MEDICAL REPORT: STD's ARE ON THE RISE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY!

Blacks were disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infection rates in 2007, including chlamydia rates that reached a record high and syphilis rates that increased for the seventh consecutive year, according to a CDC report released on Tuesday, Reuters Health reports (Dunham, Reuters Health, 1/13).

The report found 1.1 million chlamydia diagnoses were reported in 2007. The chlamydia rate was 370 reported cases per 100,000 people in 2007 -- a 7.5% increase since 2006.

Reported gonorrhea diagnoses -- which peaked in the 1970s at one million and then declined until a few years ago -- totaled 355,991, or 119 reported cases per 100,000 people in 2007. The rate was similar to that reported in 2006.

The syphilis rate continued to rise in 2007, as it has since 2000, with 11,466 diagnoses reported, or 3.8 cases per 100,000 people. This marks a 15% increase from 2006 (Engel, Los Angeles Times, 1/14).

Black women ages 15 to 19 have the highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea. Gonorrhea rates for blacks overall were 19 times higher than for whites, according to the report. Blacks make up 12% of the U.S. population, but account for about 70% of gonorrhea cases and nearly 50% of chlamydia and syphilis cases, the report said (Reuters Health, 1/13). Minorities have been disproportionately affected by STIs in previous year reports, with American Indians Alaska Natives and Hispanics at a lesser extent, according to the Times.

Public health officials said the disparities can be attributed to several factors, including socioeconomic and cultural issues, lack of access to health care and distrust of the health care system.

John Douglas, director of CDC's Division of STI Prevention, said that the increase in reported chlamydia cases could be attributed to better detection and an increase in testing, especially among women. In addition, providers are now using a more sensitive test to screen for the infection. However, health officials believe that the reported number of chlamydia diagnoses might not be the true number of infections -- which they predict could be closer to three million -- because so many infections go unidentified (Los Angeles Times, 1/14).

A Prodigal Son

Interesting Interview...

After identifying himself as gay for five years, singer/songwriter Brian Bates talks about why he left the faith—and what brought him back.
An igniteyourfaith.com exclusive interview
Look at the celebrity news of the last several months: Lindsay Lohan is dating a woman. Celebrities continue to support gay marriage. A former artist in the Christian music industry, Katy Perry, has released a song about kissing a girl. And two singers with professed Christian beliefs, Ray Boltz and Clay Aiken, have come out of the closet.

What does this all mean if you believe the biblical understanding of relationships and sex?

To help find answers, managing editor Todd Hertz talked with someone who identified himself as gay for five years—Christian singer/songwriter Brian Bates. In this web exclusive interview, Brian tells his story and shares the lessons he learned about interacting with others who don't share the Bible's view on sex.

When did you first think, I might be gay?

I didn't think about calling myself gay until I was 18, but things happened before then that set the stage. To start with, I had two big brothers who were more stereotypically masculine than me. I was smaller and more of the sensitive type. As an adult, I can look back and say, "Well, sure, there are boys who like football and there are boys who are creative—they are all God-created men." But, unfortunately, gender stereotypes are still alive. If you don't fit into the right category, you think something must be wrong. I kept wondering, Where do I fit in? How can I be like other guys?

College was the first time I met young men who identified themselves as gay. All of a sudden, I thought, Oh, that's why I didn't fit in! I am gay! It was sort of like this big light bulb went on in my life. I was welcomed into that community, and identifying myself as gay resolved all these unanswered questions for me.

What was your faith like as a teen?

I grew up Catholic and then we moved to a more evangelical church environment.

Growing up in a Christian home, I had the traditional understanding that homosexuality was not an option. I never had a fire and brimstone belief that said if I chose to be gay, I'd go to hell. My understanding was more that it just wasn't God's design.

This decision in college was a huge moral conflict because I had to choose between what I believed in my heart and what I thought was my identity. Identifying myself as gay won out because I thought, Well, if this is who I am, how can I not be gay? How can I choose to not be myself?

I bought the cultural lie of "This is who I am" rather than "This is what I struggle with because things in my life have created confusion." I bought the lie that this was who I am.

Did your faith change at that point?

