American Christian Voice April 2015 by American Christian Voice

Billy Graham, ... Dictators & Jesus?

12-Year-Old Rape Victim:

23 YEARS LATER! “Abortion Is Not the Solution”

HAS PORN

Former Call Girl’s

Ruined My Chance of a Happy Marriage?

Take on ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’

The Faith of Leornard Nimoy

BEYOND THE MASK Movie Debut

Brian Welch • Russell Brand • Kayla Mueller ... What Do These Guys Have in Common? page 3

inside this issue What do Brian Welch, Russell Brand and Kayla Mueller have in common? Nothing, except that they were all made in the image of God but couldn’t have been more different. See why in this issue!

Russell Brand is a certifiable Philistine. An irreverent, nonChristian but when it comes to Pornography in our society, suprisingly honest. Evidently even if you remove the lack of a moral compass, Pornography is destructive even by his standards.

Kayla Mueller was a selfless example of a servant of God demonstrated by her love of others. Total strangers. She gave her life for them.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Brian “Head” Welch fomerly of heavy rock band Korn. Rock star sinner of all abuses known to man. Now? Sold out to Jesus. Forget the excuses... anyone can come to Jesus.

American Christian Voice

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(417) 334-5173 Dee Wampler lists 24 examples regarding how unlawful the trial of Jesus the Christ actually was. Mr. Wampler should know, he is one of America’s foremost defense attornyes. Read an excerpt from his treatise on the subject.

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Great Family Film Debut! Dr. Marla Woodmansee shows us how to obtain Victory in our lives in her column.

Annie Lobert: Former Call Girl's Take on 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

. yak bak Feed Back From Our Readers We LOVE the new format! We are new subscribers and just finished the March issue Thanks for the “Perseverance” you and your staff have had over the past decade bringing us hope, inspiration and encouragement. We sacrifice our copy each month by leaving it in the magazine rack of our local McDonalds for other people to be blessed by its contents as well. Keep up the good work and remember to persevere because we are sure that Satan has his minions trying to derail this great work. YOU ARE IN OUR PRAYERS! John & Coleen Waters, Rogersville, MO ______________________________ Your “You May Be a Legalist” feature in the March issue was totally inappropriate... cancel my subscription! Just kidding, I don’t partake of strong drink except during the Feast of Tabernacles because the Lord said I could. (Deuteronomy 14:26) I thought it was hilarious, especially the Yoga pants reference. I found the ACV in my doctor’s office. Please do not use my full name because some of my fellow church members might take offense. Gary Stillwater, Harrison, AR

signed up for the free online subscription but here is a small donation to help you with the ministry. Hector & Olivia Romas, Santa Fe, NM

From the editor: Ooops. (Just kidding, Gary’s real last name is Stevens) ______________________________ ACV was given to me by a co-worker. Sign me up for a subscription. Thanks for not adding the typical religious warning about not enjoying wine in excess... if you are a disciple of Christ, isn’t that a given? Tony Carlton, Carthage, MO ______________________________ You included a story about a Mormon congresswoman. Just how ecumenical are you? Terry, M., Phoenix, AZ

ed: Really, “I am Charlie”. As an editor of a publication that would get me arrested in many different countries, I am a big fan of the second amendment. I support even the right of Charlie Hebdo’s iconoclastic and irreverent sarcasm. ______________________________ I loved your new format but it was difficult to read the lower half of John Burke’s article, “The Jesus Way: Unshockable Love” on page 6 in the March issue. Martha Collins, Dallas, TX

ed: Interesting enough, it is not uncommon for adult children to stray from their faith upbringing. Most importantly, we pray that she will have a genuine encounter with Christ that will draw her unto Him. It might not be in a way that you are most comfortable but remember to love on her more than ever. No judgements on her decisions. This will give your testimony much power and impact. ______________________________ Je Suis Charlie. Really? Catherine B., Springfield, MO

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ed: Yeah, sorry, it looked good on the ed: If salvation depended on our theological intellect alone, instead of our heart relationship with our creator, would we all not be in trouble? ______________________________ Our daughter mailed us a copy of the March issue. She is not a believer but said she thought we might enjoy it. We pray something in your publication struck a “truth chord” with her. We are Catholic and she was raised in the church but drifted away during college. We laughed when we realized that as much differences exist between Catholics and Protestants we were not offended by any of the contents. We

computer screen but was dark in print. We are still in a learning curve for “all gloss” features. ______________________________ Thank you for the news stories on Marla Woodmansee and the Treasures of the Heart publicity, as well as Wendy Lawson. You are a blessing. I am finding the ACV more informative and well researched every time I read it. You do a very good job of keeping a balance in your Christian perspectives, which can be difficult to do. There are so many fellow believers who have strong opinions. I know I do. Even my opinions have opinions. That's why we have to listen to the Holy Spirit and let Him rightly divide the Word of Truth. You are wise to keep your pages open to a diversity of faith walks. Keep up the good work. Harriett Ford, Saddlebrooke, MO ______________________________ Send your “letters to the editor” to: editor@americanchristianvoice.com or mail to:

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down to earth

BY TIM CHALLIES

An Extraordinary Skill for Ordinary Christians ave you ever dreamed of being rich? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to know that money poses no barrier between you and your dreams? I think we all have at one time or another, haven’t we? And most of us are convinced that we would use our wealth for good, to serve others rather than ourselves. We imagine handing over the keys to a new home, or donating the full-ride scholarship to that person who could never afford it. We dream of using extravagant wealth to do extravagant good.

He’s Got a Point We attach great significance to great deeds, don’t we? And we attach little significance to little deeds. And yet so few of us ever have the chance to do those exceptional things. But what if we are measuring it all wrong? John Stott says it so well as he comments on Galatians 6:2: “To love one another as Christ loved us may lead us not to some heroic, spectacular deed of selfsacrifice, but to the much more mundane and unspectacular ministry of burdenbearing.” I think the reason we dream of helping

others through extravagant dane and so unspectacular, is actually wealth is that it feels like bringing great glory and honor to God. those extravagant deeds You know the passage in Matthew 25 count for more. So many of that describes the sheep being separated our good deeds are so small. from the goats at the final judgment (verses They seem paltry. Instead of 31-46). You have read it a hundred times, handing over the keys to a brand but have you ever paused to considered the new car, we hand over a slightly criteria? The believers are not separated over-cooked casserole. Instead from the unbelievers on the basis of extravof funding an extreme agant and spectacular deeds that were seen makeover for that person’s and fêted by others. Far from it. At the final home, we show up on Saturday accounting, when we stand before the Lord, morning to help apply a new coat of paint. we will be shocked to realize that the most Instead of giving them a check to pay off significant things are the smallest things— their mortgage, we give things so small we have forthem a few hours of our gotten all about them: “Lord, And yet so few of us when did we see you hungry time to listen and counsel. Instead of funding a won- ever have the and feed you, or thirsty and derful vacation, we take chance to do those give you drink? And when their children for a couple of exceptional things. did we see you a stranger hours so they can escape for and welcome you, or naked a date. It is hardly the stuff and clothe you? And when dreams are made of. did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” But these small things stand as proof New Vocation of our salvation, proof of our But I love what John Piper says: “Here commitment to the good of is a vocation that will bring you more satis- others and the glory of God. faction than if you became a millionaire ten times over: Develop the extraordinary skill Strong Shoulders for detecting the burdens of others and deThis is the ministry of burvote yourself daily to making them lighter.” den-bearing. It is a vocation This is the extraordinary ministry for that will earn you very few every ordinary Christian—bearing the accolades. It will gain you burdens of others. What seems so mun- very few awards. The ma- Tim Challies

The Dance of the Wheelchairs

t was a holiday celebration and all the residents gathered in the largest room in the facility. It was a tight squeeze. I remember thinking the wheelchairs were moving about almost dancing as the walkers jockeyed for position. The ambulatory patients were weaving through the maze contributing to the rhythmic movement. Some of the participants had eyes that sparkled with anticipation but most were just going through the motions. Only two or three people had family with them and the others tried not to notice. It was just another holiday and they had no one of their own to share the time. Most of them knew they have been brought here to die but some of them don’t remember where they are or what the fuss is all about. They keep breathing and wish they could stop but continue to hold on

Here is a vocation that will bring you more satisfaction than if you became a millionaire ten times over: Develop the extraordinary skill for detecting the burdens of others and devote yourself daily to making them lighter. -John Piper

steadfastly. strong enough to help me. Tragically reality I shared this time with my husband who set in after only two more weeks when I was in an advanced stage of Parkinson’s was informed that he was not getting better disease. I would come every day and feed and could no longer stay in rehab. I then made the gut wrenching him. It was my decision to put him in long goal to bring a term care. He resisted and light hearted atmosphere for pushed me to take him home. I explained it to him several him and his table mates. times and each time it was a new revelation to him – like The illness the ‘Ground Hog Day’ movie. was accelerated when he fell in In early September, he was still going up and down September and broke his hip. stairs unaided, but now he could not walk or stand up Then there was surgery, acute Kathy & Joe Caruso, a tribute to Joe’s independently. As I pushed Joe in his wheelchair, we rehab, a two blue eyes week visit home where I learned I was would pass others as they traveled the unable to care for him and the decision to halls. Some of them were able to pull try skilled rehab to see if he could get themselves along the wall maintaining

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jority of what you do will be unnoticed by others and forgotten even by those who benefit most. You yourself will forget most of it. But every bit of it will matter. Every bit of it will do good to others and bring glory to God. So look for those who are burdened. De-

velop the habit and the skill of spotting those burdens, and determine that you will meet them, one casserole or one hug or one visit or one prayer at a time. I will give the final word to Stott: “To be a burden-bearer is a great ministry. It is something that every Christian should and

can do. It is a natural consequence of walking by the Spirit. It fulfils the law of Christ. ‘Therefore’, wrote Martin Luther, ‘Christians must have strong shoulders and mighty bones’—sturdy enough, that is, to carry heavy burdens.” www.Challies.com

some level of independence but many would have to wait until someone came for them. Eventually, he settled in and Joe and I would have dates to watch a movie on the Hallmark channel or one of the programs on the Church Channel that he enjoyed. We would hold hands through the arm of the wheel chair and I would put my head on his shoulder. For a short time everything would be all right. All though this time, I trusted the Lord that Joe would not spend months or even years in this condition. I knew that he was in the prison of his own body and wanted to be free and independent. We sat by a 99 year old woman at meals who was a year in this home. She wanted to escape this place of waiting.

From September to January, Joe and I marked time. Early in the New Year, his body started to shut down and I began to keep a 24 hour vigil. The first night, I crawled into bed with him and prayed over him. I held him realizing how much weight he had lost. I shed quiet tears and held him up to the Lord. Sometime in the night, I began to sense something was different. A sweet aroma filled the room and I knew that it was the smell of heaven. It lingered for hours as we held each other in a final embrace. The next night my church family insisted on taking the night watch knowing that I needed to sleep. As I drove the short

distance home I made three requests of my heavenly Father: “ Joe would not linger, his passing would be peaceful and I would be with him when he stepped over. “ It would be four more nights of watching and waiting and then on January 14, I walked in to relieve my Pastor and two of the men from our fellowship. I walked over to my sweet husband and kissed him on the head and said, “Thanks for waiting for me.” My friend who had lost her husband just two months before came and sat with me that morning. We prayed one on each side of the bed. We held his hands. We visited and then at about 12:30, Joe stepped out of this realm into the arms of His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He would no longer be participating in the sad dance of the wheelchairs. He is free. Joseph Vincent Caruso Born - February 7, 1938 Graduated to Heaven – January 14, 2015

APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

COMMENTARY BY JENNIFER E. JONES, PRODUCER CBN.COM

www.iamsecond.com

hen you have reached the top and something’s still missing, where do you go? Brian “Head” Welch’s life was spinning out of control. As lead guitarist for the band Korn, people worshipped his music. He made all the money, had all the cars, houses and women he could handle, but still found himself with a crippling addiction to Meth. “I could not stay sober. I did not know how. I hit rock bottom.”

Korn Meets Christ: The Conversion of Brian Welch

There’s a point when you finally look in the mirror at an image that you are simply tired of seeing. Brian wanted to quit, but what if quitting required complete surrender?

It wasn't. The following Sunday, Welch spoke at Valley Bible Fellowship in Bakersfield, California, to a cheering audience of 10,000. In his first public address, he said, “I'm the happiest man in the world right now.”

CBN.com – A few years back In a press release on their Web site, Korn announced they “parted ways with [Welch], who has chosen the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end.” It stunned the music world, leaving many scratching their heads and some dedicated fans saying, "It must be some practical joke."

Welch testified about how his life was on the brink of destruction when a friend gave him a Bible. "It's not about religion," he said, according to MTV News. "It's not about this church; it's not about me. It's about the Book of Life, and everybody needs to be taught this. It's

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | APRIL 2015

crazy. It's gonna do stuff like this -- like change a guy in a rock band." A week later, Welch left skeptics with little doubt when he flew to Israel to be baptized in the Jordan River. If this hasn’t shocked you yet, then you probably don’t know what kind of music Korn makes. Since 1994, Korn has been a driving force in the rap-metal genre as they fused hip-hop beats with heavy guitar riffs. Their lyrics, mostly based off of the traumatic childhood experiences of frontman Jonathon Davis, are dark, sexually explicit, and disturbing. Condemned by the Chicago Tribune as being “perverts, psychopaths, and paranoiacs”, Korn was a staple on MTV in the late 90s for teens who didn’t like pop music. With songs like “Freak on a Leash” and “Make Me Bad”, anyone from this band would be the last person you’d expect to go to church, let alone profess Jesus Christ from the pulpit. God works in mysterious ways, doesn’t He? If our Lord walked the earth today, we’d more likely find Him at a thrash metal rock concert looking for the wounded rather than sitting in a pew on Sunday morning amongst the righteous. God went to that rock concert and apparently found a hurting soul on stage. He left the fortune and the pain to take up his cross. In spite of the cynics, the selfrighteous and the non-believers, it's good to see another talented musician come over to the ‘bright’ side. God bless you, Brian. Welcome to the family.

around the world

“Clearly ISIS Has No Difficulty Saying Christian,” FRC President Says elatives and neighbours of Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya chant proarmy slogans during a protest while carrying crosses in al-Our village, in Minya governorate, south of Cairo, February 16, 2015. Thousands of traumatized mourners gathered at the Coptic church in al-Our village south of Cairo, struggling to come to terms with the fate of compatriots who paid a gruesome price for simply seeking work in Libya. Thirteen of 21 Egyptians beheaded by Islamic State came from the impoverished dirt lanes of al-Our, violence that prompted the Egyptian military to launch an air strike on Islamic State militant targets in Libya.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins slammed President Obama, saying that it's "troubling" the president refuses to call the Egyptians beheaded by ISIS "Christians." "ISIS made very clear in this video that this was an execution of 'people of the cross.' ISIS apparently has no difficulty saying 'Christian,' while the White House has a very difficult time," Perkins said during an appearance on Fox News' "The Kelly File". Critics of President Barak Hussein Obama have also questioned why the administration refuses to call ISIS "radical Islamic terrorists;" unlike his British counterpart, Prime Minister David Cameron, who has, on many occasions, spoken out against the global "Islamist extremist terrorist threat." During his interview with Kelly, Perkins

further suggested that the United States should take a different approach and offer sanctuary to Christians being persecuted by ISIS or any other terrorist organizations in the Middle East. "Why not say to these Christians who are being killed for their faith that they're welcome to come here and have refugee status here in the United States or safe haven here in the United States?" he asked. Men in orange jumpsuits purported to be Egyptian Christians held captive by the Islamic State (IS) kneel in front of armed men along a beach said to be near Tripoli, in this still image from an undated video made available on social media on February 15, 2015. Islamic State released the video purporting to show the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians kidnapped in Libya. In the video, militants in black marched the captives to a beach that the group said was near Tripoli. They were forced down onto their knees, then beheaded. Egypt's state news agency MENA quoted the spokesman for the Coptic Church as confirming that 21 Egyptian Christians believed to be held by Islamic State were dead. Perkins compared his idea to that of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has encouraged Jews being persecuted in Europe to return to Israel. Netanyahu is-

sued a statement calling for Jews who feel threatened to move to Israel and said that the country is their home. "Jews were killed on European land just because they were Jewish," Netanyahu said. "This wave of attacks will continue. I say to the Jews of Europe — Israel is your home." Obama issued a statement as news of the beheadings of 21 Coptic Christians began to spread. He called the act a "despicable and cowardly murder of 21 Egyptian citizens in Libya by ISIL–affiliated terrorists.

