Exodus: Live Out Loud

"God's Grace..." Book Signing in Orlando this Weekend

Orlando, FL- This Saturday, March 19 at Long's Christian Book and Music Store, Alan Chambers, President of Exodus International, will sign copies of his book, God's Grace and the Homosexual Next Door: Reaching the Heart of the Gay Men and Women in Your World. Stop by the store between 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. to receive a personalized inscription from one of the nation's leading speakers on the topic of homosexuality. 

Alan Chambers leads the largest evangelical organization dealing with the issue of homosexuality in the world today. His personal story as a teen and young adult who struggled with and overcame unwanted same-sex attraction has inspired thousands. He has been interviewed by media outlets across the country including TIME magazine, Newsweek, ABC's 20/20, Good Morning America and CNN. 

Long's Christian Book and Music Store is located at 1610 Edgewater Drive, just off of Insterstate 4. More information about the store can be obtained at: www.longschristian.com.

Exodus President to Discuss New Book on Christian Broadcasting Network

Alan Chambers, President of Exodus International, will be a guest this Friday on the Christian Broadcasting Network's Newswatch, hosted by Lee Webb. Chambers will discuss his new book God's Grace & the Homosexual Next Door. This new resource is a comprehensive guide to dealing with the often-confusing topic of homosexuality as well practical ways the church can reach hurting individuals affected by this issue. Information on local CBN Newswatch listings

Read an excerpt from God's Grace & the Homosexual Next Door

GLSEN Founder's Memoir Describes Painful Upbringing

GSLEN founder Kevin Jennings recently published his Memoir, Mama's Boy, Preacher's Son. In it, he describes an upbringing not unlike what is described by many of the same-sex-attracted men who come to Exodus ministries seeking freedom. The New York Blade, a gay newspaper, reports:

Jennings writes that when his father died on Jennings' eighth birthday, he learned what is expected of a man. At the funeral, as his mother continuously faints, Jennings starts to cry.

"Don't cry," his brother admonishes him. "Be a man. Don't be a faggot."

"Faggot" and "queer" are terms Jennings heard throughout his childhood from the mouths of his bigoted family members and bullies who teased him in school.

Although his mother reminded Jennings throughout his childhood that he was not wanted, their relationship becomes the book's focus...

Did Jennings really learn what manhood is about on that awful day? Or did he learn what his brother--who was also hurting deeply--thought men were supposed to do?

Many of us who have struggled with same-sex attraction were unfairly judged this way, shamed as different from the time we were small children. Automatically, we build a maze of defenses around ourselves, and this is not a foundation upon which our true identity as men can be built.

It's sad that Jennings believed in the names others called him, and let the pain and rejection of his past dictate his identity. It's also sad that he now influences countless young people to do the same. Sometimes I can't understand why homosexuality is so widely accepted when it is so often and so obviously rooted in pain.

I'm grateful that Jesus Christ is at work in my heart and in my life, so that my destiny is defined by his pain and not mine. That's why I have a heart for the work of Exodus; it's just another facet of the Good News.

Nancy Heche Writes Her Memoir

                

I have gotten to know Nancy over the past year or so as we have seen each other at Love Won Out and other conferences.  She is a sweet lady with a great big heart.  She is making the media circuit over the recent release of her new book featured in this post The Truth Comes Out.

The Chicago Sun Times reporter, Leslie Baldacci, wrote an article

Cleaning the Closet: Heche's Mom Publishes Memoir that gives a good overview of the book.  The article slants a bit but in general appears to be fair after my first read-through.

From the article:

 

What are the chances that three out of four women in a single family would each write memoirs?

 

That depends on the family. The Heche family has experienced enough dysfunction to produce three volumes so far.

 

Actress Anne Heche (Call Me Crazy, 2003) and her older sister, Susan Bergman, (Anonymity, 1994) told their stories about their upbringing with father Don, a devout Christian and closet homosexual who, after 25 years of marriage, died of AIDS in 1983.
 

 

Now their mother, Nancy Heche, a Chicagoan, psychotherapist and part-time college professor, has constructed her own memoir as she spreads the fundamentalist Christian message that people don't have to be gay.

 

Heche won't use the word "accept" when it comes to homosexuality, and she can't yet say she has "forgiven" her husband. But she has, she says, turned her anger and resentment toward homosexuality into a position of love and respect.
 

I am proud of Nancy for sharing her side of the story and the humility to live out a transparent journey.

Exodus Releases A Guide to Help Evangelicals Reach the Gay Community

Exodus Releases A Guide to Help Evangelicals Reach the Gay Community

Orlando, FL- Exodus International has just released a resource designed to help evangelical churches and individuals practically demonstrate compassion to gay men and women. Written by Alan Chambers and the Exodus staff, God's Grace and the Homosexual Next Door is a comprehensive guide to dealing with the often-confusing topic of homosexuality as well as hurting individuals affected by it.

Several key areas are addressed including the behavioral complexities and roots of homosexuality; dealing with fear and ignorance within the church; leading gay men and women to Christ; mentoring repentant homosexuals in the church and helping youth affected by homosexuality. The book, published by Harvest House Publishers, also offers practical guidelines on talking with gay men and women with tips on "Five Things NOT to Do When Reaching Out to Gays."

Notable authors and speakers such as Joe Dallas, Coral Ridge Ministries Founder Dr. D. James Kennedy, Christian recording artist Sheila Walsh and Dr. Robert Wolgemuth have endorsed God's Grace and the Homosexual Next Door.

"Many of us are here today because someone in the church had the courage to demonstrate the loving, uncompromising truth of the Gospel," said Alan Chambers, President of Exodus International. "It is our great hope that countless more will reach out to the gay men and women in their lives who might otherwise be ignored."

Exodus International recently launched the Exodus Church Network - a ministry that provides training sessions and resources to educate churches leaders and their congregations on what the Bible has to say about issue of homosexuality. Men and women formerly identified as gay individuals are available to speak and encourage an attitude of compassion towards the gay community and church members who are conflicted by unwanted same-sex attraction.

Founded in 1976, Exodus International is the largest resource and referral organization dealing with homosexual issues in the U.S. and throughout the world. With over 135 ministries across North America, Exodus is a growing network of former homosexuals dedicated to sharing the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

To read an excerpt from the book: www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books_nonfictionbook.cfm?productID=6916911

For information on purchasing the book: www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books_buy.cfm