Mariska Hargitay on Boyhood Sexual Abuse
Published January 25, 2012 | 
Actress Mariska Hargitay, famous for her role in the television show Law and Order SVU, was published on the Huffington Post today. In the article, she talks about some of the startling statistics on the prevalence of male, childhood sexual abuse. She started a foundation in 2004 called the Joyful Heart Foundation.
In Mariska’s words:
At Joyful Heart, the foundation I started in 2004 to help survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse heal and reclaim their lives, we are proud to share in the vision of one day ending violence against all people. We hope to send this message to all survivors: We hear you. We believe you. We feel for you. You are not alone. And your healing is our priority.
You can read her article, entitled “Personal Fouls” here…
While we may differ in some of the ways to address the issue, faith vs. secular, I applaud Mariska’s courage to take a stand on a difficult issue.
A Serious Issue with a Serious Response
Published December 16, 2011 | I want to bring to you a plan – a somewhat risky plan. Beginning in 2012, we will begin giving 10% of the income of Pure Community Ministries to help eliminate the commercial sexual exploitation of children. In the years to come, we hope to increase that percentage beyond 10% to as much as our budget will allow.
I live in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. It has been determined that Atlanta, with the world’s busiest airport (Hartsfield-Jackson International) is a large hub of domestic and international sex trafficking. It is estimated that over 375 children per month are trafficked in the state of Georgia alone. Atlanta, Georgia is in the top 10 cities in the world for sex trafficking and is number one in the United States! We cannot stand idly by while this goes on in our own backyards.
So what can we do? There is a local organization called Street GRACE (www.streetgrace.org) which is working in this vital area of ministry. This is from their website:
Street GRACE is an alliance of Christian churches, community partners, and volunteers dedicated to supporting, enlarging, and allying with those individuals and organizations working toward eliminating the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Street GRACE mobilizes the resources within the community — financial, human and material — toward those organizations and individuals who have demonstrated effectiveness in battling CSEC in the areas of advocacy, aftercare and mentoring.Our ultimate goal is the elimination of this problem in the city of Atlanta and duplication of these efforts in other cities across the United States.
We believe this issue breaks the heart of God, and is the far-end of the spectrum for sexually immoral behavior. It is a fitting response for those of us who have been consumers of the sex industry, through pornography or otherwise, to give to such a cause. If you are a 12-stepper, think of it as amends.
Please consider joining us. This is not a gimmick to bring in more donations. Rather, it is a huge step of faith. This plan is risky for us because we usually run “in the red” financially. But, we believe that God cares about the sexual exploitation of children and we can help do something about it, even if it is something small. We trust God to make up any shortfall to bring more resources to bear on this issue.
You can donate online using the Donate button on our website, via check or online bill pay to:
Pure Community Ministries
P.O. Box 586
Lebanon, GA 30146
Thank you for your time, prayer and consideration of extending your generosity toward Pure Community Ministries and ending sex trafficking.
In Him,
John
P.S.
If you need additional motivation, watch the trailer for the film “Stop the Candy Shop” at this link:
http://stopthecandyshop.com/the-film
The film produced with the support of Street GRACE.
The Purity Report for Pastors
Published November 9, 2011 | We are excited to announce a new outreach of The Purity Report.
It is very sensitive for pastors to talk about struggling with pornography or other sexual integrity issues. We provide private, pastors-only forums which allow confidential use of our accountability framework.
The Purity Report offers a powerful way for pastors to begin talking about their struggles with other pastors in a safe environment.
Email us at info@purityreport.com for more information.
Posted in Announcements, News, Purity | 
accountability, character, confession, Grace, healing, News, Pastors, porn, Purity, Purity Report, Recovery, sex, sin | 
Leave a commentXXXChurch on Porn Sunday
Published February 5, 2011 | Our good friend, Michelle Truax, from XXXChurch was interviewed this weekend about Porn Sunday. You can view the media interview below. Michelle was instrumental in the founding of our site for women, Partners for Purity.
The Porn Sunday event is being held on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 6 and more than 300 churches from all over the U.S. are participating. The churches will play a 40-minute video simulcast featuring Jon Kitna, Matt Hasselbeck, Ryan Pickett, Josh McCown and a few other NFL players and founder of XXXchurch, Craig Gross.
The goal for the event is to get churches talking about the “elephant in the pew” and get people help that are struggling with porn and sex addiction.
The Porn Sunday video will be available to watch on the website on Sunday, Feb 6th all day.
Free Filter for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
Published February 5, 2011 | 
K9 Web Protection has announced the release of new filtering products for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The best part is that their products are all completely free!
With the popularity of iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone mobile devices as gifts for children this holiday season, the door is wide open for them to fall victim to the dangers of the Internet,” said Steve Daheb, chief marketing officer and senior vice president, Blue Coat Systems. “The K9 Web Protection Browser leverages the power and intelligence of Blue Coat’s leading Web security technology to keep children and families safe online wherever they access the Internet.
Here is the link to K9′s full press release.
The Purity Report Vimeo Channel
Published January 4, 2011 | We wanted to let everyone know we have a new channel on Vimeo. In it we will be sharing bits and bytes about The Purity Report and how it all works. Check it out and leave a comment!
“Eyes of Integrity” and “Pure Eyes”
Published September 4, 2010 | 
Craig Gross, founder of XXXChurch.com, just released two books on sexual integrity, “Eyes of Integrity” and “Pure Eyes“. the first is a general book about porn, how it affects us all and how to get help. The second is a man’s guide to sexual integrity.
The exciting thing is that our ministry is featured in the Resources section of both books. In their online resources, they provided the link to Higher-Calling.com, a ministry of ours for those struggling with sexual sin. Higher-Calling.com was re-branded as The Purity Report at the beginning of this year.
We highly recommend these new books and look forward to the opportunity to help a lot of people through these referrals.
The Purity Report – Coming Soon!
Published December 16, 2009 | I am very excited to announce a new direction and new focus for our ministry. As many of you know, we have endeavored over the years to create a safe online community where those who struggle with sexual integrity can come and receive support, encouragement, prayer and fellowship. We have been really successful in this and it has been a pleasure to be a part of.
After the New Year 2010, we will be rebranding and relaunching Higher-Calling.com. After the New Year, we will be known as “The Purity Report.” When you visit higher-calling.com you will be redirected to the new site.
What is The Purity Report? I’m glad you asked!
Most of us have seen or heard about accountability going badly. The church has not done a great job keeping accountability safe. It has tended to be too authoritarian or too unstructured. Neither are helpful and leave those struggling with purity frustrated or worse, believing a lie that the church does not have the answers!
The Purity Report is a simple framework for accountability relationships. It consists of a “script” for confession to be used by those struggling with purity and a set of guidelines for their accountability friends. The combination of these components foster safe and effective accountability.
The program begins with a 40-day challenge during which strugglers complete The Purity Report every day for 40 days. They share that daily report with someone they know personally. We also have specific forums to share the report with the online community, and tools on the website to help send the report to those who are not on the website through email. It takes about 5-10 minutes each day to complete the report. After the 40-day challenge, we encourage participants to continue using the report weekly to stay accountable long-term.
We will continue to foster a safe online community as we have always done. But, we are really excited to take this new direction. We have a vision to see accountability restored to the church and for many to be set free!
Please join us in sharing The Purity Report with your churches. If you would like, you can contact me at info@purityreport.com with any questions or if you would like us to discuss the program with your church.
You can visit the newly designed website at www.purityreport.com. It is still under development, but you can learn more about the program there.
Pure Path Online
Published October 30, 2009 | 
Last night I had a great conversation with Aaron Dailey. He and I were both RA’s together in Bible school. Well, it turns out that Aaron has recently kicked off a new ministry focused on equipping the church and Christian leaders to deal with sexual issues called Pure Path.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to hear about what Aaron and his team are doing. I look forward to seeing them grow and hopefully taking advantage of some of the resources they plan to develop.
There can never be too many in the fight for our character and integrity. In our society, this is never more true than in the area of sexuality. Go check out Pure Path and show them some love!
Ted and Gayle Haggard at Elevation Church
Published April 28, 2009 | 
This past Sunday Elevation Church hosted Ted and Gayle Haggard for an
interview on the topics of sin, forgiveness, and the essence of the
Gospel.
You can read some of Steve Furtick’s thoughts on the interview here…
I am really glad to see Mr. Haggard speak so openly about his struggle. It helps folks know that we all struggle…even a pastor and evangelical leader is not immune to sexual sin. If it can happen to him, it can happen to any of us.
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