L-R: Alan Chambers, Joni Ereckson Tada, Julie Neils and Randy Thomas
Goodbyes are never easy. I’ve never been particularly good at them, though I’m sure most of us are not. Today I feel especially bad at it as this is my last day as Senior Director of Media Relations at Exodus International. Some may wonder what great drama precipitated my exit, but they’ll be woefully disappointed. There’s no controversy. No hidden story. No grudges. No arguments. No drama. I am simply following God’s gentle voice.
Over the past the past few months the Lord has been tugging at my heart and asking me to open it to a new season in my life. As is often the case with God, He hasn’t exactly given me the roadmap for this leg of the journey, but I can be confident in His leading. So I step out, confident in that alone. As I do, I pass the torch on to a dear friend and a competent professional who will serve this ministry well – Heather Cirmo. Heather worked at the Family Research Council for several years and in past years has worked on several media projects. She has a heart of gold and a head full of talent and I am confident that God will use her greatly.
As I think back more than five years ago when I first started working for Exodus, my biggest culture shock and my biggest blessing was when I attended the first Freedom Conference. As someone who has never struggled with homosexuality, though other sin issues are no less, I felt somewhat awkward going to this event. Truth be told, I wanted to wear a big t-shirt or sandwich board that said, “I don’t struggle with this issue and never have!” I laugh now when I think about it, but it was the odd feeling you get when you go to summer camp, don’t know a soul and you enter the cafeteria for the first time – no place to sit, awkward conversation at the table and it takes at least a week to find your niche.
I didn’t have too much time to think about it, though, as we were overrun with media that year and my job kept me busy. At the end of the conference, we had our final service and opened up the front of the auditorium for those who wanted prayer. The aisles were full stretching to the middle of the building. I had never seen anything like it. Both the brokenness of people and the presence of the Lord were equally palpable. I remember wrestling with the thought that maybe I should go up for prayer. As I sat there debating, a man I did not know who happens to no be a a dear friend, came forward and asked, “Can I pray for you?” He began to pray a prayer that clearly evidenced that God was speaking to Him specifically about me. As he closed, he said, “God is going to use your gifts mightily in this ministry.” He went on, “Lord, I pray that this woman will know that she is valued not because of her gifts, but because she belongs to You.” His words hit me like a hammer as it seemed much of my life had been an unknowing search for value and identity.
Fast forward to last year’s conference. I met a woman who had been praying for her daughter to find Jesus for over 30 years. This was the year her daughter, who had been living as a lesbian, came to the Exodus conference and experienced Jesus. The joy on their faces was transparent. As I ferried media to and from interviews across campus in a golf cart, I would give these ladies rides. I felt truly blessed to witness their miracle. It didn’t bother me that I had never struggled with lesbianism. It didn’t bother me that we didn’t seem to have much in common. The truth is – we did. We each had searched for value and identity and had found it amid our brokenness before Jesus.
Corrie ten Boom, author and Holocaust survivor, said, “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” It is one of my favorite quotes and reminds me that no issue, no person and no situation is beyond the reach of God’s immense and all consuming love. She also said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” So I leave trusting in a good and faithful God who is able to reach into our broken lives with a love beyond compare and lead us in this journey.
About Julie Neils
Julie, I will be one of the many who will miss your presence and your contribution to making us all better communicators and ministers of the grace of God. Thank you for making me more successful and aware of what I communicate when I have the opportunity. You have been a kind and joyful example of what a Christian can be in this world.
Julie, I will be one of the many who will miss your presence and your contribution to making us all better communicators and ministers of the grace of God. Thank you for making me more successful and aware of what I communicate when I have the opportunity. You have been a kind and joyful example of what a Christian can be in this world.
I too appreciate your contribution to Exodus and it’s member ministries. Personally, you have brought great encouragement to our staff and to me as well.
You will be missed but we trust God that His perfect will is being wrought out in you as you follow Him!
I too appreciate your contribution to Exodus and it’s member ministries. Personally, you have brought great encouragement to our staff and to me as well.
You will be missed but we trust God that His perfect will is being wrought out in you as you follow Him!
