Posts with the category “teenagers”

For a lot of people—especially in the LGBTQ+ community—the idea of stepping into a church feels impossible. And honestly? That reaction makes sense. The Church has hurt people. Sometimes still does. For years, LGBTQ+ individuals have been ignored, judged, or outright rejected by Christians—not because of Jesus, but because of how poorly we’ve reflected Him.So how can we say “God is love” when the ...  Read More

Having someone in your family come out as trans is not just affecting parents. We are increasingly seeing the effects of this on siblings and even occasionally on adults whose own parent has declared that they now identify as a different sex.For parents, there is much angst and a myriad of questions. Research would indicate that it is not only Christian parents who find this difficult to navigate....  Read More

The account of Jacob wrestling with God (Genesis 32) is pivotal to Jacob’s future; it’s symbolic of the lifelong struggle he has had with God and with his own family.  This physical struggle depicts the scene of someone striving in his own strength to succeed, whilst seeking the blessing of God.  He recognises within this struggle his own limitations and dependence upon God, hence the desire for a...  Read More

Your child has just told you they will no longer respond to the name you gave them at birth; they have a new name and are demanding that you must use it. Or conversely you may be the child, you now go by a new name, but your parents refuse to use it or even engage in conversation over it.This is a familiar story to many of the individuals we work with, one that’s not easy to navigate. But there ha...  Read More

Psalm 139 is my favourite Psalm and one that I have been reminded of three times this morning and it’s only just 9am!Why is this Psalm so special to me? Having spend 30 plus years in the wilderness, that is, apart from God, doing my own thing, I can attest to that fact that there was nowhere I went where I escaped him.  Sure, I stuffed thoughts of him down, I tried to find my significance and wort...  Read More

What does God want to say to the person who identifies as LGBTQ+, and how does it differ from what they're hearing from Christians?Sadly, we live in a world where many Christians are very judgmental, and seemingly unable to love the sinner while hating the sin. That's a phrase that's often used (not one I'm very keen on), but not applied well.As this ministry has been conducting some research into...  Read More

This week I've been contacted by a Mum whose daughter is transitioning.  Her daughter sent her a picture that simple said:"They all said the same thing about my Transition, be patient with your Mom."The sad thing is, we are not seeing that patience from many of the children who are transitioning.  There is often a high demand on Christian parents to compromise their beliefs and affirm their child,...  Read More

It is unlikely that your child or teen won’t have their own ideas about Pride and may speak with some authority about it.It’s important therefore that if you are going to talk about this with your kids you have formed your own views and know why you hold them. Part of that may mean you say to your kids ‘I’m on a journey of discovering all about this’ or ‘I’ve not quite made up my mind yet’, or eve...  Read More

Something struck me afresh this morning as I was reading the book of Job.  It's OK to ask “why?” questions, but all too often we turn our questions against God in an accusatory way. When you consider all the people affected by questions of sexuality and faith, you see that many have, ‘why?’ questions.  When I first came to faith, I questioned God vociferously, constantly querying why I was born ga...  Read More

This is a question we hear repeatedly, and it’s not a question that’s reserved solely for Christian parents.  Despite what the media portrays, this is not an easy conversation for most parents to have.  It is almost certainly going to come as a huge shock with a whole host of side questions, many of which come from our own place of fear of the unknown.‘How did I not know?’, ‘When did this happen?’...  Read More

Sometimes when you write, you have no idea if the person you are directing your thoughts at will ever read them.  But, when God puts thoughts on your heart, I believe it is well worth recording them, because he has a great way of directing people to the right place at the right time.  Even within this Ministry, we have had people contact us for support, who cannot even tell us how they stumbled ac...  Read More

I struggled for many years with sexual sin. It was my “go to” way for comforting myself each time I struggled with emotional pain. At times it was constantly a problem, other times I could go for several months without it being an issue, but as soon as something hurt emotionally it would begin again.When some people realise they are struggling with sexual sin they have prayer and are delivered imm...  Read More

In his book “Gay Children, Straight Parents: A Plan for Family Healing,” author Richard Cohen lays out his suggestion that there are 10 factors we can look at which may contribute to children developing same sex attraction.  Looking at these factors myself, I can also see how some of them may also be factors that are at play when previously heterosexual adults find themselves attracted to the same...  Read More

If your teenager comes out as gay or has already come out as gay then you are not alone in the Christian community, there are many other families who walk the path with you. We have taken some of the advice given on an online Christian peer support group, some from parents who have recently found out their son or daughter is gay, and some from parents who have been dealing with this for many years...  Read More

It’s always a privilege to be asked to speak about my faith and personal testimony, it’s usually the Q & A session that I find the most fun as I get a chance to really hear what’s on people’s hearts.  In a couple of weeks I am speaking to a youth group and have been furnished with their questions in advance.  One question that popped out of the page to me was this, “Will LGBTQ people go to hell?We...  Read More

There was a time in my life when I was out and proud in the gay community and felt that I actually belonged there. Yet at the same time I didn’t entirely feel like I was meant to be there. I had enough of a Christian upbringing to know the lifestyle I was living wasn’t for me.  In church for a long time though, I had also felt very alone and I didn’t feel like I belonged there either. Having same ...  Read More

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. James 1:13-14 NKJVThis is a hard topic. Temptation comes to everyone. No one is exempt. We are tempted because the enemy wants nothing more than to destroy what God has created good. Temptation i...  Read More

Prodigal come home – the cry of the Father’s heart to the children who were brought up in church, yet have been drawn away by the empty promises of the world.The NLT version of the Bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6 – “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”My personal experience of this is so true.  I was brought up in church and taught Biblical tr...  Read More

As we get close to a New Year, the words “Hope Shouts Louder” have been placed on my heart.  Credit must go to Rebecca Townley and Rosie Godfrey, the authors of “Hope Shouts Louder”, as the title, and content of their book spoke deeply to my heart.  The phrase has been rattling around my mind for the past few days and I believe it is a significant message from the Lord for our Ministry and the peo...  Read More

Christian parents sometimes ask us what do they do when their child comes out as gay or Trans?  I suggest that two things are essential:Love unconditionallyGo into your prayer closet and start warring in the SpiritIf you think about it, your child has gone through an incredible struggle to get to the point of telling you.  They have almost certainly warred with themselves, shed a lot of tears, suf...  Read More

False teaching is prevalent amongst Christians today and it is heart breaking to see some of the social media groups who are leading the way when it comes to false teaching on sexuality.  It’s so easy to see how teenagers are being conned into believing that the Bible is affirming of homosexuality, because of the way the text is being presented.When I myself was searching for truth, I spent a lot ...  Read More

Often the people who approach our ministry for advice on how to talk to their kids about sexuality and faith come to us too late.  The damage of the world already done, they are coming to us from a reactive stance, as their child has now announced their new-found identity in one form of sexual orientation or another. For a Christian parent, this is difficult to navigate.  We desire that our childr...  Read More