Monday, September 18, 2006
The Encounter
"Would your church welcome me?"she asked.
"Yes, of course,"I replied.
She sat down beside me."But you don't know who I am! You don't understand what I am!"she said.
She was about 6'4" and dressed in a housecoat and worn slippers. She had reddish-brown hair and a five o'clock shadow. She was ugly appearing, but she was beautiful inside.
She was a trans lady in an inpatient mental health facility. She was in a program specializing in LGBT patients with alcohol/drug abuse and depression problems. These patients had hit rock bottom. They were unable handle their lives and problems, and usually they were so down that all belts, shoestrings, razor blades(hence the 5 o'clock shadow) had been taken from them when they checked themselves in hoping to prevent suicides while they were being treated.
During their stay they are given physc-drugs and take part in group sessions and one on one meetings with the caring doctors and staff.
The care they receive is designed to help them turn their lives around.
I was there as part of the treatments. Once a month our church takes turns with other churches in having a team, 2-4 persons in our case, come in and visit with the patients in a session discussing their spiritual lives. We were there to answer questions and give advice to any patients who came in for the "group".
Of course the most common question we face is always"Does God really love me as who I am?".
The majority of GLBT persons have heard since they were old enough to know that they were " different" that God does not love them. They are doomed to hell.
We are prepared to answer them with a positive answer. We explain Grace to them. We go over the scriptures with them answering questions and showing them what the scriptures really say.
I usually point out to them that the same church authorities who today condemn gays could have been heard in the 1800's saying that God approved of slavery. There was nothing wrong with it. The white-man was "created superior by God. " They could quote scriptures proving it!
Time and a newer way of interpreting the scriptures has changed their minds. With time and education their opinions of gays will change too.
This one though had a harder time that most dealing with it.
I assured her that of course I could read her. I knew that she was a Trans and I didn't care and God didn't care.
I assured her that God does not make mistakes. God knew who she was before she was even born.
While my partner talked to the others she and I had our own conversation. I explained that God loves all His children. I told her that I have a couple of trans friends and that I love them both very much.
I always carry handouts dealing with these subjects and I left them with her to read over after I was gone.
Before the session was up we were both in tears.
I will probably never hear about her again. She was from a city over a thousand miles away. I do think of her from time to time. Did she turn her life around? Did she start attending church and give her self to Christ?
But, there is one thing I know for sure. For a short time on one night God put the two of us together so that I could deliver his message to her.
A message that I never tire of repeating , a message of acceptance and of love and of eternal life..
God Bless you..Deacon Harry
"Yes, of course,"I replied.
She sat down beside me."But you don't know who I am! You don't understand what I am!"she said.
She was about 6'4" and dressed in a housecoat and worn slippers. She had reddish-brown hair and a five o'clock shadow. She was ugly appearing, but she was beautiful inside.
She was a trans lady in an inpatient mental health facility. She was in a program specializing in LGBT patients with alcohol/drug abuse and depression problems. These patients had hit rock bottom. They were unable handle their lives and problems, and usually they were so down that all belts, shoestrings, razor blades(hence the 5 o'clock shadow) had been taken from them when they checked themselves in hoping to prevent suicides while they were being treated.
During their stay they are given physc-drugs and take part in group sessions and one on one meetings with the caring doctors and staff.
The care they receive is designed to help them turn their lives around.
I was there as part of the treatments. Once a month our church takes turns with other churches in having a team, 2-4 persons in our case, come in and visit with the patients in a session discussing their spiritual lives. We were there to answer questions and give advice to any patients who came in for the "group".
Of course the most common question we face is always"Does God really love me as who I am?".
The majority of GLBT persons have heard since they were old enough to know that they were " different" that God does not love them. They are doomed to hell.
We are prepared to answer them with a positive answer. We explain Grace to them. We go over the scriptures with them answering questions and showing them what the scriptures really say.
I usually point out to them that the same church authorities who today condemn gays could have been heard in the 1800's saying that God approved of slavery. There was nothing wrong with it. The white-man was "created superior by God. " They could quote scriptures proving it!
Time and a newer way of interpreting the scriptures has changed their minds. With time and education their opinions of gays will change too.
This one though had a harder time that most dealing with it.
I assured her that of course I could read her. I knew that she was a Trans and I didn't care and God didn't care.
I assured her that God does not make mistakes. God knew who she was before she was even born.
While my partner talked to the others she and I had our own conversation. I explained that God loves all His children. I told her that I have a couple of trans friends and that I love them both very much.
I always carry handouts dealing with these subjects and I left them with her to read over after I was gone.
Before the session was up we were both in tears.
I will probably never hear about her again. She was from a city over a thousand miles away. I do think of her from time to time. Did she turn her life around? Did she start attending church and give her self to Christ?
But, there is one thing I know for sure. For a short time on one night God put the two of us together so that I could deliver his message to her.
A message that I never tire of repeating , a message of acceptance and of love and of eternal life..
God Bless you..Deacon Harry
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Last Saturday
This is what I did last Saturday.In then group photo left I am in the middle row with the black shirt and grey/silver hair & beard, Dan is in back in the yellow cap holding the sign and Rebecca a very special person is front row right, she is my mentor, friend, teacher, and a wonderful person.
This was the counter to an ex-gay conference held at Vista Ridge Baptist Church in nearby Carrollton. Details of the event are in the previous psot.
This was my first time at an event of this nature. I detest these groups, because of what they preach and what they put people through.
They say that you cannot be gay and have a relationship with God. This absolutely untrue. They also claim that you can "heal yourself" through prayer. You can't fix what isn't broken!
God did not make gays so He would have someone to hate. He does not work that way. He does not hate anyone. He loves all his children, just the way He made them.
The American Physchiatric Associattion say that being gay is not an illnes. It is just another natural way to be.
Ws stood around the driveway entrance as the cars pulled in for the confrence. The entrance had several signs saying that God made gay the way they are. and its ok.
We waved to the cars pulling in and some of the people waved back. Others scowled at us and tried to pretend that they did not see us.
Some of the cars actually stopped and discussed the topic with us. A few people walked back out from the church entrance to talk to us. One man in particular came out and mentioned his wife to us. He was flaming! He did thank us for not creating a big scene.
Some of the cars had young people in the back seat. It was intresting to watch their behaviour. Some looked at us very intently and I wondered if they were thinking"Could I actually be one of them? " I believe that some of them wanted to join us.
I also think that some of them really thought that they are sick and perverted. They hope that they could be "healed" so that they might win their parents love. These were probably the ones who tried to pretend that they didn't see us. They were afraid that we would "rub off"on them.
No wonder the suicide rate is so high in young gay teens!
I felt very sorry for them. It really broke my heart to think of the heartaches they have ahead of them.
As for the success rate of these groups, Exodus International is the largest and s"parent"group of the Ex-Gay groups. one of the funniest happenings was in 1979 when co founders Gary Cooper and Michael Bussee left the group. They eventually had a "gay wedding"!
Another of their leaders was photograped in a "crusing"in a New york gay bar.
One of the people at the protest was at one time in one of these groups. He eventually left and is noe the Lay leader of another Metroplex MCC Church.
My first inclination when I heard of thsi event was to sleep in. However I could not do that and be true to myself.
I am glad I went. If there is even a chance that we may have reached some of these people then it was worth standing in the hot Texas sun for a while.
Deacon Harry