Dear Julie: We are much better for having your gifts touch our lives. Your enthusiasm and your encouragement in preparing us for media / interviews is sincerely appreciated; as noted above as two of the First Stone staff have already expressed their gratefulness. First Stone Ministries staff and volunteers loved your media training class. You will be sorely missed as your professionalism and thoroughness in preparing me for several interviews and our staff was top notch and so very valuable. You always made me and our staff feel ready and fearless in facing a potentially difficult interview. You are a gem of God! THANK YOU JULIE FOR ALL YOUR KINDNESS AND BEAUTIFUL CONTRIBUTIONS!
Dear Julie: We are much better for having your gifts touch our lives. Your enthusiasm and your encouragement in preparing us for media / interviews is sincerely appreciated; as noted above as two of the First Stone staff have already expressed their gratefulness. First Stone Ministries staff and volunteers loved your media training class. You will be sorely missed as your professionalism and thoroughness in preparing me for several interviews and our staff was top notch and so very valuable. You always made me and our staff feel ready and fearless in facing a potentially difficult interview. You are a gem of God! THANK YOU JULIE FOR ALL YOUR KINDNESS AND BEAUTIFUL CONTRIBUTIONS!
Joseph, Laura Leigh & Stephen- Thank you so much for your kind words. They mean so much more than you know. I loved working with each of you. You each have such a heart of gold and inspired me! Much love to you all! – Julie
Joseph, Laura Leigh & Stephen- Thank you so much for your kind words. They mean so much more than you know. I loved working with each of you. You each have such a heart of gold and inspired me! Much love to you all! – Julie
Beginning a new season is always fun and filled with excitement. Ending a season is much harder and you have done it with grace. The Lord bless you as you continue to put your trust and faith in Him.
Beginning a new season is always fun and filled with excitement. Ending a season is much harder and you have done it with grace. The Lord bless you as you continue to put your trust and faith in Him.
Thank you so much, Jennifer. You are so right!
Thank you so much, Jennifer. You are so right!
You’re a rare combination of grace and expertise, Julie, and Renee and I have always had a deep respect for the caring and professionalism you brought to Exodus. (And will, of course, be taking with you anywhere you go) You’ve upped all of us a few notches through your work, and we owe you for that. God bless you hugely in all your endeavors. You’re a pleasure to work with, and to know. Take good care.
Joe,
I can’t tell you how much your words mean to me. You and Renee are two of the most courageous and godly people I know. It has been such an honor to work with both of you. Thank you again for your kind compliments!
Julie
You’re a rare combination of grace and expertise, Julie, and Renee and I have always had a deep respect for the caring and professionalism you brought to Exodus. (And will, of course, be taking with you anywhere you go) You’ve upped all of us a few notches through your work, and we owe you for that. God bless you hugely in all your endeavors. You’re a pleasure to work with, and to know. Take good care.
Joe,
I can’t tell you how much your words mean to me. You and Renee are two of the most courageous and godly people I know. It has been such an honor to work with both of you. Thank you again for your kind compliments!
Julie
Julie: I haven’t been subscribing to the Exodus blog for an entirely long time and I haven’t been faithful to reading it up until recently. I’ve been very encouraged by the things I’ve been reading. I thought it couldn’t get any better, until tonight. Homosexuality has been a part of my life for a long time but it’s never been my personal struggle. In addition to four of my close family members struggling with homosexual issues, the Lord brought a friend into my life that felt I was the one he could trust to share his struggle with. The Lord has been using me in his life and it’s been phenomenal for both of us in the way of God using His Word to speak of His deliverance and transformation – basically His power that has already defeated sin and death. God has answered his and my prayers for healthy relationships with Godly men! =) All this to say, last week the Lord gave me a desire to be part of a ministry in the church to help prevent and be a part of the recovery process for sexual brokenness. I don’t have any clue what this looks like yet but I am excited to obey this crazy call from Him. =) There is a small percentage of me that thought the Lord didn’t know what He was doing because it isn’t my specific sin of choice…this article has affirmed that it does not have to be. Thank you! Sorry if this note seems scattered…I’m super stoked. I’d love to talk to you about this and your own ministry; feel free to email me. By His Grace, Michelle
