Month: March 2005

  • A wise pastor once said,


     


    THINK before you speak . . .


     



















    T

    is it TRUE?


    H

    is it HELPFUL?


    I

    is it INSPIRING?


    N

    is it NECESSARY?


    K

    is it KIND?


     


    “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers, this should not be.”  James 3:9-10  Read more in James 3:1-12


     


    Good word.

  • I’ve felt it on my heart to post something about premarital sex for some time now, and coincidentally [or more like God's divine timing], Scott wrote something about it, so I’m going to piggyback on his post.  Not only is this world being consumed by non-marital sex [whether it be premarital or adultery], the reality is that today’s CHURCH is filled with people having premarital sex – it is a major stronghold.  This post is definitely not to judge or condemn all those who are|were involved.  Of course we ALL have shortcomings and sins in our lives.  If you are currently in a sexually active relationship, I URGE you to get out!  I say this for your sake.  It seems that Satan is winning every time I see or hear about a couple who falls into his trap.  There are some bogus theories out there:


    -  “I need to try out different people b/c what if my husband|wife is not good in bed?”  If you only have sex with your husband or wife, they will be DANG good in bed b/c you won’t know otherwise.  And plus, God blesses purity!


    -  “We’re engaged so it’s okay since we know we’re going to get married.”  Nuh uh – it is NOT okay.  Until the couple is at the altar saying ‘I do’, they are not officially united.  Also, there are times where engagements are broken.


    -  “I love him|her and we plan to get married in the future.”  See one above.


    -  ”Oral sex is okay.”  Hecks no it isn’t – it still includes the word ‘sex’, doesn’t it?  The only person that should see your private parts is your husband|wife [except your parents when you were younger].


    -  “We’ve already done it, so it’s too late to stop.”  No it isn’t – it’s never too late.  Stop now!  Habitual sin causes us to feel distanced from God.  Not b/c God’s not there – He’s always there.


    This chart below makes me sad.  What’s sadder is that I’m sure the percentages have gone up since this 1995 study.


     


    Age at First Intercourse (NCHS, 1995)


     























    Males


    Females


    27% by age 15


    25% by age 15


    45% by age 16


    39% by age 16


    59% by age 17

    52 % by age 17


    69% by age 18


    65% by age 18


    85% by age 19


    77% by age 19



     


    Maybe some of you don’t want to hear this b/c you’re in denial of the wrongness, but open your eyes to the truth.  If you can’t believe my words, believe God’s . . .



    So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.  Galatians 5:16-21


    Some practical things I would strongly recommend for anyone in a relationship:


    1. Have at least one person that can keep you accountable with whom you can be honest with.
    2. Set STRICT physical boundaries – i.e. don’t be naive and think that you can lay on a bed together alone or go as far as you can without going all the way – Satan tempts every chance he gets!
    3. Have a guideline not to do anything behind closed doors that you wouldn’t do in public.
    4. Be very cautious of what you take in – tv shows, movies, music, books, magazines, books, etc.  People say that it doesn’t really affect them, but it does in subtle ways.  “Garbage in, garbage out”
    5. Ask the Holy Spirit to increase your self-control.


    Gosh, I could go on and on – I have so much to say, but I’ll just end with my final thought:


    When intimacy is not within God’s will, sooner or later there is pain, disappointment, and repercussions.  When intimacy is within God’s will, it is an AMAZINGLY beautiful thing.


     

  • Kudos to enter the studio, our site ghkim.com has been chosen by a jury of expert Flash designers and developers as a finalist in the Flash® Film Festival 2005 San Francisco – a competition gala awards ceremony honoring the best Flash work on the Web.


    We need your “People’s Choice” votes by Friday 03.25.05 05:00pm PST! To vote, browse to:


    http://www.flashforwardconference.com > SF Finalist > Vote [Our site is listed under the 'Navigation' nomination.]


    Thanks!


  • Thanks to my friend Kendra, I was exposed to an amazing story.  When I first saw the picture, I was grossed out, but I read the story which left me in awe.  Especially for anybody out there considering abortion, please read this.


     



    Photo by Michael Clancy


     


    “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”  Psalm 139:13


     


    The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner.  The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother’s womb.  Little Samuel’s mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta.  She knew of Dr. Bruner’s remarkable surgical procedure.  Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.  During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby.  As Dr. Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon’s finger.  Dr. Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile.  The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity.  The editors titled the picture, “Hand of Hope.”  The text explaining the picture begins, “The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother’s uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life.”  Little Samuel’s mother said they “wept for days” when they saw the picture.  She said, “The photo reminds us pregnancy isn’t about disability or an illness, it’s about a little person.”  Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful. 


     


    More at http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1012548/posts. 


    In his testimony, Alex [the father] noted, “We were devastated.  It’s every parent’s worst nightmare to learn that something is very wrong with your child.  The doctor painted a grim picture for us and stopped just short of suggesting an abortion.”  As Alex explained to NRL News after the hearing, “Our view was that after years of trying to conceive, this was the baby God chose to give us.  Julie and I are both Christians.  Scripture is clear on the sanctity of life in the womb, so ending the pregnancy was never an option for us.” 


     


    “Considering abortion?  Abortion will not resolve the fears that you have. It will only increase the psychological issues and bring about an unbearable guilt that few talk about.  Abortion comes with great risk of complications as well. Some women have experienced infertility and reproductive problems. Some have even died. Counseling and pastoral offices are full of women who are grieving the pain and guilt of abortion.”  Lynette Hoy