Posts with the tag “ssa”

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

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

As Christians we are aware that there is a spiritual battle, a “good v evil” if you like.  God, who is good, has made us to his own intricate and perfect design.  Satan, who is evil, is doing everything to twist that design to convince us to reject God. In the battle over our sexual identity, Satan’s thinking is surely, if they believe they were born this way, then they will either blame God for t...  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

I read with interest Emily Sargent’s article in the Times, 31 January 2024 titled – “Conversion therapy? It must be banned. I should know.”  Reading this article, led me to delve deeper into Emily Sargent’s work, and I discovered a series of seven podcasts called “Thinking Straight,” which explore conversion therapy, and advocates for an extensive ban. Emily is a non-Christian, lesbian reporter, a...  Read More

I am reading a fascinating book called Mercy Triumphs over Judgment, by Joanne Highley. Joanne brings so much experience, wisdom, and knowledge to the Christian response to homosexuality. In response to those who suggest that homosexuality is something that we are born with, she comes back with what I feel is the perfect response.“The truth is God would never create people as homosexuals and then ...  Read More

Today we simply wanted to shine. the spotlight on our TBGL groups, because we have a passion to ensure that no one who is on the journey of exploring sexuality and faith for themselves, feels alone. We want everyone to have access to a community of like-minded Christians who support and encourage each other. That is why we are so committed to our peer support (TBGL) groups.  These groups allow lik...  Read More

Do you struggle with emotional dependency – OK let’s spell that out – do you have a relationship / friendship with someone who you feel you could not exist or function without?  Is this person central to your life to the point maybe of idolatry?If this describes you, or simply makes you stop and think for a moment about some of the relationships you are in, you may be subject to a form of addictio...  Read More

In the UK there is still a lot of unrest around the proposed legislation for banning conversion therapy.  The aim of those proposing this ban is “to improve the lives of LGBT people.”I am all for lives being improved and am against any form of psychological or physical abuse against anyone.  I am also very mindful that not all LGBT people are the same, there are many different views, experiences a...  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

It never fails to sadden me when people who contact the ministry tell me that they are struggling to find a church where they feel welcome and safe to speak of their same sex attraction, whether current or historic.  The tendency seems to be that they either find a church that has become inclusive, to the point of celebration of same sex relationships.  Or, they find a church where they feel judge...  Read More

What did Jesus say about homosexuality?OK so this is a question we hear all the time, and many people will say that Jesus was silent on this.  I disagree with that; Jesus did speak about sexual immorality and I will cover that shortly.  But the other day I was reading the book of John and was drawn to the final verse which says, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were writt...  Read More

This week the Church of England has sent a very stark message to all those who have turned their back on their homosexual past to follow Jesus.  By voting to bless same sex marriage they have told us that we were mistaken, that we shouldn’t have picked up our cross and followed Him, that our sacrifice was unnecessary.However, the good news is, we don’t follow a denomination or a church body, we fo...  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

Meeting with a group of like-minded Christians is so refreshing.  We are reminded in Proverbs 27 that “Iron sharpens iron” and that is exactly how I feel after each of the weekly TBGL zoom calls that are run by Transformed Ministries.  When you chat to a member of the group you will hear them talk about the “transformed family”, a disparate group of individuals who have found their tribe. Our comm...  Read More

I think it’s called righteous anger, but a wave of emotion swept over me as I heard the voice of the Bishop of Oxford calling for the Church of England to accept same sex marriage.  I don’t write from a theoretical position, but from one of personal testimony.  Having been in a civil partnership with another woman for 16 years, I know what it feels like to centre my identity on my sexuality, and d...  Read More

This weekend, members of the TBGL group will be flying in from around the world to attend our second annual retreat and we are delighted to have an opportunity to worship, learn, and grow together. Some outsiders have asked us what the group all about; the question either asked out of genuine interest, or as a more veiled question, suggesting perhaps that our group constitutes so called “conversio...  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

This week our TBGL peer groups are talking about healthy same sex friendships.  It’s something we don’t often talk about; perhaps we consider it a non-issue or perhaps we are slightly embarrassed about our lack of close and intimate relationships with those of the same sex?On personal reflection, I recognise that I often put up barriers to becoming close to another woman.  It’s not a sexual thing,...  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

As a Ministry there are times when we are accused of being homophobic.  This accusation is most often received via social media which provides the safety of anonymity and a lack of personal interaction. Those who meet anyone connected with our ministry would be clear that there is nothing about us at all that could be deemed to be homophobic.  So why do we receive this feedback?  One of the reason...  Read More

There are still many churches who preach and uphold the word of God on sexuality; sadly far fewer than were doing so a decade ago. How do these churches remain aware of the “leaven” and protect themselves from being tainted by the false teaching that is so prevalent today?One of the things that is essential is not to sit back and do nothing.  Members of our congregations live in the world and the ...  Read More

Baptisms are such special occasions, so it was with joy that we learned that one of our Transformed International members, and key contributor to the Rev12 Project, got baptised at a conference this weekend.   Katrina has only been a Christian for a year, yet one read of her devotions included in the Rev12 Project give you a clear idea of the amazing work God has done in her life in such a short s...  Read More

I have the privilege as a fifty something year old to co-host our young adults zoom group.  As we work through the disciple course with them, I have had opportunity to reflect on the difference in environment that they were brought up in, compared to the world I grew up in some thirty years before them.  The chasm between the two worlds is vast, despite the time period being relatively short.  How...  Read More

I thought it would be interesting to ask a group of Christians who have experienced, or still experience, same sex attraction (SSA) about their experiences in church.  I asked the tongue in cheek question – what’s the dumbest thing someone’s ever said to you in church about SSA?I was not ready for the answers I received, it opened my eyes to a level of offence and ignorance that must be changed if...  Read More

One thing that I found the hardest when I chose to follow Jesus was that my choices meant leaving the past behind.  The LGBT community I had run with all my adult life no longer embraced me.  My choice to follow Jesus meant I was shunned, I found myself in that void of not being able to look back, yet as I looked forward, I saw no obvious way to fill the void.  No offence meant to my church family...  Read More