Homophobic Stigmatization vs True Homophobia

pointing

The previous post clearly involved a true case of homophobia and a general response on how to overcome it. In response on our Facebook page, Melissa said: Most who call homosexuality a sin or stand up against the gay agenda are called homophobic! There are many complex agendas and some powerful ones coalesce into pro-gay cultural momentum across the board in all sectors of society.  When people minimize the complexity of that reality (minimizing it to simply, "The Gay Agenda"), we set ourselves up to be easily stigmatized with false labels.  Maybe if we put down our pointing fingers/verbal … [Read more...]

How Do you Pick Up The Pieces After A Child “Come Out” During the Holidays? – Real Answers for January 2011 by Terri Brown

QA

This article appears in both our offline and online newsletters.  To receive articles like this along with the full newsletter online via email or offline through the postal service please sign up here. --- It is quite common for gay-identified individuals to “come out” to their family during the Christmas holidays. Many parents may now be left with a plethora of emotions and questions. How do you pick up the pieces, face the New Year and return to some kind of normalcy while reeling from what is perhaps shocking news? First, understand that while this may have taken you by … [Read more...]

Together Everyone Accomplishes More – Letter from Alan Chambers for January 2011

Alan-Chambers

This letter from Alan Chambers appears in both our offline and online newsletters. To receive this letter along with the full newsletter online via email or offline through the postal service please sign up here. --- Dear Friends, How many of you have a resolution for the New Year?  Without going crazy, I usually try to pinpoint one or two areas where I hope to make improvements each year.  This year I have decided to work on keeping life simple.  You may remember that our mission at Exodus for 2011 is Simplify, Amplify, Intensify.  I began sensing the Lord's encouragement in … [Read more...]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Jesus Is The Reason For The Season

All of us at Exodus wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!  We pray you have a blessed time with family and friends as you celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We also pray that as you consider His ministry and Atonement, you will find a deeper freedom to receive His love in greater measure.  For it is in His love that we rise above earthly constraints and find contentment regardless of our circumstances. In Jesus, joy and peace reign. May you know His joy and peace this Christmas and New Years! --- We will return to active blogging January 4th 2011 :). … [Read more...]

The Old Is Gone, The New Has Come – Christmas Letter from Alan Chambers for December 2010

Alan-Chambers

This letter from Alan Chambers appears in both our offline and online newsletters. To receive this letter along with the full newsletter online via email or offline through the postal serviceplease sign up here. — Dear Friends, Merry Christmas to you!  A season I dearly love is upon us and I am working very hard to cherish it more than I ever have before.  Each year I set out not to get too caught up in the festivities of the season because the reason for the celebration goes far beyond the music, the parties, the decorations and the gifts.  We all know that the reason to … [Read more...]

Avoiding Pitfalls During The Holidays – Real Answers by Angela Buchanan

ornament

This article appears in both our offline and online newsletters.  To receive articles like this along with the full newsletter online via email or offline through the postal service please sign up here. --- The holiday season is a particularly challenging time for me.  How can I prepare myself to avoid pitfalls that can easily sabotage my joy and peace? First of all, set realistic expectations. Christmas is a wonderful season, but sometimes we expect so much we can’t help but feel depressed and disappointed when it is over.  The anticipation builds for months and then it … [Read more...]

Let World AIDS Day Inspire and Inform

Photo Credit: The Guardian (click image to visit)

Today is world AIDS day. It is a day set aside to raise awareness of this terrible pandemic. It isn't simply a day where we remember the deadly toll AIDS has had on our generation.  It is also a day to highlight resources, ministries and efforts to prevent and find a cure. Regardless of whether you identify as one of the letters in GLBTQI, as an "ex-gay" or as a Christian on a post-gay journey, we all have known too many people who have died of AIDS and/or currently have loved ones and friends living with HIV/AIDS. I picked the picture for this post from the Guardian because it speaks … [Read more...]

2011 = Simplify, Amplify and Intensify – Letter from Alan Chambers for November 2010

Alan-Chambers

This letter from Alan Chambers appears in both our offline and online newsletters. To receive this letter along with the full newsletter online via email or offline through the postal service please sign up here. — Dear Partners, Did you notice that you have been promoted?  Those of you who are involved in Exodus, which is the majority of you reading this letter, are more than just our friends.  You are our dear partners in ministry.  As partners you are vital to the mission of Exodus: mobilizing the Body of Christ to minister grace and truth to a world impacted by … [Read more...]

What’s in a Name? The Story of Brenna Kate Simonds – Part 2

My Wedding Day

Yesterday, I shared the first half of my story.  This is the second half. I had just become a Christian.  In one sense, I felt hope, but at the same time, the labels were still haunting me.  Even though at the time I could not voice what was going on, I continued to spiral out of control with my eating and relationships. I was so desperate for love that I entered into a relationship with an 18 year old woman with a drug problem (I was 24 at the time). After 3 months, this woman (having been raised in a Christian home) said to me, “Listen – the Bible says you must either be hot or … [Read more...]

What’s in a Name? The Story of Brenna Kate Simonds – Part 1

Brenna with a mohawk from having her head shaved

A Christian speaker recently reminded me that words are a container for power. The book of Proverbs says “reckless words pierce like a sword”, “the words of the wicked lie in wait for blood”, and “when words are many, sin is not absent”.  In the Bible, words & names are very important. Throughout my life, I allowed people and circumstances to label me, name me, and define who I am. I was born prematurely in May of 1975. I was given a 50% chance of survival and rode in an ambulance to a hospital 50 miles away since the hospital where I was born did not have premie … [Read more...]