Two Lessons We Learned About PORN at the TRU Conference
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This past weekend Chris and I were privileged to speak at the TRU Conference in Norman, Oklahoma. Our mutual friend invited us to speak on the subject of pornography, its effects, and how we can go about fixing the problem (click here for the audio).
A lot of men and women showed up to both sessions and many of them sat down with us to share their own stories and struggles with porn. Through these conversations, Chris and I were able to shift from being the teachers to being the students and the lessons we learned as a result are lessons we wanted to make sure were shared with you too.
We Are Ready to Start Talking
Part of the mission of When I Am Weak is to enlighten churches to the danger of pornography. Statistically speaking, most of the men in your congregation, as many as 64%, are watching porn at least once a month, and still we remain silent on the topic. This weekend gave us both hope for a change in the conversation. Many men and women chose to attend our classes, not because of who the speakers were, but because they desperately want to know more about the danger of porn and what they can do about it.
You Are Not Alone
We’ve both said and written the phrase “you are not alone” many times over the course of our podcast recordings and blog articles because we know firsthand just how many wrestle with the temptation to view pornography. Over the course of this weekend handfuls of people came over to us to talk about their own personal struggles with pornography addiction and/or how it has affected those around them. They also shared this information with us in front of the rest of the room. They were not worried about stigma or how they would be perceived, they were happy that they could talk about the subject without fear of judgment and with those who understood the struggle.
The change we’ve been fighting for over the last several years is finally starting to occur. For too long pornography has run rampant through our churches, silently destroying the souls of men and women, but it will not be allowed to do so any longer. We’re starting to talk. Those who struggle are realizing that they are not alone in their fight and that it’s openness and accountability that will finally slay the monster that is porn addiction.
Are you struggling with pornography addiction? Are you caught in the cycle of feeling despair once you’ve watched porn, only to go back to watching again soon after? We want to help. Reach out to us at Chris@WhenIAmWeak.org and learn how you can break the cycle.