BY SAMI K. MARTIN, CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER

They Were Murdered Because They Were Christians Not Because They Were Egyptian Citizens

ISIL's barbarity knows no bounds. It is unconstrained by faith, sect, or ethnicity," he continued. "This wanton killing of innocents is just the most recent of the many vicious acts … including the murders of dozens of Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai." "Clearly, this is a global jihad right before our eyes," retired Gen. Jack Keane, said on "The Kelly File."

(PHOTO: REUTERS/ASMAA WAGUIH)

APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

down to earth

BY TIM CHALLIES

When I Glory In My Shame here is nothing my dog won’t do for food. There is no command she won’t obey when we are looking, and no rule she won’t break when we are looking away, if only she can get a bit of food in her belly. I guess it is hard to fault her since, as a Lab, every gene in her body drives her to gorge herself. It’s like Paul was writing about her and her breed when he said, ” Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things” (Philippians 3:19). Food is her idol, her god, the thing that will motivate her to do anything or everything.

I am no dog, but I, too, am hardwired for something—for validation. Just as a dog will lie down or roll over or beg or bark on command to get a snausage—doesn’t she realize how pathetic she looks?—, there is not much I won’t do to receive validation, to have others affirm my self-worth according to my criteria. I want to feel special about myself, I want to feel big and important. And when I look for what makes me feel good about myself, I inevitably find my idols. The thing that validates me is the thing I worship, the thing that momentarily takes the place of God in my life. Lately I have been pondering and listing those things—those things that make me feel so special that I will do irrational things and make poor decisions in order to have them or achieve them. It makes for a pretty ugly and embarrassing little note. I think most of them are best kept between myself and the Lord, but I will give you a couple of examples. Distant travel validates me. I receive invitations to do a fair number of conferences or speaking engagements over the course of a year, and I make it a point to prayerfully consider each one of them, knowing that I can accept only a few. But I have learned that the farther away the destination, the better it makes me feel about myself. I don’t even know why it works this way, but I suppose I like the idea that people far away are interested in hearing me speak. It feeds my

Tim Challies ego. This makes wrong. Traveling disme tempted tances to preach or to encourage to accept others can be good and noble. speaking Turning down a small event to I snuck into the neighbor’s engagespeak at a large event can be ments good and God-honoring. But it yard to eat plums. It gave that will can also be pure idolatry, a me diarrhea... and yet, I come at way I look for others to receive the exwhat only God is meant to give. went back for more. pense of my church I need to be aware of these and family, even if things—each of those ugly things I can really make no on my ugly list. And most of all, I need to reunique con- member what is mostly deeply true. There tribution to is nothing inherently wrong with wanting the event, to have the approval of others, and espeand even if it cially to receive the affirmation of God. But makes very the crucial fact is, I already have it through little sense Christ. I am already accepted by God befor me to be cause of what Christ has done, and this acinvolved. I ceptance is all I need. When I am at my best am tempted it means everything to me. But when I am at to accept the my worst, it means nothing. event for the worst of motives: for ROY how it makes SWAFFORD me feel about myREALTY self. 1736 E. Big audiences at big conferences validate Sunshine, me. I hate to own this one, but it is true: A Ste 111, bigger audience makes me feel more imPlaza Towers, portant than a smaller audience. A big audiSpringfield, MO ence at a big conference makes me feel 65804 awfully good about myself while a small audience at a small conference (or, even 417-848-1038 worse, a small audience at a big conference) is the kind of thing that can cast me into self-doubt or even despair. Again, there is a temptation to accept an invitation on the royswafford@yahoo.com basis of how many people will be at the event rather than on any better or more MultiMillionDollarHomes.com noble criteria. The irony in these two examples is that I am the ultimate homebody—I find it difficult to be away from home for more than very short stints—, and I am intimidated by large crowds—I find it extremely stressful to be in front of people. Somehow the things that validate me are the things I naturally run away from. I love them and hate them all at once. I should note that neither of these things is

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3 Steps to Experience Breakthrough & Victory T

here are 3 keys to follow to experience breakthroughs and victories in your life. These steps have proven consistent breakthroughs and victories in my life over and over again. Many years ago, I was surprisingly diagnosed with a brain tumor. The tumor was located on my pituitary gland causing unusual hair growth. Without knowing exactly what to do and feeling completely overwhelmed, I began to proclaim over my situation words that I had heard spoken over the years. The words I spoke went something like this, “With man immediate supernatural healing is impossible, but with God all things are possible, and God, I’m asking for healing.” I thought some of those words came from Scripture, but I wasn’t sure where. Soon, I began to search the Word of God, and I discovered that most of those words were in a verse, specifically in Matthew 19:26. This is where Jesus was prompting the disciples to increase their faith in what God is able and can do in their circumstances. He said to them, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” That means supernatural healing was possible for me. I wrote down that verse, meditated on it, prayed it, and believed God for a

miracle. Within a very short period of time, the doctor called me and wanted to run the tests again. After additional tests were run, the doctor walked into the patient room with the results. He said, “I’m not sure how to say this . . . but, the results came back, and that tumor is not there. It is gone! This is a miracle!” As those words came out of his mouth, I began to cry. I had just experienced what seemed like an impossibility become possible. I believe it was a direct result of standing on a verse, proclaiming it over my situation, praying it to God, and believing Him for a breakthrough. As a result, I was healed. After many years of contemplating that experience, I realized that this miracle happened as a result of a 3 step process. The steps are: (1.) Read the Word of God, (2.) Meditate on the Word of God, (3.) Pray the Word of God. Step 1: Read the Word of God (out loud). I have discovered that breakthroughs and victories begin with a verse from the Word of God. One word or one verse from the Bible can change your life or your circumstance . . . forever! Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow . . .” To find a verse look in the back of the Bible under the concordance. There are topics listed. Find one that moves your heart and speaks to your situation. Read it out loud at least 3 times. Then follow the next 2 steps. Step 2: Meditate on the Word of God (write it down in several places). Write down the verse and tape to your bathroom mirror, place it in your car, put it in your phone, and wherever else you can see it. When you see it, say it over and over again. As you do this, you are meditating. As a result, your thoughts will become captive to Christ who is the living Word, and your mind will be renewed (2 Cor. 10:5; John 1:1; Rom. 12:2). Step 3: Pray the Word of God. This is the most important step. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul says, “Pray continually.” In other words, “pray without ceasing.” Pray the verse until you experience a breakthrough. Use the Word of God to your advantage. Jesus used it for his own victory and breakthrough with his battle with the enemy (see Matthew 4:1-11). Whatever situation you encounter: read the Word of God, meditate on it, and pray it. Breakthroughs and victories will be yours! Dr. Marla Woodmansee is a Bible Communicator, inspirational women’s conference speaker, author, host for a daily Christian radio program on Branson’s KLFC 88.1 FM, and President of Kingdom Experience, a ministry focused to Inform*Empower*Transform. Contact Dr. Marla to speak at your events: marla@marlawoodmansee.org. Or visit: www.KingdomXperience.org

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | APRIL 2015

down to earth Major Prayer Event Announced For Branson Area hat was formerly the Branson Mayor’s President of Focus on the Family. He is also Prayer Breakfast, and is now the the creator of Focus on the Family's The Ozark Mountain Prayer Truth Project®—a nationwide initiative designed to bring the Breakfast™, is scheduled for Christian worldview to the body Thursday, May 7, 2015 of Christ. beginning promptly at 6:45 a.m. and ending promptly at Tackett said the impetus 8:30 a.m. according to event for The Truth Project came from Dr. Del Tackett a 2003 study by the Barna chairman Bill Budnick. Branson Convention Center will once Research Group “which revealed a again host the event. Last year, nearly 1,000 stunning statistic that continues to people across two counties gathered to reverberate throughout the evangelical pray. The breakfast event includes a hearty world – only nine percent of professing hot breakfast, inspirational songs, prayers Christians have a biblical worldview.” led by local pastors and ministry leaders, Tackett believes that because of this, the presentation of the Kingdom Builder today's Christian believers live very similarly to non-believers. “A personal Award, and the keynote address. This year, the keynote address will be given sense of significance is rarely experienced, by Dr. Del Tackett. Tackett is former we spend our money and time on things president of the Focus on the Family that fail to satisfy, and we begin to wonder Institute and a former Senior Vice what life's ultimate purpose really is. We

are, in short, losing our bearings as a people and a nation,” he said. “Our goal remains the same as it has for the past 13 years, to honor and glorify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for an hour and forty-five minutes in celebration of the National Day of Prayer,” said Budnick. “We encourage everyone to get their reservations in as soon as possible.” Individual advanced tickets are still $35 and $37.50 at the door as available. Churches, ministries, individuals and businesses may sponsor tables of 8 for $250 on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations may be made by sending ticket requests with a check payable to Branson CMBC, P.O. Box 1246, Branson, MO. Questions may be directed to Carolyn at 417334-6308. A downloadable ticket order form is available at:

OzarkMountainPrayerBreakfast.com

Billy Graham, Dictators, and Jesus? said, 'Come follow me, and I will meet your needs and protect you from the world!'

When she was 4 years old, I asked her if she wanted to grow up to be the President of the United States. She responded: 'Yes, I want to be on the dollar.' She's ambitious and vain - perhaps she will grow up to be a politician.

Maybe I should look it up.

When my son Caleb was baptized after deciding to follow Jesus, I asked Trevi if she too would like to follow Him. She was still 4 years old at the time. With obvious annoyance at my question, she responded: 'I already told Jesus I would be His leader.' Uh oh. That's not what I was really going for. Perhaps she confused her words as little kids often do or perhaps she was more honest than the rest of us. Too often, we want Jesus in our life but not actually guiding us. We want Him with us wherever we go, but not as our leader. When Jesus invited a motley crew of fisherman and tax collectors to follow Him, He said, 'Come follow me, and I will take you into heaven!' Wait, that's not right. I think He actually

Actually that wasn't it either. I have never been good with Scripture memory. I think He said, 'Come follow me, and I will teach you great things in the Scriptures and answer your prayers.'

Oh yeah, in Matthew 4:19 Jesus said, 'Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.' Jesus invites us to be a part of loving, serving, and reaching other people. He is inviting us to be a part of changing the lives of others. He invites us into the greatest cause in history - helping others become the people God created them to be through a relationship with Jesus. Jesus does not invite us to follow Him for what we can get, but He invites us to follow Him for what we can give! As church leaders, too often we call the people in our churches to follow Jesus for the 'benefits' we might receive. We do this when we are inviting people into a relationship with Christ and even when we seek to recruit others to serve. Should it surprise us when people don't get involved or even move from church to church, trying to find the one that best meets their needs? Even worse, should we be surprised when people walk away from this consumeristic version of Jesus altogether?

When we choose to follow Jesus for what He can give to us, we miss out on what He was actually inviting us to do! Jesus knew that if we lost our lives in serving others, through this journey we would truly find our life (Mt. 10:39).

BY ERIC BRYANT

y daughter Trevi will grow up to be the first female Billy Graham or a dictator of a small country. I'm convinced of this. She's such a passionate and strong little person. When she was two years old she demanded the opportunity to choose her own clothes by pointing and screaming. She couldn't talk, but she could accessorize.

I suppose we are all on a path towards either dictatorship or Billy Graham. We are torn between a life filled with selfishness and a life of selflessness. May we experience the beauty of a fully surrendered life with Jesus as our Leader while we invite others to do the same. And by the way, would you please pray for my daughter? :) Dr. Eric Michael Bryant serves with Gateway Church in Austin as the team leader for the Central Austin region, the South Austin campus, and as part of the teaching team. Known for their mottos: “no perfect people allowed” and “come as you are, but don’t stay that way.” Eric lives with his wife, Deborah, his son Caleb and his daughter Trevi near downtown in Austin, TX. (There also is a Branson, Missouri Campus)

APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

around the world

BY MARISSA LENGOR KWANING

Chinese Father Handcuffs Daughter to Himself don't care about pickpockets, but I do care very much about losing my daughter.

On the eve of Chinese New Year, photos of a father and daughter traveling to see her grandparents have gone viral—picked up by dozens of blogs and media outlets worldwide. Seen waiting together in Beijing Capital International Airport, Chen Yen has handcuffed himself to his little girl to ensure she is not kidnapped for use as a future bride.

According to China's former Minister of Health Gao Qiang, China has 400 million fewer people today as a result of these policies. In other words, China has lost more people than the current 321.4 million population of the United States. The Chinese Communist Party has a long history of falsely representing its familyplanning regulations. Originally implemented in 1979, the One Child Policy utilizes forced abortions, forced sterilization and forced contraception to manage population growth.

"I saw a warning by police on the TV to take care, as traffickers and pickpockets would be out stealing in the holiday rush," said Mr. Chen according to reporting by The Daily Mail. "I don't care about pickpockets, but I do care very much about losing my daughter." Such a stark image begs the question: How did China reach this point? The story stretches back over three decades, to a government policy that has resulted in the prevalence of sex-selective abortions. Strict government control over family size has caused a serious gender imbalance due to a preference for sons, with today 33 million more Chinese men than women. "As more men remain unmarried, it raises the risks of anti-social and violent behavior," notes one recent report. Major media outlets such as the New York Times and BBC News have recently touted a supposed shift in China's totalitarian policies—from allowing Chinese parents to have a single child, to now proposing incentives for a newly revised Two Child Policy. Yet the true picture is not as reassuring as the "official" story would indicate. Thirtyfive years of national population control have had an undeniably troubling impact on Chinese society.

A 2013 Chinese law sought to revise this policy, stating that families in which one parent was a single child would be allowed to bear two children. However, revising regulations has not reversed the human rights violations that persist.

China's 31 provinces explicitly instruct officials to implement coercive measures such as forced abortions as their supposed remedy to solve the issue of "out-of-plan" pregnancies. "Pro-choice and pro-life advocates can agree: No one should support forced abortion, because it is not a choice," concludes Littlejohn, who advocates for justice through Women's Rights Without Frontiers. Chinese families' preference for sons became the subject of a 2014 New York City art exhibit, as artist Prune Nourry sought to raise awareness of the human rights injustices created by population control. "Standing for the value of every human life is a cause that can change the culture of China," says Matt Lockett, Executive Director of Bound4LIFE International, which is involved in many nations globally. "A prayer movement has already begun that is contending for life with the same determination as this father protecting his daughter at the airport." Marisa Lengor Kwaning is an editor, health policy analyst and contributor to Bound4LIFE, a grassroots movement to pray for the ending of abortion and for revival.

