Posts with the tag “ssa-christian”

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 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

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

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

What is TBGL and why should I join?TBGL groups meet regularly to study the Bible together, to share testimony of how God is working in our lives, to wrestle over some difficult topics, and to pray for each other, encouraging each other through the ups and downs of life.  The one thing that we all have in common is that we have walked through sexual brokenness or are close friends or family members...  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

This world increasingly encourages us to wear labels, whether it’s our gender, sexuality, relationship status, career or something else.  Psychologists would say that we put ourselves in boxes, trying to define who we are.  When you introduce yourself to someone, how do you describe yourself?  This is an eye opener as to where you see your worth or how you view yourself within society.One label th...  Read More

I love delivering the Freedom in Christ course, it has become a key part of the discipleship we offer our group members and it never fails to deliver.  On the Freedom in Christ website they highlight three “T’s” that they associate with the course:Truth, turning and transformation.The ten week course gives us space and time to look at the truth of who we are in Christ, and of course the truth that...  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

25 years ago God spoke to me regarding being involved in a future ministry helping and leading those in the LGBTQ+ to Christ.  Little did I know that all those years later how much the world would change and the seed that was sown back in 1997 would start to bear fruit.When I shared this with my Pastor at the time, his reply shocked and hurt me to the core, “Those people can’t be helped.” he said ...  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

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

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