Dear friends:

My last message spoke of pervasive unbelief.

It is not just an intellectual thing.  Unbelief can have real and terrible consequences -- not just in eternity but in the here and now.  Just this morning I read about the below.

Susan Reimer, columnist for the Baltimore Sun newspaper, says:

"The results of a national study released last week show that one in four young women, ages 14 to 19, are infected with at least one of the Big Four sexually transmitted diseases: HPV, chlamydia, genital herpes and a common parasite called trichomoniasis.  The numbers break down like this: Almost half of black teens and 20 percent of white girls are infected. Among the infected women, 15 percent had more than one of these diseases.  These STDs can cause cancer or render a young woman sterile, and she is almost certain to be unaware that she is infected until very late in the game."

In case you missed it, let me repeat that first part: one in four young women, ages 14 to 19, are infected with at least one of the Big Four sexually transmitted diseases: HPV, chlamydia, genital herpes and a common parasite called trichomoniasis!

I am shocked.  This is incredible!

If you have a daughter, sister or niece in that age group, there is a 1 in 4 chance they have one of those diseases and probably passing it on to others.

If you have a son, brother, or nephew in that age group, there is probably a similar chance that he will catch something, maybe from someone's else's daughter, sister or niece, or will give it them!  It takes two!

This should not happen to young people who are committed to Jesus, are filled with His Spirit, and are obedient to Him.  Others are vulnerable. 

Jim