Michelle- Thank you for your words. It was so encouraging to me and I’m so glad the blog post was a blessing and I’m so excited about what God is going to do in you and through you through your willingness to reach out. May God give you His grace which overcomes all fear! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Julie: I haven’t been subscribing to the Exodus blog for an entirely long time and I haven’t been faithful to reading it up until recently. I’ve been very encouraged by the things I’ve been reading. I thought it couldn’t get any better, until tonight. Homosexuality has been a part of my life for a long time but it’s never been my personal struggle. In addition to four of my close family members struggling with homosexual issues, the Lord brought a friend into my life that felt I was the one he could trust to share his struggle with. The Lord has been using me in his life and it’s been phenomenal for both of us in the way of God using His Word to speak of His deliverance and transformation – basically His power that has already defeated sin and death. God has answered his and my prayers for healthy relationships with Godly men! =) All this to say, last week the Lord gave me a desire to be part of a ministry in the church to help prevent and be a part of the recovery process for sexual brokenness. I don’t have any clue what this looks like yet but I am excited to obey this crazy call from Him. =) There is a small percentage of me that thought the Lord didn’t know what He was doing because it isn’t my specific sin of choice…this article has affirmed that it does not have to be. Thank you! Sorry if this note seems scattered…I’m super stoked. I’d love to talk to you about this and your own ministry; feel free to email me. By His Grace, Michelle
Michelle- Thank you for your words. It was so encouraging to me and I’m so glad the blog post was a blessing and I’m so excited about what God is going to do in you and through you through your willingness to reach out. May God give you His grace which overcomes all fear! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Julie, Julie…you are going to be missed! This is another time when I must trust God with the ‘whatever.’ Through the pain of you leaving, I trust that God will guide and bless you as He provides media needs for Exodus through Heather. Thanks for the excellent job you have done of keeping the Truth presented! You have fought the fight well!
Terri, Thank you so much! I will miss you too!
Julie, Julie…you are going to be missed! This is another time when I must trust God with the ‘whatever.’ Through the pain of you leaving, I trust that God will guide and bless you as He provides media needs for Exodus through Heather. Thanks for the excellent job you have done of keeping the Truth presented! You have fought the fight well!
Terri, Thank you so much! I will miss you too!
Julie,
You’ve been a blessing to me and to so many others. Thank you for your tireless service on behalf of Exodus. We are so grateful to have benefited from your expertise these past few years. You taught us how to better articulate a message that needs to be heard. Thanks for enhancing our credibility. Be blessed.
Love,
Christine
Julie,
You’ve been a blessing to me and to so many others. Thank you for your tireless service on behalf of Exodus. We are so grateful to have benefited from your expertise these past few years. You taught us how to better articulate a message that needs to be heard. Thanks for enhancing our credibility. Be blessed.
Love,
Christine
Thank you, Christine. I have truly enjoyed working with you and your team. Your stories and the timeless truth of God’s love and redemption is a message worth sharing with the world! Thank you for the honor! Blessings on you, friend!
Thank you, Christine. I have truly enjoyed working with you and your team. Your stories and the timeless truth of God’s love and redemption is a message worth sharing with the world! Thank you for the honor! Blessings on you, friend!
Julie,
Thanks so much for the years you have put in at Exodus.
I learned a lot from you. Wherever you end up they will be deeply
blessed as we all have been by your presence.
Dave and Diane Rasmussen
Dave & Diane, Thank you so much. I truly appreciate that. God’s blessings on you both!
Julie,
Thanks so much for the years you have put in at Exodus.
I learned a lot from you. Wherever you end up they will be deeply
blessed as we all have been by your presence.
Dave and Diane Rasmussen
Dave & Diane, Thank you so much. I truly appreciate that. God’s blessings on you both!
julie, it was wonderful to get to know and work with you at last year’s conference! i learned much and am so grateful for the opportunity to benefit in that way! i pray the Lord leads you and your husband as you venture into this new season!
jennifer
Jennifer- Thank you so much. You were such fun to work with and made a busy week a lot of fun. So happy for you and David!
julie, it was wonderful to get to know and work with you at last year’s conference! i learned much and am so grateful for the opportunity to benefit in that way! i pray the Lord leads you and your husband as you venture into this new season!
jennifer
Jennifer- Thank you so much. You were such fun to work with and made a busy week a lot of fun. So happy for you and David!
Julie…Thank you for your sacrificial service. You will be missed. God bles you as you seek His path and guidance for the next leg of the journey.
Thank you, Rob. So very kind of you!
