Motor City Pride and Fifth Third Bank

Recently, a couple of us from our office monitored the Motor City Pride parade in downtown Detroit as well as their display center at Hart Plaza.

Listen here:

We went to determine what corporations were sponsors of this 25th annual homosexual event in Detroit. We anticipated that Home Depot might be one of the leading sponsors. Although they were nowhere to be found, that doesn’t take Home Depot off the boycott target list of American Decency and American Family Association – as Home Depot continues to support the homosexual agenda.

However, the corporation that we did find with the highest profile presence was Cincinnati based Fifth Third Bank.

The photo is a display of the schedule of the events scheduled for the weekend. The only corporate name attached is that of Fifth Third Bank. Click here to send a message to Fifth Third Bank.

I wrote a letter to Fifth Third Bank and hand delivered it to our local branch. I told the branch manager that I wanted her to be aware of its content but that I knew that it was a national office matter. As expected, she forwarded it on to her superiors.

In addition, I emailed the letter to the CEO of Fifth Third Bank, Mr. Kevin Kabat. In part, my letter stated:

“Most of us have for years lived in a culture where the Biblical world and life view has been unquestioned in this important regard: homosexuality is destructive, degrading, and damaging to the individual, the family, and to a society.

There are many concerns surrounding homosexuality like spiritual, legal, health/medical and psychological consequences. I have included information to document some of our concerns here at ADA.

As a ministry/organization that has done our banking with you for a number of years, we are asking you to withdraw your support of homosexuality. Unless we can receive a commitment from you that you agree to develop and assume a neutral position in regard to the homosexual culture war, we will discontinue our banking relationship with you. And, we will encourage others to do the same. I say this with regret. However, we will not be a party to such blatant support of a behavior that is undermining our families, community, and nation and dishonors the God who has blessed this nation from its very inception!

The above letter was written by me and presented on Monday, June 4. I received the following letter on behalf of Fifth Third Bank (Eastern Michigan) written on June 6 and received Monday, June 18.

Dear Mr. Johnson:

Mr. Kevin Kabat has shared with me your letter dated June 4, 2012, and I have read your concerns regarding the Bank’s involvement in the Motor City Pride event. I respect your position and I’m sorry that you are considering terminating your relationship with Fifth Third Bank.

Fifth Third Bank is very active in support-

ng the communities in which we do business. Our community and employee base is a diverse one, and we participate in community events throughout the year that represent that diversity. Fifth Third Bank is a financial services company that is here to serve the banking needs of all members of our community. We do not discriminate against any customer, or potential customer, for any reason. I have taken your concerns under advisement.

Respectfully yours, David Girodat, President and CEO Fifth Third Bank (Eastern Michigan)

 

For the record, the ADA isn’t asking Fifth Third Bank to discriminate against any customer, or potential customer for any reason.

We are expressing concern to Fifth Third for their blatant support of a behavior that is undermining our families, community, and nation and dishonors the God who has blessed this nation from its inception.

We are asking Fifth Third to merely remain neutral in the cultural war.

In closing, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a leading homosexual advocacy group, hosts on their webpage what it calls their Profile-Buyers Guide.

HRC gives Fifth Third Bank a positive grade of 70 out of 100. [See: http://www.hrc.org. One of the areas where HRC gives Fifth Third a top grade states that Fifth Third Bank: “Engages in appropriate and respectful advertising and marketing or sponsors LGBT community events, organizations, or legislative efforts.”

Join with us in calling Fifth Third to merely remain neutral in the cultural war.

 

Fifth Third Bancorp Kevin – Kabat – President & CEO 38 Fountain Square Plaza Fifth Third Center Cincinnati OH 45202-3102 Toll Free: 800-972-3030 e-mail: kevin.kabat@53.com

Click here to send a message to Fifth Third Bank.

http://www.americandecency.org/archives/motor-city-pride-and-fifth-third-bank/#more-6786

Jesus Cures A Man Who Cannot Walk

When Jesus entered Capernaum again, after some days, it was reported that he was at home, and so many people gathered about him that there was no longer room for them, not even at the door. While Jesus was preaching to them, four men came, carrying a man who was paralyzed and could not move. As they could not get near to Jesus on account of the crowd, they tore up the roof over his head. When they had made a hole, they let down the bed on which the man who could not move was lying. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to him, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes sitting there said to themselves, “Why should this man say such a thing? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except God alone?”