Yes. I never thought, Well, maybe God's OK with this. I knew God's black-and-white truth. I knew that being gay wasn't his best for me. I felt I had to either preserve my faith in God or—if I was going to embrace an identity as a gay man—leave my faith behind. It felt like a big either-or. I simply had to walk away from God to pursue this. In hindsight, I look back at it as kind of like the prodigal son. I'm wholly a son of God. He always loved me. But I thought, You know what God? I just need to go do my own thing for a while. I know you don't approve. I just gotta go do this.

The Father doesn't keep the chains on the doors. He lets us go. But my experience in the gay scene got increasingly disappointing. It wasn't giving me what I needed. By the time I was 23, I was covering up that disappointment with alcohol and drugs.

My emptiness and disappointment also turned into anger at Christians. This was a way I could avoid dealing with God. But everything changed when I met a Christian named Julie. We didn't agree on the subject of homosexuality and she was like, "So what? So we don't agree on that. But God loves you. What are you going to do with that?"

She just loved me and appealed to the hunger for God I was trying to cover up.

What made her approach different than other Christians?

I felt most Christians looked at me and thought, Well, you can't be in a relationship with God because you're gay. Once you repent, you can get back with God.

Julie's approach felt more like the approach of Jesus. She was really the first one to remind me of a loving father that's waiting at home for his prodigal son to return.

What happened as a result of Julie's approach?

I started talking to God again—even in the middle of my mess. Even in the middle of getting drunk and using drugs. There was this kind of tug-of-war for months, where I was like, God, I want to start over. I want to come back but I don't know how. This is my whole life now, and it's who I am. It's horrible, but what else do I have?

One night, I was sitting in a bar just wasted. I immediately sobered up and felt God saying, "I've heard your cries. I'm the way out. Follow me. You can't bring anything with you. You've got to burn all your bridges. Get up. Walk out of the bar."

And I did. I laid my whole life down to God. Piece by piece, he taught me about my identity in Christ. He taught me about who I am as a man, and what God—not the world—says a man is. He helped walk me through my path and helped me understand how I got confused and why I thought I was gay. It didn't mean I was gay. That was the wrong conclusion.

This all didn't happen overnight but God showed me how to start my life over and find healthy male interaction.

What consequences held over from your prodigal son experience?

When you have sex for the first time, your body discovers new pleasures. Your body, your memories, and your mind now know things that you wouldn't have if you would have stayed within the boundaries that God set because he loves you.

I think that is the consequence of going outside the boundaries: just knowing. When I started this journey, my morals were intact. But eventually, your standards start to fall one-by-one when you've left your Father's house.

I didn't really want to have sex because I knew in the Bible you don't have sex outside of marriage. I tried to hold on to that as long as I could. I felt like my morals got in the way of me being able to find someone to be in love with.

Everything is redeemable but you feel the consequences. I lost my innocence and now I have to unfortunately know what it was like to connect with a man like that.

With your personal story in mind, how do you recommend Christians balance the truth of the Bible with not being judgmental?

My best advice is to be like Julie. Have the courage to set aside the moral debate and simply show love. I don't believe it's our job to convince people of moral absolutes. I believe our job is to reflect the kindness and compassion of Christ and let God convict. I believe that in a really honest relationship with God, God will work that stuff out. He did with me.

Recently, two music artists with Christian beliefs (Clay Aiken and Ray Boltz) have come out of the closet. What is your reaction?

If I knew Ray Boltz, I'd sit down with him and say, "I know it seems one of us is right and one of us is wrong, but forget that for a minute. Just help me understand: How do you and I know the same God, yet God tells my heart this but he tells your heart something else?"

Paul had a thorn in his flesh. He asked God to take it away three times, and God said "My grace is sufficient for you." Just because our thorn is sexuality, it's no different. A thorn is a thorn. Sin is sin. To know the truth and stay in sin is to trade the truth for a lie.

When it comes to Ray and Clay, it's hard for me because I don't know them. I don't know their journeys with God. I don't question their Christianity. But it makes me sad because I wonder how much they really submitted their sexuality to God.

We know the same God. I laid down my sexuality and he taught my heart how to make sense of my feelings and why that was not his design. How can they come to a completely opposite conclusion?

