Threads in the Tapestry

Brenda Ladun from our local Birmingham ABC affiliate recently interviewed Marc Philips and myself about Tapestry of Hope, our church community.

I'm posting a link for you here, should you care to go check it out. IF you do, why not leave a nice comment for the folks at ABC 33/40?

Before you watch it, let me just say that I'm not sure why the TV folks always like to get me sweating and squinting while looking at the sun, but they do - a lot. My eyes actually do open from time to time, and I am capable of telling my story without sweating profusely.

Here's the link.

I'm in Dallas this week, so please pray for me while I'm at this conference. Thanks!

Ok, so who saw this one coming? The President, in an effort to stimulate our flagging economy sent out economic stimulus checks of between $600 and $1200 to Americans. These checks started making their way through the US mail in mid May.

Gas prices are going up. Consumer debt is high. Milk and produce prices are up. Unemployment is up. So what are Americans doing with the stimulus checks in light of that? Purchasing stimulus - the wrong kind of stimulus.

This is the press release from the Adult Internet Research Market Company:

An unforeseen and surprising beneficiary of the Economic Stimulus Plan, a plan that George Bush contends will “boost our economy and encourage job creation,” has surfaced this week. An independent
market-research firm, AIMRCo (The Adult Internet Market Research Company), has discovered that many websites focused on adult or erotic material have experienced an upswing in sales in the recent weeks since checks have appeared in millions of Americans’ mailboxes across the country.

According to Kirk Mishkin, Head Research Consultant for AIMRCo, “Many of the sites we surveyed have reported 20 – 30 % growth in membership rates since mid-May when the checks were first sent out, and typically the summer is a slow period for this market.”

Jillian Fox, spokeswoman for LSGmodels.com, one of the sites reporting figures to AIMRCo, added, “In a June 15, 2008 survey to our members, thirty two percent of respondents referenced the recent stimulus package as part of their decision to either become a new member, or renew an existing membership.”

The economic stimulus plan, which includes a check for up to $600 for individuals and $1200 for married couples (among other benefits) is the product of an agreement between House leaders and the Bush Administration, focused on reviving a struggling
economy in the wake of a flagging economy.

Fox also added, “Getting more people to buy porn was probably the last thing Bush had on his mind when he came up with his ‘stimulus package,’ but we’ll take it.”

See, here's the deal - stress drives the cycle of addiction. Stress leads to anxiety and pain and when humans hurt they medicate - very often with inappropriate choices. These are the effects of the fall, and they'll be here until the return of Christ.

During all of this stress people are seeking to escape reality, and that's what porn is. It doesn't show reality. The reality of porn is far too disturbing - women sold into slavery, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, rampant spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the routine rape and abuse of performers, and a high suicide rate. These are just some of the problems we contribute to when we make these choices with our dollars and our time.

For more information on the reality of the porn industry, go to www.shelleylubben.com and read some of the stories.

What would be a better kingdom choice for this money? What about helping some of these performers leave the industry? They have enormous financial barriers keeping them trapped inside this cruel industry, and your donation could help enormously. In most cases, these performers who do bear the image of God, need rehab, recovery, counseling, education job training, a place to live, a new wardrobe, and medical care. It makes leaving the industry a formidable task, and they need help to do so.

It's a mission field, friends. Let's support it, and our friends Shelley Lubben and Daphne Khoury at the Pink Cross Foundation. Your donation from your stimulus check could be the stimulus for changing lives.

Hey friends!

Tonight I am so excited to have David Bruce, the webmaster and creator of Hollywood Jesus on the show!

This is a wonderful website about engaging culture where it is and finding the threads of the Gospel in the stories that Hollywood is selling and telling. Go Check it Out!

This should be an entertaining and informative hour of the show! Can't wait for this one.

Remember, if you don't have Sirius - you should. If you want to get a free trial - go to SIRIUS and get a 3 day free trial on the internet. Then you can listen to the show tonight at 9:00 EST, 8 CST, 6 PST.

Call in tonight to discuss movies and the Gospel! As always, you can e-mail questions to us in advance at hope@talprincelive.com

Wow. Sorry folks. Forgive me readers, it's been far too long since my last entry. Things are going very fast in my world of working several jobs and working on a book (finally!) has just added another thing on top of an already too hectic schedule. Can you say, Boundaries? Good for you! I apparently can not...

My wife, Teresa, and I did recently create a video for a great song by David Crowder that we used in our worship gathering at Tapestry last week. And at your request, Garrett, I'm posting it for you right here. We'll also post it up over at Youtube on a recently created Tapestry of Hope channel. Keep checking and it will be there soon!