Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Let's Talk About Sex! Introducing Freedom13 Ministries...

It was the summer of 2008 when I was sitting among a small group of women participating in a Bible study on the power of prayer.  I felt the tug at my heart.  I felt the whisper in my ear.  My response was quick and sharp.  "No, LORD.  Not me." 


I knew in that moment that he was going to prepare me for something big, something beyond my wildest dreams, something at the end of it all, I could look back on it and say, "Only you God could pull off something like that."  Since that summer in 2008, I knew God was going to use our time together to prepare me, train me, and grow me into the woman he created me to be for such a time as this.  The journey would not be without challenges, hurts and heartbreaks, but it would be worth them all.  Because when we surrender our lives to Christ and his cause, he makes life worth living.


Ya know?  Only the God I serve can take our most painful moments and turn them into glorious opportunities of servanthood.  Only the God I serve can take our most shameful moments and turn them into liberating opportunities of ministry.  And only the God I serve can take our most sinful moments and turn them into righteous opportunities of proclamation.  Months ago the Lord started piecing together the vision for Freedom13 Ministries.  The burden for this ministry came after seeing and hearing about the struggle most young people face as they try and navigate their way through a sex-saturated world.  My passion for this ministry only grew as I watched young women hide behind their shame of virginity, pornography addiction and poor relationship choices.


As an American Christian, I must face the reality and ask myself, "How have I contributed to this?"  Having grown up in the church I know sex was not something taught on regularly.  I just know I was told to not have it until I was married.  Could it be as American Christians we have somehow, unintentionally taught our Christian children to be ashamed and scared of sex and to be ashamed and scared of their virginity?  And could it also be that we have completely failed them as the Body of Christ in preparing our Christian children on how to live in a sex-saturated world?!



The mission of Freedom13 Ministries is to educate men and women of all ages on God’s design for sex and the importance of a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Freedom13 Ministries strives to be on the pro-active side of crisis pregnancy, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, and men and women’s overall spiritual and emotional health.  Freedom13 Ministries also believes that Jesus forgives all sins and can restore anyone’s past no matter how dark or ugly.  It is our hope to empower men and women of all ages with the redemptive Gospel message found in the Bible. 


“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” -2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)


The purpose of Freedom13 Ministries is to serve men and women of all ages who long to be set free from sexual sin.  It is easy to walk through life not realizing we are enslaved to sin that is keeping us from experiencing God's full potential for our lives.  Freedom13 Ministries educates, equips, and empowers men and women through the message of hope, redemption, salvation, restoration, healing, and accountability found in the Bible.  Additionally, Freedom13 Ministries provides support for healthy relationships, children (young to adult) effected by divorce and adultery, abstinence: God’s design for sex, and virginity (second chance virginity). 


Why the number 13?  Freedom13 Ministries believes in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.  Galatians 5:13 says, "For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters.  Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."  I believe in and proclaim the saving and miraculous power of Jesus Christ.  In my darkest moments, Jesus has been there for me.  That's just who he is.  I don’t believe in luck or magic.  I believe in Jesus and blessings.


HOW CAN YOU HELP?


1.  I need your prayers.  This ministry cannot survive without prayer.  Consider being one of our prayer partners. 
2.  I need volunteers.  Specifically, I need individuals willing to be accountability partners for those struggling with specific areas of sin. 
3.  I need financial supporters.  We are a non-profit organization and are trusting the Lord to provide donors in order to pay for brand new expenses.



Brent and I are so excited about this new journey.  Thank you for your prayer and support.  We can't wait to see how the Lord uses Freedom13 Ministries.  Where He is, there is FREEDOM!


We are on Facebook.  Like us...Freedom13 Ministries.

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