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Addictions to Prescription Painkillers Are Epidemic!

by Don Hooser 3 comments Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Many people are plagued by addictions. One of the most common and most harmful addictions is to prescription painkillers. How can you avoid this sort of addiction? If you currently are addicted to these drugs, how can you get help? Read to find out!

Could you or someone you know be addicted to pain pills?
Quick relief from severe suffering is a welcome blessing, but prescription pain medications often turn into a curse when abused.
When you think about drug abuse and drug addictions, you may tend to think of three images: rich superstars (think Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley), foolish kids, and “bad” people who often end up in prison. But there are millions of “good” people, young and old, who are addicted to prescription drugs, often without anyone else knowing about it.

The commonly abused prescription drugs

When you hear about addictions to “drugs,” you may think first of street drugs, such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine (“meth”). But the number of people addicted to prescription drugs is greater than the number of addictions to all three of those street drugs combined.
The prescription drugs most commonly abused are the ones most commonly prescribed , which fall into three categories:
1. Opiods (narcotic analgesics, i.e., pain relievers) such as oxycodone (Oxycontin and Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin) and meperidine (Demerol).
2. Sedatives and tranquilizers such as Valium, Xanax and Nembutal.
3. Stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall and Dexedrine.
The most commonly abused category? The painkillers . And because addictions to painkillers in the U.S. are epidemic, even among expectant mothers, there is also an epidemic of babies who are born addicted to painkillers . The suffering newborns then have to be gradually weaned off that drug. Very, very sad.

What is addiction? What is “drug abuse”?

Addiction can be either a physical (biological, chemical and pathological) or psychological dependence (an emotional longing for the effects of the drug—which can lead to physical addiction). People often experience both at the same time.
When an addictive substance is regularly ingested, that person's body will eventually build up a tolerance to it so larger amounts are needed over time to achieve the same result. This temptation to increase the dosage often leads to addiction.
Be forewarned that physical addictions are often permanent, which means the addicted person will have a life-long battle trying to resist the temptation to relapse into again using that drug.
Addictions to prescription drugs usually occur only when the prescription is “abused.” Abuse includes many easy-to-make mistakes: taking more pills or more frequently than prescribed, taking them after the pain has stopped, mixing them with alcohol or other drugs, taking a medication that was not prescribed for you, or using similar prescriptions from more than one doctor.
Once addicted, a person usually feels desperate because the withdrawal symptoms can be terrible. He might go “doctor shopping” (going to several trusting doctors to obtain similar prescriptions), search for sources on the Internet, go to unscrupulous “pill mills” or stoop to buying on the street illegally.

Why are most prescription painkillers so addictive?

To better understand the power of painkillers, let's compare opiates and opioids . Opiates are extractions from opium poppy plants. They include morphine and codeine. And morphine is frequently processed chemically to produce—guess what— heroin for the illegal drug trade.
The painkillers are opioids that are synthetic or semi-synthetic but chemically similar to opiates. The addictive properties of the painkillers are similar to heroin and morphine!
Opioids give some people a mild emotional uplift. This too can present a temptation to abuse the prescription, especially for someone who is depressed.
If these facts were more widely understood, there would be more healthy fear and respect for the potential risks involved in taking narcotic painkillers.

Youth addiction and adult addiction

Youth painkiller abuse often starts with young people “experimenting” by taking a “leftover” medication that was prescribed for someone else like a family member. Motivations include curiosity, thrill-seeking or an urge to relieve anxieties.
When adults (of any age) become addicted, it generally is because they have abused their own prescriptions. When there is drug abuse, addiction can occur within only a few weeks.
The good news is that when a patient takes an opioid painkiller for only as long as there is severe pain, strictly follows the prescription and is closely monitored by one doctor, it is rare that he will become addicted.
The main point of this message is this: Please don't let yourself become addicted to anything. Prevention is a thousand times easier than any cure! Stay alert for any early-warning signs of addiction!

If you or a loved one is addicted, seek help right away!

Valuable and thorough information on addictions is abundant, including many helpful Internet websites.
If you suspect that you or a loved one is addicted, begin by educating yourself. If you are addicted, please, please seek help. People very seldom overcome an addiction on their own.
If a loved one or friend is addicted, please don't put him on a guilt trip. Address it like any other medical problem. He's already feeling terribly ashamed and fearful. What he needs from you is respect, compassion and encouragement as well as your gentle guidance.
If an addicted person will also rely on God for comfort, guidance, motivation and strength, he has a huge advantage! Trying to conquer an addiction may seem like an impossible task. But Jesus Christ said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27).
The United Church of God has a special website— Breaking Free Journal —devoted to helping people break free from the chains of addictions and other self-destructive behaviors. It does not give medical advice, but you will find it quite helpful and encouraging. Go to breakingfree.ucg.org . To read about addictions, click on Topics and then click on Addictions  .

Addictions painkillers pills prescription drugs drug addictions opiates opioids Christian Living

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  Don Hooser

  United Church of God Pastor

  Don Hooser is a minister and writer for the publications of United Church of God. He and his wife Elsie live in McKinney TX, a suburb of Dallas. He was born in Dallas and grew up mostly in east Texas. Elsie is from Detroit, Michigan. They have three grown children, Amy, Randy, and Danny. Mr. Hooser graduated in 1963 from Southern Methodist University with a degree in mechanical engineering, and graduated in 1966 from Ambassador College, Big Sandy. Don and Elsie married two days after Don’s graduation.

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A Vaccine for Stress?

Posted on Jul 22, 2010 by Mike Bennett Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

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Stress from oil spills, unemployment, accidents and much more is slowly killing us. Will scientists really find a vaccine to prevent its harmful effects? What can we do now to deal with stress?

