecting, was meeting the beautiful and God-fearing Susanna Martino.  She literally takes my breath away every day with her passion for life, family, friends, and most importantly Jesus Christ.  I don't know how she ever chose me, but things could not be better between us.  This September 6th will be six months for us.

Looking forward to serving God today.  I'm praying He allows me to live long so that I may be a continued servant of His.  Praise His name!

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds!
~Psalm 36:5

Christian LASIK surgery

High schoolers often ask me how they can have a victorious Christian life and witness to their friends?  Usually I respond with a quote from John Piper who says that whenever we got down in the dumps with our faith that we should "preach the gospel to ourselves".

I have an analogy that may help clarify this.  About 7 years ago I had LASIK surgery to correct my near-sighted vision.  Before the surgery, my eyesight was so bad that I couldn't see the alarm clock when I woke up in the morning, and was unable to legally drive without the aid of glasses or contacts.

Immediately following the surgery, I was ecstatic at how my life had changed:

1. I was now able to wake up and see everything around me, 
2. I could jump in the lake and open my eyes underwater, 
3. I could get sand in my eyes and wipe it out without ruining my contacts,
4. I didn't have to worry about bringing saline solution on a plane or long trips,
5. I could play sports without my contacts falling out or glasses getting broken,
6. I was free to wear sunglasses and goggles anytime I wanted,
7. I could go skydiving without my contacts flying out of my head,
8. I didn't have to visit the eye doctor every year or pay for prescriptions,
9. I was blind but now I could see!

But since that wonderful life-changing day, I have become so accustomed to all of the benefits that accompany the surgery, that I have forgotten what life was like before December 28, 2003.  

This relates directly to the Christian life.  Many times I forget who I was before Christ entered my life.  I forget all of the benefits of being a Christian which causes me to lose focus and joy in my everyday walk with God:

1. I am redeemed (Romans 3:24)
2. I am reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:19-21
3. I am forgiven! (Romans 3:25)
4. I am delivered (Colossians 1:13)
5. I am accepted (Ephesians 1:6)
6. I am justified (Romans 3:24)
7. I am glorified (Romans 8:30)
8. I am a citizen of Heaven (Philippians 3:20)
9. I am a member of a holy and royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:5,9)
10. I am a member of the family of God (Ephesians 2:19)

Forgetting that I could be on a path to Hell right now (and I'm not!) also makes me less of a witness to those around me.  You see, if I forget all the benefits of LASIK surgery, when someone who has glasses or contacts comes up to me and mentions how much they hate their eyewear, I will never say anything, and they will never know that there is a surgery that can cure them of their blindness.

If, however, I am constantly remembering that once I too was blind, then I will immediately tell them about this life-changing surgery.

As Christians, we have received LASIK surgery of the heart!  We must constantly remember what our lives were like before we met Christ, and share the Good News to a blind world who desperately needs to hear!

"O keep ever before me the life of Christ crucified."

-Thomas a Kempis

Sexual Addiction Screening Test

There is a tendency among Christian men to consider sexual sin as a "bad habit" that needs to be broken, when in fact it is usually an addictive behavior that needs to be addressed immediately.

Here are some questions to help you determine whether or not you have a sexual addiction.  This is what therapists call a Sexual Addiction Screening Test.  If you answer "yes" to three or more of these questions it would be beneficial to seek accountability.

1. Do you have a pattern of failing to resist the impulse to act out sexually?   YES   NO
2. When you do act out sexually, do you find that you do so to a greater extent, or for a longer period of time than you had originally intended?   YES   NO
3. Do you have a continual desire to act out sexually or have tried to stop, reduce, or control acting out sexually but been unsuccessful?   YES   NO
4. Have you spent an inordinate amount of time either trying to get sex, be sexual, or recover from some sexual experience?   YES   NO
5. Are you preoccupied with acting out sexually or preparing to act out sexually?   YES   NO
6. Do you find yourself acting out sexually even though you are expected to meet job, school, home, or social commitments?   YES   NO
7. Even if you know you have a social, educational, financial, mental, or physical problem caused by your sexual behavior do you continue to act out in that behavior anyway?   YES   NO
8. Do you find that you need to increase the intensity, frequency, number, or risk of sexual behavior to get the physical effect you want?  Conversely, does the same level of intensity, frequency, number, or risks of sexual behavior produce less of an effect?   YES   NO
9. Do you find yourself quitting or reducing your social, professional, or recreational activities because of your sexual behavior?  YES   NO
10. Do you find yourself upset, distressed, anxious, restless, or even violent if you cannot act out sexually, especially in the ways in which you have developed as a pattern?  YES   NO

If you would like someone to help you with accountability, please contact me (day or night my number is 574.274.9626).

The Pet Economy

Recently I was involved in an online discussion about Americans and their pets. For the discussion I used an article titled "The Pet Economy". Here are some excerpts:

1. Americans now spend $41 Billion (with a capital B) on their pets. This is more than the GDP of all but 64 countries in the world.

2. People are no longer satisfied to reward their pet in "pet terms" but now in "people terms".

3. Their menu reflects every fad in human food—from locally sourced organic meat and vegan snacks to gourmet meals bolstered by, say, glucosamine to ward off stiff joints.

4. About 77% of dogs and 52% of cats have been medicated in the past year, according to APPMA, an increase of about 20 percentage points from 1996.

5. About 63% of U.S. households, or 71 million homes, now own at least one pet (how many households are sponsoring a child overseas?).

6. Americans now spend $9.8 billion a year on vet services. That doesn't include the over-the-counter drugs and other supplies, which add $9.9 billion in costs.

7. New products like Pfizer Inc.'s (PFE ) dog-obesity drug Slentrol, cost $1 to $2 a day (how much does it cost to sponsor a child overseas?).

8. You can read the rest of the article here. When I think about it in comparison to human life, It actually makes me queazy.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_32/b4045001.htm

These are rough statistics to hear, or maybe they're not for you, I don't know. I'm not saying we need to kick our pets outside to sleep in the snow and let them find food on their own. I like my cat and I wouldn't do that to her. However, the truth is that animals don't have souls (Gen. 2:7) and from the perspective of eternity, don't matter as much as a human life. God sent His Son to die for mankind, not for cats and dogs (1st Timothy 2:3-6).

I would challenge you this New Year to sponsor a child. I can tell you that just a dollar a day will radically change their lives.

This is the website that I use and have verified that most of the money you send goes directly to the child.

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm