Gospel.com Blog

Today is the Great American Smokeout 2009, an event sponsored by the American Cancer Society. The idea is straightforward: decide today that you’re going to break your smoking habit, and take steps to make that happen. (If you’re looking to quit, the ACS site has a useful-looking guide to quitting smoking.)

Smoking is a habit you don’t hear much about in the church these days. I imagine that’s partly because the traditional evangelical shunning of smoking and drinking has a lot less moral traction than it used to; and partly because years of anti-smoking campaigns have convinced most of us that whether or not it’s a sin, smoking is not a desirable habit.

But there are plenty of Christians out there who want to break a smoking habit that has mastered them. One ministry that can help you do so is Setting Captives Free, which has a free 60-day online course called Breath of Life that takes a Jesus-centered approach to breaking free of a smoking addiction. (Setting Captives Free offers many other free courses as well, all aimed at finding freedom from habitual sin.)

If this is something you struggle with, today’s as good a day as any to decide that you’re going to quit—and that you’re going to do what it takes to break the habit for good. Take a look and see if the above resources can help!

Have you ever felt like a slave to sin? Do you know someone who might be? Setting Captives Free is a ministry that strives to bring people into a right relationship with God. They don’t claim to make you impervious to sin, but they can effectively help you break free from addiction.

The goal of Setting Captives Free is surprisingly simple, they want “to reach as many people as possible with the liberating message of Jesus Christ.” Practically, this works out into a series of free online courses. Courses range from achieving sexual purity, food issues, gambling, and substance abuse. All courses are free and will walk you through a daily process of recovery. They have translations of their courses in six languages with more translations on the way.

If you’re interested in hearing about how other people have been blessed by their ministry, you can read testimonies of those that have found freedom. They also have other resources, like recommended reading, audio files, links, and accountability software to help you or someone you know break free from sin. In all things they strive to meet their purpose of honoring and glorifying God.

Are you suffering from an eating disorder, frustrated by the lack of understanding and support you’ve gotten from friends, family, and the church? Or are you watching helplessly as a loved one is being worn down by an eating disorder, but you don’t have the slightest clue how to help them?

Eating disorders are frighteningly common, especially among teenagers and young women but also among young men. What causes an eating disorder, and what desires and thought processes keep a person enslaved to it? The first step to helping people through such a disorder is to understand eating disorders and why people succumb to them. Read through the above article, written by Vicki Harvey at ACTS International, and educate yourself about these disorders–and the terrible pain and low self-esteem that create them.

Dr. Stanley Lindquist was a World War II hero and a pioneer in the field of psychology… and he’s also the founder of the Link Care Foundation, a ministry that provides counseling and pastoral care to missionaries and clergymen around the world.

Lindquist was recently featured in CBS-TV’s “Stories of Service,” which gathers first-hand accounts from veterans. You can read about Lindquist’s life story and watch a video about his battlefield experiences and the ministry to which he dedicated himself after the war.

Young people today face a bewildering array of trauma in tragedy–from personal horrors like abuse to societal concerns like school shootings, natural disasters, and terrorism. But how can a young person, still coming to grips with their faith and identity, cope with so many issues that confound even jaded adults?

A new article at Youth Specialties discusses a crucial but often-overlooked aspect of youth ministry: helping kids navigate their way through life’s overwhelming traumas [PDF format]. How can you as a youth leader help the kids in your care deal with these issues without giving in to despair or denial? The article contains helpful advice for spotting the signs of serious trauma in children, and suggests that a Biblical response of lament can be the key to helping guide them through personal crisis.

Have you had an abortion? Are you struggling emotionally or spiritually with your decision to have an abortion? The Project Grace ministry wants you to know one important thing: you’re not alone.

Project Grace’s goal is not to judge or belittle, but to help you find peace of mind and spirit. They can put you in touch with support groups with others going through the same struggles, they’ve got free music and other media to help you process your emotions, and they’re actively involved with a variety of abortion-related ministries. If you or somebody you know is considering an abortion or has had an abortion, let Project Grace help you through your questions and doubts.