Pray-ers Please Feed Back

Many of you know that IFPC has partnered with the Iowa Christian Alliance and Concerned Women for America, as well as with many pastors to urge believers around the state to spend October 7-27 intentionally praying and fasting as an initial response to the recent same-sex marriage ruling in Iowa.

One of our models as we formulated this initial response has been Nehemiah. When he received word that Jerusalem's walls were in ruins, symbolizing that their identity in God was in shambles, his first response was to mourn, pray, fast and confess his sins and the sins of his fathers ... then he went to work repairing the wall. We want to respond in the same order. Leave no doubt, the coalition of organizations and leaders listed above will launch a tangible, concerted response to same-sex marriage, but first we want to spend some time getting our own hearts in the right condition.

May I make two requests from you:

1) Please join us in this prayer and repentance initiative. Print off a prayer calendar from our website www.ifpc.org and use it to guide your prayers until October 27. Invite your small group or fellow church members to join you and us.

2) Please come back to this particular blog post and leave comments about what you sense the Lord revealing to you during this time of prayer. As we move forward with a tangible, concerted response to same-sex marriage, we're counting on some input from God's people who are seeking His direction and wisdom, just like we are.

One last random thought ... My eating schedule these days, due to a wild schedule, can get somewhat out of whack from day to day, so fasting from food doesn't seem to be too significant for me. So I decided to fast from listening to the radio whenever I'm driving. It has been a real adjustment so far, but the quiet, less-distracted nature of a radio-less commute has afforded me some genuine prayer time that I otherwise wouldn't have experienced. You've gotta find what works for you - and the adjustment might be hard - but our spiritual health is depending on it!

Hate Crimes Laws: Segment 1

SEGMENT 1 (3 min, 22 sec): Former homosexual in Wisconsin attempts to share the hope he found in Christ with a practicing homosexual in a casual, happenstance conversation at a carwash.
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The following seven segments come from a DVD produced by the Family Research Council (FRC) called Hate Crimes Laws: Censoring the Church and Silencing Christians. At a recent pastors' press conference held in Des Moines in response to same-sex marriage in Iowa, the Iowa Family Policy Center committed to distributing that DVD to any pastor in the state who wishes to use it with their congregation.

These seven segments will give you an idea of what is included on the DVD, but if you'd like to have an entire copy for yourself or your pastor, please contact Matt Reisetter at matt@ifpc.org or on his cell phone at 319.230.2271. A modest donation will be suggested to help us cover the costs of getting the DVD from FRC and to you.

Please point others to these videos ... the more people who see them, the better.

Hate Crimes Laws: Segment 2

SEGMENT 2 (3 min, 17 sec): Does the mainstream media have a bias that favors the pro-homosexual agenda?
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Scroll down to SEGMENT 1 to read an introductory post related to these video segments.

Hate Crimes Laws: Segment 3

SEGMENT 3 (2 min, 24 sec): Do Hate Crimes Laws threaten religious beliefs? Australian preacher arrested for preaching truth about homosexuality.
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Scroll down to SEGMENT 1 to read an introductory post related to these video segments.

Hate Crimes Laws: Segment 4

SEGMENT 4 (2 min, 28 sec): Do Hate Crimes Laws infringe on free-market capitalism? Canadian business owner prosecuted for refusing to do a print job for a pro-homosexual group.
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Scroll down to SEGMENT 1 to read an introductory post related to these video segments.

Hate Crimes Laws: Segment 5

SEGMENT 5 (2 min, 10 sec): Could Hate Crimes Laws lead to the imprisonment of pastors? Even in places that uphold "religious freedom"?
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Scroll down to SEGMENT 1 to read an introductory post related to these video segments.

Hate Crimes Laws: Segment 7

SEGMENT 7 (4 min, 21 sec): Are Hate Crimes Laws and religious liberty incompatible?
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Scroll down to SEGMENT 1 to read an introductory post related to these video segments.