Knowing at once what they were saying, Jesus said to them, “Why do you say these things to yourselves? Which is easier: to say to the man who cannot move, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, take your bed, and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has the power on earth to forgive sins” (he said to the man who could not walk) “I say to you, Rise, take up your bed, and go to your home.” Then the man rose and at once took up his bed and went out in the presence of them all, so that they were all filled with wonder and praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

http://kids.ochristian.com/Childrens-Bible/Jesus-Cures-A-Man-Who-Cannot-Walk.shtml

Thou shall cause them to inherit it. Deu 31:7

Joshua is ever the type of our blessed Jesus. Joshua not only won Canaan for his people by his faith in the gift of God, coupled with his strenuous efforts, but he caused them to inherit it. Jesus not only won the wealth of the heavenlies for His Church by His death and resurrection, but He waits to cause us to inherit it through the Holy Spirit which He gives.

How great is our heritage! Heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ! All things that pertain to life and godliness await our appropriation! All spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus! There is no conceivable grace or virtue, no fabric of the Divine looms for the soul’s dress, no ornament of heavenly jewellery for the soul’s adorning, no weapon of celestial temper for the soul’s equipment, no salve or balm of Divine comfort for the soul’s healing, which is not ours in Jesus. The Father has given Him to have life in Himself that He might give us life more abundantly. He is full of grace and truth, that out of His fullness we all may receive. He received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, that He might pour Him forth in Pentecostal fullness. But we do not possess our possessions. We are like people who have sent all their valuables to the strong-room of a bank, and never by any chance make use of them.

This is a lack which Jesus can also supply. He can cause us to inherit: first, by His Spirit He reveals the lavishness of the Divine possession; next He excites an appetite of desire; next, He begets the expectant faith that claims; and, lastly, He becomes to us each one of these things, so that we are enriched in Him, and possessing Him, find that all things are really ours.

http://devotionals.ochristian.com/f-b-meyer-devotional.shtml

 

Ignorance & Innocence

Some people avoid going to the doctor because they don’t want to find out that anything is wrong with them. Some people avoid going to church for the same reason. But ignorance of our sickness doesn’t make us healthy, and ignorance of our sin doesn’t make us innocent

Roman law is considered to be the source of the idea that ignorance of the law excuses no one. But the concept originated much earlier. When God gave the law to Israel, He established that even unintentional sin required a sacrifice for forgiveness (Lev. 4; Ezek. 45:18-20).

In his letter to Christians living in Rome, the apostle Paul addressed the issue of ignorance or lack of understanding. When people were ignorant of God’s righteousness, they made up their own (Rom. 10:3). When we live according to our own standards of right and wrong, we might feel good about ourselves, but that doesn’t make us spiritually healthy. Only when we are measured by God’s standard of righteousness (Jesus) do we know the condition of our spiritual health.

None of us can achieve the righteousness of Christ, but thankfully we don’t have to. He shares His righteousness with us (5:21). The good news about finding out what’s wrong with us is that the Great Physician can make us well.

Great Physician, You know my heart. I bow before You now and ask that You show me any attitude or action that doesn’t please You. Make me clean; make me well.

God is the Measurer and Healer of our spiritual health.

http://odb.org/2012/06/30/ignorance-innocence/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+odb%2Ffeed+%28Our+Daily+Bread%29

Tozer Devotional-Concepts of Spirituality

Concepts of Spirituality

The concept of spirituality varies among different Christian groups. In some circles the highly vocal person who talks religion continually is thought to be very spiritual; others accept noisy exuberance as a mark of spirituality, and in some churches the man who prays first, longest and loudest gets a reputation for being the most spiritual man in the assembly. Now a vigorous testimony, frequent prayers and loud praise may be entirely consistent with spirituality, but it is important that we understand that they do not in themselves constitute it nor prove that it is present. True spirituality manifests itself in certain dominant desires. These are ever-present, deep-settled wants sufficiently powerful to motivate and control the life. . . .

http://www.cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer?id=596

Avoiding the Sweetness of Evil by Mark D. Roberts

Psalm 141:1-10

Don’t let me drift toward evil      or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies      of those who do wrong.

