Turtle of the Day

Smoking Turtle

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North Shore Otter

Here is an otter we spotted playing in the harbor of Grand Marais (photo by D-Monk 2009-06-20).

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Make Way for the King!

John the Baptist

Heard John the Baptist preaching,
“Make way for the King!
… but if you want to recognize him,
you gotta tell me all your sins.”

+ Bill Mallonee/Vigilantes of Love, “Welcome to Struggleville”

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Today’s Weather in Minneapolis

WARMING UP

The skies should finally brighten today with partly cloudy skies this afternoon. Thus for the first time this week we should reach 80 degrees with fairly low humidity levels. The holiday weekend it still looking pretty nice with just a threat of a few thundershowers on Saturday and possibly on Sunday as well. (kstp.com)

CURRENT TEMP: 74 (23c)

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Purity Platoon Meeting – Week #7

Key Objective for Week #7: To clean house of everything unclean.

Memory Verse:

Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

+ 2 Corinthians 10:5b

The discussions at this week’s meeting of the Purity Platoon focused on two areas – (i) what has been working? and (ii) how do we prepare for vulnerability?

I was impressed with how well things have been going for most of the men in the Platoon. I have been in a number of different support groups to fight the problem of sexual and pornography addiction. Most of these groups start with a check-in which includes a definition of the addict’s “bottom line behavior.” In other words, each addict has to identify what behavior crosses the line into addictive acting out.

The discussion in this group is so different. There is no discussion of bottom lines. We are not setting out to avoid certain lowest level behaviors – no, in this group the goal is purity. The discussion is to see how people have done with avoiding any use of pornography, any masturbation, and any fantasizing about women. Anything less than a complete avoidance of these areas of sexual sin is short of the goal of the Purity Platoon.

In this sense, the Purity Platoon has taken very seriously the words of Christ from the Sermon on the Mount:

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

+ Matthew 5:8, 27-28, 48

Here I am, a man who has been struggling with constant and compulsive use of internet pornography, and now I am sitting with a group of men having a serious discussion about whether any of us has had “lust in our heart” over the past week. Praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ who makes such a thing possible!!!

The other focus of our discussion was planning for vulnerability. At what times are we most vulnerable to sexual sin?

• What emotional state make us vulnerable – alone, bored, angry, depressed, frustrate?

• What physical states make us vulnerable – wife is gone, we’re alone in a hotel room, bathroom, bedroom, other?

• What time of the day are we most vulnerable – morning, afternoon, evening, late night, after everyone’s asleep?

Then the question is, what plan are you going to make to protect yourself in these vulnerable times?  These are the situations for which you can post a rear guard.  Disclose to accountability partners your situations of vulnerability and schedule phone check-ins for those occasions.  Make the plan now while you are free from bondage!

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Cairn City on the North Shore

Cairn City by Tettegouche Bay (Photo by D-Monk 2009-06-19)

On our last trip to the North Shore of Lake Superior we stopped at the Rock Beach by Tettegouche.  This is one of our favorite North Shore hangouts because of the scenery, the seclusion, and the tremendous assortment of rocks.  Mrs. D-Monk loves to come down to this beach and build rock cairns.  But on this particular visit someone had beaten us to the spot and built a whole city of rock cairns!!!

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Gratefulness Journal

Today I am grateful for:

1. Smiles from the Chatty Chatty Princess
2. Time for Cleaning
3. Time to Go Out!

+++

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