“While listless, oil-soaked pelicans may be the most memorable images of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the fishermen and business owners marooned along the Gulf Coast already are proving just as big a challenge for the mental health workers dispatched from Louisiana to Florida to help vaccinate against the fast-growing epidemic of despair,” reported The Los Angeles Times (Kim Murphy, “Oil Spill Stress Starts to Weigh on Gulf Residents,” June 20, 2010).
Although the reference to vaccination was metaphorical, there are researchers working on ways to literally block the deadly effects of stress on the human brain. Whether they will be successful is in question, but the long-term harmful effects of stress are clear.
Stress increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, adult-onset diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, major depressive disorder, back pain and much more.
What are mental health workers expecting from the Gulf oil spill? “The symptoms are well-documented: The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 touched off a wave of suicides, domestic violence, bankruptcies and alcoholism in Alaska,” according to the LA Times article.

Stress from every side

Of course, the oil spill is only one of the many sources of stress in our lives: accidents and illnesses, relationship problems, money problems, toxic workplaces, frustrating bureaucracies and a general feeling of helplessness in the face of the bad news that bombards us every day.
For example, consider unemployment and how it affects not only the jobless person, but his or her family. U.S. News'HealthDay column reported:
“‘Whenever there's a downturn, it's the kids who suffer a significant burden,' said Dr. Christopher Bellonci, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. ‘When families are doing well, they can buffer some of this stress. When they can't, it bleeds through to the kids.'
“Nationally, one in seven children (10.5 million kids) has an unemployed parent” (March 25, 2010).

A stress vaccine?

The August 2010 Wired magazine has the cover line: “The Search for the Stress Vaccine,” based on the research of Robert Sapolsky and others. A study published in Nature Neuroscience way back in 2004 outlined some of the promise of this research. Their work on rodents “reversed the outcome of the stress response by rendering glucocorticoids protective rather than destructive. Our findings elucidate three principal steps in the neuronal stress-response pathway, all of which are amenable to therapeutic intervention.”
But the research is still years away from clinical trials on humans. As Dr. Sapolsky said ,“It's not going to help anybody soon, but we've proved that it's possible. We can reduce the neural damage caused by stress.”
There are many hurdles to overcome, including the fact that you can't just eliminate the offending chemicals, “because they are involved in all sorts of important functions, like helping you run for your life” (Jonah Lehrer, “Under Pressure,” Wired, August 2010).
Solving stress with a vaccine is not only fraught with possible side effects and unintended consequences, it is also a long way off. What can we do in the meantime?

Stress reducers

The Wired article (which has not been uploaded to Wired.com yet, but probably will be next month) highlights a number of widely accepted stress reducers:

• Make friends.
• Drink in moderation.
• Get enough sleep.
• Don't fight.
• Confront your fears.
• Meditate.
• Don't force yourself to exercise. (Here they point out that exercise is a great stress reducer, but only if you want to do it.)

Coping techniques for Christians

Jonah Lehrer explained that some of the most dangerous stress involves “feeling that nothing can be done” and a sense of hopeless “existential despair.” Stress reducers and medicines can't deal with these fundamental issues of meaning, purpose and faith. Thankfully, our Creator provides the answers to these, the most important questions of life.
God has a purpose for your life. He wants you to enjoy eternity with Him achieving a potential even greater than we can imagine. This great purpose, and the fact that nothing is outside God's control, helps us to deal with the stresses of this life. God's plan helps give us the positive perspective that allows us to confidently cope with our trials and stresses. It gives us the peace of mind and contentment that are the ultimate antidote to stress.
To learn more about what the Bible teaches about this and other mental health issues, see “The Bible's Keys to Mental Health .” It provides practical help and real hope.

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How Do Bones Grow?

by Frank Dunkle Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

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I don't know how God made it so that our baby could grow over 300 bones, and all the other working parts it needs—but I'm sure glad He did!

My wife and I are expecting our first child later this year, and it has been one of the most interesting and surprising experiences in my life.
Since that first pregnancy test, there has been one new thing after another: morning sickness, maternity clothes and ultrasounds. Naturally, my wife and I both began studying to understand what exactly was happening within her body.

Science leaves questions

Scientists have been able to conduct detailed studies of the way a fetus grows and develops. The books and magazines I read have amazing color photographs of the process. But still, even as I see it happening before my eyes, I am stunned. I also still have many questions.
By the end of three months of pregnancy, our baby had already developed all of its organs and bodily systems. How could that be? Only a short time ago, it began as a single cell! As they divided and grew, how did some cells know to become nerves, while others formed a heart and yet others formed bones?

Whole new skeleton

We realized very early how important it was for my wife to eat properly. At one point, to encourage her to eat more food with calcium, I joked, “Remember, you have to grow a whole new skeleton inside you.” We laughed, but it was absolutely true.
I wonder—how could something as complex as an entire human being grow and develop without any conscious guidance by its parents? Doctors know what happens, and can even partially describe how it happens. We now know that the genetic code within each cell contains millions of megabytes' worth of information. But how did that code get there? Why does it work? No man can answer those questions.
While musing on his life and on all that he had accomplished, King Solomon of ancient Israel asked some of the same questions I have, and reached a simple conclusion. He wrote, “As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child , so you do not know the works of God who makes everything” (Ecclesiastes 11:5 Ecclesiastes 11:5As you know not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so you know not the works of God who makes all.
American King James Version×, emphasis added).
This was his poetic way of saying that God has simply done some things that are beyond our ability to figure out. Some things work because God made them that way.
I don't know how He made it so that our baby could grow over 300 bones, and all the other working parts it needs—but I'm sure glad He did! I'm also glad that while leaving some things a mystery, He does give answers to other important questions.

Questions about life

There are many questions about life that science struggles to answer, like:

• We know a lot about physical life and are continually learning more, but why is our ability to think so much greater than chimps or dolphins whose brains are so similar to yours and mine?

• We know about human existence from birth to death, but what happens after that?

