John Markum

Stop “The Candy Shop”

I discovered this outrageous truth while at a conference in Atlanta. The statistic was that there are over 150,000 children in the sex trade industry… in the U.S. alone. That is among the 27 million individuals worldwide being sold into slavery for the purpose of sex trafficking. I was horrified at these statistics as you are no doubt feeling the same way as you read this. Below you’ll find a trailer to a movie coming out that creatively exposes this horrible truth. Additionally I’ve included links to organizations where you can learn more, and join the cause to do something about this tragedy. As the church, inaction is not optional for us… Luke 4:18, 19

www.stopthecandyshop.com – Coming movie website for “The Candy Shop”

www.streetgrace.org – A grassroots movement to end children’s sexual exploitation here in the U.S.

www.TheA21Campaign.org – The A21 Campaign: This group’s vision is to see the sex slave industry abolished in the 21st Century.

Click here to join The A21 Campaign on Facebook and stay updated.

 

John

P.S. – Don’t ignore this. Allow yourself to get uncomfortable about this…

18 Myths Singles Believe

This is coming straight from Perry Noble, pastor of NewSpring Church in SC and deserves reposting. Some apply more to men, some apply more to women. Here are 18 myths that singles buy into:

  • #1: Being miserable is the result of being single…getting married will solve all my problems.
  • #2: I’ve messed up in my past and do not deserve anyone good. (See I Corinthians 6:9-11, especially focus on verse 11!)
  • #3: Ephesians 3:20 isn’t true for me and my future spouse…I need to settle.
  • #4: This relationship that I am in isn’t what I would like my marriage to be like..but when we get married I can change this person.
  • #5: Having sex will simplify things and cause the person I am dating and myself to have so much more in common.  (See I Corinthians 6:18-20)
  • #6: This person is not God’s best for me…but if I rush through the process of dating and getting married then I have God backed into a corner and He has to bless me because He loves me, right?  (See Deuteronomy 6:16)
  • #7: Marriage isn’t that big of a deal…if my first one does not work out then I can drop them and start over.  (See Malachi 2:13-16)
  • #8: Getting married isn’t going to alter my lifestyle…I am still going to be able to live like I did when I was single, the only difference is I’m going to get to have more sex.
  • #9: I am going to get to have sex anytime I want.
  • #10: We are going to cuddle all of the time.
  • #11: The things that really get all over my nerves about this person won’t bother me as much when we get married.
  • #12: The fact that we do not agree on what we believe when it comes to Jesus and the church will not impact the way we raise our kids. (See II Corinthians 6:14 and Amos 3:3)
  • #13: We should live together before we get married to give it a “trial run,” after all, you would not buy a car without test driving it first.  (See Hebrews 13:4)
  • #14: I need to keep as many secrets about my past from this person as possible; after all, my past issues won’t impact this relationship at all.
  • #15: All of my friends are married…I am not…something is obviously wrong with me.
  • #16: The way I handle my money now will not impact my future marriage.
  • #17: When I get married my spouse will meet all of my needs.
  • #18: Dating is tough…marriage is easy!

The phrase no pain, no gain has been a mantra for athletes and fitness junkies for years. And what they understand about physical pain needs to be broadened to a much more general use in all of our lives. Pain hurts. That's the whole problem. No one enjoys it, and if someone does, we rightfully

The Premium of Pain