"Even if all couples were allowed two children, there is no guarantee that the Chinese Communist Party will cease their appalling methods of enforcement," says human rights activist and former lawyer Reggie Littlejohn. Describing the violent methods that have continued for decades, Littlejohn continues, "Women who get pregnant without permission will still be dragged out of their homes, strapped down to tables and forced to abort babies that they want, even up to the ninth month of pregnancy." According to the latest report of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, family planning regulations in 22 out

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | APRIL 2015

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Reuben S Branson: the Original Entrepreneur s I have recently become a granddad – or grand-dude, as we prefer – three times over, I have found myself looking back further into my family’s history. This research led me to Branson, Missouri, a wonderful city in the US that was founded by my greatgreat-uncle, Reuben S. Branson.

I have always been fascinated by genealogy. But as a knight of the British realm, I had assumed our family tree was firmly rooted in the UK. However, the entrepreneurial spirit of the Bransons first surfaced long before yours truly.

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | APRIL 2015

I already knew my mum had a flair for business, but it turns out Reuben S. Branson was the original entrepreneur. My grandparents told me stories as a child about the American branch of our family, but I had no idea of our legacy in the heart of the US. While I have been fortunate to build more than 400 companies, Reuben built a whole city. Now I have traced our lineage to Branson, I’m excited to find out more. From Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede to the stunning Ozark Mountains, Branson puts the Show in the Show Me State. I’m looking forward to finding out what opportunities there are for the Virgin Group in Branson – and to painting the town red. from editor: Sir Richard, we have the only privately owned airport in the country. You have an airline. Hmmm.. good match?

APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

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ow a days Major problem we face is Laptop Over heating. Laptop users Are always worried of Laptop Overheating, Laptops require A great care from our side so that it keep on running for years and years. Almost 90% laptops users face the problem of overheating. This overheating can cause the laptop to misbehave thereby causing internal machine failure.

Here are some tips to avoid overheating and keep your laptop as cool as possible. 1. Power Settings : Normally while working on laptops we keep it for charging and set the mode as “High performance”. Due to this setting it consumes more power which cause your laptop to overheat. Remedy to this is to set you laptop in the balanced or Power saver mode.what it will do is it will consume only that amount of power that is required. 2. Conpressed Air : while Working on laptops in dusty conditions may lead to Dust gets deposited on the Cooling vents, Hence Choking them.This will cause the fan to get over worked and the Fan will work at high Temperatures. In Order to Avoid This problem, Buy a can of Compressed air, and Spray it on the vents of your laptop. This will remove all the dust

and will keep your laptop much cool. 3. Surface: Normally we place our laptops on pillows or blankets,which is very comfortable to us while working.But many might not know that such surfaces Chokes the vents of you laptop and it cause it to overheat. The soft surface will not allow the heat to escape and will be reflected back to internal machinery. The best surface on which you should keep your laptops are the flat ones. Such as tables. This will allow proper flow of air and heat to escape. 4. Cooling Pad : Cooling pad is another remedy to overheating of your laptops. Obviously it will cost you some Money, But Trust me its worth Investing, if you face overheating Problems. 5. Power Off Your Laptops : When you are not working on you laptop then you should switch it off rather then keeping it on standby, I suggest not you use “Hibernate” Option as it will take a toll on your RAM. Power Off Your Laptops when not needed, Its as simple as that. special thanks to: GeekoFreak.com

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WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | APRIL 2015

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APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

ministry spotlight

BRANSON FRONTLINE

BY VEEDA SMITH

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15 Branson, Missouri, has long been known for reflecting the love of God, and country. Author Harold Bell Wright wrote in his book, The Shepherd of the Hills, about the Ozarks and conveyed to his readers the values of God and country. Branson resident, Dr. Cecil Todd exemplifies that love of God and country in his ministry providing bibles over the last twenty years to the former Soviet Union, and to troops in Desert Storm, Irag and Afghanistan. Currently, Dr. Todd and his wife, Linda, are on a mission to distribute bibles to Cuba’s Public schools, jails, prisons, libraries, and churches. “Since 1969, open Bible distribution has been barred from Cuba. Bibles had to be smuggled into Cuba,” Dr. Todd continued. “A call for one million bibles has come from The Bible Commission of Cuba.” Mark Dillon, Executive Vice-President with the American Bible Society, relayed to Pastor Todd that the Cuban government has agreed to the distribution of bibles in Cuba. The world-wide ministry of Revival Fires is celebrating its fifty year anniversary in 2015 according to Founder and President Cecil Todd. Dr. Todd has preached thousands of sermons, authored eighteen books, met with Presidents, movie stars, prominent Christian leaders and carried the Gospel of Jesus Christ to twenty-two different countries. Todd has been recognized by many wellknown leaders for his ministry. “Cecil Todd is a strong witness for our Lord Jesus Christ during one of the most critical periods of our history,” said Dr. Billy Graham.

years. The Revival Fires TV show was the third longest running Christian program on national television. Over nine hundred 30 minute programs and Linda &. Cecil Todd twelve TV specials were produced and aired on 125 stations each week. During that time, Dr. Todd interviewed many special guests including Art Linkletter, and President Ronald Reagan appeared twice on the TV show.

In her words: "After my healing from an incurable cancer, the Lord called me out of a very successful career where I had developed finely honed corporate skills. I realized I had been teaching others how to be successful, yet I had missed teaching the most important lessons of all . . . finding peace in the midst of change, significance in the midst of adversity, and being transformed for a higher purpose.

President Ronald Reagan invited Dr. Todd to the White House several times during his two terms of office. Dr. Todd was also honored to be invited into Reagan’s home for a time of fellowship, prayer and dinner.

"The Lord directed me to write my (His) story Against All Odds. When the Lord does something wonderful in your life, you are compelled to tell it to bless others. I knew I was to open the Copper Coin penny jewelry and gifts shop, and I knew I was supposed to minister to women, however that never happened in the way I envisioned. When the three of us got together, each sharing the same desire, I knew it was time to follow God's leading.

“Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face,” stated Ronald Reagan. For more information on the Bibles for Cuba project and Revival Fires Ministry call 417 272-3660 or

"Ask yourself what pearls, rubies, diamonds have in common. Then come to the conference and discover how precious you are in the heart of God and what hidden treasures He wants to uncover in your own heart."

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These Women Have SOMETHING TO SAY Three transformed women, each with something to say. Most men would agree, that it's not unusual for any woman to have her say. However. . . Each if these was healed by the power of God, and each now has a burning desire to inspire, encourage, and bless other women in the same way they have been blessed. "I went to lunch with two friends and all three of us had the same vision," says bestselling author Susan Abar-Berger.

President George Bush wrote, “Cecil Todd’s moral leadership, dedication to ministry and compassion for others has blessed many lives. I commend him for his commitment to Christ.”

That was the beginning of Precious Treasures of the Heart women's conference in Branson, set for April 24-25 at Faith & Wisdom Church, 3950 Green Mountain Dr.

Dr. Todd hosted the popular Revival Fires Christian TV show for over twenty five

Speaker Susan, known to many in Branson as the penny-jewelry designer at the Copper Coin, 103 Commercial St., says the

conference is "totally of the Lord."

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | APRIL 2015

A lunch will be available on the premises along with Haley Robichaux-Koontz' amazing prize-winning handcrafted candies for purchase. Also speaking is KLFC radio's KingdomXperience voice and American Christian Voice columnist, Dr. Marla Woodmansee, and Harriett Ford, author of the book, God Wants Me Well so Why Am I Sick? God's Madcap Missionary, Wendy Larson will be making an appearance as well. Penny Robichaux-Koontz, author of the award-winning book, I Thought You Had A Bigger Dream, will be available to sign her tragedy-to-triumph story of surviving polio, and becoming the director of a children's private placement home, Jacob's House at Thunder Ranch. Women are already registering for the event. To ensure seating, register online at www.TreasuresOfTheHeart-Branson.com or call Phyllis at 417-239-1149.

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800 State Highway 248, Suite 2-B • Branson, MO 65616 APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

women’s ministry

BY AMY JULIA BECKER

The Problem With Quiet Times As a mother of three small children, when I stopped having disciplined set apart time with God, my faith grew. hen I was in high school, I learned about this practice of many evangelical Christians called quiet times. Quiet times didn’t only involve an absence of distracting noise, but also a Bible and a journal and maybe a book about something spiritual. I read through the New Testament during my quiet times one summer. I wrote down my prayers and filled a bookshelf with those pleas and confessions in one spiral bound notebook after another. I learned a lot about God, I soaked in a lot of Scripture, and I grew as a Christian.

I don’t mean to imply that I did this every single day for years, but a methodical and disciplined walk through the Bible, with some time for prayer and reflection built in, did become a part of most of my days. Then I had children, and what had been a life-giving regular practice became first a task, and then an area of failure. First, I was tired. Not just one morning, but every morning. For years. Second, I was often feeling somewhat angry with God for my situation. My prayers for William to sleep longer at night went unanswered. My prayers for patience and endurance also seemed ignored. And I wondered if my life had any meaning as I faced the tasks of cleaning bodily fluids, rocking a fussy baby, and managing an onslaught of laundry. Third, even when I wasn’t exhausted or angry, my kids don’t believe in quiet. They believe in noise and interruptions. On the odd morning that I would set my alarm earlier than their usual time to awaken, they simply woke up along with me. They were loud. And they interrupted often.

ordinary life as a parent. They made no room for my children. (There are other potential problems with quiet times too—for the person who doesn’t have the same personality I have they can seem oppressive and impossible, for the person who is inclined toward individualism and independence and prefers time alone to time with other people they can be an excuse not to love and serve others, for the person inclined to see God’s work as only personal and not global, they can lull us into keeping God in a small box. But I’m not going to get into those problems in this post.) In denying my ordinary life as a parent, I was denying God’s desire and willingness to enter into that very ordinary life. I didn’t need special times of journaling and prayer and Scripture reading that were set apart from the messiness of three small children. Rather, I needed God to be with me in that mess. I still try to read the Bible and pray in the morning. On the weekends, I even take out my journal. But the morning time during the week—when my husband and I are responsible for getting the kids out the door with lunches and backpacks and clean bodies and warm clothes and brushed teeth

Other days, I don’t open my personal Bible at all. Rather, I read to the kids from The Jesus Storybook Bible and try to answer their questions: How do we know that the stories in the Bible are true? Is sin real? Does Jesus live in my heart or in heaven? And some mornings, nothing overtly spiritual happens at all. No explicit prayer. No Bible reading. No overt reference to God. These days might be the most important reminders of all that God is present not because we behave properly, not because we pray and read the Bible, but rather because God loves us and wants to be with us wherever we go. I suspect a season will come in the future when I return to that regular and more disciplined time of quiet with God each morning. But for now, I am grateful that my children disrupted that time and reformed it into an opportunity to know God as the God of our everyday lives, who enters into the mess whether I am faithful or not. For more information about Amy Julia, and for links to books and articles, go to

Bonnie Oaks, Cape Fair, MO

So I abandoned the idea of a daily, set aside, sit-by-myself, quiet time. My faith grew. The problem with quiet times as I knew them was that they made no room for my

and hair—it looks more disorderly. Some days, I sit at the dining room table and read Scripture, but I try to welcome the interruptions. I invite my kids to pray with me. I tell them about the stories I’m reading. Sometimes I lay the Bible to the side and snuggle with them on the couch and read a picture book.

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | APRIL 2015

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Calvary Chapel of Branson, MO 611 6th Street • Branson, MO (417) 561-1000 (417) 336-1297 Sunday Service 10:15 AM Pastor Sparky Ferguson

• Spiritfilled Davidic style Praise & Worship • Annoited Bible-based teaching • Fellowship after each service • Nursery & Children’s Shabbat School Meeting at Branson Hills Ministry Center 256 Church Road, Branson, MO 65616 Discover the Hebrew roots of your Christian faith!

Join us for weekly services: Erev Shabbat (Friday) 7:30 pm Shabbat (Saturday) 11 am (417) 334-7373 www.TheTabernacleinBranson.com

Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, CA 3800 S Fairview St • Santa Ana, CA 92704 (714) 979-4422

Agape Life Fellowship A Word of Faith Church (non-denominational) 6185 W. St. Hwy 266 Springfield, MO

(417) 831-2333 Sunday Services 10am & 6pm Wednesday Bible Study 6:30pm

Pastor Twila N. Bridges

Calvary Chapel of Fayetteville, AR 2418 N Gregg Ave Fayetteville, AR • (479) 301-2313 Phil Heppner www.calvaryfayar.com

Gateway Austin, TX Northwest Austin: McNeil Campus South Austin: South Campus Internet Campus: internetcampus@gatewaychurch.com www.gatewaychurch.com

S t i l l Wa t e r s International Ministries

Waking the World to their Loving Creator Okay, so we are not a typical church but we are a training ground to make disciples for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit! Come visit us Sunday morning at 9:45 am and you will see what we mean.

124 Deer Mountain Road Walnut Shade, MO

THANK YOU SPONSORS!

editor’s note: Here are some Bible-based churches I've had the privilege to be a part of and which I recommend. These churches stand up for the truth as revealed in the scriptures but seem to have a knack for welcoming those who are still trying to figure it all out. They teach the Bible and how to live it. They believe in a living God who's able to become real and relevant to you today. They're welcoming, even to those who do not believe or who may struggle with sins and addictions that need to get worked out.

(417) 598-1231 7 miles north of Branson on Hwy 160. One quarter mile west of 65. First property on left.

PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH (ELCA) WORSHIP SERVICES: Praise & Worship - Sun. @ 8:30 a.m. Education Hour - 9:15 a.m. Liturgy &Traditional Service - 10:30 a.m. HIGHWAY #165 AND STATE DRIVE

Gateway Branson, MO Located in the Vista Plaza Shopping Center on the backside 2005 West Highway 76 • Suite 106 Branson, MO • (417) 335-9915

Springfield Church of God (7th Day) "Sharing Freedom in Christ"

350 State Drive • Hollister, MO VISITORS WELCOME

(417) 334-1499 Pastor Emil Bartos peacelutheranchurchhollister.com

Church directory brought to you in part by Goff Heat & Cooling

Pastor: Andy Hassen • 1521 E. 24th Street N. Springfield, MO 65803

(417) 831-6721 Sabbath School: 9:45 am • Worship: 11:00 am Wednesday night: 6:30 pm

www.springfieldcog7.org

A week without a Sabbath is perpetual bondage. El Shaddai Ministries 4501 Quail Court • Harrison, AR. 72601 (3 miles down Bellefonte Rd.) Services: Saturdays at 2:30pm 870.365.0004 www.ElShaddaiMinistries.net APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

TRANSCRIPT OF RUSSELL BRAND

50 shades: secular voice

Has Porn Ruined My Chance Of A Happy Marriage? hat does softcore porn do to us? And what does porn in general do to men and women (regarding) how we relate to each other? Or how all adults relate to each other?

Suppose the undercurrent is right. Sex is something we’re all interested in because of biological programming but our attitudes towards sex has become warped and perverted, and have deviated from its true function as an expression of love and procreation because our culturation, the way we have designed and expressed it, has become really, really confused. I heard a quote from a priest (John Paul II), “Pornography isn’t a problem because it shows too much. It’s a problem because it shows us too little.” I don’t think what that priest meant is that he would like to see more gynecological and more filthy shots of things. I think what he’s saying is that pornography reduces the spectacle of sex to a kind of extracted physical act.

hub of my feelings of inner conflict and doubt. I know that pornography is wrong, that I shouldn’t be looking at it. Yet, a lot of people that are in it are doing so ‘cause of the wrong reasons: desperation, self doubt. I’m sure there are loads of other people that work in pornography that go “hey, I love it.” But there’s a general feeling when you look at your core that, “This isn’t the best thing for me to do. This isn’t the best use of my time now.” I don’t put that laptop lid down and think, “There! Productive piece of time spent connecting with the world!” I feel like if I had total dominion over myself, I would never look at pornography again. One day, at a time I will kick it out from under my life.