Psalm 141:4

In Psalm 141, David wrestles with his own temptation to do what’s wrong. As in many other psalms, there is a concern in Psalm 141 about the threats of the wicked to David’s well-being. But here, the danger is not so much that the wicked might harm him through their violent deeds. Rather, they might tempt him to join them in their sin. Thus David prays, “Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong” (141:4).

Notice that David acknowledges the apparent sweetness of evil. He refers to the actions of those who do wrong as “delicacies.” The Hebrew word used here comes from a root that means “pleasantness, beauty, or sweetness.” It is used in the Song of Solomon to depict the physical beauty of a lover (Song of Sol. 1:16). It can also describe the pleasant taste of food (Prov. 9:17) or the delightful sound of music (Ps. 81:2). Sin can appear to be a delicacy, something to be enjoyed and savored, something pleasurable and profitable.

Yet David knows that appearances can be deceiving. Beneath the sweetness of evil lies a bitter, rotten core. So he asks the Lord to help him avoid it: “Don’t let me drift toward evil.” The Hebrew original reads more literally, “May I not incline my heart toward evil.” Sin usually begins, not with a rush to action, but with our inner being, with subtle temptation, with seemingly harmless intrigue. But if we lean our hearts in the direction of evil, if we allow its seeming sweetness to tantalize us, then we’re well on our way to “taking part in acts of wickedness.”

So, we avoid the sweetness of evil by tending our hearts, by acknowledging our temptations and turning from them. Yet we are not able to do this in our own strength. We need the Lord’s help. And that help will be provided if we ask and incline our hearts, not toward sin, but toward God.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: What kinds of sin can seem sweet to you? When you’re tempted, what do you do? To what are you inclining your heart?

PRAYER: Gracious God, like David, I can sometimes feel the lure of sin. It can indeed seem sweet, something that will give me delight. But I know the truth about sin and its corrupting influence.

So I pray as David prayed. Help me, Lord, to incline my heart, not toward evil, but toward you. Keep me from taking part in wicked acts. Help me to see that the apparent delicacies of evil are poisonous to my soul.

Lead me, not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. Lead me in your paths. Fill my heart with a desire for you and your holiness. Amen.

http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/avoiding-sweetness-evil-0?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheHighCallingDailyReflections+%28Daily+Reflection+%26+Prayer%29

Questions About Your Vision

“The word of the Lord came…in a vision.”                        Ge 15:1 NKJV

God promised Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Ge 12:3 NKJV). That’s a big vision! But God knew Abraham had the faith to embrace it. If you hate what you have to do in order to pursue your vision, something is wrong. Examine your motives. See if there are inconsistencies between who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish. Have you taken ownership of the vision? Do you have the heart for it? If pursuing your vision causes you to violate your values, then you need to get another vision. Maybe the problem is your attitude. (1) Are you too idealistic? You must accept the way your vision is unfolding, and change your expectations concerning how long it’ll take. Ninety percent of all disappointments stem from unrealistic expectations. (2) Have you stopped dreaming daily? You must let yourself dream a little bit every day, explore possibilities and embrace options. Be creative. Continuing to dream actually helps you to move forward. (3) Do you appreciate each small step of progress? One way to feel fulfilled is to celebrate each success. Recognize when you pass milestones. Thanking God for your progress will encourage you to keep moving forward. (4) Have you made personal growth your goal? The only way to fulfill a big vision is to grow with it. The bigger the vision, the bigger you have to be to achieve it. What is God revealing to you in your current situation? How can you grow? The greatest reward of pursuing a vision—is who you become as a result.

http://theencouragingword.wordpress.com/2012/06/30/questions-about-your-vision/

He knows! by Patricia Day

Revelation 2:13 I know your works, and where you dwell. (NKJV)

We all experience days or situations that are so overwhelming, we feel we cannot cope. We want to run away and be anywhere, rather than in or with the situation we find ourselves in.

