CASTIMONIA

Sexual Purity Support & Recovery Group

Videos

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Video – Amanda’s Story – Abolition International

It is important for those of us who are recovering sex addicts that acted out with prostitutes that all of them prostitute by force, not by choice.  This is Amanda’s story on how she was drugged, raped, and sex trafficked out of her own bedroom.

Amanda’s story is based on a true account from Abolition International’s partner restoration home, Wellspring Living, in Atlanta, GA. Through Wellspring Living, Amanda experienced the power of true restoration through the program’s holistic aftercare model.

Abolition International’s To Be Free campaign will help expand Wellspring’s current program by renovating a new home that will house 11 new girls rescued from sex trafficking as well as expanding restorative care projects in Moldova, Cambodia, and Ohio. Be a part of expanding hope and join the movement today:

Share Hope – Share Amanda’s Story with your friends.

Wear Hope – Commit to $5 a month and receive the Three-Strand Bracelet as a token of your commitment to freedom.

Ignite Hope – Host a To Be Free event and ignite hope in your community. E-mail us to find out how you can bring To Be Free stories to your business, school, church, or organization.

tobefreestories.com

abolitioninternational.org

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Video – Redeemed Ministries – a Houston, Texas Anti-Sexual Slavery Group

It truly is a “God thing” that I found Redeemed Ministries’ brochure on a table in the room where we hold the Saturday morning Castimonia meeting.  As we try to reduce the demand for sex trafficking, they are on the front lines attacking the supply, trying to help the women trapped in sexual slavery.  Please watch this video! For those of us living in the Houston metro area, it brings the issue of sexual slavery close to home.

Redeemed Ministries founded in 2005 is a faith-based non-profit 501 (c) 3 incorporated in the State of Texas.  We are an all volunteer organization with our people serving from a wide variety of church backgrounds with our unity found in serving Jesus our Lord and Savior.  Because we have seen and understand the problem in our community, we have set our core competencies include Outreach, Aftercare and Advocacy giving churches and their congregations the opportunity to network and find their place in the fight against human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.  Being a faith-based organization, it is our desire to share our passion and to bring unity to the whole church body and giving them the opportunity to engage as they feel led and called to use their gifts and talents in partnering with us to provide holistic care.

Redeemed Ministries serves the following mission: To bring Christ’s loving redemption and amazing liberation to those trapped and exploited within the commercial sex industry and/or by human trafficking for sexual exploitation or forced labor.

The core strategies of Redeemed Ministries are:

EDUCATE people – Raise awareness of the existence of modern day slavery
SEEK victims – Enter into the places of slavery to identify the enslaved.
BUILD relationships – Foster cooperation between legislators, law enforcement, service providers, etc.
IDENTIFY resources – Facilitate and advocate on behalf of victims to receive aftercare.
REDEEM hearts – Restore honor, worth, and reputation

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VIDEO – Spouse of Sex Addict Testimony

The spouse of a sex addict gives her testimony on how her own recovery helped heal her and their marriage.  Often times we mention how it is important for both the addict and the spouse to enter their own recovery program and a couples recovery program so that both addict and spouse are on the journey together.  Spouses cannot ignore the sexual addiction and say it is only the addict’s problem, not their own.  From the car crash analogy, the addict was driving the car and the spouse was in the passenger seat.  The addict chose to drive recklessly down the wrong side of the freeway head-on into an 18-wheeler.  Who is going to need medical attention?  Both the addict and the spouse.  The spouse had no idea the addict would do this, nor did they have any control over the situation.  Regardless, they were in the car and now require their own medical (mental) attention.

A wife of an addict shares her story of recovery from her husbands Pornography / Sexual addiction.  Her insights into the efforts required to find recovery, as well as the gifts that she received from God are hopeful.

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Glued

I saw this short animated film and couldn’t think of my own childhood. GLUED to the TV, to video games, and to my “secret” aka pornography…..

It’s easy for parents to sit their children in front of the television/video game system also known as the “babysitter” while the parent gets things done.  My beliefs are, they only need to do this for a short period of time and as much as I personally don’t like to be outside (thanks to my indoor childhood), I try to jump at the opportunity when my daughters ask to go outside and play, or encourage it!  It’s not always easy, a lot of times I am tired, there are mosquitos or other bugs, it’s hot in the summer, etc…  But the more time I spend with them away from the TV/Video Games, the better off they might be later on in life, having learned the skills to associate with others, not isolate the way I did (and sometimes still do).

If you want to know how a child become and “addict” watch this short movie.

Take what you like and leave the rest.

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Pornography, Bravery, and Freedom

I read this post and watched this video (another version was posted to Castimonia a few months ago) and thought I’d share this.  There are a lot of Christian men (and women) who struggle with pornography or sexual addiction but can’t escape because they are keeping it a secret from others for fear that they will be shamed and shunned by the church.  If you are one of those, then contact the leaders of Castimonia, we are here to help you, not condemn you!

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Pornography, Bravery, and Freedom.

I hope you found that video both sobering and heartbreaking. Sexual addiction/pornography addiction has become pandemic. It can no longer be ignored. It destroys marriages, families, friendships, careers, and lives.  Let me share some statistics with you.

  • 50% of Christian men and 20% of Christian women are addicted to pornography
  • 70% of porn visitors online admit that they keep it secret
  • Ages 12-17 are the largest consumers of internet pornography
  • 62% of parents with teenagers are unaware they have accessed objectionable website
  • 90% of children ages 8-16 have viewed pornography on the internet
  • 1 in 3 porn viewers are women
  • 70% of men, aged 18-24, visit porn sites in a month
  • 12% of websites on the internet are pornographic
  • Nearly 25 million pornographic sites are in existence
  • Every second, over $3,000 is spent on internet pornography
  • Over 28,000 internet users are viewing porn every second
  • 40 million Americans are regular users of porn sites
  • 25% of all search engine requests are pornography related
  • 68 million searches are conducted a day that are pornography related
  • 35% of all internet downloads are pornographic
  • There are 116,000 searches for child pornography daily
  • The average age at which a child first sees porn online is 11
  • Every 39 minutes a new pornographic video is being created in the U.S.

Most people have no idea how addictive pornography actually is. They think that it is just looking at pictures or videos. How can looking at pictures be addictive? The addictive process is multifaceted. The more one continues to view pornography he or she becomes behaviorally conditioned to continue doing so. The sexual drive is a natural drive that God created and it is extremely powerful. The brain also chemically reinforces the addictive process because the use of pornography provides the brain with potent chemicals. Eventually the use of pornography is the brain’s primary way of getting its needs met, and the addiction becomes extremely ingrained. The addiction to pornography is also promoted through a social context. Many would say this is part of “being a man” and that it is perfectly healthy. All of these factors coalesce into a powerful addiction.

So just how powerful is the addiction to pornography? One experiment was conducted where rats were habituated to the drug Heroine. The rats were then given the option to receive a dose of Heroine or an electrical impulse that stimulated the sexual pleasure centers in their brains. The rats chose the electrical impulse every time. That is extremely telling.

So why has pornography become such a problem? Because the addiction is rooted in shame and shrouded in secrecy. No one wants to come out and admit they have a problem. The shame and secrecy actually feed the addiction. The only way to break free is to take the first step and admit it is a problem to someone else.

You probably noticed from the statistics that the church is heavily impacted by this addiction. Christianity clearly teaches that lust and pornography are wrong. Pornography is prohibited along with every other form of sexual aberration. So with the Biblical proscription against pornography, why is it such a raging problem? Could it be that people are afraid to approach the church with this problem because they are scared of being condemned and judged instead of helped and loved? Have we created an environment in church that actually feeds the problem? What if the church promoted the teachings of Christ? That people are broken and desperately in need of some loving people to hold their hands and walk them through dark nights of the soul. Maybe more people would find the strength to be removed from the bondage of pornography if Christians would create an atmosphere of safety in churches, where we promote the idea that we are all sinners. Where we take off the masks instead of pretending like our outer Sunday best is a reflection of what is inside.

Parents, did you notice the statistics about kids? Don’t bury your head in the sand and assume that your child would never look at pornography. On the contrary, the weight of the evidence says that your child will look at pornography or be approached to do so. Talk to your kids about this topic. Let them know the dangers. Give them the freedom to come tell you when they mess up. Don’t punish them for being honest. Instead, praise them for their bravery to admit there is something in their life that shouldn’t be there.

Chances are extremely high that someone reading this struggles with pornography. Let me promise you something. You will never kill this monster on your own. It is like fighting a nine-headed hydra. Cut of one head and two grow back. I have worked with enough people to know this is a fact. Do not lie to yourself and tell yourself you will stop or that you can quit. It will not happen. Instead, tell someone. It is the brave thing to do. Know that there are probably people you know that struggle with the same thing. Maybe if you are brave they could be too. Would you take the first step and tell someone? Would you do yourself a huge favor and deal with this immediately? I hope you will.

Walk good. Live wise. Be blessed. Josh

If you read this and know that you struggle in this area but are too scared to tell someone you know, would you send me an email? You don’t even have to give me your name. Just start there. I would love to give you some information, resources, and ideas of where to go from here.