NO GREY AREA

Contributors Kevin DeYoung   February 11, 2015

This article is by far the best I've read on this topic. And now, enough of reading about it.

‪#‎50DollarsNot50Shades‬

There is nothing gray about whether a follower of Christ should see 50 Shades of Grey. This is a black and white issue. Don’t go. Don’t watch it. Don’t read it. Don’t rent it.

I don’t even want to talk about it. Another blogger and I went back and forth for several weeks about how we could write a satirical review panning the movie and skewering those who think they need to see it in order to be relevant. We couldn’t do it. There was no way to make the humor weighty enough to sufficiently condemn such a vile film.

And no, I haven’t seen the movie. I haven’t watched the trailer either. I haven’t read a single page from the book. Reading about the premise from Wikipedia and the IMDb for two minutes convinced me I didn’t need to know any more. Sex is a wonderful gift from God, but like all God’s gifts it can be opened in the wrong context and repackaged in ugly wrapping.  Violence against women is not acceptable just because she’s open to the suggestion, and sex is not open to all permutations, even in an adult relationship. Mutual consent does not a moral philosophy make.

Sex is a private matter to be shared in the privacy and sanctity of the marriage bed (Heb. 13:4). Sex, as God designed it, is not meant for actors who pretend (or not) that they are making “love.” The act of conjugal union is what married couples do behind closed doors, not what disciples of Jesus Christ pay money to watch on a screen the size of your house.

As I’ve said before, we have to take a hard look at what we put in front of our eyes as men and women seated in the heavenly places (Col. 3:1-2). If 50 Shades is a problem, by what standard do we give ourselves a pass on the rest of the sensuality we freely consume? To be sure, awareness of sin is not by itself the problem. The Bible is full of rank immorality. It would be simplistic and morally untenable—even unbiblical—to suggest you cannot watch sin or read about sin without sinning yourself. But the Bible never titil­lates with its description of sin. It never paints vice with virtue’s colors. It does not entertain with evil (unless to mock it). The Bible does not dull the conscience by making sin look normal and righteousness look strange.

Christians shouldn’t try to “redeem” 50 Shades of Grey. We should not get cutesy and advertize a new sermon series on “50 Shades of Grace.” We should not give both art and holiness a bad name by thinking that somehow something as dark as 50 Shades is worth viewing or worth reviewing. According to Paul’s logic, it is possible to expose sin and keep it hidden at the same time (Eph. 5:11-12). “A good man is ashamed to speak that which many people are not ashamed to act” (Matthew Henry).

Some movies do not deserve sophisticated analysis. They deserve sober repudiation. If the church cannot extend grace to sexual sinners, we’ve lost the heart of the gospel. And if we cannot tell people to stay away from 50 Shades of Grey, we’ve lost our minds.

viva e deixe viver !

by Joyce Meyer - set/2011

Esforcem-se para ter uma vida tranqüila, cuidar dos seus próprios negócios e trabalhar com as próprias mãos, como nós os instruímos. -- 1 Tessalonicensses 4:11

A frase viva e deixe viver significa "você cuide da sua vida, e eu cuido da minha - e vice-versa". E a Biblia confirma que isto é uma boa prática. Eu tenho descoberto que aplicar este princípio me ajuda a me alegrar com a minha própria vida.

Muitas vezes nós entramos em coisas que realmente não são da nossa alçada, e muitas vezes estas ações nos fazem sentir miseráveis. Eu o encorajo a não se envolver (no sentido de tentar resolver) ou entrar na vida dos outros demasiadamente. Seja um bom amigo, mas esteja atento para não se emaranhar na vida do outro. É possível se perder na vida dos outros, e isto não é o plano de Deus para você.

A maioria de nós tem o suficiente para cuidar da própria vida ao invés de tentar cuidar da vida dos outross. Então faça um propósito de cuidar de seus próprios negócios esforçando-se para viver em tranquilidade e em paz. É uma boa maneira de se viver!

losing your joy ?

by Cas - set/2011
... friends who speaks English... pardon my grammar :) 


As I listen to others and review my own life... I realize how true is that quotation from J. Meyer: 'We need to stop losing our joy over other people's bad choices'. She is right. It's not worth it,  extremely fastidious and most important is not our business.

The magnitude of it can strike us, right? But is not our business how people around us conduce their lives, if they don't put us in danger or themselves (sometimes it's nothing we can do either). Because we are the ones who need to deal with the frustration about the third part. It's not enough to have our own problems, delusions, doubts and we want more? Oh, please get a life.

But then cames the realization that is something we can do in a very quiet, relaxing and amazing way. We can always pray about others... and for ourselves too, why not ?! For them, we can pray for wisdom and deliverance from our Savior, and for us to shut up and stop to give advices at wind (or to pigs ?). 

It's a challenge I know. We are so right about everything in other people's lives. We can make everything okay and all the obstacles are gone because we say so. Humpf. Sometimes we forget to just make a intercession for them and remember the 'war out there' is spiritually then the natural stuff. If we start to live with a resolution to just pray about it, it could be much better. And we'll have time to deal with our own lives and listen to God to help who -and if - He wants us to help. 

Don't take me wrong, God called us to make a difference, preach, bless and heal the ones who are suffering... Otherwise is all about us trying to make others to do what we think they are suppose to do. Crazy. 

As one of my favorite preacher - Steve Brown - said in his recent newsletter: 'So I've quit pretending to be better than I am. Insofar as I'm able to pull that off, I've discovered that people are drawn to Christ because nobody loves and forgives them the way he does'. It is our ego who suffers when people don't take our 'good words', advices and our way to live their own lives... well, let's stop trying to be good  and let's live for the Good One only. 

The huge impact is to live through Christ with love, compassion and with a complete understanding that nobody changes because of us... but because of HIM, who gave Himself to this world and has an inconditional love and grace for all... always and forever. 

The rest is history. Deal with that.

Let your light so shine before men...

Light bulb
Originally uploaded by Cinamonas

This music is a compassion itself... if we just let that truth stay in our minds and grow deep in our hearts.

'Shine your light and let the whole world see, We're singing for the glory of the risen King... Jesus'
'Migth to Save' - Hillsong Australia

Rock for Hunger

Rock For Hunger is going to end homelessness one person at a time through music and peace in Central Florida. Join, volunteer + make change.

Be a volunteer: http://rockforhunger.ning.com/page/volunteer-1

It starts in Orlando

Rock for Hunger was started by a group of students at the University of Central Florida. With the passion of making a difference in the community, and changing people's life, these students choose music as their driving force of getting the community involved to end poverty. Their community is the city where they reside, and the world in which they live. Starting city by city, state by state, country to country, and continent to continent, this group hopes to inspire people of all cultures to join them with music and in peace, and end the growing problem of poverty.

Only by everyone working together we can make the world a better place. Through a series of benefit concerts, we hope to raise awareness about local and global Hunger and Homelessness, and end poverty in Central Florida.

Music gets people together, music can send a powerful message, and music can spread peace.

Rock for Hunger is working on building the bridge between other nonprofit Organizations, companies, churches, and individuals who all see to end Poverty! Rock for Hunger is currently developing programs that will help provide food, shelter, education, job/business skills, life skills (such as budgeting, etc.), and many other needs that will help willing individuals break their cycle of poverty, and remain out of it. In Orlando, FL we have started a group that goes to bring food, clothes, entertainment, and companionship to the homeless every Monday. Our goal is to inspire people of all walks of life to start groups such as these in their communities all over the United States. It is highly important that we care for each other, and end the problems within our community. We can not end poverty worldwide without being able to end poverty in our own country. Only by working together as one community in peace, can we end poverty in our own country.

There are over 75 Million people living in Poverty in the US, of which 25% are Children!