Removing The Mask

From FBH team member Rick Dimmitt:
August 19, 2008

In the summer blockbuster movie, "The Dark Knight", one of the themes is Bruce Wayne's weariness with maintaining his alter ego by wearing the mask of "The Batman".

We might not be "The Batman", but we are also very good at hiding who we really are behind our masks.

After all, if people really knew us they might not love us and accept us at all.

We may not be hiding behind a superhero mask, then again, maybe we are, acting like we have it all together when really we don't.

And, we also grow weary because maintaining our alter ego is work and it's hard.

Thankfully, there is One we can always be ourselves with, "without the mask", who does love us and who does accept us just as we are.

That is God and that is good.

We can be honest, we can be open, we can be transparent with Him. He knows it all, anyway.

So, take off your mask. It's ok.

Be real. Be accepted. Be loved.

Begin to live Free.

Then you will inspire others to "take off the mask", too.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

Men At The Cross Houston

The Freedom Begins Here team is getting ready for another Men At The Cross event, this time at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX. It’s this Friday and Saturday, August 22 and 23.

From our experience a month ago in St. Louis, we know that our team will be in contact with hundreds, if not thousands, of men who have or are currently struggling with pornography and sexual sin. And we recognize what a tremendous battle it is to not only admit that one has a weakness in this area, but then to take the step to purchase a Freedom Begins Here Toolkit to start the journey out of this secret sin.

The Freedom Begins Here Accountability Pack was designed to help facilitate the unique call given at Men At The Cross to take up the mandate of 2 Timothy 2:2 – “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” No more “lone rangers.” No more “every man is an island.” We need modern day Pauls to walk along side their Timothys in radical holiness and ruthless accountability.

In fact, our team saw the distant looks come over the faces of many men at our booth, as they began to count the cost of taking this step toward freedom. “How do I tell my wife?” “What about my ministry?” “I could never be accountability partner to someone else, because I have my own struggle.”

This is a spiritual battle and we need your prayers. There could be 10,000 plus men hearing the message of FreedomBeginsHere this weekend for the first time. Please pray for courage, pray for release of the captives, pray for freedom.

Rush of Fools - New Song

Here’s a special note from Rush Of Fools. Their new CD “Wonder Of The World” has a new song written especially for this movement. (BTW, We think these guys are pretty awesome.)

We consider it a privilege to partner with an organization called Freedom Begins Here, whose hope and mission is to attack the epidemic of sexual addiction within the Church, as well as give resources to pastors and churches to assist in the healing process of families affected by this crisis. When our manager Andrew Patton challenged us to write a song called “Freedom Begins Here,” we thought he was pretty crazy. It’s kind of a like asking a fish to swim through dirt. And though our creative sides were expecting a musical disaster, the Lord yet again shocked us by giving us lyrics that hit the root of our wickedness. And though we don’t narrow the lyrics down to sexual addiction, we pray that God would use this song to penetrate those struggling in this area to live out the gospel by confessing their sin and repenting to their Savior.
- Rush of Fools



So, these are the powerful lyrics to this new song.

Get Help. Get Equipped. Get Involved.

Your next steps? You may or may not be addicted or struggling with pornography, but you probably know someone who is. Visit www.freedombeginshere.org and order a Personal ToolKit, Accountability Pack, and/or Church ToolKit to begin to make a difference today. It’s your move.

Do you have a story to tell? Don’t be shy. Your story could be key to someone else’s first step towards freedom. We have set up a specific place at www.freedombeginshere.org for your stories. Be sure to check out www.freedombeginshere.org/?page=stories to read the testimonies of others and share your own story.

It is our hope and prayer that this e-newsletter will encourage you and those you know to make a difference.

Our Mission

Freedom Begins Here™ was created in response to countless emails and phone calls from pastors and individuals looking for resources to really help with the problem of pornography and sexual addiction. Not just another book to read or a twelve-step program. Not a band-aid to cover the wound or a pill to mask the pain. We need to begin to shine the light of truth on the darkness by honestly talking about the problem, admitting our weaknesses and failings, and walk together in ruthless accountability.