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A Tear and a Smile
By: Pete

I would rather that I died in yearning and longing,
than that I lived weary and despairing.
You have instilled love and beauty
in the depths of my spirit,
for I have seen the unconditional love of those who are satisfied,
She knows not of me through time and all that I've tried.
I have heard the sigh of those in yearning and longing,then the weeping of emotional pain.
People say it gets easier, but I know that person will never be the same.
Now evening is quickly coming,
the sun sets and a chill runs through him,
longing to just embrace her and breathe deeply in her scent.
As he looks around, the tears role down and he knows it's no use to relent.
As morning makes it's serene approach,
the sun opens her lips to meet the sun's kiss.
Eager to greet a new day, glad she chose not to stay,
But he feels the rain start to make it wetter,
the chill returns and he knows it will never be better,
Is it her? Is it him? Who's in denial?
Does it really matter?
When he sheds a tear, while she wears a smile.

THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD!
Instead be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. - Eph. 4:32

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Anyone seeking the heart of God. I have a passion for giving teens the tools to repel Satan's snares as they enter adulthood and perserving their blessings through purity and faithfulness. I have a desire to return Jesus to this nation's government throught he political arena.

STAGGERING STATISTICS:

When will we insist that our leadership in our homes, at our churches, and in our government stop pretending there is not a problem? One of Satan's most powerful weapons is pornography. That doersn't just mean those dirty movies. It's that television show with the steamy love scenes. It's going down the freeway entranced by the dozens of billboards. I'll let the statistics speak for themselves.

You will not and cannot be effective in your position if you let your sin go unchecked. Proverbs 28:13 "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

*WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:*
Survey of Pastors at 2006 conference.

• 51% of you say porn is a temptation.

• 69% of you started looking at porn out of curiosity.

• 37% of you say it's currently a struggle.

• 53% of you have visited porn sites in the past year.

• 18% percent of you look at porn a couple times a month.

• 30% of you do not talk to anyone about your dirty little secret.

• 4 in 10 of you looked at porn today.

• 100% of you need accountability.

(Christianity Today, Leadership Survey, December 2006).


*THE STATS ON WOMEN:*

• Breakdown of male/female visitors to pornography sites: 72% male - 28% female

• 70% of women keep their cyber activities secret.

• 17% of all women struggle with pornography addiction.

• Women, far more than men, are likely to act out their behaviors in real life, such as having multiple partners, casual sex, or affairs.

• Women favor chat rooms 3X more than men.

• 1 of 3 visitors to all adult web sites are women.

• 9.4 million women access adult web sites each month.

• Women admitting to accessing pornography at work: 13%

Stats from: Internet Filter Review



*Where Do Kids Access Porn?*

• Websites

• Search Engines

• Video Sharing

• PSP: Sony's Playstation Portable

• iPods

• DVD

• Dad's or Neighbor's Porn Stash

• Cell Phones

• TV: Local, Cable, and Satellite

• Social Networks: Myspace, Xanga, Facebook

• Instant Messaging

• P2P File Sharing Programs (Limewire, Acquisition, Kazaa)


HOW DO I KNOW IF THERE'S A PROBLEM?

*WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF A SEXUAL ADDICTION?*

Sexual Addiction will fit into the following criteria:

• Loss of control. Doing more than you intended or wanted.

• Compulsive behavior. A pattern of out-of-control behavior over time.

• Efforts to stop. Repeated attempts to stop the behavior, which fail.

• Loss of time. Significant amounts of time lost seeking, doing and/or recovering from the behavior.

• Preoccupation. Obsessing about the behavior or ritual.

• Inability to fulfill obligations. The acting out behavior interferes with work, school, family and/or friends.

• Continuation despite consequences. Unable to stop the behavior, despite its self-destructive nature and despite the potential negative consequences.

• Escalation. Need to make the behavior more intense, more frequent or more risky to get the same 'high.'

• Losses. Giving up hobbies, family, friends, and/or work in order to act out.

• Withdrawal. When you try to stop the behavior it causes distress, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, or physical discomfort. Many people report feeling depressed.



*NEXT STEPS*

First things first . It's not your fault. Recovery can happen, marriages can be saved and families can come together.

Your first priority: Get someone to talk to. As they start to walk toward forgiveness, spouses need to talk things out and develop their own forms of accountability.

Seek God: If you are not walking closely with the Lord right now, we encourage you to get back on the horse. Seek Him with all your heart. Your relationship with God is your lifeline. God will give you strength to love your spouse with Christ's love.

Don't condemn: Condemnation does not solve problems it elevates them. Most likely your reaction to the problem will be anger and condemnation. We encourage you to take a step back and let that anger find another outlet other than your spouse. Pray, call a friend, talk to your pastor. You by no means will be 100% perfect with this, but you must place yourself in a position to ward off the anger, as it will cause more division.

