Stephen Kuhn's Blog, page 45
March 11, 2015
My One Thing: Pastor Bob Beeman
to someone struggling with porn addiction?”
Pastor Bob Beeman has been on the cutting edge of Christian music for over 40 years. Since opening Sanctuary International in 1985, his focus has been on pioneering Christian Heavy Metal as a ministry. His dedication to discipleship and mentoring have spawned countless metal ministries and festivals worldwide. Pastor Bob travels and speaks internationally, is an avid podcaster, and is the host of the popular “Pastor Bob DAILY!” on YouTube.
Pastor Bob recently published his first book, Seriously?! Letters to Myself at 21.
Connect with Pastor Bob
Home Page: http://PastorBobBeeman.com
YouTube: http://youtube.com/PastorBobBeeman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorBob
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PastorBobBeeman
Instagram: http://instagram.com/PastorBobBeeman
Spotify: PastorBobBeeman
The post My One Thing: Pastor Bob Beeman appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.
March 10, 2015
Smart Quote: Henry David Thoreau
Thoughts on this quote? Feel free to discuss them in the comments below.
The post Smart Quote: Henry David Thoreau appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.
March 9, 2015
God’s Unchanging Love
Click the image to download a print quality PDF of this poem.
Grover Cannon spent more than a decade running from God with his finger in the air, trying to find happiness through outlaw motorcycle gangs, strip clubs, and heavy drinking. He was contemplating pulling the trigger on his own life when God got ahold of him, showing him how much he was loved even in the midst of his rebellion. Today, Grover preaches the love of Christ to everyone he meets and has one of the most personal relationships with Jesus I’ve ever witnessed.
If you would like to contact Grover, you can reach him here.
The post God’s Unchanging Love appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.
March 7, 2015
Weekly Web (W)roundup
Each week, I round up the best resources, articles, and videos I find that are relevant to finding freedom from porn addiction. Please note that by posting a link here it does not mean I agree with everything in the linked article. It just means I found it interesting enough to share.
Garrett Kell: A Pattern Among Fallen Pastors – Lessons for Us All
“Prof’s study was of 246 men in full-time ministry who experienced moral failure within a two-year period of time. As far as he could discern, these full-time clergy were men who were born again followers of Jesus. Though they shared a common salvation, these men also shared a common feat of devastation; they had all, within 24 months of each other, been involved in an extra marital affair.”
xxxChurch: What is Porn?
“If you struggle with porn, sex, masturbation, or whatever – take your pick – and you need to ask yourself whether something is porn or not, then there’s a good chance it’s porn for you.”
Jen Thorn: The Dangers of Pet Sins
“Pet sins are those sins we believe we have domesticated. We view them as small and insignificant. We don’t fight against them, we feed them, and in some ways they make us feel good. But there is no such things as domesticated sin. All sin, even our ‘pet sins’ are dangerous.”
Jason Dees: Will You Go Out With Me? Rules for Biblical Dating
“With Spring just around the corner I thought it would be a great time to give you aspiring lovers out there some tips on dating. Now I know what you are thinking isn’t this guy a pastor? Who wants to get dating advice from a pastor? But my hope in this is only to help you, after all God created relationships, and so you would be a fool to not at least consider his a perspective on dating that is grounded in scripture.”
David Crowder w/ Matt Chandler & John Piper: How He Loves Us
The post Weekly Web (W)roundup appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.
March 5, 2015
You can call God “Abba”
You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15).
I may be sacrificing any semblance of credibility for admitting this, but I absolutely love the movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Yes, it’s ridiculous; and yes, it’s not exactly the best theological commentary; but every time I watch it I find myself laughing hysterically (and slightly ashamed at my ability to quote every line).
One scene I particularly enjoy is when God sticks His head through the clouds and speaks directly to King Arthur. God is all business, and He appears to have become quite frustrated and impatient with humanity. At one point, He goes off on a tirade about how annoying His subjects are: “If it’s one thing I can’t stand, its people groveling. Every time I try to talk to someone it’s ‘sorry this’ and ‘forgive me that’ and ‘I’m not worthy…’”
What stands out to me about this scene though, is how the film-makers, in their attempt to create something humorous, have actually provided a sobering commentary on how many people truly do view God.
A lot of folks, when they think of God, see Him as a harsh cosmic judge or task-master. They see a man with a long beard and glowing crown (not unlike the picture of God in the movie), sitting on a throne bossing people around: “Do this, do that, follow the rules, and don’t even think about doing anything fun or I shall smite thee!”
But that’s the not the picture of God we’re given in the Bible. In fact, Romans 8:15 says exactly the opposite.
Paul tells us in this verse that those who are in Christ don’t need to fear God as a slave owner. The image of a cruel, impatient, and demanding God poking His head through the clouds to give us His marching orders is simply not true.
