StraightGrandmother = It was wrong to accept a promise or commitment in the first place. The loving response would have been, “Son/daughter/brother/sister, no worries I love you as you are. You have nothing to be ashamed of, nor any need to try and be something that you are not. Just as God made me heterosexual he made you homosexual and we are both precious to him”

Karen, as one heterosexual to another let me ask you, If you tried and tried and tried and prayed and prayed and prayed, and practiced and practiced and practiced could you ever ever brainwash yourself into being homosexual? Could you make yourself kiss a woman, caress her nude body and feel natural eroticism like you do with a man? I know I sure as heck can’t, so why do you think the reverse is possible.

Why don’t you psend years and years trying to make yourself love a woman before you judge others who cannot do the reverse? You should have never expected nor ACCEPTED or pressured anyone to make a promise to change their sexual orientation.

It is not people who are gay who need to change, but rather it is we straight people who need to change. We need to change and accept and love all people and stop asking them to be someone who they are not and never can be.

You need to read the horror stories on the straight spouse network. See how great that works out for the straight spouse when a homosexual marries them in order to conform to your desires, instead of being who they naturally are. When a homosexual marries a straight person this is called a mixed orientation marriage, a MOM
http://www.voy.com/86426/

So much of what you have been writing has been directed at how the heterosexual community has hurt the homosexual community.

You are right….there has been far too much hurt. But every time I read about the hurt, I wonder if you remember that the hurt goes both ways. I wonder if you remember the families you counseled and the pain they felt.

Many of us are left picking up the pieces of lives that have been destroyed when a gay person suddenly leaves his or her family and “straight” life and starts a new life. The collateral damage is real, and is not the fault of those who have been blindsided by broken promises and commitments. Please don’t forget….

Karen

Hang onto those artifacts for dear life. Before your lifetime is over John the Smithsonian Museum of American History is going to want them. Just think about that, those “things” from the ex-gay movement will belong in a museum one day. Meaning that our culture has moved past it and it IS part of our American History, a sad part much like slavery (I am not saying it is exactly the same, but the prejudice and discrimination ARE the same). Never throw those things away John, hold onto them for the sake of History.

One day your grandchildren or great grandchildren will ask you to tell them what it was like when people who are gay or lesbian couldn’t get married and were discriminated against.

Right about now you would benefit from listening to the Blues, maybe a little BB King for your soul. BB King Live at Cook County Jail is a great album. Buy the whole album on iTunes and shut yourself in your office and turn up the volume and just lay back and listen and get lost in the Blues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpnJry5Buak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fk2prKnYnI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQQ_vl47CGc

Now THIS is what I call raw honesty. Love it.

How often I have pondered these thoughts. What I find about myself (that I do not like very much) is that I’m often driven to be sincerely involved in ministry FOR God (e.g. my false “hearts desire”/passion) rather than being driven to just rest and be WITH Him.

Sadly, if I’m being honest, I’m not completely sure just being WITH Him is my true hearts desire, but I want it to be. (I mean, after all, what if I get BORED just being WITH Him? LOL! How arrogant is that? Is it possible for the created to get bored with the Creator?)

Thank God, His grace covers even my stupidity and arrogance and He just smiles…

Praying that we both find our true hearts’ desire this year…and that we (maybe I should just speak for myself) find it is simply knowing and being with Jesus. Period.

Merry Christmas, John. Thank you for saying the hard stuff out loud.

Thanks for sharing your heart …again!

But, what I read in today’s sharing is clearly what looks like a common occurrence for those choosing to be poured out and then filled by the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Blessings. M