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

There’s a lot of statistics that we’ve got about pornography. The journal of adolescent health talk about the effects of prolonged exposure to porn including an exaggerated perception of sexual activity in society (yeah, I think that a bit), diminished trust between intimate couples (I get that sometimes), the abandonment of hope of sexual monogamy (sometimes I wonder if it’s possible), the belief that promiscuity is the natural state. I don’t want to have that belief because I was obsessed with porn when I was a teenager. And it was nostalgic mad stuff that makes me sound old now because we had to find magazines under beds. So living in this culture now where there’s icebergs of filth floating through every house on wifi... it is inconceivable what it must be like to be an young adolescent boy now with this kind of access to porn. It must be dizzying and exciting but corrupting in a way we cannot even think about. In fact Jill Manning, the sociologist says “The upper limits of the impact of this amount of porn haven’t been realized because these people haven’t reached sexual maturity.” But I think my own relationship with pornography is kind of the

One of the reasons that I sense that pornography isn’t good for me as an individual is because of the kind of conclusions reached by Gary R. Brooks who’s observed the consumption of softcore pornography like Playboy. He talks about the five main symptoms of looking at softcore porn. But softcore porn really is everywhere. 50 Shades of Grey is softcore porn. TV advertisements, billboards are full of softcore porn. And here are some of the effects of the symbolism of this culture: Voyeurism - an obsession of looking at women rather than interacting with them. I do that sometimes. I just think “That woman looks beautifu.” I never think “I hope she gets on well with that. I hope she doesn’t have diabetes.” What she’s like, her soul, another person in infinite space. I just think, “Well, she looks nice.” “ Objectification - an attitude in which women are objects, rated by size, shape, harmony of body parts.” Guilty of that all the time because I’ve been acculturated and trained to. This is something I work on like “No, come on, see everybody as equal human beings.” But once that biological drive to procreate is connected with a culture of objectification, that’s a very hard equation to break. “Validation - the need to validate masculinity through beautiful

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Russell Brand women.” This is something that I’ve suffered from terribly. Trophyism - the idea that beautiful women are collectibles who show the world what a man is.” Oh no, I’ve done that before. “Fear of true intimacy - inability to relate to women in an honest and intimate way, despite deep loneliness.” Oh, G--! “Pornography exalts man’s sexual need over his need of sensuality and intimacy.” I think because I’ve been exposed to such a lot pornography from such a young age, it is clear that those phenomena I personally relate to. As I was reading, some of you were going “No, that’s a lot of codswallop.” Me, pornography is not something I like; it’s something that I haven’t been able to make a long term commitment to not looking at, and it’s affecting my ability to relate to women, to relate to myself, my own sexuality, my own spirituality. So I feel like 50 Shades of Grey, even if it’s from a female’s perspective, “Hey, it’s only a problem when we have women’s porn. Men’s porn is no problem.” No, men’s porn’s a problem as well. It’s like trying to solve the problem of racism by inventing a word for black people to call white people that’s equally as bad as the ‘N’ word. The direction we should be going in is how can we understand our sexuality, how can we express it lovingly in harmony with the principles that is there to demonstrate procreation and sensual love between consenting adults. There’s a cloud of pornographic information in even soft cultural smog like 50 Shades of Grey and dumb advertisements of lollipops and stuff. It’s making it impossible for us to relate to our own sexuality, our own psychology, and our own spirituality because it’s a powerful primal resource, whenever it’s plugged in, it’s jarring and distracting. I think what it is is the circuit in the mind that is connected to sexuality moves very quickly. The circuit in the mind that’s connected to love and compassion is a little bit slower. So if you’re constantly bombarded with great waves of filth, it’s really difficult to remain connected to truth. try to have an idea of what you want from a loving relationship and what you want from sexuality. Do have a lovely weekend. I’m going to just shut this laptop now before it causes me any more problems.

salt & slurry

Jessa Duggar’s Post on God’s Judgment Stirs Massive Debate essa Duggar just dropped a plumb line in the United States. Duggar, of 19 Kids and Counting Fame, is turning heads and stirring the spirits of her Facebook followers recently with a post about God's judgment. In Duggar's opinion, one of the most quoted verses from the Bible is Matthew 7:1 "Judge not!" But she believes that's misinterpreted because folks don't like other folks to criticize how they are living their life. "I will speak to you a hard truth. I do not write this because I think that it will bring me popularity. It won't. But it is Truth from the Word of God: the Bible. To not tell people this is to hide the truth from them. To keep silent is to not care for their eternal destiny! I care about you, and this is why I am speaking out!" Duggar wrote on her Facebook page. "In this world, people have seared their consciences. The standard of what is 'ok' or 'permissible' in our society today, hardly reflects God's standard. "People are content to live on in lying, cursing, pride, anger, bitterness, disrespect-

ing of parents, lust, pornography, fornication, adultery, and other sexual sins-- and if anyone tries to confront them, their attitude and response is, 'You live your life, I'll live mine. Don't you tell me what to do! Only God can judge me!' "They don't even realize what they're saying. God's judgment isn't something to be taken lightly! It should scare you! Man's 'judgment' is a 1000x lighter... usually just a voicing of disapproval. But when unbelieving, sinful men die and stand before God, He justly condemns them to hell." Duggar went on to say that people disregard the Bible, using "all kinds of human logic" to try to justify their lifestyles. She gives examples of those who claim they've been living sinful lifestyles for years and don't believe God is angry with them; that a loving god would not send people to hell; that they have peace about their lifestyle and are listening to their heart; and that if God disapproved why doesn't He strike them dead? But people disregard the Bible, and instead use all kinds of human logic to try to justify their way of living:

"First off, our human hearts are bent toward sin and not righteousness. We shouldn't follow the Jessa Duggar inclinations of our heart, but rather we know what is right and wrong according to what we find in God's Word: the Bible," Duggar wrote. "This should be concerning to you. I know it was for me! When I saw myself in light of God's standard, and I knew that I fell short. But I found hope in the Gospel— the 'good news' of Jesus Christ! I would still be lost today were it not for His grace! "Repent! Turn away from sin, and to Jesus Christ today! Be saved from the wrath to come. The believing man has Christ's perfect record put to their account. God gives him a new heart and new desires. If you find yourself a sinner in need of Jesus, then open your Bible today and begin to read the books of John and Romans. Let the Word of God root out the sins of your heart. Do not let up until you have found Salvation for your soul!" The reactions were mixed. Some used the false justifications Duggar offered. Others thanked her for being bold enough to speak the truth. "He is the only one that knows what circumstances have happened in that person's life, and what they have gone through. This is why we are not to judge lest we be judged. We cannot know the heart of another person," wrote Cindy Griggs. "So when you look down at a person for lying or being caught up in a sexual sin, you don't know what life they had to lead to that." Oscar Yturriaga applauded Duggar for using her platform to share the truth of the gospel. He finds it "curious" how people can be so defensive and hateful toward someone who isn't preaching anything to others that they haven't first preached to themselves. "I don't get the sense that you think you're better than anyone or more deserving of God's grace and mercy. You're identifying with the human condition of sin and sharing the only known cure, which can spare them from much pain and torment," Yturriaga wrote. "There's nothing more loving a person can do for another."

APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

♪money money money♪

Control Your Emotions in Volatile Markets

BY DAVE RAMSEY

Act Your Wage Dear Dave, My daughter is in her late twenties, and she has a good job making $50,000 a year. The other day, she told me she has $15,000 in credit card debt and has financed an expensive car she’s upside down on. Her apartment in Omaha costs $600 a month, and she is asking for help to get out of the hole. We tried to teach her how to handle money, but apparently it didn’t work. How do you think I should handle this situation? Cindy Dear Cindy, Here’s what I would tell her if she were my kid in that situation. First, I’m not paying for your problem to go away. I’d tell her to sell the car and get a cheap little beater. She’ll have to get a small loan to cover the difference, but it will rid her of a car payment. And hey, a little bit of debt is better than a whole lot of debt — especially when the debt is on something that’s going down in value. After that, she can get a part-time job and work her tail off until she cleans up the mess she made. I know all this sounds harsh, but this girl had a good thing going and she screwed it up by being impulsive and immature. Think about it; she’s making $50,000 a year, and only $7,200 of that was going toward rent. Her taxes aren’t that much, so where’s the rest of the money going? I’m guessing a big chunk is being wasted on restaurants, goofing off and other stuff she doesn’t really need. Let her wallow in it and worry about things for while first, though. Then, if she’s willing to accept responsibility for her actions, and she starts working hard toward handling her money wisely, you might help her out once in a while. Every time she pays off $1,000, you could add $500 to the next payment. But I’d test her resolve first to see if she wants it badly enough! —Dave

First of all, when evaluating your investment decisions, stay focused on those factors that have historically driven stock prices. The U.S. economy is growing at a reasonably good pace, and corporate earnings remain fairly strong. Plus, stocks may not be as undervalued as they were a few years ago — as measured by the price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) — but they still aren’t overly expensive, either. Things can change, of course, but when market volatility seems to be primarily caused by shortterm events, After all, you count on such as your investments to plunging oil help provide you with prices, it’s important to the type of future look beyond you’ve envisioned. the headlines to these less glamorous, but probably more important, fundamentals of good investing. By doing so, you can help avoid making feardriven investment choices. What else can you do to help ensure that you don’t let feelings of anxiety influence your investment moves? For one thing, evaluate your investment mix. If you own too many stocks and stock-based vehicles, you could take a big hit if stock prices fall sharply during periods of volatility. Historically, however, bond prices have typically increased when stock prices fell — although, of course, there are no guarantees. So, if your portfolio consists of stocks and bonds, you are better positioned to weather the harshest effects of market turbulence. To further prepare yourself for downturns, you may also want to diversify your fixed-income holdings to include investments such as

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | APRIL 2015

U.S. Treasury bills, certificates of deposit (CDs) and municipal bonds. The percentages of each type of investment within your portfolio should be based on your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon. Finally, you can help yourself maintain an even-keeled approach to investing by always looking for quality. Typically, higher quality investments fare better during market declines and recover more quickly when the markets rebound. How can you judge whether a particular investment is of good “quality“? A long-term track record is useful to study. It’s certainly true that, as you have no doubt heard, “past performance is no guarantee of future results,” but it’s nonetheless valuable to know how a particular stock, for example, has performed in various economic environments. If it seems to have done well relative to others in its industry and over long periods of time, that may give you a good idea of its quality. It’s never easy to take all the emotions out of investing, especially during periods of market volatility. After all, you count on your investments to help provide you with the type of future you’ve envisioned. But by focusing on the fundamentals, putting together an appropriate investment mix and constantly looking for quality, you can help “de-stress” yourself — and, as the American poet, novelist and historian J.G. Holland once said, “Calmness is the cradle of power.” This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

FROM EDWARD JONES FINANCIAL ADVISOR

or the past few years, the stock market has moved up fairly steadily, with no major “corrections.” But thus far in 2015, we’ve already seen periods of volatility — enough, in fact, to make some investors jittery. Nervous investors may be more prone to make decisions based on short-term market movements — so how can you stay calm?

Answers to Sudoku Puzzle on Page 31

Online readers, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve included a link to printable PDF for this puzzle page!

Answers to Cross-Word Puzzle on Page 44

BRAIN TEASERS 1. You are a cyclist in a cross-country race. Just before the crossing finish line you overtake the person in second place! What place did you finish in? 2. In a year there are 12 months. 7 months have 31 days. How many months have 28 days? 3. A plane crashes on the border of the U.S. and Canada. Where do they bury the survivors?

Ukraine 42 Cafes 44 African river 45 Urge forward 47 Jewish council 49 Part of a min. 51 Kid 52 Adam and __ 55 Volume (abbr.) 57 Rates 61 Not alike 65 Caesar's seven 66 Small particle 67 Adult insect 68 Carpe __ 69 Musical notation 70 Civil 71 A Roman emperor 72 Biblical weed 73 Didn't smell good 74 Association (abbr.) DOWN 1 Sackcloth and __

2 Louis' partner 3 A land flowing with milk and __ 4 Chicken creation 5 Inmate 6 Women's magazine 7 Slide 8 Large department store 9 Please 10 Vow 11 Urgent requests 12 Expend (2 wds.) 13 Lad 22 Greenish-blue color 24 Goes 25 Alternative (abbr.) 29 Binds 30 Widely known 32 Over there 33 Slide on snow

34 Dickens'Tiny__ 35 Spiritedness 36 Cow 38 Title of respect 39 Samuel's mentor 40 Cozy room 43 Irish clover 46 Tribe of Israel 48 Compass point 50 Jokers 52 Decree 53 Bowed stringed instrument 54 Organic compound 56 Lessen 58 Crawling vines 59 Layers 60 Peter's other name 62 Secure 63 Volcanic rock 64 Against 68 Cell stuff

4. I do not have any special powers, but I can predict the score of any football game before it begins. How can I do this? 5. In baseball, how many outs are there in an inning? 6. I have 2 U.S. coins that total 55 cents. One of them is not a nickel. What are the 2 coins? 7. Jimmy's mother had 4 children. She named the first Monday. Named the second Tuesday. The third is named Wednesday. What is the name of the fourth child?

1. Second Place. If you pass the person in second, you take second place, and they become third. 2. They all do. 3. You don't bury the SURVIVORS! 4. I can predict the score BEFORE it begins. Well, the score before any football game is always zero to zero! 5. 6. 3 for each team. 6. A fifty-cent piece, and a nickel. I said 'one is not a nickel', but the other one is! 7. Jimmy. "JIMMY'S MOTHER had 4 children"!

ACROSS 1 Yearn 5 Father of King David 10 Musical composition 14 Plod 15 Ethan that led the Green Mountain Boys 16 Too 17 Drape 18 Book by Homer 19 Adolescent 20 Bard's before 21 Irish elf 23 Space laboratory 26 Utter 27 Mole 28 Snobs 31 Shaft of light 33 Snake charmer? 37 Smelled 41 Capital of the

APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

category/color saying goodbye here onsider Kayla Mueller, the American whose death while in ISIS captivity is making global headlines. She had been working with Syrian refugees when she was captured in 2013 at the age of 24. Five years ago she wrote a letter to her father in which she said,

“I will always seek God. Some people find God in church. Some people find God in nature. Some people find God in love; I find God in suffering. I've known for some time what my life's work is, using my hands as tools to relieve suffering.” After her tragic death, Kayla's aunt said of her, "She has done more in her incredible 26 years than many people can ever imagine doing in their lifetime. Kayla has touched the heart of the world." Today you can ask unanswerable questions, or answer questions no one is asking. Or you can answer the most practical question of all: what is your life's work?

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | APRIL 2015

From the Jasmine Miller Family: “Thank you for showing the love and support that the Branson and Ozark community have for each other. We want to thank Radney Pennington and the Rowdy Beaver for the tribute concert. We want to thank the entire biker community for coming together to try to have a bike run in Princess Jasmine’s memory. We are very grateful to the Branson Police Department, the Branson Fire Department, Jeff Wilcox, the Chaplain of the Fire Department, the Taney County Coroner, Mr. Jeff Merrel’s office, Sally Catlett and everyone from the motel community that came out to look for our daughter that tragic night. Thank you, Anna Stalevski , for opening your arms and helping with everything you have done. Thank you to everyone at Jesus Was Homeless, for showing us there is still good in this broken world. We have rescheduled the vigil for April 11th at 5:00 pm. The public is asked to line 76 Country Boulevard at the intersection of 76 and Gretna road going west until Track V. The public is asked to wear pink and purple, for a Jasmine Miller t-shirt please contact ink gurus, and release a pink or purple balloon as motorcycles pass in honor of Jasmine. A makeshift memorial for small flowers will be located in the Botanas Restaurant parking lot across from the Windsor Inn. A fund to benefit the family of Jasmine Miller has been established at Branson Bank. For additional questions concerning the vigil or to participate in the vigil please contact Ashley Lauer with Jesus Was Homeless at 417.337.8103 or ashley@jesuswashomeless.org.

escape here!