On that last question, the Bible has an answer. It says, “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27 Hebrews 9:27And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment:
American King James Version×). Yet many ask, on what basis is the judgment made—and then what happens?
I'm looking forward to meeting our new son or daughter, and to eventually helping him or her learn the answers to those and other questions. However, if you would like help to find and understand answers from the Bible to your life's biggest questions, read our free booklet What Is Your Destiny? VT

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Wanna Get High?

article by Dan Dowd

So, is marijuana a harmless drug or a gateway to all kinds of trouble?

"Come on, it's cool! Everybody's using it. Don't be so uptight." Maybe you have heard others ask, "What's the big deal?" So, is marijuana a harmless drug or a gateway to all kinds of trouble? Here are a few facts about marijuana to help you think vertically:
• U.S. government statistics put marijuana use at 23.9 percent of 10th graders. For high school seniors, it is 32.4 percent (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2008 survey, nida.nih.gov). While these numbers are high, it's hardly "everybody."
• Although the primary agent in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), more than 400 other chemicals are present in marijuana smoke. Many are the same harmful compounds found in cigarette smoke.
• While there are no complete statistics about marijuana's contribution to traffic accidents, the effects of marijuana are well-known: severely diminished alertness, concentration, coordination and reaction time. In this respect, driving under the influence of marijuana is similar to driving under the influence of alcohol.
• A very high number of hard drug users started with marijuana. While not every user of marijuana goes on to harder drugs, many do.
• In the United States, there were more than 750,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2007, the latest year for which statistics are available (fbi.gov).
Although the Bible doesn't directly address marijuana, it does address its effects. Proverbs:23:21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. says, "For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags." And 1 Corinthians:6:9-10 [9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
[10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. adds, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards , nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."
Marijuana use, as with other illegal drug use, has effects similar to alcohol abuse. Reject the instant drunkenness of marijuana. VT

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Silencing God's Children

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article by Tom Robinson

A major part of the war against God and godly values is the scourge of abortion—the murder of the most helpless.

Source: iStock/Thinkstock

The ancient prophet Ezekiel thundered these words: "You took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to [false gods] to be devoured . . . You have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire" (Ezekiel:16:20-21 [20] Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
[21] That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?).
The thought of sacrificing precious infants, burning them on an altar to a pagan god of stone, would strike most people today as abhorrent. But are we not guilty of the same crime when we sacrifice millions of innocent babies to the modern idols of selfishness and convenience?
Since the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade, more than 56 million abortions have taken place in America—an unconscionable slaughter of innocents in a professing Christian nation. Yet even this pales beside the ghastly figure of 40 million abortions every year worldwide (estimating low)—meaning that at least 1.2 billion children have been aborted since 1980 (numberofabortions.com).
Sadly, America has become a supporter of the broader killing. In one of his first acts in office, U.S. President Barack Obama "lifted restrictions on U.S. government funding for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad" (Reuters, Jan. 23, 2009)—meaning U.S. taxpayers are forced to fund abortions and abortion promotion in other countries.
On Feb. 26, 2014, the president told his pro-abortion political group Organizing for Action that they are doing "God's work." On April 26 of the previous year, he spoke at a gala for Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider, concluding with, "Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you. God bless America" (emphasis added throughout).
Such words strain our credulity. It borders on blasphemy that anyone, let alone the leader of a nation, would expect God to bless an organization that is in the business of destroying His creation—killing more than 300,000 unborn babies a year, about one every 94 seconds. What God is he referring to? Clearly not the God of the Bible!
As Fox News radio commentator Todd Starnes notes in his new book God Less America: "We ask God to bless America, but we silence his children. God bless America? We should be on our knees asking for His mercy instead" (2014, p. 210).

Killing the unborn is big business

But America is far from that. For abortion providers, the slaughter of the unborn can be a lucrative business. A former abortion provider has explained how she was on her way to becoming a millionaire by selling abortions to teenage girls.
The marketing began in kindergarten and grade school sex education. The goal for fifth and sixth grade students, according to Carol Everett, "was to get them sexually active on a low dose birth control pill that we knew they would get pregnant on . . . That pill did not work, and we could accomplish our goal of 3-5 abortions between the ages of 13 and 18" (quoted by Peter Baklinski, LifeSiteNews.com, May 12, 2014).
Government has now mandated abortion insurance coverage for the whole country through President Obama's health care legislation, the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. Starnes points out: "The Obama administration is trying to force religious organizations to provide insurance for birth control and abortion-inducing drugs in direct violation of their religious beliefs . . .
"The Internal Revenue Service launched investigations into pro-life organizations, demanding to know the contents of their prayers. They ordered a Wyoming church to turn over its membership rolls. This is happening right here, right now, in the United States of America. We are under attack from within" (p. 209).
Another pro-life group was told by the IRS that "they could not picket or protest abortion clinics. An attorney representing the pro-life groups called the IRS actions 'intimidating' and 'heavy-handed.' One IRS agent went so far as to tell a pro-life group it had to remain neutral on the issue of abortion and lectured the group's president about forcing its religious beliefs on others.
"'You have to know your boundaries,' IRS agent Sherry Wan can be heard saying in a recording. 'You have to know your limits. You have to respect other people's beliefs'" (p. 8). Remember that this refers to beliefs about what is in fact murdering unborn children!
Thankfully, the Supreme Court ruled on June 30—in the case brought by the arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby—against government attempts to impose employer-provided coverage for abortion-inducing drugs when it's against the employer's religious beliefs. But this was by a narrow margin of 5-4, and time may see it overturned. In fact, Senate Democrats have already attempted to circumvent it. In any case it remains disturbing how rabidly the government has pursued the pro-abortion agenda and persecuted those who stand for life!

Overlooking infanticide

The media has been complicit in this, as it has in most aspects of the liberal-progressive agenda. Commenting on the failure of the news media to report last year on the trial of Pennsylvania abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell over late-term abortions and infanticide—ostensibly because it would draw negative attention to abortion—liberal political analyst Kirsten Powers wrote in USA Today:
"Infant beheadings. Severed baby feet in jars. A child screaming after it was delivered alive during an abortion procedure. Haven't heard about these sickening accusations? It's not your fault . . . There has been precious little coverage of the case that should be on every news show and front page . . .
"None of the news shows on the three major national television networks has mentioned the Gosnell trial in the last three months [as of the time Powers wrote this] . . . The deafening silence of too much of the media, once a force for justice in America, is a disgrace" ("Philadelphia Abortion Clinic Horror," April 11, 2013).
Meanwhile, the indoctrination of the younger generation continues. Officials at a high school in Tacoma, Washington, decided "to allow posters and events for a 'gay'-straight alliance while refusing to allow similar posters and events related to the local Students for Life . . .
"[The pro-life] group wanted to put up two posters. The first reads 'Since Roe v. Wade 1⁄3 of our generation has been aborted' . . . The second poster quotes President Ronald Reagan: 'I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion is already born.' But school officials said the posters might 'offend'" ("School: 'Gay' Is OK, But Pro-Lifers Must Go," WND.com, Feb. 19, 2014). Yet of course they allowed the pro-gay messages.
Where is the outrage over the ongoing mass murder of helpless babies? In the approximately five minutes it's taken you to read this short article, about 375 abortions have been performed around the world (see the counters at numberofabortions.com).
God warns in Numbers:35:33So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. that "blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it." That includes all who bear responsibility. Clearly the whole world is facing judgment over this global atrocity!

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World News and Trends: Is Mexico the next threat to U.S. stability?

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article by Jerold Aust, John Ross Schroeder

Mexico's rise in crime, violence, drugs and kindnappings indicate it's headed towards an inevitable downfall. What will this mean for the United States?

Even in terms of annual legal crossings on the U.S.Mexican border, the estimated number of 300,000 makes it the world's busiest. Yet the possibility of a failed Mexican state ranks high among American international worries.
A regular column in the International Herald Tribune asked: "What do Pakistan and Mexico have in common? They figure in the nightmares of U.S. military planners trying to peer into the future and identify the next big threats. The two countries are mentioned in the same breath in a just-published study by the United States Joint Forces Command, whose jobs include providing an annual look into the future to prevent the U.S. military from being caught off guard by unexpected developments " (Bernd Debusmann, "Among Top U.S. Fears, a Failed Mexican State," Jan. 9, 2009, p. 2).
Both of these countries are close to the top in the reported rankings of failed states subject to rapid and sudden collapse. The dangers associated with Pakistan are more painfully obvious. A retired American intelligence analyst said in December 2008 that Pakistan is "one of the single most challenging places on the planet" (ibid.).
Mexico is more of a surprise. One paragraph in the article reflects the gravity of Mexico's plight: "Vicious and widening violence pitting the drug cartels against each other and against the Mexican state have left more than 8,000 Mexicans dead over the past two years. Kidnappings have become a routine part of Mexican daily life. Common crime is widespread. Pervasive corruption has hollowed out the state" (ibid.).
Mexico's governmental infrastructure remains under continual pressure and assault by drug cartels and other criminal gangs. The Joint Forces Command study plainly stated: "Any descent by Mexico into chaos would demand an American response based on the serious implications for Homeland Security alone. One minor indication is that the Mexican border town of Tijuana is now off-limits to American marines because of its increasing violence" (Chris Ayres, "You Wanna Die Tonight, Gringo?" The Times, Jan. 23, 2009, p. 2). (Sources: The Times [London], International Herald Tribune. )

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Four Lakewood Police Officers Killed: How Did This Happen?

A commentary by Rex Sexton

Posted December 2, 2009

As a society, we must learn how to better deal with evil.

This past Sunday morning, in a small coffee shop barely 20 miles from my home, four police officers were murdered as they sat doing paperwork. The crime took place in Parkland, a small suburb between the city of Tacoma and Fort Lewis. The officers killed were from Lakewood, an adjacent suburb. This is small-town America next door to the big city. To describe the impact of such a horrific crime in this area is difficult. People have been seen crying as they shopped or stood on the streets. I noticed that no one wanted to talk much in the home improvement store I went to. Memorials have sprung up in several places. The largest is at the Lakewood Police Department building where thousands of flowers, cards and candles fill the sidewalk. The entire area is stunned and in shock. Four dedicated servants of the community are dead, leaving spouses and nine children who have lost a parent. As I write this, news has just come over the radio that the suspect in the murders has been shot and killed by a Seattle police officer. People are relieved that no one else has been injured and the massive manhunt is over. The authorities are in the process now of arresting as many as 10 people who helped the suspect evade authorities over the past three days, including the driver of the getaway car. People are asking, "How did this happen?" The alleged murderer, Maurice Clemmons, had a long history of violence and arrests. He was released early from prison at least twice in another state and later not prosecuted due to paperwork errors. He was arrested here in May for hitting a police officer in the face and for the rape of a 12-year-old girl. According to court records, as he was being booked into the Pierce County Jail he told workers, "I'll kill all you [expletive]." But once again he was released, this time after posting bail. When asked why a probable child rapist with a long criminal record was released, deputy prosecutor Grant Blinn responded, "A typical child rape-2 defendant is summonsed into court, not even arrested. A lot of them are released on their own personal recognizance." I have a difficult time comprehending why child rapists are turned loose so easily. Six days after being released this time, Clemmons reportedly told acquaintances to watch the TV news because he planned to "shoot police." Something is clearly wrong with our system. On a fundamental level our society has lost much of the understanding of evil. The ideas of the humanist movement that permeate so much of our education, entertainment and legal systems have many people convinced of "the good in everyone" and the concept that "all people are the same." They reject the teachings of the Bible, which clearly show that some people choose to be wicked and evil. God's Word also teaches that these people are influenced by an evil being that is referred to as "the prince of the power of the air" and "the god of this age" (Ephesians:2:2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:; 2 Corinthians:4:4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.). Modern research is gradually demonstrating that God was right to begin with. In his monumental book Without Conscience, Dr. Robert Hare, who has studied the criminal mind for more than 30 years, writes clearly about psychopaths in our society. In the introduction to his book he states, "It is a personality that is characterized by egocentricity, grandiosity, impulsivity, recklessness, contentment with self, and, most disturbing, a total lack of conscience." As a society, we must learn how to better deal with evil. Messages of sympathy and condolence are coming to this area from all over the United States as word of the horrific crime of this week has been reported. We are praying for the victims' families and others who are suffering. We wish there were something more that could be done. It is likely that the Tacoma area will never be quite the same as it was. If you would like to know more about what the Bible teaches, please request our free publications Why Does God Allow Suffering? and Is There Really a Devil?

