Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound…”

I am the son who grew up in church.  I am the son who attended Christian summer camps, memorized bible verses and found Jesus at a young age.  Equal parts, good boy, obedient son, and accomplished student.  I am the six-year-old whose brother introduced him to pornography and masturbation.  I am the product of a bi-polar mom and an absent father.

A living, breathing ball of anger, fear and despair – an emotional wasteland.

I am the son who grew up feeling different from other boys.  The son whose eyes were drawn to the male physique.  I am the son who felt trapped by my attractions toward other guys.  The son who grew up believing the lie that I was born gay.  I am the boy who felt rejected by his father, his brother and most men.  I was alienated by my peers.   I am the son who would have rather died than be gay.   The son who prayed for God to take away my gay feelings nightly in my college dorm room.  I am the son who eventually stopping fighting and surrendered to my desires.   I was lost, uninformed, and unwilling.

I had grown deaf to the things of God.

I am the son who finally listened to the Holy Spirit, because you trusted God.  I am the son who stopped running from God, because you believed.  The son who eventually granted forgiveness and asked to be forgiven, because you were patient.  I am the son who pursues the Father’s heart, because you never lost Hope.  I am the son who found my way back home, because you stood watch on the road.

I am the son who left my gay life behind, because my father prayed.

Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound…”