Nureka Springs! Where Nu meets Aux! (As in Aux Arcs = Ozarks!) hough native American’s had been visiting the springs in the hills and valleys of what is now known as Eureka Springs, for centuries, the first Caucasians arrived and began settling here in the very early 1800’s.

The early settlers were here due to the abundance of wildlife, not spring water. However, the wildlife was abundant due to the spring water that flowed constantly, year round. It didn’t take long for the settlers to either experience for themselves or learn from the native Americans about the healing and health benefits of the spring waters. It is believed that the population of Eureka Springs grew 10 fold in one year from the date the town was founded, July 4th, 1879. Growing from approximately 400 to over 4,000 in just a year. And we were just getting started. The population eventually grew to an estimated 22,000 people by 1890. Today’s population is only around 2,100. Many of the folks were here because of the springs, but many were here to house, feed and entertain all the visitors that flooded into these rugged Ozark mountains to see this unique and beautiful Victorian village that was growing right out of the mountainsides, hilltops and valleys. So, yes, Eureka Springs was founded due to the spring waters and their benefits, but the town quickly became a tourist town and continues to be today. In fact, tourism is the only industry in this little town! Eureka Springs is still a place of beauty, solitude and hospitality. A place of diversity and inspiration. A place where, as one slogan puts it, “Where the misfits fit!” It has always been a great melting pot of people. Especially friendly people. People who make their livings by taking care of visitors…serving people! Whoever they are and wherever they come from. For history and architecture lovers, you will

love the Eureka Springs Historic District Tram Tour – www.EurekaSpringsTramTours.com. Take the 90 minute tour and find out some of the reasons that Robert Ripley of Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Called Eureka Springs “One of the 10 most unusual places in America!” Visit one of more than 63 springs inside the city limits and enjoy the history of and short break at the 1886 Crescent Hotel. For those who love spiritually uplifting and motivating things, The Great Passion Play – www.EurekaSpringsPassionPlay.org, is the ticket to experience nearly a full day of entertainment and inspiration. Begin your day by visiting the Christ of the Ozarks Statue, then the Bible Exhibit and Sacred Arts Center, then take the awesome New Holy Land Tour, where you will meet a variety of biblical characters, visit the Sea of Galilee, the manger scene, Golgotha and the replica of Moses’ Tabernacle in the Wilderness. After touring the New Holy Land, enjoy a hot buffet dinner, then be inspired by the pre-play performances of David the Shepherd and Parables of the Potter. The grand finale for the day is the presentation of the greatest story ever told, The Great Passion Play. Witness a portrayal of the last week of the Lord’s week on earth. A story that ends with a very dramatic and victorious ascension scene! You will be wowed by the colorful costumes, live animals and nearly 200 cast members. Seeing and hearing from any seat is no problem. The Eureka Springs trolley system makes exploring Eureka Springs during the day very easy and affordable. Park your car and “Ride the Trolley” Save parking meter fees and the frustration of driving the narrow winding streets and roads of Eureka Springs. The trolley’s even visit the world famous building, “Thorncrown Chapel” -

www.Thorncrown.com, a “Must See” place, located just outside the city limits on Highway 62 west. There truly are so many things to see and do in and around Eureka Springs. Places like Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, the ES & NA Railway excursion and dining train, canoe trips, scuba diving and snorkeling in Beaver and/or Table Rock Lakes, shopping and dining, spa packages, walking trails, fishing and many other fun things. And if you like help in planning your vacations, we suggest contacting the folks at Joe Gunnels Tours and Reservation Service – www.JoeGunnelsTours.com at 479-253-6852 or joe@joegunnelstours.com. They will help you with lodging, tours, tickets, spa packages, meals, etc. While many places “try” to look historic, Eureka Springs is the real deal. America’s Victorian Village. The Stair Step Town, L i t t l e Switzerland of America, We d d i n g Capital of the South, and our favorite...Home! Located just an hour drive from Branson. Come see us this year! We’re waiting to serve you!

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Apples & Amen Educational Supplies • Inspirational Gifts • Toys • Party Supplies • Balloons (870) 741-1880 Mon-Fri 9:30 am - 6 pm Sat 9 am - 4 pm Closed Sunday 1520 N. Main Street Harrison, Arkansas

APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

christian film

presents...

t ÜxäÉÄâà|ÉÇtÜç Çxã ytÅ|Äç y|ÄÅ à{tà uÜ|Çzá {|áàÉÜç àÉ Ä|yx |Ç t yt|à{@y|ÄÄxw twäxÇàâÜx vxÄxuÜtà|Çz zÜtvx? Ä|uxÜàç? tÇw à{x àÜâx yÜxxwÉÅ à{tà vtÇ ÉÇÄç ux yÉâÇw |Ç V{Ü|áàA "It's unlike just about any movie I've ever seen," said Christian filmmaking legend Stephen Kendrick. Dr. Del Tackett of The Truth Project describes Beyond the Mask as “a turning point in Christian filmmaking,” adding that “getting behind this movie is going to help us move this industry in the direction it needs to go.”

ouble crossed and on the run, an assassin for the British East India Company seeks to redeem his past by thwarting a plot against a young nation's hope for freedom. The leading mercenary for the British East India Company, Will Reynolds has just been double-crossed and now is on the run in the American Colonies. Working to redeem his name and win back the aﬀections of the woman with whom he's never been fully truthful, Will now hides behind a new mask in hopes of thwarting his former employer. As his past life closes in on him, Will must somehow gain the trust and the help of his beloved Charlotte as well as Ben Franklin while he races against time to defuse a plot of historical proportions. At Burns Family Studios, we are committed to producing quality, Christ-centered action adventure films, because we believe stories can touch hearts, and Christ can change lives. Our goal is to reach as many individuals, families, and churches as we can with a message that will quicken the spirit, fire the imagination, and inspire the family.

Order your tickets online at:

www.BeyondTheMaskMovie.com Tuesday, April 28 • 7pm at:

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | APRIL 2015

down to earth

houldn't we simply give praise and thanks in every situation, as the Bible says?

in car payments? Yes. He's interested in every detail of your life. That means you can take any problem you face to God.

When the Apostle Paul says, "Always be full of joy in the Lord," he doesn't say to only be joyful in good times. Even when times are tough, the Bible teaches we can be joyful if we follow these simple strategies:

3. Thank God in all things. When you pray, pray with thanksgiving. The healthiest human emotion is not love but gratitude. It actually increases your immunities. It makes you more resistant to stress and less susceptible to illness. People who are grateful are happy. But people who are ungrateful are miserable because nothing makes them happy. They're never satisfied. It's never good enough. So if you cultivate the attitude of gratitude, of being thankful in everything, it reduces stress in your life.

1. Don't worry about anything. Worrying doesn't change anything. It's stewing without doing. There are no such things as born-worriers. Worry is a learned response. You learned it from your parents. You learned it from your peers. You learned it from experience. That's good news: The fact that worry is learned means it can also be unlearned. How do you unlearn it? Jesus says in Matthew 6:34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (NIV). He's saying don't open your umbrella until it starts raining. Live one day at a time. 2. Pray about everything. Instead of worrying, use your time for praying. If you prayed as much as you worried, you'd have a lot less to worry about. Is God interested

4. Think about the right things. If you want to reduce the level of stress in your life, you must change the way you think, because the way you think determines how you feel. And the way you feel determines how you act. The Bible teaches that, if you want to change your life, you need to change what you're thinking about. This involves a deliberate, conscious choice where you choose to think about the right things. We need to choose to think on the positive and on God's Word. What is the result of not worrying, praying

about everything, giving thanks, and focusing on the right things? Paul says we will then "experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7 NLT).

BY RICK WARREN

Be Thankful in the Tough Times

What do you worry about? Talk to God about your worries and honestly tell him why you worry. If you prayed as much as you worried, how do you think your life would change? God says he has your best interest at heart. Thank him in all things, even if you cannot understand what God is up to in your life. What do you think about most? What do you think God wants you to think about? Are these two things in alignment? If not, then why? Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, one of America's largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book, The Purpose Driven Church, was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.

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This 12-Year-Old Rape Victim Says, ‘Abortion Is Not the Solution’ When Lianna Rebolledo became pregnant through rape, everyone urged her to abort. But she refused. Today her daughter is 23 years old. This will mess with your emotions. Big time. How can a story of a 12-year-old rape victim possibly have a happy ending? It shouldn’t. It couldn’t. But Lianna Rebolledo, now 35, said if she had to go through the physical and emotional turmoil again just to know and love her daughter, she would. It’s heavy stuff. *Grabs four more tissues. Two men raped Rebolledo when she was 12. She said she

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constantly felt dirty and tried to commit suicide. Soon after, a doctor told her she was pregnant. He told her she had every right to abort the child, because she didn’t need to have a constant reminder of the attack. Rebolledo asked the doctor if it would ease the pain and make her forget what she went through, but he told her no. Keep in mind, she was 12. A 12-year-old girl asked that question. That completely blows my mind. “If abortion wasn’t going to heal anything, I didn’t see the point,” Rebolledo said. “I just knew that I had somebody inside my body. I never thought about who her biological father was. She was my kid. She was inside of me.” So here she is, 23 years later. Rebolledo said the situation isn’t cut and dry. She didn’t only save her daughter’s life. Her daughter saved hers.

Dolly's vision was to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families by providing them with the gift of a specially selected book each month. By mailing high quality, age-appropriate books directly to their homes, she wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could insure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income. Find out more at: www.ImaginationLibrary.com

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | APRIL 2015

“In my situation, two lives were saved,” Rebolledo said. “I saved my daughter’s life, but she saved my life. Even though [the rape] was a very hard moment, if I had to go through that [again] just to know and to love my daughter, I would go through that again. She’s always been there for me. She’s the only person who has shown me a real love. And I always will be grateful.” “Abortion is not the solution,” she added. “Not even for rape.” You would never think a story like this could have a positive ending, and I think that’s what makes it so special. Life is life. The story is tragic, but the outcome is precious.

end times evidence

Islamic State Plans to ‘Sell Your Sons as Slaves’

“W

then our children and grandchildren will reach it, and they will sell your sons as slaves at the slave market." So warns Islamic State Spokesman Sheikh Abu Muhammad alAdnani. In less than a year, the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL) has grown from a terrorist group virtually unknown in the West to a global network that threatens every one of us. For example, the FBI recently arrested IS members in Brooklyn, New York. One admitted he would kill President Obama or bomb Coney Island if IS asked him to do so. A second suspect was considering a shooting spree against police officers and the FBI headquarters. The Justice Department recently arrested five Bosnian terrorism suspects with ties to IS. In January, an IS supporter was arrested in Ohio as he planned to attack the U.S. Capitol building. Authorities found two semi-automatic rifles and 600 rounds of ammunition. And what about the thousands who have joined IS in Syria from the U.S., France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Australia and other countries? Will they return home with combat skills and bomb-making materials? Will they conduct random acts of terror here? A plot in Australia to behead random citizens as "demonstration killings" was thwarted last fall. IS encourages its followers abroad to use their vehicles to kill "infidels." Is any place safe from "lone wolf" terrorists who are willing to die in order to kill us? I have just completed my most in-depth report on the Islamic State—its origins, leader, purposes, and frightening apocalyptic vision. You can download The Islamic State: What You Need To Know here. In my research, I became even more convinced that IS and similar organizations are a real

and present danger to the West, today. And more convicted to do all I can in response. Here's how Christians can join the fight against IS. (Tweet this) First, pray for those who are being victimized by IS and other jihadists. God's word calls us to "remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them" (Hebrews 13:3). As God's angel released Peter from Herod's prison in answer to the church's intercession (Acts 12:1-19), so we must pray for angelic protection today.

A chief contributor is the popular identification of Christianity with cultural conservatism. As a result, more than 40 percent of liberals say they have no religion. And many who do keep their faith quiet. Now meet Ana Marie Cox. A one-time contributing editor to Playboy, she is the Washington correspondent for GQ and blogs on U.S. politics for The Guardian. She calls herself a "progressive, feminist, tattooed, prochoice, graduate-educated believer." Note the last word.

Second, pray for our leaders and encourage them to defend Christians and stop IS. We are commanded to "rescue the weak and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 82:4). Pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:12) to have divine wisdom and the courage to end the Islamic State's global threat.

Her recent blog for the Daily Beast broke the news: "Why I'm Coming Out as a Christian." Ana is emphatic: "To be clear, I don't just believe in God. I am a Christian." She adds that "decades of mass culture New Ageism has fluffed up 'belief in God' into a spiritual buffet, a holy catch-all for those who want to cover all the numbers. . . . Me, I'm going all in with Jesus."

Third, pray for spiritual awakening to continue in the Muslim world. Ask Jesus to reveal himself personally to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and other jihadists. Paul was converted from terrorist to apostle; what would happen if al-Baghdadi came to Christ?

What led her to him? She explains: "One of the most painful and reoccurring stumbling blocks in my journey is my inability to accept that I am completely whole and loved by God without doing anything. That's accompanied by a corresponding truth: There is nothing so great I can do to make God love me more.

We are fighting "the cosmic powers over this present darkness" (Ephesians 6:12). Will you join the battle today, on your knees?

Liberal journalist comes out as a Christian I'm old enough to remember when stores were closed on Sunday because everyone went to church, or knew they should. No one would have considered scheduling a soccer practice on Sunday. Billy Graham was America's "most admired" person. When researchers began collecting data back in the 1930s on the number of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated, around five percent fit the category. The number rose to only eight percent by 1990. Today it has skyrocketed to 20 percent or more, including a third or more U.S. adults under the age of 30.

BY DR. JIM DENISON, PRESIDENT

e will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women. If we do not reach that time,

"Because before I found God, I had an unconsciously manufactured higher power: I spent a lifetime trying to earn extra credit from some imaginary teacher, grade-grubbing under the delusion that my continued mistakes—missed assignments, cheating, other nameless sins—were constantly held against me." Most of us can sympathize with her. What is the answer? "What Christ teaches me, if I let myself be taught, is that there is only one kind of judgment that matters. I am saved not because of who I am or what I have done (or didn't do), but simply because I have accepted the infinite grace that was always offered to me." No matter who we are or where we've been, grace is still amazing. (Tweet this) Where do you need God's transforming grace today? Who will find such grace in you?

APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

50 shades

BY ANNIE LOBERT

Former Call Girl’s Take on ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Annie Lobert has shared her testimony of God's Annie Lobert redemption from the sex trafficking industry with millions on 'I am Second.' Here's her take on 'Fifty Shades of Grey.' www.IamSecond.com Clearly, Fifty Shades' mastermind E.L. James is not an expert on dominance and submission. Yet her books and now the movie based on the books glamorize that lifestyle to millions across the globe. first encountered the BDSM (An overlapping abbrevation of Bondage and Discipline (BD), Dominance and Submission (DS), Sadism and Masochism (SM) ) lifestyle when I received a request from my escort agency to fill a call for a dominatrix role. The phone girl didn't have anyone to fill this request and asked if I would do it.