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I'm a pastor who smokes marijuana

What does God think of the recreational use of pot?

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[Steve Myers] Legalizing recreational use of marijuana is in the news again.  Now recently, Colorado and Washington approved that – they legalized the recreational use of pot. And of course, many people are coming out in support of that, and it's become a controversial issue in quite a few states. In fact, on one of the internet websites, people are putting up posters in support of smoking pot. In fact, here is one that I copied off the internet. And it says, "I'm a youth pastor at a large church, and I smoke marijuana every day that I'm not at service (Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday)." And it says, "My Lord still loves me."
Well, that brought a question to my mind. What does God really think about smoking pot? What does He really think about the recreational use of marijuana? Is that something that God approves of? Or do we not even bother to think about what God's perspective on it is?
Well, there's an interesting passage over in the book of Galatians, in Galatians chapter 5, beginning in verse 19. God talks about the deeds of the flesh – the normal, everyday, human way of thinking and actions that are a result of that. And here's what He says. He says, "Those deeds of the flesh are evident. They are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery" – and the list goes on. And then he says, "Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians:5:19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,).
Now, the interesting thing – the word for "sorcery" here is the word – let's get that C out of there – for sorcery, is the word " pharmakeia ". Pharmakeia . It's the same Greek word that we get the word "pharmacy" from. It literally means "drugs" – the use of drugs, the administering of drugs. And you might think, well, why does sorcery have anything to do with drugs? Well, the context was taking into account the fact that witches, or those that would practice sorcery or witchcraft would either smoke the drug, they would rub the drug all over them, they would eat it, and then they would become in a state of mind, where that – evil spirits then could affect them. And so, that became associated with the drug use. And so, when you read this in the New Testament, he's not just talking about being a witch, he's not just talking about sorcery, he's talking about the effects of that drug.
Well, drugs can have good effects. You can go to a pharmacy and you can get a painkiller that is a necessary thing for a medical situation. And that's not what he's talking about here. But here, we're talking about recreationally using drugs. Do you want to be in stupored state of mind? Is this relaxed, open mind the kind of thing that God wants you to have? Well here, he points to the fact that this is something that could keep you out of the kingdom.
In fact, it's not the only section of scripture where this is mentioned. There's even another section over in the book of Revelation where it talks about the same type of thing. Revelation chapter 9. It says, "Mankind didn't repent of their sorceries" (Revelation:9:20-21 [20] And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
[21] Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.). And once again, that's that word for pharmakeia . They didn't repent of, what we could say, their use of drugs – the kind of use of drugs that's going to put them in a state of mind that they don't have full control of themselves. Because that's exactly opposite of what God wants for us. God says He's given us a spirit of love and of a sound mind – a mind that is in control of our senses, a mind that is going to be a thinking mind that can control circumstances, and what's going to come in and what's going to go out of our minds. And so God says, "Think about that". Don't lose control of your mind, take control of your thoughts and your heart. God says that's a very important thing.
In fact, in the proverbs, I think this whole concept is also talked about. When you look at what it says in Proverbs:23:21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. – in God's Word Translation it says, "Drowsiness will clothe a man with rags." Do you put yourself in that kind of state of mind? It's not a good thing. The results will not be good. He says, "Later it bites like a snake, and strikes like a poisonous snake." You read that down to verse 32 and verse 33, "Your eyes will see strange sights, your mouth will say embarrassing things" (Proverbs:23:32-33 [32] At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
[33] Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.).
Does that sound like anything associated with recreational drug use? You see, God says that's a problem. That is a problem, because that's not the spirit that God has given us. So I think you should keep that in mind – the recreational use of pot or other drugs is something that God despises, because we lose full control of our thinking, and God says that's not the way he wants us to be. He wants us to have a spirit of love and of a sound mind.
That's BT Daily . We'll see you next time.

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

Change and Live

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What hinders you from living joyfully? Is a habit or a worry crippling you emotionally? God stands ready to help. Discover how.