The abundant life that God is talking about has nothing to do with circumstances like getting married, having children, and being in love. We all want that stuff, but that's not what God is talking about. It's about having a trusting relationship with God in the here and now and not having to wait for heaven. And that's what I want.

ANGELA SIMMONS: I BROKE UP WITH MY EX-BOYFRIEND BECAUSE I WANTED TO KEEP MY VIRGINITY!!!

Did any of y'all watch Angela and Vanessa's new show Daddy's Girls last night. It was AWFUL ... but there was one intersting thing about it. Angela disclosed the reason why her and skateboarder Terry "TK" Kennedy broke up. Here's what she said:


I'm picky about [boyfriends] because of my circumstances - the not sleeping with you until we're married ... not having sex until I'm married.

That was the downfall of me and TK. The man just COULDN'T WAIT!

Interesting ... such a wholesome girl...

Today's Word: 10 Ways to Practice Purity

When you fall in love, it's natural to want to express your love in physical ways. But you also know God wants you to remain sexually pure—in both your actions and your thoughts. Sometimes it's a tough balance, but showing love for another and remaining pure is possible. Here are some suggestions:

1) Keep innocent expressions special. Rather than making the innocent expressions a mere prelude to the "heavier stuff," make the most of them. Let holding hands mean something. Express tenderness by simply putting your arms around each other. Make sure a kiss communicates true feeling and isn't just the first step to further physical involvement.

2) Pace your passion. Every marathon runner knows that you don't use up your energy at the beginning of the race; you need most of it at the end. Pacing your passion means that you realize you're trying to remain pure all the way to your wedding day. It's OK to express your love in little ways, but don't start messing with the package that is sex. To get real practical, avoid French kissing and petting—anything that is sure to ignite the fires of passion.

3) Don't feed your fantasies. It's normal to think about sex sometimes. In fact, with the way advertising and Hollywood exploit sex, it would be impossible not to think about it. So choose your entertainment carefully. Soap operas, certain songs, books, television shows, movies and Web sites only turn up the pressure. Feeding your thought life with junk only makes it harder to remain pure in your actions.

4) Remember whose property you're touching. You do not own the person you're dating. That person belongs to God. Imagine there's a sign on everyone you date that reads: PROPERTY OF YESHUA.

5) Make a promise to God, and daily renew your commitment. Decide where you're going to draw the line, and tell God that with his help, you are not going to cross that line until marriage. Don't commit to it unless you mean it, though. The Bible says it's a serious thing to make a vow to God. At the same time, realize that you can't stick to your promise without his help. That's why it's important to renew your commitment daily.

6) Acknowledge Yeshua's presence on every date. Before a date, it's normal to spend a lot of time getting ready. After all, you want to look your best. But you also want to make sure you're spiritually prepared. So spend at least as much time in prayer as you do in front of a mirror. As it says in Proverbs 3:6: "Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths."

7) Agree on your standards. Before sex becomes an issue in the relationship, talk about your standards with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Don't dwell only on the negative—what you won't do. Hebrews 10:24 tells us to "encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds." Discuss ways your friendship can help each of you become a better person.

8) Don't always go it alone. Sure, you want to be alone with your date; that's only normal. Yet too much time alone can lead you to do things you'll regret later. Your relationship will be a lot healthier if you spend time with each other's families and friends.

9) Put real love first. Genuine love always respects the other person. It never says, "If you love me, you'll … " Real love says instead, "Since I care about you so much, I will respect you, treat you with kindness, and never ask you to do something you know or feel is wrong."

10) Declare a new beginning. If you think you've already given away too much, don't give up. The beauty of Christianity is that sins are forgiven and erased. You can start over today.

Minister with AIDS...read this....Wow!!!

Here is a letter that was forwarded to me. Whether it is true or not, it is real. And it can happen to anyone. Check it out:


"To those of you who are single or married, saved or not saved, this is for you. I am a 35-year-old African American or Black brother dying of Aids. I would like to share my testimony with you. I am an owner of a Mortgage Company in Atlanta, GA. I own a 1999 Jaguar and I also own a $350,000 beautiful home in Cobb County. I have a beautiful Lady who is deeply in love with me and a loving family. But most important, I have Jesus.....