At this point in my life, I had been sex trafficked, beaten profusely by my pimp, and finally left him for good. My pimp would beat me and then force me to have sex with him. I never enjoyed the pain— rather I was completely freaked out, afraid, and emotionally and physically hurt. This behavior never turned me on; I was completely disgusted by it. I was pretty bitter from the abuse that I experienced from my sex trafficker and in revenge mode on men. Greedy and hungry to finally be in control, I was curious and wanted to see what this BDSM lifestyle was all about, so I decided to take the call and try my hand at being the dominant. I demanded money and did what was expected of me, channeling "Fallen," my sex industry name and call girl persona. What a twist of fate and irony—the severely abused now becoming an abuser and getting paid to do it. Many of my clients were obsessed with me and continued to call, because in their minds, a fantasy love/relationship had started. As this progressed, I got to know

many of them and asked why they enjoyed BDSM. The answers varied: as "a way to let off steam"and "to let go of control." Some described mother-to-son abusive relationships, physical and sexual relationships with other men, and a handful of important CEOs explained the need to surrender the control they had over others running their stressful companies. With many of my clients, the more they practiced BDSM, the more intensity they wanted. And like a drug, they were never satisfied—they always wanted a more severe beating. Once they tried one thing, they wanted to explore another. That's where it got really scary for me. What if they end up getting really hurt? In all of my experience over the years with these men, one thing stands true: Underlying their desire to be dominated was a deep-seated hunger and need for love. Many times their sexual desires stemmed from childhood abuse. They wanted to be cared for, watched for, disciplined and admired. Just like a child. I believe these men were looking for love through BDSM, and missing the mark—and this is why it never satisfied. Real Love doesn't dominate. Love doesn't push. Love's intent isn't to create pain. Love's intent is to create a relationship of peace, safety and security, emotionally and relationally when it comes to intimacy. We know from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 that: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not selfseeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." When you cross the line and hurt someone emotionally and physically, it throws unknowns into the picture: a loss of security, a loss of trust, a loss of honor, a loss of commitment. Broken vows. If you are willing to hurt me physically and emotionally, what else are you willing to do to me? And if I ask you to stop—will you?

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | APRIL 2015

BDSM blurs these lines of love. It turns them upside down, and it teaches what we thought was love to become boring and old fashioned, while what we once thought was abuse is sold off as exciting and erotic. These thought processes in the wrong hands can lead us down treacherous roads of accepting abuse as the norm. Normalizing abuse is not the answer to our pain, and it eventually leads to a darker road of more severe abuses. In Fifty Shades Of Grey, Christian Grey was a scared and lonely child who witnessed the murder of his sex-trafficked mother at the hands of her pimp. At 15, he was sexually abused by a woman who taught him the BDSM lifestyle, redirecting his drinking habits and anger issues from his childhood. He eventually becomes a dominant, finds a female whom he dominates, humiliates, and by the end of the three books, he marries her, has children with her, and together they live happily ever after. But the roots of his childhood abuse are not dealt with; instead they are excused as the reason for his dominance. Can someone find true love and happiness while participating in this lifestyle? According to E.L. James they can. But as she's admitted, she is no BDSM expert, and this story was written as fiction, not truth. Realistically—are there happy endings? From my personal experience, no. Should you read the books and go and see the movie? Will it enrich your life if you do? I am not here to tell you what to do, only to give you the truth that I experienced and to remind you that while Fifty Shades glamorizes BDSM, this story is 100 percent fiction. Fifty Shades of Grey didn't enrich my life; it only revealed a very broken society desperate for answers and relief from pain deep inside their souls. Annie Lobert is a former high-class escort, a sex trafficking survivor, wife to Oz Fox of Stryper, and the author of Fallen (February 2015). Unless otherwise specified, the opinions expressed are solely the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of Charisma Media.

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Why Should You Support the American Christian Voice? e have subscribers in 21 different states and it continues to grow as a Kingdom unifier. We pray the contents will help us all grow in our journey of faith and wisdom.

We are now in our 11th year of printing the only Christian magazine of its kind in the nation uniquely representing the whole Body of Christ not sponsored by one faction. We have served the Christian community to the best of our ability, trying to be fair and balanced to more than one position on the nonessential matters. Of course, it is the human, religious nature to make twigs into trunks. You can imagine the difficult task we have to try to educate and spiritually mature the believer without

creating a great offense in the process. If this publication took a left-wing, flaming liberal position or a stinking, right-wing, conservative position (extreme opinions either way), folks on both sides of that spectrum would get pretty generous to support their own bias. Having a Christian magazine be moderate to conservative usually generates moderate to conservative financial support because it doesn’t get us all fired up. However, we believe a moderate approach to the majority of ink! hot topics is the most prudent and, dare we say, Christian approach?

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Maybe a friend can split it with you and you both can share it. If that is not possible, could you please try to get the ACV at your favorite vendor? We took a huge leap of faith to commit to this new all gloss format. Every check that comes in our offices seems to keep one item from being cancelled or shut off. But God has always supplied and He does it through you. We are eternally grateful and we hope the contents are a blessing to you and to others and is worthy of your financial assistance.

Of course, if you just feel led by God to make a tax deductible donation of any size, we would be most grateful. (Please send check to address in the subscription box or hit the donate button on our website. We publish 10 issues annually. Please tell us which month to start your subscription. Could you tell us how you found the ACV?) Also, please remember to tell the sponsors that you see their ads and appreciate them supporting the ACV!

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philosophy

The Cure for E.D.

I suffered from depression most of my teenage and college life. I was driven to suicidal thoughts and, what I like to call, Kamikaze tendencies (when you do stupid and/or dangerous activities and don't care about the outcome - i.e. drugs, drinking, or casual/reckless sex). I tried to drown out my E.D., hoping that if I didn't think about it, it would just go away. It never did; that is, until I found the cure. Coming to know the Creator god through Jesus Christ brought relief from meaninglessness and my ultimate fear of Death. Everyone's trying to find the cure when there's already been one, consumed by millions of patients, prescribed on a national level by Israel for hundreds of years, and completely free of charge: the god of Israel, the Creator of the world, the only source of unconditional and undying love. First you must realize this: if you aren't a follower of Jesus Christ, if you don't know this god, then any depression or E.D. you're experiencing is an accurate diagnosis of your current state. Your life without God is meaningless. Apart from Him there's no hope, only death. Sure, you could go through life with a vague sense of God, hoping that you've done enough good so that when you do kick it, you'll "get in" with

whomever or whatever's there to greet you. This is a little closer to the truth. The Day of Judgement is a concept believed by all monotheists: Jewish, Islamic, and Christian. Even Buddhists and Hindus believe in a kind of j u d g m e n t p r o c e s s , whereby all your deeds are weighed up and either rewarded or punished. But the scriptures teach this one problem: if that happens, we're all screwed. All have sinned and fall short of God's expectation for humanity. Our sins keep us from being able to get re-connected with a perfect and sinless god. Moreover, the world and everyone in it has fallen into rebellion against their Creator and each man fends for himself, living like rebels in enemy territory. We've all become our own little rulers, when there's a far more powerful King who's already claimed it all. That's a problem. And the sentence given to all such rebels? People will be shut out from God's presence, existing in death as they did in life: cut off from God, but this time without even an ounce of His goodness. All they'll have left is themselves and their inner turmoil of hatred, despair, and regret. So what's the cure for all this death and destruction? It's enough to give anyone a bad case of E.D.! Well, the good news is this: God is not only just and holy, but He's also love, and the scriptures teach that "He does not will that any man should perish, but that all should come to repentance," and, "God does not delight in the destruction of the wicked." C.S. Lewis, a Christian philosopher Tim Allenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest show has completed 4 seasons and his character, Mike Baxter, makes it okay to be a conservative Christian with strong opinions regarding what is wrong with the world. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not sugar coated but a refreshing script coming out of a very biased Hollywood on family life. Best seen from the beginning on Netflix.

who wrote about the concept of Hell, described it as the destination people choose every day they live apart from God, who longs to save them from it. Final Hell will happen when God says to each rebellious man or woman, "Thy will be done." You'll simply receive what you've always chosen throughout your life, except it'll be that much more stark and terrible.

BY THE DANDLER

xistential Dread, or E.D. (n): 1) A sudden and often intense feeling of despair, hopelessness or meaninglessness that comes upon an individual, usually in the midst of mundane daily activity, and is sometimes but not always accompanied by an acute realization of the inevitability of death. 2) The faint and often lingering sense of depression derived not from any particular trauma or conscious memory but a subconscious realization that life is, inherently, meaningless.

But if God is love and Hell is a choice, then you can choose differently now! In fact, the Christian message is that God provides a way out of despair, death, and ultimately the coming Judgment. Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, suffered death in the place of imperfect humanity. He was a perfect sacrifice, one to which God looks and says, "It's enough to pay for whatever sins the world committed." Though we've messed up our lives, God wants us to look at Jesus on the cross and believe it was enough to pay for all that junk that keeps us from Him. And even better: that same Jesus, who prayed for those who crucified Him, forgave even the greatest sinners, and showed the world the love of God, was raised from the dead and is now alive and able to do the same for you. He promises that by His Spirit and power, He'll transform us into the men and women we were always meant to be: people who will make it through the Day of Judgment and into the earthly Paradise God promises to bring about. On that terrible Day, those who trust in the One who judges will have all their evil deeds covered by His blood, and they'll make it through. So if you want freedom, not only from your E.D. but also from the sins that plague you, the doctor is in. Repent (which means, change your mind about your life, turn away from your sins) and turn to Jesus Christ. Put your trust in Him, not only for the forgiveness of your sins but for your entire life, too, a life that needs to be put back together right. If you do this, you will find your freedom, and you will begin to walk it out.

www.DandleBlog.com

APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

ministry directory

able to afford these services and will

GOD BLESS THESE MINISTRIES!

The Ministry Directory is brought to you in part by: Love In the Name of Christ (Love INC) is a movement of Christian churches working together to show God’s love to the poor and needy. • 7347 W. Hwy. 76 • Branson • (417) 336-7056 • Toll Free: (866) 568-3462 Jennifer Maupin, Executive Director, jmaupin@omcloveinc.com Jodi Lilley - Client Coordinator jlilley@omcloveinc.com ADOPTION Cherish Kids may be contacted at 6100 North 19th Street, Ozark, Missouri 65721, by telephone at (417) 581-KIDS (5437) or by emailing: info@cherishkids.org MBCH Children & Family Min. Adoption & foster care services 1837 E. Cherry St. Springfield • (417) 831-2342 ASSISTANCE Salvation Army Lt. Shawn DeBaar 1114 Stanley • Branson, MO 65616 (417) 339-4434 CHILDREN Dolly Parton's Imagination Library FREE books for children John Richardson PO Box 6850 • Branson, MO 65615 (417) 337-9400 johnr@dixiestampede.com www.ImaginationLibrary.com EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE Jobs for Life Work training program 5004 West Hwy 76 Branson • (417) 335-9915 DISASTER ASSISTANCE Convoy of Hope Assisting those in need 330 S. Patterson Ave. Springfield • (417) 823-8998 FOOD Smart Choice Foods Discount food program To find a local host: www.smartchoicefood.com National Office (866) 643-0877

Christian Action Ministries Food assistance program 610 South Sixth Street, Ste 102 Branson • (417) 334-1157

be available to Costa Ricans and foreigners (There are over 50,000 North Americans living in Costa Rica). Please check out our web site to see and perhaps feel our commitment. pablitolobo@aol.com Pura Vida CostaRicanHerbalFusion.com

COUNSELING American College of Counselors 273 Glossip Ave. Highlandville, MO 65669 A Non Profit 501(c)(3) www.ACCnow.org A professional organization offering membership at various levels of academic and experience expertise in mental health, substance abuse, health education to improve positive life styles. ACC is infused altruistically with outreach programs like The Noah’s Ark Project ) (See listing under HEALTH) Grace Community Assembly Ask about Divorce Care Tuesday night meetings held at 440 State Hwy 248 Branson • (417) 336-2422 Grief recovery support group If you’ve lost someone close to you, or know someone who has, please call us to find out more information about our weekly seminar/support groups. We know it hurts, and we want to help! • Branson/Forsyth • (417) 5444177 HEALTH YMCA Fitness for families 175 Industrial Park Dr. Hollister • (417) 337-9622

Health Care for the uninsured.

(417) 336WELL(

Ozarks Regional YMCA Julie Eaton, Director of Marketing, jeaton@orymca.org • 417 S. Jefferson Springfield • (417) 862-8962 ext. 2117 Noah’s Ark Project, providing probono services in mental health and substance abuse evaluations for treatment in North, Central and South America. Referral sources such as judicial, law enforcement, religious and medical agencies will be utilized to accommodate persons un-

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | APRIL 2015

HOMELESSNESS Victory Mission Residential work program 824 W Commercial St. Springfield • (417) 864-2244 PORNOGRAPHY Fight the New Drug exists to provide individuals the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding pornography by raising awareness on its harmful effects using science, facts, and personal accounts. blog.FightTheNewDrug.org PRISON Bill Glass Ministries Prison visitations 1101 S. Cedar Ridge Drive Duncanville, TX • (972) 298-1101 REHABILITATION CORE Communities of Recovery Experience Cary McKee PO Box 6224 • Branson, MO 65615 (417) 339-3804 cmckee@churcharmyusa.org www.CORE-USA.org Rancho Poiema The vision of Pastor Chris Martinez of Calvary Chapel Tijuana, Mexico. The goal of this Ministry is to reach out to those individuals that are dealing with drug and alcohol problems. The Ranch is 25 miles inland from the city of Ensenada, Mexico and is located in a place of serene and tranquil atmosphere which is ideal for seeking The Lord and far removed from old friends and contacts. It is very affordable! Antonio Sanchez is a current Board Member for The Ranch and will assist in helping those that will be coming from The U.S. who desperately need deliverance from these addictions. He can be contacted at (562) 322-4480 or at antonioolga @aol.com. SUICIDE PREVENTION We Care About You! Call (888) 667-5947 or Email contact@christiansuicideprevention.com 9 pm to 1 am Central Time WOMEN The Caring People

Weekly care groups designed to pro vide love and support to Single Moms 164 Corporate Pl • Branson, MO 65616 • (417) 334-0131 info@thecaringpeople.org www.TheCaringPeople.org Concerned Women for America (CWA) Conservative political women ministries 1015 Fifteenth St. NW, Ste 1100 Washington, D.C. • (202) 488-7000 Crisis Center Becky Vermeire PO Box 282 • Branson MO 65615 (417) 561-5105 • (866) 379-0074

crisiscenter@centurytel.net www.WomensCrisisCenter.net

Esther's House of Redemption Residential discipleship program for women with life-controlling issues PO Box 1438 • Hollister, MO 65673 (417) 449-5122 • info@ehor.org www.EHOR.org Options Pregnancy Center Crisis pregnancy center 192 Expressway Ln. Branson • (417) 336-5483 Pregnancy Life Line Crisis pregnancy center 15765 Missouri 13 Branson West • (417) 272-5210 YOUTH Bridges For Youth Youth ministries 834 N National Ave. Springfield • (417) 864-8430 Camp MeWe, Inc. Fork Road, Highlandville, MO 65669 P.O. Box 7077 • Branson, MO 65615 Telephone: 417-334-6313 connect@campmewe.org Jacob’s House 4661 State Hwy 176 E Chestnutridge, MO 65630 penny@jacobshouse.org www.JacobsHouse.org Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch 296 Boys Ranch Rd, Lampe, MO 65681 (417) 779-5374 Teen Harvest Youth Ranch Christian, Bible-centered ministry To boys mainly between ages 12-17 who need assistance in a good home to establish a proper environment in which to grow and learn. Located at County Road 402, Ava, MO 6560. Call Pastor Paul Neighbour at (417) 6831080 For more info or visit web site: www.TeenHarvest.com

“The Trial of Christ: A 21st Century Lawyer Defends Jesus” The Sanhedrin trial errors include the following:

qualified witnesses testify they had first warned him of the criminality of the act and the penalty provided for it. 20. ELEMENTS OF THE CRIME. The capital offense of blasphemy consists in pronouncing the name of God (Lev. 24:16) which may be uttered only once a year by the high priest in the sanctuary of the Temple. The divine name was not enunciated by Jesus. 21. NO CORPUS DELICTI. It was error for Caiaphas to have sought words from the mouth of Christ without first establishing a prima facie case from other witnesses. The High Priest adjured Jesus to answer and thereby placed him under oath. 22. OTHE. Witnesses were to be solemnly warned (similar to an oath) and carefully examined regarding their testimony. The Gospels report no such procedure, or that the witnesses were in any way held accountable for their perjury. Perjurers suffered the same punishment the accused would have received. 23. DOUBLE JEOPARDY. Pilate should have released Jesus when he “found no fault in him,” (Matt. 27:24), and should have not been subjected to subsequent trials before Herod and Pilate. 24. UNANIMOUS VERDICT FORBIDDEN. In capital cases, a verdict of acquittal could be reached by a majority of one, but a verdict of conviction had to be reached by a majority of two. In capital cases, a conviction could be reversed to an acquittal. CONCLUSION Before the Sanhedrin, Jesus was interrogated about his doctrines. After proof failed, he was demanded to confess. He was illegally convicted of blasphemy and had not committed the capital offense of pronouncing the Divine Name. Of all the sensational trials there ever was; they wane in comparison to the most famous judicial transaction on our world’s historythat of the Galilean peasant, Jesus of Nazareth. It was nothing less than judicial murder.