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[Darris] I will call him "tattoo guy" because he had tattoos all over his body, down his legs, up both arms and up his neck. He had a couple of studs hung from his mouth, and the image was pretty fearsome.
I would see this gentleman working out most every day that I went to my local gymnasium. This guy was pretty serious about weightlifting. He worked hard. He worked fast and he took very few breaks. He ferociously pumped the iron and he had all the sound effects working.
One day in the locker room I struck up a conversation with him. He told me that the rush that he got from weightlifting was very similar to the rush that he got from doing drugs. I was quite shocked by what he said and so I asked further. He told me that he had done drugs. He had done meth, heroin, cocaine--they were all a part of his habit for years. And he had been in and out of drug programs, rehab and prison. But now he was clean, and he lifted weights to get the same feeling that he used to get from drugs.
I was curious. "What," I asked, "caused you to kick your drug habit?" His answer surprised me, and it may surprise you. It gave me a vital key to understanding change.
Join us on Beyond Today as we look at what can make us "Change and Live."
[Announcer] Join our host, Darris McNeely and his guests, as they help you understand your future on Beyond Today !
[Darris] What if you were diagnosed with a disease that could be reversed by changing your lifestyle? Something like heart disease.
Could you change? You say, yes? Maybe you should think again.
The odds are 9 to1 you wouldn't change.
That's right. In an article called, "Change or Die," Alan Deutschman shares this surprising statistic. 9 to 1 that you would not make a lasting change to reverse the sentence hanging over your head.
Yet, there are many things about our life that every one of us would like to change. But how do we make the changes that are important to us? How can we begin to change habits and attitudes that have been with us for so many years?
When was the last time you actually changed something about your behavior?
Maybe it was to lose weight. Maybe it was to stop smoking. Maybe you really decided you needed to control you anger, or stop whatever other compulsive behavior that you know you have to get under control.
We all know how hard it is. We know we need to make changes and yet, every year millions make what are called "new year" resolutions of all kinds--most are never realized.
We have good intentions. We start off well and most of us truly desire to change habits and behavior that we know is not good and can actually harm our health. And yet, it is extremely difficult.
Let me give you an illustration. Let's look at health care--a big issue in America, and most parts of the world. It consumes a lot of money. And yet a small percentage of the population consumes the majority of what is spent on health care in the United States. Usually for diseases that are by and large behavioral--this is, we cause them by things we do.
And 80 percent of the health care budget, of companies, is consumed by essentially five behaviors: smoking, drinking too much alcohol, overeating, stress, and not enough exercise.
Those five behaviors consume most of the problems that people have to pay for. Let's look at one. Heart surgery takes a lot of time and claims the lives of a lot of people, today. People go through heart-bypass surgeries. They have stents put in because of any number of different reasons.
Studies show that two years later, 90 percent of those who have had that have really not changed their lifestyle. They may start off with good intentions, and change for a while, but time and circumstances cause them to revert.
It's interesting. Knowing there is a disease that can kill and stats show that most people do not change.
So again, I ask, why is it so difficult? And why do we fight change even when we know that it is in our best interest?
I was taught this a number of years ago. I learned it in one of my classes. I didn't believe it. Years and years of experience have taught me just how difficult it is. You study behavioral science and they show you that change most often happens, most by people, when you speak to people's feelings. That's when change that is effective and usually long lasting take place.
When a person's heart is reached at an emotional level, a person is more likely to make a lasting change.
The Bible--God's Word--confirms this fact. God speaks to us through His Word and He speaks to us at a very deep emotional level. And when we react to it, it produces a lasting change.
But as we look at our life and all of these different habits that we have, what can make us change? What really pushes us in those directions?
There is a lot of myths about what may cause change. A crisis can hit and people will change for a period of time. They get a diagnosis and fear sets in. Fear can be a motivating factor--understandably so. Facts sometimes for some people, logical information, causes them to change. Sometimes people will change very gradually. Kicking a smoking habit is often attacked by people by making a gradual change, by cutting back on nicotine, over a period of time. Sometimes it works. I have seen it work with people.
There is another myth and that is, people just can't change. And that is a big myth because we can change!
Now, any one of these, fear or a crisis, can produce change, a measure of change and in some cases, even a lasting change.
I look at my own father who was a two-pack-a-day smoker for all of his adult life. One day my dad woke up with a cough that wouldn't go away. He thought he had cancer, and whatever or whoever he talked to, whatever diagnosis that came his way, he decided one day to stop smoking. And he quit cold turkey. He was fearful of what might have happened, and he did quit, and it was a lasting change.
But you know what? The statistics show nine others don't always do that. And I have known a number of people who because of whatever going on in their life, really didn't do it.
Behaviorists know that effective lasting change is often made by appealing to the emotion and reaching people at a deeper level than just facts, a momentary crisis, or even shock and fear.
I learned this a long time ago in my years in counseling with people in various situations. I would often run across people who were lonely and depressed. And they were in some self-destructive patterns by either additions, their eating habits, stress, or not getting enough exercise, and doing certain things that they could easily change. And, I would encourage them and in some cases, basically tell them what they needed to do in changing their lifestyle, and it wasn't always motivational enough to create a change. And there was frustration, and it created challenges and difficulties.
It took me a long time to learn the lesson that a person who is lonely, a person who is depressed, or some other chronic emotional problem, and that cigarette, that bottle of Jack Daniels, that drug even, is a replacement for what is empty and what is missing inside their life. It is their crutch to get them through a day! And if they quit, and just went cold turkey off of it and it didn't take care of that emotional need inside of them, they were still lonely and depressed, and they said what good is this? And they'd rather live a shorter life, at least happy because of the crutch of the addiction, rather than a longer life and not being able to deal with some of the other emotional problems which were at the real heart of what they were struggling with. It took me a long time to learn that lesson.
At the opening of today's program, I told you a story about a fellow that I called "the tattoo guy." So, what happened to Tattoo Guy? I'm going to come back to that story, in just a moment. There is a very important lesson there for all of us.
This program is designed to help you make changes, to begin a process of changing and living, to help you to a better quality of life. We are offering a free study guide today, Transforming Your Life . This booklet contains a lot of valuable information and it is going to help you find your way to some improved habits that are lasting and effective. It'll take a bit of study. It will take some work with the Bible, but it will help you. And I am going to tell you more about it in just a minute.
You can read this booklet, Transforming Your Life online at BeyondToday.tv . Or, you can request your free copy and it will be sent to your home by calling: 1-888-886-8632. You can call right now if you wish, jot the number down and call at the end of this program.
All right, let's get ourselves back on track to find out what Tattoo Guy taught me.
Here is what behavioral scientists have learned about making changes in people.
That joy is more powerful than fear. Joy is an emotion that runs deep into our reactions. Joy is a quality that is cultivated by deliberate choice. And joy is a quality of life that is spiritual. The Bible reveals that it is also a fruit of God's Holy Spirit .
Joy is a quiet confidence, an unmovable confidence that God's holding your hand and guiding you through life--during the good times as well as the bad times.
Joy is a deep feeling of contentment that flows from a choice that we make to live a better life because of someone or something beyond ourselves.
You see, when a person is convinced that they will feel better or have a better quality of life, they are more likely to change behavior. Let me take you back to the story of Tattoo Guy, the guy that I met in the gym. I told you about his story at the beginning of the program.
Tattoo Guy lifted weights. He would get a rush of adrenaline from lifting weights, pumping that iron most days of the week. And he said that he got the same rush that he would get when he used to do drugs. Now Tattoo Guy was a pretty scary looking guy with his studs in his face and the tattoos all over his body. One day we struck up a conversation and he began to tell me a story.
And as I listened to him, I could tell that there was a softness beyond his rough-looking, fearsome exterior.
Here was a man who had been in and out of drug rehab programs, and in and out of jail for his drug habit. Nothing in those measures--the drug rehab or the jail--caused him and convinced him that he needed to change the destructive habits of drugs. Yet something else did.
I was curious: "What caused you," I asked, "to kick your drug habit?"
Without hesitation, he said, "My daughter. My daughter said she did not want to visit me in jail anymore." He said, "My daughter convinced me I needed to change."
I was stunned. But I was also pleased. And he was too. It was very obvious.
Tattoo Guy cleaned up his life because of the joy he felt being with his daughter, helping her grow up and being a better influence for her.
We all know that drug and alcohol addiction are vicious habits. They destroy countless lives, cost society billions of dollars every single year. We all know that whoever kicks those habits and makes permanent change does so because something happens at their deepest, gut-level of emotion.
Any program, any cure for those addictions to be truly effective must eventually reach an addict at their deepest emotional level.
There's a song I like to listen to. It's called, One Day at a Time . It is written by a recovered addict. There is a stanza from it that sums it all up.