God doesn’t see you as His slave; He sees you as His beloved child. He has adopted you into His family because He loves you with the perfect love of a sinless Father. This unconditional love is what allows us to respond to Him as our “Abba (Daddy),” and come to Him to be fathered rather than judged or condemned.
Imagine if King Arthur had addressed the movie version of God as “Daddy.” I doubt He would have received a warm embrace. But that’s the danger that comes with misunderstanding God’s true nature: As long as you fear God’s judgement, wrath, or condemnation as a slave-driver, you will be more likely to grovel before Him than to run to Him for help whenever you fall.
But now that your union with Christ has made you a permanent member of God’s family, there’s no need to grovel. You can run straight to your Abba Father with confidence that He will embrace you no matter what.
This has been a repost from the archives.
The post You can call God “Abba” appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.
March 4, 2015
My One Thing: Luke Norsworthy
to someone struggling with porn addiction?”
Luke Norsworthy is the pastor of Venture Community Church and host of the Newsworthy with Norsworthy podcast.
Connect with Luke
Website: lukenorsworthy.com
Twitter: @lukenorsworthy
The post My One Thing: Luke Norsworthy appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.
March 3, 2015
Smart Quote: Dan B. Allender
Thoughts on this quote? Feel free to discuss them in the comments below.
The post Smart Quote: Dan B. Allender appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.
February 28, 2015
Weekly Web (W)roundup
Each week, I round up the best resources, articles, and videos I find that are relevant to finding freedom from porn addiction. Please note that by posting a link here it does not mean I agree with everything in the linked article. It just means I found it interesting enough to share.
Relevant Magazine: Why We Need to Practice Confession
“Through confession of sin, we admit our falsehoods, cite our pretense, and surrender the sham. We agree with God that our actions and inactions have fallen terrifically short of His perfect standard of holiness and can only be reconciled through Jesus. But confession isn’t just a practice of private, personal prayer. It should often be more public—with a friend or a trusted group of people.”
Dave Willis: Ten essential principles for true intimacy
“Relationships are always more complex than following an assembly line, but here are a few of the countless powerful principles I discovered in the book (paraphrased in my own words).”
People of the Second Chance: Every Story is Eligible for a Comeback
“There’s that one scene in every great movie. You know the one I’m talking about. That scene where it looks like the hero is about to lose it all.”
Tim Challies: 7 Good Reasons To Stop Looking at Porn Right Now
“My goal for today is simple: I want to give you 7 good reasons you need to stop looking at porn right now.”
Russell Brand: What Does Porn do to Us?
The post Weekly Web (W)roundup appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.
February 26, 2015
There is no condemnation for you
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
If you’ve been around the church for a while you’ve probably heard this verse a hundred times. But have you ever thought about what it actually means, particularly what it means for you?
For example, have you considered what percentage of your sin was paid for by Jesus at the Cross? Was it 20%? 50%?
According to the Bible, it was 100%. All your sin was paid for at the cross.
Or what about this question: How much of your sin has been committed after Jesus paid for it on the cross?
Unless you’re more than 2000 years old, all of your sin has been committed after the cross.
It’s probably easy for you to understand that every sinful thing you’ve ever done was paid for by Jesus, but do you realize that every sinful thing you still have yet to do has already been paid for as well?
That’s a difficult concept for our time-conscious minds to grasp.
Not for Jesus though. When He died as the perfect sacrifice two thousand years ago, He knew the entire list of sins you would commit over the course of your life (even those you will commit ten, twenty, or thirty years from now), and His death covered every last one of them.
All the sins (past, present, and future) of all believers (past, present, and future) were paid for by His death.
It’s this complete payment of all sin for all eternity that allowed Jesus to proclaim “It is finished!”
No more guilt.
No more punishment.
No more condemnation.
None.
No matter how much you’ve sinned (or will sin), if your faith is in Christ, it’s already been made right. No further justice or retribution will ever be required.
So from now on, when you sin, don’t beat yourself up and feel as if your sin is causing God to see you as unacceptable. I would encourage you instead to come before God with thankfulness:
Thank Him that Jesus already paid for the sin you just committed.
Thank Him that He loves and accepts you unconditionally in spite of the sin you still commit.
Thank Him that He only sees the righteousness of Christ in you no matter how many times you still mess up.
Odds are good we all will continue to wrestle with sin in the years to come. But thanks to Jesus bending time and space to pay for our future sins with His past sacrifice, we can now run to God rather than fearing His condemnation.
This has been a repost from the archives.
The post There is no condemnation for you appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.
February 25, 2015
My One Thing: Jonathan Daugherty
to someone struggling with porn addiction?”
Jonathan Daugherty is the director of Be Broken Ministries, founder of the Gateway to Freedom recovery workshops, and host of the Pure Sex Radio weekly broadcast.
He has also authored several books including:
Connect with Jonathan
Facebook: facebook.com/bebrokenministries
Twitter: @bebroken
The post My One Thing: Jonathan Daugherty appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.