Show some love: Love may be the last thing you feel like showing your spouse right now. You're not a doormat for someone's porn problem. Adopt a "tough love" approach with your spouse. Set clear boundaries for behavior and consequences for breaking them.

Intervention: In some cases your spouse might be unwilling to admit to confront his dirty little secret. With some prayer and counsel from friends, family and pastoral care we suggest an intervention. An intervention is a big step to help cut the sin off at the knees.

Click here...learn about Passion for Purity!

LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO WASTE A SINGLE OPPORTUNITY.
APOLOGIZE WHEN YOU SHOULD
LET GO OF GRUDGES.
TAKE CHANCES WHEN THEY'RE THERE.
DON'T FEAR THE UNKNOWN.
HAVE FAITH IN GOD.
MAY GOD HAVE FAITH IN YOUR PROMISES.
REMEMBER THE GOOD, NOT JUST THE BAD.
ALWAYS REMEMBER WHAT YOU HAD.
CHASE YOUR TRUE LOVE AND NEVER FORGET
TO DO THIS WITH NOT A SINGLE REGRET.
IN ORDER TO DO THIS ONE MUST REMEMBER.
LIFE IS TOO SHORT.
LOVE DEEPLY,
KISS SLOWLY,
FORGIVE QUICKLY.



Pete serves as an Evangelist at Crossroads Ministry of Anaheim Hills and he is located in Palm Desert, CA. Pete is the founder of Passion for Purity (Crossroads sister ministry). Passion for Purity is a radio and podcast ministry designed to bring the Word of God into your home right through your computer. The show airs 4:00pm PST on Saturdays. At present, he serves on the board of Passion for Purity. Pete is also a member of Promise Keepers. With the 2007-2008 Man Up Conference season right around the corner, you can enjoy Pete’s song writing ability on the CD for the conferences titled Anger Management on sale Sept. 14. In his personal time, Pete is an avid history buff and political science enthusiast.
He and Kimberly are blessed with five lovely children.
FOR CONFERENCE TICKETS OR MORE INFORMATION ON MY MINISTRY PLEASE VISIT PASSION4PURITY.INFO


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Crossroads Ministry is focused on the spiritual strength of the American family. We focus on the man. As husband and father his ministry is crucial to the health and well being of the whole family unit's walk with Christ. Our *MAN UP CONFERENCES* focus on making men aware of the Godly power they possess and the blessings they have the power to bestow upon those he loves. The secular media wants men to think they're idiots but that's another one of Satan's lies. Guys, you are powerful! Satan focuses on husbands and fathers because if he can lead him into sin and lack of worship to God, then he has rendered the whole family useless in the advancement of the Kingdom. You CAN kick Satan out of your home! You CAN destroy his dominion over you and your family! You CAN show the world that YOU, a common man, is more powerful than Lucifer himself, because you are a prince of the King of Kings! We can show you victory over the self imposed incarcerations of pornography, alcoholism, drug abuse, physical abuse, etc.



Our second passion is teenagers. They are entering into a time in history we believe to be crucial not only by the headlines in the news today, but by Bible prophesy. We are in the end times. If you read Revelation, you will see that we are half way through the final book in the greatest and most accurate history book ever written. Jesus is preparing to come and collect His children. These teens are the future leaders of our society. Because Satan knows the end of his reign of terror is near, he will attack these saints worse than ever. We must equip them with the weapons of our King to fight the battle of all battles.




My ministry focus is conferences for men on the topic of avoiding Satan's snares and leading the family in a Christ like example. I also have a heart for teens and guiding them through the snares as they enter adulthood. I wish I could tell you that I learned the tools I teach from seminary or at a blessed Christian university. I learned by first doing absolutely everything wrong. What God blessed me with, I took for granted. What God didn't bring my way, I envied. I watched my marriage crumble, my business implode, my worldly possessions dissappear, all while Satan laughed and my Lord Jesus Christ weeped. My mentor recently told me that he believed I was being blessed with quick success in guest appearances and small evangelism efforts was because everything I preach on I PERSONALLY WENT THROUGH AND SUFFERED! He said "They can see the pain and agony sin ultimately brings." I am here to tell you that it will end in pain and agony. Maybe not today, but one day, it will. It's true, it takes one to know one.


We, as Americans, are sleep walking through our time here on Earth! One of the famous sayings as Americans that we have is "God Bless America" But don't we see it? He has! Only one other nation has felt such favor and had such a hedge of protection as we have enjoyed, Israel. The United States has served God an eviction notice!!!!! We put on our money " In God We Trust" but we don't want kids praying in school or the Ten Commandments in a courthouse. 9/11 should serve as a wakeup call to all Americans to not be luke warm. Our very existence is under attack! Are we as the Pharisees were? God's patience is running thin and we are in the end times. We are halfway through the book of Revelation. We need to stop asking God to bless America. America needs to start blessing God!

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