BY DEE WAMPLER

1. ANNAS’ INTERROGATION. It was improper for Annas to interrogate Jesus alone, without other judges being present, especially since he was no longer a high priest. 2. PRESUMED GUILTY. The Sanhedrin erred in not taking into consideration the innocence of Jesus. There is no record of any members speaking in his behalf. The procedures of the Sanhedrin encouraged an actual bias in favor of the accused (similar to our presumption of innocence). A maxim of the Mishnah stated: “The Sanhedrin that executes more than one man in seven years is a slaughterhouse.” 3. SABBATH. It was forbidden to hold trials on the Sabbath holidays or preparation days. The proceedings against Jesus took place on the Seder night. 4. PUBLIC TRIAL. Trial proceedings had to be conducted in open session or in the Temple courtyard. The proceedings against Jess took place in the private residence of Caiaphas, not their regular meeting place.” 5. DELAY. Only acquittals could be announced immediately following trial proceedings. A guilty verdict had to be postponed until the following day, especially in the case of blasphemy (Lev. 24:11-12; Ex. 20:7) until everyone was sure the verdict corresponded to God’s will. 6. PROSECUTORS. The facts on which a sentence is based must be contained either in the testimony of the injured party (Deu. 21:20), or the evidence of at least two informers (Deu. 19:15). Witnesses were, in effect, the prosecutors. The judges were to weigh the evidence, although the evidence against Jesus was introduced by the presiding official of the court. 7. CROSS-EXAMINATION. The accused myst be given an opportunity to cross-examine and confront his accusers, divided into two modes of examination on the hakiroth and bedikoth. The hakiroth is related to the defense of alibi (if the accused can prove he was at a different place at the time of the crime then he cannot have committed the crime). The bedikoth is a broader scope of examination allowing the accused to inquire (crossexamine) as to all relevant facts supporting the accuser’s story. 8. CAIAPHAS PREJUDICED. It was error for Caiphas to have acted as judge after having publicly declared that Christ deserved death. 9. MOB VIOLENCE. It was error to have left him unguarded to the unrestrained license of the mob in the gallery of Caiaphas’ palace or court for an hour or more. 10. SEQUESTRATION OF WITNESS. Witnesses were sequestered to help prevent

conspiracies to defraud the court. It was required that the judges take proper precautions to prevent witness tampering. Witnesses were not allowed to hear each other testify (similar to our Rule as to Witnesses), but this was not done. 11. REVERSE SENIORITY. The high priest spoke first in finding Jesus guilty and urging the other judges to find him guilty with the immediate result that “they all judged against him as being guilty with the immediate result that “they all judged against him as being guilty, punishable by death” (Mark 14:64). Judges with less seniority were supposed to vote before those who had more seniority (to prevent undue influence). One judge is forbidden to say to the other, “Adopt my view.” 12. UNANIMOUS VOTE. A unanimity of judges voting for condemnation nullifies the conviction in capital cases (in order to prevent collusion). Jewish law prohibited a unanimous vote. 13. CONFESSION. Under Jewish law, a confession of the accused was not sufficient in contrast to Roman criminal cases. But Jesus was sentenced on the basis of his confession alone. 14. PREJUDICE OF SANHEDRIN. If Jesus committed blasphemy in the Sanhedrin, the judges would be the eyewitnesses and witnesses to a crime were disqualified from being a judge. In Jesus’ case all the members of the council participated in the verdict. 15. SOBRIETY. The participants in a trial were required to be in a state of mental sobriety and clarity. The Sanhedrin sat in judgment not only after having been rudely awakened from sleep but only a few hours after all the members had command quantities of wine at a Seder. 16. DAYTIME. In capital cases, trials must occur during the daytime and the verdict must also be reached during the daytime and occur over at least two days. Since the Jewish day started and ended with sundown, Jesus was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced during one day. But he was arrested and tried within a twenty-four hour period. 17. JUDGMENT SEAT. Caiaphas left his seat and went over to the table of the members sitting in the courtroom (Mark 14:60). This was a violation of the law because one who sits in judgment must indeed remain seated to demonstrate his exalted position over those summoned before the court. 18. AGREED TESTIMONY. The two witnesses’ testimonies must be consistent with each other from the start to finish and agree on every detail. If they contradicted each other on the slightest detail all their testimony was stricken. (Num.35:30; Deu. 17:6) 19. FAILURE TO WARN. No person may be convicted of blasphemy unless two lawfully

Springfield, MO Attorney Dee Wampler has 50 years trial experience as a Greene County prosecutor and defense attorney, and is the author of “The Myth of Separation of Church and State” ACV editor’s note: You can secure the entire booklet, “The Trial of Christ: A 21st Century Lawyer Defends Jesus.” by contacting Mr. Wampler’s office at (417) 882-9300. It is a must for every library that cherishes our Lord.

APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

50 shades

BY BENJAMIN NOLOT

Sex Trafficking Expert Has 5 Alarming Concerns About ‘Fifty Sh n an age when sexual violence against women around the globe is at epidemic proportions and the leading cause of injury to women is violence at the hands of men, Hollywood has decided to gift us with the film adaptation of E.L. James' absurdly popular book Fifty Shades of Grey.

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson glamorizes the film, released to coincide with Valentine's Day, as a "powerful and romantic love story." In reality, Fifty Shades of Grey is nothing short of a horror story about a powerful and sadistic male perpetrator who preys on Anastasia Steele, a young, naïve and virginal college girl. And though the screenplay is not worth the roll of toilet paper it was written on, moviegoers from around the world flocked to theaters, spending over $260 million to see the film on its opening weekend. As the director of Nefarious: Merchant of Souls (a film exposing sex trafficking) and the founder and CEO of Exodus Cry, I have five primary concerns about this movie and its apparent mainstream appeal. 1. The story romanticizes sadistic perpetrators. The male protagonist, Christian Grey, is the textbook profile of a sadistic perpetrator: possessive, hyper-controlling, bullish, volatile, caustic, broodingly jealous, narcissistic, manipulative and fixated on inflicting pain, humiliation and degradation on another human being. The abuse portrayed in Fifty Shades of Grey is not an imagined scenario that only plays out on the pages of a book or in the frames of a feature film. Instead, it is a real and measurable offense that permeates our world. In an analysis of the book's content published in the academic Journal of Women's Health, researchers systematically analyzed the actual content to "elucidate patterns consistent with national definitions of intimate partner violence and associated reactions known to occur in abused women." Consistent with the Centers for Disease Control's definitions of intimate partner violence, emotional abuse was present in nearly every interaction and included stalking, intimidation, isolation and humiliation; all strategies that collectively served to control Anastasia. Sexual violence, the use of alcohol

to promote compliance and intimidation were also pervasive. Throughout the course of the story, Anastasia experienced a range of reactions commonly reported by abused women, including perceived threats, difficulty managing stress, yearning, altered identity, disempowerment and entrapment. Despite this, the author excuses—even justifies—Grey's exploitative behavior because "he is impossibly good in bed." Sadly, actress Dakota Johnson, who plays Anastasia, has referred to Grey as a "hero character." It is interesting that even Jamie Dornan, who plays Grey, recognizes the sordid nature of the character he portrays. "[T]here were times when Dakota was not wearing much, and I had to do stuff to her that I'd never choose to do to a woman," said Dornan. "[I've] played a couple of sick, sick dudes, serial killers ... and characters who don't treat women the way society deems appropriate. [Still,] Christian was a massive challenge." Despite such admissions and the fact that Grey is an abusive manipulator, the author and screenwriters spin his actions in such a way as to sanitize and glorify his sexual deviance and exploitation of Anastasia. 2. The story reinforces and perpetuates a cultural narrative that renders women as a subjugated class of sexual objects that men use and consume. Fifty Shades of Grey is merely an amplification of a toxic cultural narrative in which women exist as objects of male desire whose sole purpose is to be consumed by dominant, aggressive and hyper-"masculine" men. The Fifty Shades of Grey directive to women is no secret as the film's bold tagline encourages women to "lose control." Tragically, in this narrative and in real-life scenarios all around the globe, countless women and girls are losing control as victims of rape and exploitation every day. 3. The story redefines love by replacing respect and compassion with abuse and narcissistic pleasure-seeking. This film has been marketed by promoters as "a fairy-tale love story." But I have to ask, "Whose fairy tale is this? And where does love appear anywhere in this picture?" Rather than expressing love through kindness or an empathetic interest in helping Anastasia

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achieve her potential as a woman, Grey treats her as nothing more than a sexual conquest driven by his own narcissism. The film justifies Grey's abusive and obsessive behavior— including his illegal intrusion into a woman's apartment—as justifiable acts of love rather than warning signs of a dangerous, exploitive relationship. 4. The story mainstreams and normalizes BDSM. Many people assume that the genre of sex called Bondage and Discipline Sadomasochism (BDSM) and glamorized by Fifty Shades of Grey is only about the harmless use of blindfolds, whips and handcuffs to spice things up a bit. But I think this narrow view is a mistake ... and a danger. Even a brief glimpse into the world of BDSM demonstrates a far deeper, more sinister significance. As part of my research regarding human trafficking and the commercial sex trade, I toured Kink Armory in San Francisco, California, multiple times. The things I witnessed at this film studio and epicenter of the BDSM community were disturbing—even traumatizing. These experiences combined with interviews of numerous people immersed in this world have led me to the undeniable conclusion that BDSM is ultimately not about some erotic thrill but about the desecration of humanity. It is alarming that Fifty Shades of Grey is providing a gateway into this dark world of debasement. While I was at Kink, they boasted of hundreds of sex slaves within their community who are subjected to the worst kinds of abuse. How do they subjugate these sex slaves? Their website boldly explains: "To train these female slaves, master trainers use everything from humiliation, bondage, whipping, caning and corporal punishment ... but ... the primary means of training female sex slaves is psy-

hades of Grey’

These stories shape our ideas and values. It is up to us to raise our voices and restore the conscience of our society and to reclaim our dignity from those who seek to steal it.

chology. Consensual domination increases each woman's submission, remolding her mind and attitude until she is an obedient sex slave." The site then emphasizes, "REAL SLAVE TRAINING, NOT STAGED."

tween the Fifty Shades of Grey characters. This should tell us something about the gravity of this so-called love story. Fifty Shades of Grey is not made as a cautionary tale of what to avoid, but as a romantically appealing journey for any unsuspecting young girl.

Public shaming is another way that Kink dominates their victims. Their website describes the process: "Girls are stripped naked and tied up in bondage on city streets and then (expletive)for everyone to see ... [they] are humiliated in public ... for everyone to see. Women become sex slaves to be used by groups of men ... ." I'll never forget sitting across from Cameron Bay, a former "actress" in the porn industry, as she recounted the horror of enduring such an experience at Kink. In Bay's case, she was brutalized to the point of needing surgery to recover.

It is a desperately naïve, dangerous, and reckless presentation of "romance" that lacks any conscience whatsoever and will sadly lead many people into the debased world of BDSM. Irrespective of concerns surrounding the film, Shades of Grey has mainstreamed BDSM; this is a disturbing development in a world already teeming with actual sex slaves and where sexual violence against women has reached epidemic proportions.

The BDSM community talks a great deal about "consent," "trust" and "play"—all terms carefully and intentionally crafted in order to imply some code of ethics, and more significantly, a legal construct in which one person can sexually assault another person. How this "consent" is achieved is another matter of scrutiny that I won't go into here. Typically, the defense from those promoting and profiting from BDSM relates to the concept of consent of the victim. This defense fails to take into account the international law regarding torture. Instead, international law states that torture is illegal, regardless of consent. In simple terms, this means that BDSM is a human rights violation. Specifically, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 5 states that, "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" Regardless of the laws and rulings concerning torture, assault and consent, BDSM is on the rise. Ironically, some members of the BDSM community are speaking out against the exploitative nature of the relationship be-

5. The entertainment industry and our society in general fail to acknowledge the real harm done to real women as a result of the consumption of sexually violent media like Fifty Shades of Grey. Make no mistake. There is a tangible consequence that results from the dissemination and consumption of sexually violent media. We must recognize and take inventory of the harm that these so called "fantasies" are inflicting on real women in real time. In order to appreciate the depths of this concern, it is critically important to understand the way that sexually violent media changes societal norms. Studies have shown that there is a powerful and measurable phenomenon called the "media effect" which occurs when media influences our cultural norms and preferences.

people—both perpetrators and victims—into believing that sexual violence is permissible. This means that because of the widespread production, dissemination, and consumption of sexually violent media, real women are being acted out against by real men, and both are seeing it as normal, deserved and desirable. Furthermore, the detrimental effects of sexually violent media and its ability to normalize abuse goes beyond the confines of "romantic" relationships, like the falsely-labeled romance in Fifty Shades of Grey. Sexually violent media is so ubiquitous in today's culture that it actually changes the sexual templates of men (and women), meaning that it changes what kind of sex they desire. Women who are victims of prostitution almost unanimously report that violent pornography influences the abusive behaviors of pimps and sex buyers. Sex buyers begin to desire the kind of sex they see, and they demand it from trafficked, exploited and prostituted women. When a sex buyer's wife doesn't want to be tied up, flogged and sexually tortured, he will often fulfill his media-inspired desire with the women he purchases who are not allowed to refuse. Prostituted and trafficked women suffer traumatic brain injuries at rates as high as torture survivors; they are often burned with cigarettes, slashed with razor blades, raped, tied up, punched, kicked and regularly murdered. Many of these violent behaviors are often portrayed through violent media.

Research done over the past 30 years has demonstrated that viewing violent sexual content has the effect of significantly changing attitudes of both men and women toward sexual violence, including rape. In experimental studies, after viewing violent sexual media where women were victimized, men reported that they thought women deserved the treatment (even rape), secretly desired it and enjoyed it. Women who viewed violent sexual content began to believe that they should accept that behavior as normal, desire it and enjoy it—or at least act like they do.

As I write this, Fifty Shades of Grey has recently broken box-office records on a weekend that is traditionally supposed to be about love. My heart is heavy for the women and children whose experiences with sexual abuse are being undermined by this production. As a filmmaker, I care about the stories we tell in our culture through film and other forms of media. These stories shape our ideas and values. It is up to us to raise our voices and restore the conscience of our society and to reclaim our dignity from those who seek to steal it. We must take a stand and tell the truth about the impact of sexually violent films on our culture.