"It was something I was too blind to see, I got help from something greater than me. And I have to learn to live my life one day at a time!"

My friend, Tattoo Guy, was willing to change because of his little girl. To him his daughter was "something greater" than himself. When he saw her and what his behavior was doing to her, he then took the steps to clean up his life.
Let me ask you. Is there a habit that is killing you but you just can't change? What is it that might be crippling you maybe emotionally, or keeping you from living the life that you want to live, and becoming the person that God wants you want to be?
Is it drugs? Is it alcohol? Smoking? Overeating? Or a sexual addiction?
Maybe it is emotional pain? Fear? Anger? Maybe it is an abusive past that affects you so deeply today, you can't shake. You can't move away from it?
What is it that keeps you crippled, challenged and fighting for a sane, balanced and happy, joyful life--right now, today? What is it? What habit is keeping you from changing? What is keeping you from really experiencing life at the highest level? A happy, contented, safe, emotional life?
You see, Tattoo Guy was willing to change for his little girl. And I say, God bless him!
Here is the question: Who is your "little girl"? Who in your life is big enough and important enough to make you change and to help you start living life at a much higher level?
That's who you need to find! Find that person, or find that cause that will make you change and to make you begin to live for something beyond today.
Tattoo Guy was moved to change because of the love that he had for his precious little girl. You might not have a little girl, but you do have a God. Can you be moved to change because of God's love for you?
What God offers to each one of us is not too far. It is not something that is unknowable. It can be known. You see, God has not taken His message, His instructions, His words to us and hidden them off some place in a secret vault way up in heaven or wherever, and only a few people can find it. You can find it! You can access it!
God's message is close to you. It can be on your lips and it can be in your heart. And God's message can change your life for the better. All you have got to do is to choose--today, to begin to make the choice and to make it so. And begin that process that can help you pull yourself out of the rut of life that you are caught and in which you are trapped.
There is a wonderful passage in the book of Deuteronomy 30. It says, from God--it is really a message to all of us:

"Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you will live long in the land" (Deuteronomy:30:19-20 [19] I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
[20] That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. NLT).

