by Aarron Pina | Mar 23, 2012 | Uncategorized
Lies for the day. Truth to set us free.
The purpose of this column is to examine commonly held beliefs that are a part of the world system (kosmos) which is diametrically opposed to the Kingdom of God. These are the things we believe to be “just the way it is”. The truth is, it’s not “just the way it is” – there is a source from which these beliefs come and are exported into our world. There is, indeed, another world beyond what we can see, ruled by “the prince of the power of the air”, who hates God and all of the elect and will stop at nothing to “steal, kill and destroy” them.
Among these lies are statements so close to the truth that their flaws are nearly imperceptible to the naked eye. For this reason, we must look at them more closely, holding them up to the scriptures for proof that they are counterfeits.
“I’d take a bullet for my wife.” This may be a true statement, but for far fewer husbands than might admit it. The truth, as we look at it, is “I’d take a bullet for my wife, so long as she’s not the one pulling the trigger.”
by Aarron Pina | Mar 3, 2012 | Uncategorized
I have over 1200 Facebook friends – people like me. Seasons of Life has over 100 “fans”. But, am I playing to the audience that counts? When I think of the effort I’ve put into getting people to become a fan of me, I now begin to wonder – have I wasted energy, time, and effort in the wrong pursuit? I am already dearly loved by God. The Creator of the Universe calls me His child, His adopted, His friend. Shouldn’t that be enough?
by Aarron Pina | Feb 29, 2012 | Uncategorized
I’m re-reading “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan and I’m stuck in the introduction:
“From my perspective, the Holy Spirit is tragically neglected and, for all practical purposes, forgotten. While no evangelical would deny His existence, I’m willing to bet there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives over the past year. And many of them do not believe they can.”
by Aarron Pina | Feb 28, 2012 | Uncategorized
What’s the difference between a pregnant woman and a light bulb?
At the risk of gaining your attention at the expense of your respect, can I explain myself before I give the punchline? The bible teaches us to avoid foolish talk and coarse joking and I believe that we should. It also teaches us to “have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” I have a ton of context to give you as we unpack the matters at hand today, among them, my own past, experiences, and most importantly the truth that stops me and should stop us all dead in our tracks as we journey down these paths.
Nicholas Cage describes a powerful toxin to one of his CIA superiors in the movie “The Rock”: “…it’s very terrible, Sir. It’s something we wish we could disinvent.” So, here’s your punchline: You can’t unscrew a light bulb. There are things in this life, like hitting “publish” on this blog post, like inventing a super-poison, like crossing over the line of virginity and into “sexually active (or, activated)” that just cannot be undone. No matter how hard I scrub, there’s nothing but time, the blood of Christ, and the renewing of my mind (Romans 12.2) that can erase the many pornographic images that were etched on the canvas of my imagination from the time I was first exposed to it at age 8 or 9.
I cannot “unsleep” with the dozens of lovers I’ve had in my life any more than
Here’s some background in case you’ve not been paying attention:
I grew up in a small enough town that just about everyone knew everyone else’s business. Yet, I was taught to be sexually experimental by two other boys in my neighborhood before I was even in my teens. This led to a prolonged period of sexual promiscuity, a decades long addiction to pornography, and sexual identity issues up to the threshold of my thirties.
by Aarron Pina | Feb 6, 2012 | Uncategorized
Support Update – 2012
Last year looked like this:
Here’s what your support did:
Here are the current obstacles:
What your support now could mean to this ministry:
Consider these three ideas:
1. Now
2. Regular
3. Timed