One of the most important considerations in any conversation about Fifty Shades of Grey should be the ability of films like this to alter attitudes about the harmful effects of exploitation and rape. Media produces "permission giving beliefs" that influence

Benjamin Nolot is the executive director of Exodus Cry out of IHOP in Kansas City, and the director of Nefarious: Merchant of Souls Unless otherwise specified, the opinions expressed are solely the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of Charisma Media. APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

women’s ministry

Why We Don't Need “Women’s” Ministry Dear Women’s Ministry: he world can give me cute cupcake designs and decorating tips, scrapbooking parties, casserole recipes, and other ways to pass the time. But truly, with my respect and love, may I be honest? If I wanted to learn how to decorate cupcakes, I would take a class in it. If I wanted to be educated on strategies for decorating my home inexpensively from Winners, I would just, you know, go to Winners. Or Pinterest.

BY SARAH BESSEY

But I’m here with you now because I want what the world cannot give me. We’re choking on cutesy things and crafty bits, safe lady topics, and if one more person says that modest is hottest with a straight face, I may throw up. We are hungry for authenticity and vulnerability, not churchified life hacks from lady magazines. Some of us are drowning, suffocating, dying of thirst for want of the cold water of real community. We’re trying really hard–after all, we keep showing up to your lady events, and we leave feeling just a bit empty. It’s just more of the same every time. The women of our world aren’t looking for a safe place to cry about housework and ooh-and-ahhh over centerpieces. We’re not all mothers, some of us work outside the home, some of us have kids, and others don’t or won’t or can’t. Is womanhood only about wifehood and motherhood? What about those among us that are not wives and mothers? We’re not all in the same season of life. We are – or should be – diverse image bearers of a Divine God. We need Jesus. We are seeking deep spirituality. We are seeking fellow travelers. We are hungry for true community, a place to tell our stories and listen to another, to love well. But above all, point me to Jesus–not to

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the sale at the mall. You know what I would have liked instead of decorating tips or a new recipe? I would have liked to pray together. I would have liked the women of the church to share their stories or wisdom with one another, no more celebrity speakers, please just hand the microphone to that lady over there that brought the apples. I would love to wrestle with some questions that don’t have a oneparagraph answer in Dana Carvey’s Church Lady character on Church Chat from your study guide. I SNL ... with “her” famous line, “Isn’t that special” would like to do a Bible ate life and art and justice with intention. study that does not have pink or flowers on the cover. I would have liked to sign up to Let’s be a community of women, gathered bring a meal for our elderly or drop off together to live more whole-heartedly, to some clothes for a new baby or be informed sharpen, challenge, love, and inspire one about issues in our city where we can make another to then scatter back out to our space for God. I would like to organize and worlds bearing the mandate to be women prioritize, to rabble-rouse and disturb the that love. Idelette McVicker wrote: peace of the rest of the world on behalf of justice, truth, beauty, and love. I’d love to Let us RISE to the questions of our time. hear the prophetic voice of women in our Let us SPEAK to the injustices in our world. church. Let us MOVE the mountains of fear and intimidation. Please, may we be the place to detox from Let us SHOUT down the walls that separate the world – its values, its entertainment, its and divide. priorities, its focus on appearances and maLet us FILL the Earth with the fragrance of terialism and consumerism? Love. Let us be women who Love. So here is my suggestion: Please stop treating women’s ministry like a Safe I’ll bring the cupcakes next time (although Club for the Little Ladies to Play Church. they likely won’t look as cute). We are smart. We are brave. We want to change the world. We run marathons to benefit our sisters, not so that we can lose weight. We have more to offer to the church than our mad decorating skills. I look around, and I can see that these women can offer strategic leadership, wisdom, counsel, and even, yes, teaching. We want to give and serve and make a difference. We want to be challenged. We want to read books and talk politics, theology, and current events. We want to wrestle through our theology. We want to listen to each other. We want to worship, we want to intercede for our sisters and weep with those who weep, rejoice with those that rejoice, to cre-

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Sarah Bessey is a writer, a speaker, and an awardwinning blogger. She is the author of Jesus Feminist (Howard Books). She lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, with her husband, Brian, and their three tinies. You can check out Sarah at: www.sarahbessey.com www.ChurchLeaders.com

50 shades

Fifty Shades of Grace o that I may understand grace, I decided to look up every passage of scripture with the word grace in it. I noticed that if I took out some repeating verses about grace and peace, and the word grace used in a general salutation, I found it left me with about 50 verses in the New Testament.

It is then that I thought it would be fun to call this study “Fifty Shades of Grace”. No, I have not read the popular book Fifty Shades of Grey, nor do I plan on seeing the movie. I personally have better things to do with my time, one of which is to grow in wisdom and in understanding of God’s wonderful Grace.

9. Romans 1:5 ~ GRACE for obedience to the Faith.

cording to GRACE. 34. Ephesians 2:5 ~ Made alive by GRACE.

10. Romans 1:7 ~ GRACE and peace from God.

35. Ephesians 2:8 ~ Saved by GRACE.

11. Romans 3:24 ~ Justified by GRACE.

36. Ephesians 3:2~ Dispensation of GRACE.

12. Romans 4:16 ~ Sure Promise according to GRACE.

37. Ephesians 3:7 ~ Gift of GRACE. 38. Philippians 1:7 ~ Partakers of GRACE.

13. Romans 5:2 ~ GRACE by which we stand.

39. Colossians 1:6 ~ Knowing GRACE.

14. Romans 5:17 ~ Abundance of GRACE.

40. Colossians 3:16 ~ GRACE in your heart.

15. Romans 5:20 ~ Abounding GRACE.

41. 2 Thessalonians 2:16 ~ Good hope through GRACE.

16. Romans 5:21 ~ Reigning GRACE. The word “shades” carries the meaning of subtle differences in meaning, slight amount or degrees of difference. As we read through these fifty verses I believe we will see that God’s grace has degrees of different meaning. It is important to define grace in the context in which we find it in the scriptures.

17. Romans 6:14 ~ Under GRACE.

42. Titus 2:11 ~ GRACE that brings Salvation.

18. Romans 11:5 ~ Election of GRACE.

43. Philemon 1:25 ~ GRACE with our spirit.

19. Romans 12:3 ~ Through GRACE.

44. Hebrews 4:16 ~ Throne of GRACE.

20. Romans 12:6 ~ Gifts according to GRACE.

45. Hebrews 12:28 ~ Serving GRACE.

Left entirely to the most commonly known definition of unmerited favor, we only experience a partial reality of God’s grace. I personally believe we can see three very distinct applications of God’s grace toward us and upon us, saving grace, strengthening grace and serving grace. As we look through each of the following passages of Scripture on grace we will see God’s grace isplayed in one of the above expressions.

21. Romans 16:20 ~ GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ.

46. Hebrews 13:9 ~ Establishing GRACE. 47. 1 Peter 3:7 ~ Heirs together of the GRACE of life.

22. Romans 16:24 ~ GRACE be with you. 48. 1 Peter 4:10 ~ Manifold GRACE. 23. 1 Corinthians 1:3 ~ GRACE to you. 49. 2 Peter 1:2 ~ GRACE multiplied. 24. 1 Corinthians 15:10 ~ GRACE toward me.

50. 2 Peter 3:18 ~ Grow in GRACE.

25. 2 Corinthians 6:1 ~ GRACE received in vain. Eternally Dedicated God Equipped to Go.

1. John 1:14 ~ Jesus, full of GRACE. 26. 2 Corinthians 8:1 ~ GRACE bestowed. 2. John 1:16 ~ GRACE upon grace. 27. 2 Corinthians 8:6 ~ Completed GRACE.

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3. John 1:17 ~ GRACE and Truth came. 28. 2 Corinthians 9:14 ~ Exceeding GRACE. 4. Acts 4:33 ~ Great GRACE upon them. 29. 2 Corinthians 12:9 ~ Sufficient GRACE. 5. Acts 13:43 ~ Continue in GRACE. 30. Galatians 1:15 ~ Called through GRACE. 6. Acts 14:3 ~ Word of His GRACE. 31. Galatians 2:9 ~ Perceived GRACE. 7. Acts 15:11 ~ Saving GRACE. 32. Galatians 5:4 ~ Fallen from GRACE. 8. Acts 20:24 ~ Gospel of GRACE. 33. Ephesians 1:7 ~ Forgiveness of sins acAPRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

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The Faith of Leornard Nimoy e was the actor who played Mr. Spock on Star Trek. He was a man who could not escape the character of Mr. Spock in real life. He was Leonard Nimoy, the author of

BY NICK PITTS / DENNISON FORUM

the autobiographies I am Not Spock (1975) and I am Spock (1995). He could try to run away from his famed character, but he could not hide from the cultural impact he made. Last week, Leonard Nimoy left our planet, passing away at the age of 83. In 1965, Nimoy decided to play the half-human, half-Vulcan character, the first officer on starship Enterprise. Little did he know that this dual identity would be with him the rest of his life. With ears

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pointing to the sky and fingers splitting to each side, Leonard Nimoy was a distinguishable cultural icon that needed no introduction. He played an emotionally detached advisor to the captain, offering a logical perspective in chaotic situations. However, in his actual life, he was much different. Growing up as a first-generation American, Nimoy was raised by Ukrainian Jewish immigrants in a largely Catholic neighborhood. The son of a barber, Nimoy's Jewish heritage often put him in hostile situations and close proximity to bullies of the Catholic variety. However, he refused to

We love israel!

A Better Alternative To Easter... Passover

oday many Christians are seeking the biblical Jewish roots of their faith in Yeshua (Jesus). One of the primary ways in which Yeshua is revealed in the Old Covenant (Hebrew “Tenach”) scriptures is through the biblical feasts of the Lord.

According to Exodus 12, God instructed the Israelites to take the “blood of a lamb” and put it on the doorposts of their houses – and that when He saw the blood, He would “pass over” their houses, and spare them the plague that was coming upon Egypt – God was also now preparing to deliver the children of Israel from 400 years

reciprocate that behavior. He used his sense of humor to disarm people and wisdom to influence people. He lived life fully and extended grace generously.

Nimoy blessed those who he knew and also blessed an unknowing watching audience.

of slavery and bondage to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. This has great application for believers in Yeshua today, whether Jew or Gentile, because Yeshua (Jesus) is our Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! Also in Exodus 12 God commanded for future generations that any Gentiles living amongst the Israelites should celebrate the Feast of Passover with the Jewish people, a picture of unity in the Messiah between Jew and Gentile. This year enjoy a traditional Passover Seder conducted accordingly to traditions followed since the redemption of our Jewish people from Egypt in the time of Moses. The Seder will be led by Rabbi Jeremy Storch of The Tabernacle and held at Sanctuary of Hope on Monday, April 6th

at 6:30 PM. Worship and rejoice as we celebrate our spiritual redemption through the Messiah, our Passover Lamb with 2 hours of Biblical rituals and teaching, singing, dancing, blessings and with a 1 hour, full course, delicious chicken and beef dinner. Reservations only - no walk ins. For more information contact The Tabernacle.

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The Tabernacle Branson’s Messianic Congregation 256 Church Road Branson, MO 65616 (417) 334-7373 www.TheTabernacleInBranson.com

In an early episode when Mr. Spock went back to his Vulcan planet to attend a wedding ceremony, Nimoy thought there needed to be something more than the words and simple blocking designated in the script. He wanted there to be something that brought depth and richness to the Vulcan culture, in order to make it come alive to the viewing audience. Nimoy, remembering a significant moment in his childhood, offered up the live long and prosper sign.

With eyes wide open, Leonard saw men with their hands raised with what came to be known as the Vulcan signal. This hand gesture forms the Hebraic letter 'shin,' which is emblematic for Shaddai (a Hebrew name for God). As the men proclaim the priestly blessing with their hands high and wails loud, the shekinah (Hebrew for dwelling, representing the Divine Presence of God) fills the room, blesses the people, and gives a little taste of 'shalom' (Hebrew for peace) (Numbers 6:24-26).

This sign made an indelible mark upon Nimoy as a child. Joining his father, grandfather, and brother at a ceremony at a local synagogue, a young Leonard was instructed not to look up. With eyes covered, a discordant wailing filled the room accompanied by sporadic shouts in Yiddish from the others in the room. The wailing and shouts sent chills down young Leonard's back, which caused him to open his eyes.

The blessing that happened in the room on that day would ripple forth into frontiers unknown, such as television screens in 2015. This blessing continues to splatter across screens and serve as a geeky greeting to the Trekkies among us. Blessings are like the fruit of a tree, nourishing for others and rotten if kept to itself. May you, boldly going where no man has gone before, be a tree that lives long and prospers well.

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musings from the editor

are forever joined together by railroad ties that are so strong it would take serious machinery to separate them.

ciation for the other side but it should be very short visits. We need not be shipwrecked between hope and despair.

The fact is, they are pretty much guaranteed to keep the two rails together.

Tigger understands who he is in Christ. He knows that he was birthed from above (born again) guaranteeing him Righteousness, Peace and Joy. He lives that truth out everyday.

ife has always been compared to peaks and valleys. Sometimes you are on the beautiful, vista viewed, mountain top and other times deep in the valley of despair.

This is true of the good and bad rails in our lives. No matter how good your life seems to be going there will always be something trying to diminish it on the other “rail”.

However, I heard Rick Warren mention that in all reality, our good and bad experiences run parallel to each other. He gave the example of receiving a large royalty check for Purpose Driven Life at the same time of dealing with the cancer diagnosis of his wife, Kay. Then, when Rick was at the zenith of popularity, the Warrens lost thier son, Matthew, to suicide a few years ago.

By the same token, if it seems you are going through a rough patch and find yourself saying, “When it rains... it pours.”, you need to make a concerted effort to camp out on the other rail.

ily, m a f e, , lov s d ien e, fr m o h, h t l a he

uf Since the sucky rail will never go Co P o C away I find it helpful to concen, nics c trate on the rail of blessings. i p rs, Because if you liter, ca e c ally made Gra

, om d e , fre ent m in erta t n k, e wor

e, trif s , ow orr s , s nes k c i ,s xes a t s, bill These events indeed parallelled each other. The great joys and triumphs can certainly be eclipsed by these horrendous earthly trials or a different perspective can be entertained. Notice that the good rail and the bad rail

Eeyore on the other hand, believes what many religious folks have drummed into his absorbant, cotton stuffed head. He feels ashamed and obligated to be downcast. He doesn’t seem to understand that not only was he freed from the power of sin; he s,

BY JOHN G. SACOULAS, ACV MANAGING ED

Is life like peaks and valleys or is it more like railroad tracks?

f, rie g , on nsi e t , ent m y lo mp e n u

ent m t n poi p a dis

a list of things you are thankful for it will help you focus on the positive.

Unlike paying taxes, you really do have a choice on which rail you choose to spend your time on. We all can choose to be Tigger who is almost oblivious to sadness or Eeyore who wouldn’t even be comfortable on the blessings track. Understandably, it is human nature to visit the other rail from time to time and it may even be beneficial to have a gauge of appre-

c, usi m ap s, r c i t li , po

h a s been freed from the condemnation of sin. Jesus took all our shame and condemnation on the cross and in return He imparted to us His perfect righteousness, Peace and Glory. This is very Good News (Gospel) indeed! Don’t be like the guy who kept hitting his head against the wall. When asked why he kept doing this, he replied, “Because it feels so good when I stop.” Know the truth. Read the book of Romans again. Pray to God that the Holy Spirit opens your heart and soul to this wonderful gift from our loving creator who is absolutely head over heels in love with you. John, sees the bigger picture from a distance.

APRIL 2015 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM