Part 2: Bunnies, Virgins and Real Men

Friends, I’ve been overwhelmed in the best way by the response to my original blog, Bunnies, Virgins and Real Men. You all are amazing!! I can’t tell you how many have asked how they can help. We’ve had suggestions of other ways of raising money to help Katherine Stone’s family. One pastor and his wife offered their own home for however long it takes. Others have committed to pray for both Katherine and Dennis. We actually sent the blog to them separately. We haven’t gotten any response, but we wanted to make sure we did everything we could to get it in front of them.

What can we do now? I’ve been pondering this question because it has come up quite a bit. First of all, each one of us can pray for Katherine and Dennis and the other women that may be considering entering this contest. We need to shake the foundations of Heaven itself with our prayers on this issue. The sex industry and all its facets have infiltrated every aspect of life. You can’t even drive down the highway without seeing a salacious billboard anymore. Pornography is literally one click away for everyone no matter the age or gender. According to the Internet Filter Review Website, $3,075.64 is spent per second on internet pornography and 28,258 people per second are viewing pornography. Do those numbers shock you? Those were sobering for me to see.

We need to pray and we need to begin to have honest conversations in the Church at large about this issue. The time for embarrassment or being squeamish when talking about the sex industry has got to be over! The Church has to deal with this issue head on. This is Satan’s favorite playground and he will continue to wreak havoc in this area as long as the Church buries its head in the sand fearful of offending its members by tackling this. We need to talk openly about pornography, sex trafficking, sexual addiction, the strip industry, prostitution and everything else included in the “adult entertainment” industry. God created sex, it’s His and we’ve allowed Satan to rule in this area long enough.

We’ve got to begin open dialogue with no fear of judgment, creating a safe environment for true vulnerability. I once heard trafficking defined as the exploitation of vulnerability. Right now the Church is the last place people dealing with these issues want to run, when it should be the first. Katherine should have felt free to run to the Church, not Dennis Hof, a brothel owner. Some of the responsibility for that decision lies at the feet of Katherine herself, but I can’t help thinking much of it also lies at the feet of the Church. Jesus is the only One who can begin the breakthrough process with these strong footholds. Healing has to begin with Him and the Church has to find a way to open its arms to the most broken and wounded in our society so they can find Him!

After we’ve begun to pray and talk honestly about these issues, then we need to ACT. We need to be the hands and feet of Jesus pouring out His love on those working in this industry and those who are addicted to this industry. And trust me, whether you want to admit it or not, you know someone affected by the sex industry. We all do. That’s just the harsh reality today.

When I first read the article about Katherine Stone and the horrific idea of a virgin competition, the same questions kept running through my mind. Wasn’t there anyone in Katherine’s life willing to help her and her family? Where were all the Jesus followers? Surely her path had crossed with someone who knew Jesus at some point after the fire destroyed her family’s home. Did no one offer to help? Did no one offer a hotel room or a guest room in their home? Maybe they did and the family wasn’t willing to take the help, I don’t know. All I do know is that Christ followers standing up and actually doing something is critical, but unfortunately it’s most often the piece that is lacking in the overall game plan. After we’ve been on our knees in prayer, God will almost always call us to action. That’s where many of us get stuck because doing something will always cost us something. It will cost us time, money, energy, resources, pride and the potential list goes on and on. We will have to sacrifice something and the truth is many in the Church aren’t willing to make a sacrifice. I have seen this even in my own life. Sacrifice is hard and there have been times when I just didn’t want to do it. That’s why the response to my original blog overwhelmed me. All the people willing to stand up and ask what they can do in a tangible way to respond was inspiring! Wow! Fantastic!

So how about this? What if we each ask God today what He wants us to do to make an impact for Him? How does He want us to use our hands, feet, time and resources? How can we make Him famous? What if we make sure the Katherines in our lives never have to look for another place to go for answers because we, “Christ’s Church,” are showing her The Answer and helping to supply her needs in a tangible way?

In my two years of meeting women working in the adult entertainment industry through Stripped Free, I can tell you one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that women are driven to this industry because they didn’t see any other option. They didn’t have anyone in the beginning willing to reach out and give them a hand-up, not a hand-out, but a hand-up. They needed someone willing to walk beside them and befriend them and say, “I’ll take this journey with you and we’ll figure this out together with God’s help.”

Let’s get in our prayer closets and call on God to bring miraculous healing to those working in and affected by the sex industry. May He start a revival in this industry the likes of which has never been seen before! May we be quick to listen, showing love and compassion while striving to create environments where people can be vulnerable opening up the most tender and terrified pieces of their hearts to find true freedom and healing. And may we make sure we’re doing what we can each day to take care of those around us, loving our neighbors as ourselves. God, help us to have the courage to run into the darkest places for battle knowing we are fully equipped by YOU, the God of the Angel Armies! It’s time to reclaim this ground in Jesus’ Name!

 

Bunnies, Virgins and Real Men

I’m not even sure what to say or how to begin. I’ve gone from shock, to anger and horror, to having an uncontrollable urge to vomit as I watch the depravity of the human soul on full display. I’ve seen some things in the last 2 years that I’ve been working with Stripped Free. Things I wish I could erase from my mind. I’ve seen the demoralization and degradation of human beings. I’ve seen souls shattered and beaten down over and over again. I’ve seen a twisted and horrifying version of a “savior complex” that has left me shaking my head in disbelief. I’ve seen the depths people will go to in order to try to erase past pain and humiliation only to experience deeper levels of shame than they ever anticipated. I’ve seen the worth of a soul reduced to a dollar in some of the darkest environments imaginable. But I’ve never seen anything quite like this………

The Bunny Ranch Brothel Kicks Off $$$ Million Dollar “America’s Next Top Virgin!” Competition. I’m speechless. The bottom line, 20 year-old Katherine Stone had tragedy strike her family. Their uninsured home burned down in a fire and she was forced to leave school and get a job to help support her parents and two younger sisters who are currently living in the rubble of their former house. She has now become the first woman to enter this contest for a million dollars to help her family. You can find out more about the details of this contest on-line. It is truly unimaginable.

A Word to Katherine Stone:

Katherine, I want you to know something. You are a beautiful young woman who has been created in the image of God. He formed you in your mother’s womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. I have no idea if you believe there is a God or not. Let me assure you there is and He is crazy in love with you. What you are about to take part in will do incomprehensible damage to your heart and soul. You will emerge from this competition as a shell of your former self. It’s obvious you have a huge heart and deep love for your family and it’s an admirable thing to want to do anything you can to help them. There is another way. I promise you God has another way! I watched the video of your first interview. From some of the articles I’ve read it appears up until this point you have never even kissed a man before. In your video you looked very innocent and also terrified. You are saying all the right things, but I can see the fear in your eyes. I know you have already had to experience things in these first few days that have probably been traumatic for you, but it’s not too late to turn back. It’s never too late. You will lose so much more than just your virginity in this contest. Whether you can see it now or not, this is the turning point in your life. This will lead you down roads you were never meant to walk. This will lead you to things you were never meant to do. This will change the trajectory of your life in an unimaginably horrific way. Please get off this path now. There is another way to help provide for your family. There are good people out there who can help and there is a God who has all the answers and who is Himself the ultimate answer for you. I can promise you that. Know this: you are loved and you matter and you are worth so much more than this.

A Word to Brothel Owner Dennis Hof:

Dennis, I’ve read articles that talk about how “generous” you are with “the crippled, the poor and the orphaned.” I’m not even sure where to begin. Maybe I should begin by talking about what it means to be a real man. A real man doesn’t see dollar signs when he looks at a woman. A real man would never dream of exploiting the innocence of a pure heart as some kind of financial stunt for shock value. A real man would never be responsible for doing irreparable damage to a woman’s soul by putting a price tag on her or her virginity. Whatever work you have done with the crippled, poor and orphaned is all just a front for you to soothe a guilty conscience. A deeply guilty and shame-filled conscience.

Let me tell you what a real man looks like because I see them all the time. I have been blessed to have wonderful Godly men cross my path who have shown the love of God in tangible ways to women who are leaving the adult entertainment industry.

The gentleman that I just sat across from who donated a car for a single mom leaving the industry, who thanked me for giving him this opportunity to help impact a life. That’s a real man.

The mechanic who fixes busted up old cars and keeps them running for moms who can’t afford car repairs. That’s a real man.

The doctor who donates his services and sits with a woman helping her with medical and emotional issues for the first time in her life. That’s a real man.

The employer who realizes he has a job opening that might be a good fit for someone needing a fresh start and does whatever he can to make that job a reality. That’s a real man.

The professional who teaches a woman how to deal with a resume that includes nothing but industry jobs and begins to replace fear and shame with hope and healing by pointing out positive job skills that can be used in other places of employment. That’s a real man.

The husband who loves his wife well in front of a woman leaving the industry showing her for the first time that there are good men out there and she is worthy of one. That’s a real man.

Dennis, I pray for you. I pray for your soul. I pray you will turn away from this path and begin to see and value women’s lives. There are certain things that are true whether we choose to believe them or not. There is a God. That is the truth. He is crazy in love with you just like He loves Katherine. You are loved, you matter and you are worth it. Get the help you so desperately need. No one is ever too far gone that God can’t reach them. And please cancel this contest and give Katherine the money she needs to help her family. You are a wealthy man. You want to do something good? Give with no strings attached. Be an example that others can follow. It’s never too late to do the right thing.

Become What You Believe

I have a theme for 2015.

Deeper Faith
Deeper Trust
Deeper Gratitude

I want to grow. It’s not possible to just stay at the same place, so I’m always moving whether I recognize it or not. It’s more a matter of what direction I’m moving and growing? Am I growing closer to my Heavenly Father or further away from Him? Do I desire Him more today than I did yesterday or less? Am I seeking His Face or settling just to seek His hand and what He can do for me?

I want deeper faith. I’ve been a Christian for more than 30 years and I’m still surprised at how little faith I have in certain situations. The Bible talks about having the faith of a mustard seed. (Matt. 17:20) An itty-bitty mustard seed. I’m happy that’s all it takes because at times, that’s all I have, but I want more. I want a deeper faith. Why?

1. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. No matter what I do in life or ministry, if it’s not done in faith, it’s not pleasing to Him and I want to please Him. He’s my Abba Father. The One who knit me together in my mother’s womb. He loves me passionately and I love Him passionately. I want to please and glorify Him.
2. I am also stubborn enough to say that I don’t want to miss anything God has for me. This past Sunday our Pastor preached a powerful message on faith from Matthew 9:27-30 about Jesus healing two blind men. He reminded me that I can only go as far as my faith will take me. I don’t want to come to the end of my life having missed out on so much of what God had for me simply because I had such little faith. I want ALL He has for me. Here is Matthew 9:27-30 from The Message:

As Jesus left the house, he was followed by two blind men crying out, “Mercy, Son of David! Mercy on us!” When Jesus got home, the blind men went in with him. Jesus said to them, “Do you really believe I can do this?” They said, “Why, yes, Master!” He touched their eyes and said, “Become what you believe.” It happened. They saw.

“Become what you believe.” Such powerful words. What do I believe I can become through Him? How far will my faith take me?

Those seem to be the foundational questions at our Finally Free Women’s Conferences and with our Stripped Free Ministry. I have met so many women both inside the church and inside the strip clubs of Indianapolis that are literally becoming what they believe. What do many of them believe? They believe they are worthless and no one cares if they even exist. They believe they aren’t lovable and they have fallen too far for even God to reach them. They believe they are failures not worthy of love or even the smallest bit of success. So there they sit, in the pews of our churches or on the bar stools in the clubs marinating in a sea of worthlessness and unbelief. Things will never change so why should I even try? No one cares, least of all God.

My Friends, let’s begin with the faith of a mustard seed. Do you know how small that is? You’ll see a mustard seed pictured at the side. Can you muster even that much faith? In Matthew 17 Jesus performed a particular miracle, something the disciples had already tried, but failed to do. They asked Jesus why they didn’t succeed. In Matthew 17:20 Jesus says in The Message version:

“Because you’re not yet taking God seriously. The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.”

Can you try an experiment for just a few days? Can you give God a chance? Take Him seriously and begin to believe with just the faith of a tiny mustard seed. Start there and see what He does with it. The Bible tells us that “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1). He is the Living One and even though you may feel you can’t see Him, He sees you and He loves you. No matter where you are or where you’ve been, you are never too far for Him to find you. If you have had a hard time buying into this whole concept of God, begin to believe He exists and He loves you. Allow those thoughts to even enter your mind for the first time and become a part of your thinking. Begin to believe He has a special plan and purpose for your life. Begin to believe things can be different. Begin to become what you believe.

Let’s Connect On Twitter: @KimTabor

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