X3CHURCH IN VEGAS

Travels went well. Everyone got up here safely and the trip was uneventful. Taped the podcast this morning and talked to some of the people that were going. Make sure to check it out. The booth space at the show is perfect for what we are doing. Wally is kind of big so we need some space. He doesn't fit perfectly in the booth.

The bibles are ready. The Jesus loves porn stars tee shirts are ready. The postcards are ready. Its countdown time for the morning. Keep praying. We will keep posting. Mike.

[09:49 PM]

Fasting for Porn?

While Craig, Mike and the rest of the team enjoy the many all-you-can-eat Las Vegas buffets, a number of us will be fasting for the guys working this year's Adult Expo, and if you want to join in... fantastic. How does that work? What do I do? If you've never fasted before it can seem a bit overwhelming. You think, "I get hungry between meals, how do stop eating for four days?!" I thought the same thing the first time I attempted to do it, but once I got beyond all the reasons why I couldn't, it turned into one of the greatest experiences I've had since becoming a Christian. Here are a few things to consider:

When Not If.
The fact that you're even asking the questions is a good indication that God has planted this in your head. That being the case, He will help you do it. Fasting isn't something you do in your own strength, you do because He said to do it. The Bible says "when you fast" not "if you fast" and He honors that obedience.

Strength In Numbers.
As I mentioned, there are several of us doing the same thing so be encouraged and know that you're part of a team. The first time I fasted, I did it with a good friend. He and I committed to a given length of time and talked often about what we were doing, how it was effecting us, our prayers, the people around us, what was good, what parts of it sucked. It proved to be tremendously helpful during those times when I really wanted some fries.

Don't Overthink It.
There's a tendency to get crazy legalistic about fasting. Don't. We're talking about the four days during the expo, Thursday through Sunday. And while you may think that sounds like a long time, it's very doable. But if that seems overwhelming, do two days. Do one day. Do all four days but just the hours during the show. Just do something and don't let yourself get caught up in the calendar, concentrate on the objective... honoring God with your obedience and supporting the team on the show floor as they reach out.

Now, the practical information:

Can I eat anything?
Well, a fast is a fast. It's denying yourself food for the purpose of focusing things in your spirit. So, no, don't eat anything. What you can do is drink fruit juice and water, and a lot of it. And get creative, buy a variety of juices or make your own. If you decide to go hardcore and fast longer than the four days, you can work in some broth as well. But again, don't get caught up in the legalities, if you want to fast but mix in a coffee or two, go ahead.

Will I be hungry?
Sure, the first day or two you will be hungry as your body is adjusting, but after that it's more in your head than in your stomach. That's why I always encourage people to fast longer than a day. Day one is the toughest, so to quit after the first day gives you an incomplete picture of how things could go.

Does it really make a difference?
Absolutely! It continues to amaze how direct the connection is between not eating during a fast and a closeness to God, and how little anyone talks about it. It blew me away how much time I spent in the course of a day thinking about, preparing for, looking forward to, and actually eating. Now replace that time with a focus on a specific goal like praying for the X3 team in Vegas this weekend or any other item God puts on your heart and it becomes like a laser on that issue. There's no question that that amount of focused dedication gets God's attention. But that is key. Lots of people don't eat, it's the redirection of all that energy in prayer and scripture that push this over the top in it's effectiveness.

Post your comments. Let us know your successes. Better yet, let us know your failures. There's good stuff and encouragement in both. Or shoot me an email at rob@gatecreative.com. Now go not eat!

Rob

[03:22 PM]

PORN SHOW DAY 1 EARLY MORNING

X3CHURCH IN VEGAS >>>>>>>>

Today, we are headed to Las Vegas for the annual porn convention. We would ask for your prayers for this and wanted to give you an idea of what is going to be happening there. I just got back from TN  it is 1:30 am and everything is loaded  up and ready to go. Here is the plan...Craig

Booth #1 -Craig, Mike, Jr

The three guys will be standing in front of Wally and asking people to take Wally’s 7 day porn challenge. We did this earlier this year in Los Angeles and the response was great. We are asking people to stop looking at porn for 7 days. All of our wives will be traveling with us as well as the kids. Obviously, the kids will not be coming inside.

Booth #2 –Laci, Katie, Diane, Kim

The Jesus Loves Porn Stars booth will be back in action. We have 5,000 postcards that have been printed, stickers and T-shirts. The girls will stand in line to get autographs of all the porn stars. The porn stars will autograph one of the postcards and then be invited back to the booth to receive a free Jesus Loves Porn Star shirt. This is the start of hopefully some conversations and relationships. Remember, this is where we met Trinity a few months back during this type of outreach.

Hair and Make Up –Julia, Sue, Angela, Rachel

While we were at Willow Creek church for Porn Sunday, we met Rachel and Angela. Rachel is a professional hair and make up artists who works at a strip club in Chicago. Rachel won Angela to the Lord a few years back and Angela now works at the same strip club as the house mom. They heard our story and we heard their story and they wanted to come join the team. Julia went to the Los Angeles show with us and she happens to be a full time hair stylist. So, here is the plan. We have rented a suite at the Venetian Hotel, which is next door to the convention. Through some of our xxxchurch contacts and other girls that the team will meet at the show, the plan is to offer to do hair and makeup for any porn star for free. This could be before they have to make an appearance, before a party, or before the big award show on Saturday night. Girls like to talk especially while getting their hair done. One of the frustrations that the girls who came to Los Angeles with us had was that the showroom floor is so loud and the girls were always on the go. We are excited about this outreach and can’t wait to see what happens. If it is slow, the girls have agreed to touch of Mikes gray and do something with Craig’s hair.

Daily Updates

Every night we will be updating the blog on the XXXchurch website. Simply log onto xxxchurch.com and hit the link on the main center box to see what is happening.

Radio Show

Listen to this week and next weeks radio show. Well, listen every week, but especially these to find out all that is going on with this trip.

Pray and Fast

We do some crazy stuff around here, but we take the porn show outreach very seriously and have spent numerous hours in prayer for this trip. You can join the prayer team if you would like to. Ginny heads it up, just send an email to ginandlynny@verizon.net and join the team. We even have people fasting for us, if you want to know more about fasting email rob@gatecreative.com and he will give you the run down on fasting.

Thanks again for your support, and prayers.

God Bless

Craig

[03:15 AM]