Julie…Thank you for your sacrificial service. You will be missed. God bles you as you seek His path and guidance for the next leg of the journey.
Thank you, Rob. So very kind of you!
Julie,
I can’t imagine doing the couple interviews I’ve done without your help! I love what Joe Dallas said and I agree: You really have taken us all up a couple notches, and I’m so grateful. We love what Christ does through Exodus and want to represent Him well. You have most definitely helped us do that. We will all miss you, but go with our blessing. Build the Kingdom and we’ll all be about the same work still!
In Christ,
Josh Glaser, Regeneration
Josh, Thank you so much. It was such an honor to have helped in any way. Keep doing the interviews- you are great! Thank you again!- Julie
Julie,
I can’t imagine doing the couple interviews I’ve done without your help! I love what Joe Dallas said and I agree: You really have taken us all up a couple notches, and I’m so grateful. We love what Christ does through Exodus and want to represent Him well. You have most definitely helped us do that. We will all miss you, but go with our blessing. Build the Kingdom and we’ll all be about the same work still!
In Christ,
Josh Glaser, Regeneration
Josh, Thank you so much. It was such an honor to have helped in any way. Keep doing the interviews- you are great! Thank you again!- Julie
Julie,
Well ditto on all the comments above. You have been a huge blessing to the whole Exodus Network and me personally.
The times I have been able to talk with you and learn from you have been invaluable to me personally. Tou were the peace and calm in the midst of the Religulous storm.
May the Lord continue to bless you and lead you in all He has for you to do.
Loved serving with you,
John Westcott, Exchange Ministries
Julie,
Well ditto on all the comments above. You have been a huge blessing to the whole Exodus Network and me personally.
The times I have been able to talk with you and learn from you have been invaluable to me personally. Tou were the peace and calm in the midst of the \Religulous\ storm.
May the Lord continue to bless you and lead you in all He has for you to do.
Loved serving with you,
John Westcott, Exchange Ministries
Thank you so much, John. I really appreciate that. It was such an honor to work with you. Blessings on you as well!
Thank you so much, John. I really appreciate that. It was such an honor to work with you. Blessings on you as well!
Hi everyone,
As a close friend of Julie who has seen her not only in her role as Exodus PR Maven Extraordinaire, but as mom, wife, friend, educator, home decorator, prayer warrior, shopping buddy, etc., I can tell you that I’ve been consistently amazed at her talent and ability to balance her many callings through the years. Exodus friends and associates, Julie has always spoken of her work for you as a joy and privilege! But more than that, she loves you all personally, and it shows. I’ve benefited from hearing about you through her, and have had the honor of praying for you as she gives me updates on your latest efforts. For someone who has, as she said, never struggled with same-sex attraction, Julie is sure passionate about seeing God’s glory evidenced in the work of Exodus and the redemption stories of those she knows.
Julie, you of course know that your ID is in Christ (cue the 5,329 convos we’ve had on this
), and He’s got some fabulous new tasks for you in the days ahead. But know also that in this chapter with Exodus, you served well, you loved well, and you finished well.
NOW, please take a short break so we can make the final touches on your living room, find me a husband and perhaps catch a small amount of reality TV.
I love you!
Lisa
Hi everyone,
As a close friend of Julie who has seen her not only in her role as Exodus PR Maven Extraordinaire, but as mom, wife, friend, educator, home decorator, prayer warrior, shopping buddy, etc., I can tell you that I’ve been consistently amazed at her talent and ability to balance her many callings through the years. Exodus friends and associates, Julie has always spoken of her work for you as a joy and privilege! But more than that, she loves you all personally, and it shows. I’ve benefited from hearing about you through her, and have had the honor of praying for you as she gives me updates on your latest efforts. For someone who has, as she said, never struggled with same-sex attraction, Julie is sure passionate about seeing God’s glory evidenced in the work of Exodus and the redemption stories of those she knows.
Julie, you of course know that your ID is in Christ (cue the 5,329 convos we’ve had on this
), and He’s got some fabulous new tasks for you in the days ahead. But know also that in this chapter with Exodus, you served well, you loved well, and you finished well.
NOW, please take a short break so we can make the final touches on your living room, find me a husband and perhaps catch a small amount of reality TV.
I love you!
Lisa