This is just a wake up call to all single brothers and sisters who are professing to be Christians, but don't want to be complete. Brothers, I had a beautiful young lady who loves the Lord and worship s the ground I walk on. B UT I still wasn't quite happy because sometimes I would see another sister with a Coca-Cola bottle shape and just wanted to hit it. Because I was using a condom, I thought that I wouldn't catch the killer 'AIDS' but guess what? I did. And the person I caught it from was a girl that I knew well. But the condom came off and now I am dying of AIDS. Yes, I wore a condom. But yes it did happen.

God gives us time after time to straighten our lives up. I do know the Lord in the pardon of my sins. I've been saved now for 7 years. I found out 7 months ago that I had the virus, and now I have full-blown Aids. I really didn't think that I was doing anything wrong, because I would tell the women who I would deal with about the woman I love. I thought that was good enough. But it wasn't. I am a good man and also a God-fearing man; but my weakness was women.. I really wasn't out there like you may think I was, but every once and a while I would see something I wanted to try. My girlfriend is a praying woman. I know now that she was intimate with me because she loved me and she wanted to make me happy. Now I've given AIDS to the woman I love (who has been faithful to me) because of lust.


Brothers and sisters, what I am telling you is that God is tired of us hurting each other and using each other for self-gratification. God has given me my home, my dream car and a beautiful woman and I took it all for granted. I've been tithing for 7 years. I am the chairman of my Deacon Board. But when I told my Pastor I had AIDS, he could not believe it because of the way I would carry myself. Brothers. If you have a sister who loves the Lord and who loves you for who you are and not for what you look like and not for what you have, cherish her. Sisters...If you have a brother who loves the Lord, love him and cherish him.


My life has been altered. I've been with my lady since I was 20, and I've always used my young age as an excuse for not being loyal and not settling down with the woman I loved. I was being a hypocrite thinking that I was missing something, and not realizing that I had a good woman who loved and adored me. I wish I had been a real man and had appreciated the good woman God had sent me by not making excuses and dedicating my life to her. I would love to travel and marry this beautiful young Lady -- but now I can't.


I've embarrassed my family, my church and my friends. But I was hardheaded and now I must suffer. God is cleaning up. Stop playing with God. God is revealing the secrets of us Christians. Brother's and sisters, we don't have to have so many 'friends,' You know what we call them. The ones we are planning to sleep with but haven't yet.' We often say that we don't want anyone to know our business, but God is about to reveal some thing's especially to us young people.

We think so carnal. But we say that we have been transformed. We have been transformed from what we want to be transformed from.. Let's be real. God knows that the opposite sex attracts us. And he knows the desires we have for each other, but we don't have to have multiple partners. If I could do it all over again, I would marry the woman I love and live happy forever. But now I can't! But you can!
Singles... I gotta tell you, it's not worth it. I love you all! Get rid of casual sex . This is really deep. After you've read this, think about yourself. Could this have been you? Some of you may not relate, but think about anything you are doing right now that is not of God...


We are living in the last and final days, and pretending to be saved is not going to cut it. Professing that He is Lord, and yet worshiping the devil every chance you get will lead you to the same path as me. Get your mind out of the gutter and put it in the Word of God and you'll have great success. Don't and you'll have great woe. I love the LORD and thank Him for all that He does in my life; therefore, I'm passing this on. Yes, I do love Jesus who has forgiven me of the repeated sins.

That forgiveness does not cancel out the consequences, at least not so far. But that's on me. Still, the Lord is my source of existence and Savior. He keeps me functioning each day and is letting me share my story with you. I'm telling it like it is THIS REALLY is to help somebody. Without Him, I will be nothing. Without Him, I am nothing but with Him I can do all things."

Phil 4:13 If you love Jesus, send this to lots of people!!!!!!

Be Positive - Be Progressive...Take the time to make a positive difference in someone's life.

Minister Anthony J. Cox


God Bless 'When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.'
To whom Much is Given, Much is Required!

Man Claims He KNOWINGLY spread HIV To As Many Women He Could!! Viewer Discretion Is Advised!

I am speechless...But this should be a lesson to folks sleepin' around. You are sleepin' with everybody else that person has been with, and so on, and so on, and so on!!