We despair and give up all hope that God hears or will answer our prayers, after all we are such diminutive beings and He is so….well, IMMENSE! So ‘out there’!

Whatever your predicament, rest assured that He knows exactly where you are and what you are dealing with. He is all-knowing and nothing escapes His detection. Trust in Him and His direction, but do it with everything you have – no half measures, no pretense.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 …..I know what I have planned for you, says the Lord. I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name. You will come to Me and pray to Me. And I will listen to you. You will search for Me. And when you search for Me with all your heart, you will find Me. (NCV-ICV)

Prayer: Father God. Hear my prayer and meet my needs. I can no longer live this way. I don’t know what to do next. Please let me feel Your presence and show Me your solution to make my life better. Amen

http://devotionalchristian.com/he-knows/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DevotionalChristian+%28Devotional+Christian%29

Come and Drink

Come and Drink.

The Hot Shot Café

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:11

The Hot Shot Café in Asheville, North Carolina, is where the locals hang out. Old jukebox and all—no pretense—just good old home cooking. A while back I had the chance to eat there. The meal was delicious, and as I was paying my bill, I noticed a shelf full of shiny new Hot Shot Café mugs. I knew I needed one. It was a compulsion I couldn’t resist. So, I forked over a few extra bills and left with the mug.

It may sound weird, but I love heavy porcelain mugs with nifty logos. Over the years I have collected so many you would think I had enough, but no. I needed just one more!

If it were only about the mugs in our lives, or the teddy bears, CDs, or shoes—it wouldn’t really be a big deal. The thing is, it’s about more than that. It’s about this inner dynamic where we need just one more thing all the time. The technophile needs the fastest computer processor; the fashionista must have the latest open-toe sandals; the car enthusiast yearns for the perfect low-profile tires.

I think the issue behind our constant craving for more and more, for the latest and greatest, is contentment. It is easy to let our longings for possessions, relationships, and experiences shape our lives. The danger is, when we’re constantly on the hunt for the next thing, our life circumstances become pumped up with importance, while our Bibles collect dust on the shelf.

When we let the passion to consume crowd out the contentment we have in Christ, the result is an endless chase for the proverbial carrot on a stick. Since we can never have “enough” of what we crave, the emptiness makes us vulnerable to aloneness, and that leads us to sacrifice ourselves on the altar of the “next big thing” only to find that we still aren’t satisfied. Jesus alone gives the power to live a life where inner contentment abounds, regardless of our circumstances.

In 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, Paul listed some of his life circumstances. He was beaten with whips and rods, stoned, and shipwrecked three times. He survived a night and a day in the open sea, rivers, bandits, his own countrymen, Gentiles, and false brothers. He had often gone without sleep, food, water, clothing, or heat. And, he lived every day with concern for the churches he planted. He doesn’t even mention the fact that he wrote most of the New Testament from a jail cell!

Despite all of this, Paul wrote these words in the last chapter of Philippians. “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation” (Philippians 4:11-12).

What was Paul’s secret for contented living? I’ll tell you what it wasn’t. It wasn’t his mug collection and certainly not his life circumstances. It was his deep awareness of the supernatural presence of Christ in his life, and an abiding sense of all that Jesus alone provided for him.

The next time you’re at the Hot Shot Café, or wherever it is that you’re tempted to reach for “just one more thing,” remember that Christ alone provides the relaxing peace of contentment. Having Him, we have it all!

YOUR JOURNEY…

• Read the following Scripture: Proverbs 19:23; Philippians 4:11-13; 1 Timothy 6:6-8; and Hebrews 13:5. What does the Bible say about contentment?
• Do you spend more time thinking about the things you think would bring you contentment or about the sufficiency of Christ?
• What does it look like to be content with Christ? Brainstorm a list of ideas and practice living them out for one week. Reflect on the experience and record it in your journal.

http://getmorestrength.org/daily/the-hot-shot-cafe/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GetMoreStrength+%28Strength+For+The+Journey%29