| Misa’s Story |
 |
| I was born in 1960 in an ambulance right here in San Jose. Because it was considered an “unclean birth”, the hospital separated me from my mother when we arrived and I was not allowed to see her for the first seven days of my life. After that, my mother and I were unable to bond, as was the case with all of her five children, due to a mental disorder on her part. My grandmother did bond with me at a young age, but, for some reason, detached from me at about three. |
 |
| Brad Grammer’s Story |
|
| Seventeen years ago, my life came
to a crossroad. In my mind, I could either commit
suicide or give God one more chance to change my
life and bring it meaning. Prior to coming to this
crossroad, I had struggled with my sexual identity
as well as depression and anxiety.
My earliest recollections of being attracted
to men is when I was six years old. I remember
fantasizing about growing up to be a woman and
marrying a man. Specific males came to my mind
as I considered the kind of man I would marry.
They were all muscular, handsome and confident. |
|
|
|
| Kristin’s Story |
|
| Nine years ago I had to make a decision. At that time I was involved in a relationship with a woman, and I had to decide whether I would continue this relationship. |
|
|
| Maria’s Story |
|
| I thought I was born to be a lesbian,
so there was no question about changing my sexual
orientation. I had had attractions toward the same
sex from an early age which eventually led into
two significant, long-lasting lesbian relationships.
However, during this time, my parents diligently
prayed for me. God heard and answered their prayers. |
|
|
| Lynnette's Story |
|
| Previously, I had tried to prove my
lifestyle was acceptable to God. But God was revealing
to me his view of my lifestyle from his heart and
from his eyes. I desired and needed healing within
my thoughts and my emotions. “Change me Lord!”
became my heart’s cry. |
|
| Kyle’s Story |
|
| I have been a Christian all my life—that’s
25 years. Since I believe Scripture, I know that
homosexuality is sin. You may be wondering, "How
does a Christian end up gay?" I’ve wrestled
with that question most of my life. There are several
good books and organizations which could explain
better than I … I couldn’t possibly
generalize and condense the "homosexual struggle"
into this short paper. I can, however, share briefly
from my experience. |
|
|
| Scott’s Story |
|
| I suddenly realized that Easter is
a religious holiday. At the tender age of seventeen
I became a born-again Christian. What a glorious
reason to rejoice—freedom, grace, and salvation
through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ. |
|
| Luis’s Story |
|
| I did not understand why I had done
this and sought help from the Catholic Church I
attended. I went to confess to the priest and he
told me to say three “our fathers” and
four “hail Marys” and never come into
this church again. |
|
| Offended - A Story by Mike Goeke |
|
| Let me just say a hearty ‘THANK
YOU’ to my wife, and my parents and family,
and my friends, who cared enough about me to offend
me! I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach
when I consider the ramifications in my life had
the people in my world bought into the lie that
to love me was to affirm my homosexuality. |
|
| Obedience Made the Difference -
by Tim Wilkins |
|
| Several decades have not erased the
memory of a summer afternoon, playing alone on a
hill beside my house, and desiring to be held by
a man. I was a small boy. There were no erotic feelings
then, just a distinct desire for male intimacy and
protection-- a God-given human need that had gone
unmet during my early childhood years. |
|
|
| Christopher's Story |
|
| While attending dental school, he
began living a promiscuous homosexual lifestyle
and experimenting with illicit drugs. Within a few
years, he was expelled from dental school, imprisoned
for drug dealing and discovered that he was HIV
positive. |
|
|
| Yvette's Story |
|
| I remember when I was 24 years old
I was a militant lesbian activist, and one of my
best friends was a politically active, flamboyant
gay man named Jerry. We often talked about ways
to make the world more accepting of homosexuality. |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Overcoming
the Effects of Sexual Abuse |
| From Secret Places to Sacred Spaces |
|
| At forty eight years of age, a bomb
shell dropped upon me. It seems that the events
and course of my life had reached a critical intersection
where the roads had never been able to converge. |
|
|
| |
| Janeen's Story |
|
| Dad was a deacon, a Sunday school
teacher, a child abuser, and a pedophile. I can
recall memories of physical and sexual assaults
at the hands of my father from when I was as young
as five years old. |
|
|
| |
|
Friends
and Family |
| A Father's Story by Larry Forkner |
|
| When I could finally feel the ground
under my feet again, I put my arms around John,
gave him a big hug and told him how much I loved
him. We both shed a few tears. I praised God. Wait
a minute, praised God??? Yes. |
|
| Willingness to Learn and Love by
Margaret Jonte |
|
| Why me? What am I doing here? I asked
myself these questions over and over again. I thought
I had no reason to be involved except that I had
been invited and willing to come. |
|
| |
|
 |
| |
| |