And so the question comes down to each of us, can we change? Can we change for God? Can you make a life change for the better to become like God in character and thought, and do it today?
This is really the essence of what our life is all about. When it is all summed up from what we read in the Word of God, and what the message of the gospel really is, it is that God is our Father and that He is building a family. That's it! That is the essence of the message of the gospel of the Kingdom of God. It is at the heart of what Christ Himself brought, what He taught.
The Kingdom of God is about a divine, spiritual family that God is building. And He wants you and I to change when offered the opportunity and today to begin to live as a member of His family--now! And develop a relationship with Him today, in this life, to make this life better. There is no need for us to keep continually knocking our head against the wall.
Your life can be better as a result of that choice, to go with God. It's this understanding that can be a catalyst for change and help you live.
I had a chance encounter in conversation with a former drug addict who looked into his daughter's eyes and heard her plea for him to change. And he did. He made a change away from a destructive habit at the physical level. Deep down he saw that he had to do that. There are bigger changes that he will make I am sure at some point in his life when he has a chance to know God and make a change in that way.
For you and I today, can we look into the Word of God, hear His voice and change because He wants us to change and to live?
God holds out to us the hope of a present life that can be full of joy, and meaning and significance in this chaotic world. Today, we can share a taste of a life to come--a life that is good, a life that works to create joy in place of fear. A lot of people live life fearful of many things and as a result, it doesn't work. God wants to give us a life that works; a life that can help us to get out of bed every morning with a desire to make a difference with our life. That type of life is a foretaste of a better world to come when Jesus Christ returns to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. And we can begin to get a foretaste of that life from that world today, right now! We don't have to wait.
So stop condemning yourself to a life of futility and problems. Look at what life has dealt you, and yes, it may have dealt you a bad hand. But also look at what you may have dealt yourself--what you have done to yourself. And realize ultimately, whether life has dealt you a bad hand or you have made some bad choices, right now it is a time to draw a line and to make the choice. Draw a line over the past, make a choice, pull yourself out of that nosedive and start flying a straight and true course. Grab hold of God's offer right there, very close, very near to help you live today!
And Christ is ready to intercede for you and to help you.
In Romans:8:34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us., one of the most beautiful passages in all of the New Testament, the apostle Paul wrote these words. He said, "Christ Jesus who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." And as a result of that, he asks the question, "Who shall seperate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" (Romans:8:34-35 [34] Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
[35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? NIV).
And right there at that verse, you can add in your own line or two of your own life of what you have created. Or what has been dealt to you that, in a sense, separates us from the life we truly want. Well Paul goes on in verse 37. He says, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans:8:37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. NIV) because He is making intercession for us today.
And you can have access to that power, and to that life, and to God our Father. You are at a turning point. This message that we are giving you on this program today, and all of our programs and all that we offer on Beyond Today , can help you transition to a new mindset and a new lifestyle that can impact your life beyond today. It can impact your life for all eternity. And there lies the answers to help you answer the big issues of life that are in front of you at this time. And the choices you make can make a difference. And it's all worth it!
Before we go to our panel discussion today, let me make you an offer to help your understanding of today's subject.
It's our free study guide of our booklet, Transforming Your Life . This booklet will give you specific and spiritual goals to begin making effective changes in your everyday life.
It's a study aid that will help you change your thought process , and shows how our High Priest--Jesus Christ, could be working in your life today . If you're ready for a change in your life, you should get this booklet, this study aid, now.
You can get it online at BeyondToday.tv. BeyondToday.tv .
And if you would like us to mail you a copy, we are glad to do so. You can request it right now by calling: 1-888-886-8632. 1-888-886-8632. And if you live outside of North America, you can also write us a letter at the address on your screen. Request the booklet. We will be glad to send it to you.
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The Good News will help you clearly see, with a biblical perspective, where world events are heading right now.
The Good News is paid for by the generous support of our donors, so we can offer it to you completely free of charge.
Call: 1-888-886-8632 or go online at BeyondToday.tv for the Bible study aid Transforming Your Life and our free magazine, The Good News .
We've been talking about making change in your life. And I gave the example of a friend at my health club, I called "tattoo guy" and what made him leave a life of drugs and addiction. Now I'm joined by fellow Beyond Today hosts, Gary Petty and Steve Myers, to continue this discussion.
Gentlemen, what are some examples of people that you have seen make dramatic changes, lasting changes in their life?
[Gary] You know Darris, I can talk a lot about examples from just counseling people but one that comes to mind is from my own family. When I was six years old, my dad was a chain smoker. And my mother actually prayed that God would help him overcome his smoking. And one day he had a headache so bad that he couldn't even think. It was terrible. And he asked God that if God would take the pain away, if this is really because of his smoking, he would never smoke again. And the pain went away. So he never smoked again.
His motivation at the beginning was fear, fear that God would bring the pain back, but over time it changed. He made a permanent change because he had a relationship with God, and that was so important to him, that joy, that it kept him from going back.
[Steve] I met a young man in prison. He had made some terrible choices in his life, was serving out a ten-year sentence. And as we talked, and as he realized he needed to change, he wasn't like that other eight out of nine that didn't change. Especially many of those in prison don't change their lives once they get out.
But he said a couple things that were really interesting to me. He said I don't want to live this way. And he used the freedom that he finally obtained as a motivation. That freedom meant something to him. That he could finally have the freedom to make the right choices and it was something that inspired him in his life, and he learned to draw close to God and count on Him. And it inspired me too, to see that it was possible to change and make big changes in your life.
[Darris] I once had a couple that I was counseling. The husband was running around committing adultery on his wife and she got to the point where she told him that, that's enough. And pack your bags and leave. And he got so distraught that he called me, and wanted to come and talk. And he showed up at my house late one night, and we sat down and talked for a couple of hours. And he was so shocked, again it as crisis. It forced him to make a choice. He changed. He said he wouldn't do it any longer. And you never known in those situations because adultery is a pretty addictive situation that people get into. But, his change stuck because I think he rekindled a joy with a relationship with his wife, and a love developed that then made that change permanent.
I think that people have to come to a point where they make a choice and decide too, that they want, need and must do better. Be better, make a change and that leads then to that deeper emotional level at some point where the change becomes permanent. But, I think there are a lot of good programs, there are a lot of self-help plans that are out there for people making change, and we don't discount any of that.
But lasting, deep change is going to come when you and I are emotionally involved and we feel the joy that that change brings in a relationship with that other person, something beyond ourselves and God Himself.
So please remember the free offers that we made to you today. You're going to want to order a copy of the Bible study aid, Transforming Your Life . It covers in great detail key principles beyond what we have talked about here today to help you improve your life. And, you are going to also receive a free subscription to The Good News magazine. The number is toll free: 1-888-886-8632. You can read both, The Good News and Transforming Your Life online at BeyondToday.tv .
If you like our program, you can also watch Beyond Today and BT Daily anytime on YouTube or on our Roku channel .
Every time I think of Tattoo Guy, I smile and take heart. It reminds me that people can change--no matter how horrible the habit or the lifestyle. My chance encounter with a man who kicked his drug habit is a great lesson for each of us to remember. Tattoo Guy changed and he began to live for the sake of his daughter.
How about you?
Can you change and live because your Heavenly Father wants you to live well today and forever in His family? The choice is yours, and God stands ready to help you when you decide.
Thanks for joining us and don't forget our free offers, and be sure and tell your family and friends about our program. Tune in again next week for another edition of Beyond Today and join us in praying, "Thy Kingdom come." For Beyond Today I'm Darris McNeely. Thanks for watching.
[Announcer] For the free literature offered on today's program, go online to BeyondToday.tv . Please join us again next week on Beyond Today !