May 5, 2014

The following excerpts are from the blog “Assessing Matthew Vines “God and the Gay Christian” Part II: Homosexuality and Leviticus” on Joe Dallas’s website: … “Today, let’s look at God and the Gay Christian‘s take on the Book of Leviticus, and consider its merit. – Abomination in Fact — ‘You shall not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination.’ (Lev. 18:22) ‘If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death.’ (Lev. 20:13)”

“A plain reading of these verses leads to an obvious conclusion: men ought not to sexually partner with other men. And a plain reading of these chapters in their entirety underscores that conclusion. Leviticus 18 is primarily about sexual practices forbidden to the Israelites and, in fact, forbidden to believers as well in the New Testament, (more…)

May 7, 2014

The following excerpts are from Part 2 of the article “Retrieving Our Son Back from Homosexuality” by Steve and Janice Graham for the PFOX spring 2014 newsletter: “In our last issue, Steve and Janice Graham told of their struggles when their son confessed his confused sexual feelings and addiction to homosexual pornography. In part two, they take us on their journey through treatment and healing: When our son admitted his problems with homosexuality, we took him to see a psychiatrist—but it was too upsetting for him. He thought we believed he was crazy. We didn’t know what to think. We were in shock—and a bit of denial.” …

“Years later, our son’s therapist concluded he wouldn’t have struggled with homosexual tendencies had it not been for the pervasive homosexual influence of the internet. In other words, he was fed a gay identity.” (more…)

April 24, 2014

The following excerpts are from the blog “The Same-Sex Wedding Invitation Debate” on Joe Dallas’s website: “Lots of buzz lately about whether or not a Christian should attend a same-sex wedding ceremony. And as buzz goes, this one’s awfully relevant, as more and more believers are facing this practical, emotional choice: Accept the invitation although I don’t believe in same sex marriage, or decline and risk alienating someone I deeply love? … So I’d like to take some space today to better explain where I stand, and why.” …

“What’s at issue here is attendance at a wedding ceremony, ostensibly approved of and rejoiced over by those who come to it. Attendance means, to my thinking, more than loving support for the person(s) involved. It also means an offer of approval and blessing.”

“There’s the catch, and it’s not minor. Celebrating a loved one’s sin is a serious matter, no matter how deep the love nor how important the loved one. (more…)

April 3, 2014

The following excerpts are from the blog “Worship and Recovery” by Renee Dallas on Joe Dallas’s website: … “I learned this during the time I worked through the pain of my first husband’s betrayal, years before I met Joe: personal worship leads to healing. At first I was so numb; the jarring realization of what had happened left me wounded, grieving and hopeless. But as I found myself murmuring vague prayers reaching out to God, I was drawn to the music of praise. During this time of personally connecting with the Lord, the most meaningful healing happened for me—soul-to soul in that place where only He could reach, I heard Him communicate His love for me.”

“Paradox of Praise in Pain – It seems paradoxical to praise God when your whole life has been turned upside down. But pain can create a thirst in us that drives us to connect with the Creator who alone has the ability to give comfort and meaning. (more…)

March 15, 2014

The Winter 2014 PFOX newsletter has the first part of a testimony by Steve and Janice Graham. “When Steve and Janice’s son confessed his struggles with homosexuality and internet pornography, they rallied around him with love, and found him the help he was seeking.” Regina Griggs of PFOX hopes the story of these two parents and their son will “offer you a ray of hope and the strength to persevere through your challenges.”

March 3, 2014

The following excerpts are from the blog “A Doll’s Lesson” on Joe Dallas’s website: “Jan Frank, a terrific author, speaker and therapist dealing with women’s issues, made a point decades ago during one of her presentations that I’ve never forgotten. … ‘When someone’s wounded they need healing, when someone’s in rebellion they need to repent, and when they’re bound, they need deliverance. So before advising what action to take, be sure you’re noticed what the need really is!’”

”That stuck with me. To this day, I hear people refer to rebellion as something a person needs to be healed of, or wounds as something someone needs an exorcism for, or bondage as something to repent of. In all these cases, the proposed cure isn’t applicable to the problem. An approach that matches the need is critical, whether we’re dealing with someone we’re ministering to, or dealing with ourselves.” (more…)

February 24, 2014

If you have a porn habit, Joe Dallas has 5 questions to ask yourself before you indulge the temptation. The following excerpts are two of the five questions Joe listed on his blog “Before You Use:” … “3. How long will you enjoy this time of viewing the porn, in contrast to how long you’ll feel badly about it? Because if the length of time you enjoy is significantly less than the length of time you’ll regret it, isn’t that a rather stupid investment you’re about to make?” …

“5. Are you trying to give yourself something – comfort, relief, distraction – by viewing this porn? Because if you are, is it really so hard finding more legitimate ways to get what you’re looking for?” …

February 18, 2014

The following excerpts are from the blog “Single = Alone?” by Greg Barnett on the North Star website: “Recently I read this from someone who has chosen to part ways with the church in pursuit of same-sex relationships: ‘My heart feels strongly that God loves me regardless of who I’m attracted to. I don’t believe he expects or even wants me to be alone. Wasn’t it God who said it was not good that man be alone?’ And while I have thoughts on his entire blog post, what I wanted to write about today was that thought above. What I get from what he’s saying – and I think this applies to most who use that scripture (Genesis 2:18) – is that ‘alone’ means ‘single’. God doesn’t want people to be single. I wonder, though, if that’s what God meant.” …

January 30, 2014

The following excerpts are from the blog “Judgment Days” on Joe Dallas’s website: “I remember hearing Pastor Chuck Smith, years ago, admit (from the pulpit no less!) ‘You should be glad I wasn’t God yesterday, cause if I was, I’d have sent everyone to hell!’ How I loved it – a great and godly man admitted he had lousy days when he could barely tolerate people. And while that doesn’t give me permission to wish hell on folks, it comforts me to know I’m not alone when I do.” …

“When I devalue someone’s general worth or character because of one sin in their life, I’ve judged them, wrongly and unfairly. (more…)

October 29, 2013

The following excerpt is from the blog “How Do I Know He’s Getting Better? Five Things to Look for When a Man Says He’s Repentant” on Joe Dallas’s blog: “Wives often ask my wife and I how they can really know their husband, who’s committed some form of sexual sin, is getting better. While there’s no acid test, there are some things I believe a woman can and should expect when her man says, ‘I was wrong; I’ve repented of it.’”

“If that’s the case, here are the top five things I think she should see: 1. Action … 2. Attitude … 3. Accountability … 4. Awareness … 5. Aspiration ….”