Forums

Ben 20 - AOG Christian young man is coming out

Page:   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
 
 

nicky-jay
 
Joined in 2008
March 5, 2009, 19:09

Brought tears to my eyes too (unexpectedly!)!!!! Awesome post Ben!


nic



gettingthere
 
Joined in 2008
March 7, 2009, 01:28

Wow, Ben. And all of that in one year? And technically, it’s even less than that, since the time from the turn-around until today is actually less than a year. You truly are an amazing young man and I’m so excited to see what God has done in your life. He truly is a great God. (And I had to admit I smiled a little bit, well, a lot, when I saw that I ended up in your blog. That was kind of cool.)


It’s kind of exciting to see how you are turning into such a role model for the youth in the gay Christian community (how’s that for a specialized field? Haha. 🙂 ). Bet you weren’t thinking that would ever happen this time next year. It’s kind of wild how crazy God’s plans are for us, which is probably why he doesn’t tell us what they are, because he knows we’d never agree to them if we saw them on paper. So he just gently leads us into them, hoping that we follow into his amazing plan for our lives. And you, Ben, have been such a great example of the change that can happen when you follow God in spite of opposition and I truly, truly admire you for that. 🙂 Keep going on your journey, Ben. You are already impacting the world… don’t stop now.



magsdee
Disabled
Joined in 2006
March 7, 2009, 08:01

You have such a way with words gettingthere 😀 its wonderful, Ben and yourself are awesome men of God.



johnrobert
 
Joined in 2009
March 9, 2009, 00:43

Hi Ben


Just a quick message to let you know how much I enjoyed reading your posting/s and all the resulting discussion, and your blog.


You’re a really insightful young man.


I really resonated with quite a lot of what you had to share, I hope you can read my testimony as well.


‘All things are possible through Christ Jesus’ is the one scripture I am reminded to remind you of. I hope it re-assures you of anything you may be going through at the moment.


It is by no means an easy path, but I do believe it is a worthy path, and as you live with greater transparency and openness, it is actually easier to live.


Christian and brotherly greetings and love,


JR



Anthony Venn-Brown
 
Joined in 2005
May 24, 2009, 09:12

Happy 21st Birthday Ben


much love from us all at Freedom 2 b[e]



magsdee
Disabled
Joined in 2006
May 24, 2009, 11:42

Yayyyyyyyy Happy 21st 😀 😀



Rivers
 
Joined in 2008
May 25, 2009, 00:22

Happy happy happy birthday!


😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀



Anthony Venn-Brown
 
Joined in 2005
July 2, 2010, 01:19

putting a link to your story in my newsletter



HillsBen
Youth Coordinator
Joined in 2008
August 3, 2010, 01:36

Haven’t updated my story thread in a while…here is my latest blog post. Happy reading!! 🙂


Below from:

http://bennygresham.blogspot.com/2010/07/3-insights-from-life-of-young-gay.html


3 insights from the life of a young gay Christian…

Hi everyone,


Sorry for being so slack lately in my blogs and updates.


I cannot believe it has now been over 2 years since I ‘came out’ at church and to all of my family. Since then so many incredible things have happened…life hasn’t always been easy but God has given me strength to see each and every day through.


Some insights that I have gained from the last few months:


1. The strength in telling your story.

The bible says in Luke 8:39 “Go home and tell aloud the story of all He has done for you”. Stories were a vital form of communication for Jesus. People connected with His stories and with the hope and truth that they provided.


I have found incredible strength in telling my story over the years. Every time I tell my story I feel more and more liberated and a new sense of freedom emerges. I am amazed at God’s grace in taking me to this position I am in now. I have a platform to reach people with the hope found in Christ and the reality that sexual orientation and Christianity can be reconciled.


In late July this year I was offered an opportunity to take up a casual position with an organisation called Family Planning NSW. With this organisation I will speak to hundreds of high school students about homophobia. I will share my story, engage and communicate with the students and hopefully play a part in making high schools safer for gay and lesbian young people.


2. Boyfriends aren’t flawless but God is!

In the last year I had a tough break-up with my partner of over 1 year, Rob. This was such a challenge for me to see this relationship end. Rob was my first boyfriend and the guy that I thought I would spend my life with. After many relationship difficulties, including his move down to Melbourne for work, we decided to end the relationship.


When the relationship ended, my depression only became worse and my relationship with God started to shake and I started to doubt myself again. I seemed to turn to psychologists, friends, family, alcohol but no matter what I did, nothing seemed to take away the sadness. It was in this moment that I realised that amongst all this craziness, I had forgotten to turn to the only one who is able to heal, restore and give me strength – Jesus.


When I turned away from myself and focused on God, I realised that I should not worry about the future. If God is who He says he is then I know that He holds my future in his hands. And as it says in Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, Plans to give you a hope and a future”.


3. Never underestimate the combined power of a bunch of young people passionate about seeing God move in their community and bring hope to the hopeless.

In September 2009, I took over the position as Youth Coordinator for Freedom 2 b[e]. It was a tough challenge but it was an opportunity to provide hope, guidance and to put smiles back on the faces of LGBT youth, many who had been through incredibly tough times.


Since September 2009, we have seen Freedom 2 b[e] Youth grow to up to around 40 people attending each event here in Sydney, with many more joining our online forums, and making a positive difference in churches and the gay community.



I am constantly amazed at the goodness of our God and the passion he puts into the hearts of the Youth in Freedom 2 b[e]. I hope and pray that God continues to bless this important ministry so that all the pain and hard times that many gay Christians have gone through may be no longer.


Each and every suicide committed by a young gay person is one too many!! We can all play a part in showing people everywhere that they matter and that God loves them so much. Sometimes that’s all it takes to turn a person’s life around. God’s word is not only for certain types of people….it is for EVERYONE!!


I have loved writing to you all and I am constantly humbled by the comments you leave me. You have given me strength , just like I hope I have done the same for many of you.


Much love,

Ben



Anthony Venn-Brown
 
Joined in 2005
August 3, 2010, 12:54

…..and the journey continues…..yeah Ben!


its wonderful when the tide turns and we become givers and not just receivers. ……really encouraging to see the impact you are having on others.


Page:   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
 
WP Forum Server by ForumPress | LucidCrew
Version: 99.9; Page loaded in: 0.091 seconds.