Update for you all.  Bridget
www.1stbooks.com/bookview/12053<http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/12053>
----- Original Message -----
From: ihf90@...<mailto:ihf90@...>
To: ihf90@...<mailto:ihf90@...> ;
info@...<mailto:info@...>
Sent: Friday, December 01, 2006 7:18 AM
Subject: TV Taping Success on Wed - THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS


Greetings,

I want to thank you for you prayers regarding the taping of the French TV show
this past Wednesday.

It was a long day of many interviews with myself, a client, and my family. The
host asked very good questions, however, we shall see how the piece is edited
(please pray for that important process). They are off to interview Dean Hamer
next, about his research (which I commented on as well). The show will depict
both sides of the homosexual issue (revolving around nature vs nurture). They
interviewed several ex-gays in France already.

The session with the client went very well. Lee Brundidge was gracious and
courageous enough to allow them to film a very deep process of his sharing. We
had two mentors (a man and woman) who did some role play with him. This depicted
the necessity of healing past relationships. The interviewer was deeply moved by
the process.

My wife and I shared about our 24 year marriage, what we went through and where
we are today. It was a beautiful time. Also, they filmed scenes of our family
together: Proof of the pudding--CHANGE IS POSSIBLE!

It will air in French and German speaking countries in Europe on Feb, 2007. I
will inform you of the date, time and TV station.

Thank you again for your sincere prayers. They are deeply needed and
appreciated. I/we are praying for you.

Bless you and your family, Richard

Richard Cohen, M.A.
Director
International Healing Foundation
P.O. Box 901
Bowie, MD 20718
Tel (301) 805-6111
Fax (301) 805-5155
www.ComingOutStraight.com
www.GayChildrenStraightParents.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out the new
AOL<http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/1615326657x4311227241x4298082137/aol?redir=htt\
p%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eaol%2Ecom%2Fnewaol>. Most comprehensive set of free safety and
security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the
web, free AOL Mail and more.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Remembering Ex Gays with HIV

Remembering Ex Gays with HIV

On this Worlds Aids Day let us remember the many people around the
world who are suffer from HIV.

Ex gay minstries must advocate and bring to attention the many ex
gays who have left the lifestyle but still have HIV. Many gay people
who have HIV feel that there no hope for them, we must reach out.
Exdous and other minstries need to link up with Christian groups who
minister to thise with HIV.While groups like Exodus love to attend
and write about  political rallies they have attended when have they
reached out by starting an HIV minstry.

HIV is killing people and there should be more of push by ex gay
groups to be a part of that movement.In fact federal funds are
avalibale for groups who help with HIV, and this includes ex gay
groups.


By Daniel (Ex Gay with HIV)

As a young boy I was molested by my uncle, I was only 3 or 4 years
old, but I remember everything that happened.

I went through a lot of traumatic experiences early on. I wasn't
quite sure what I was, but deep down I knew I liked being with men.
I was 16 years old and dating older men, because that's who I was
attracted too. I was always in search for love, not sex, but that's
all that these men that I came encountered with wanted from me. It
took me years to understand, why couldn't they love me the way I
wanted to be loved and held? They only wanted to please themselves
and take advantage of me.

I then started prostituting myself, trying to get what I thought was
being ahead in the game. They wanted something from me and they were
willing to pay for it, so I thought what the heck, that's all they
wanted anyways. Sex started to become fun for me. I started to
really enjoy it.

Soon after, I started going to gay bars with friends. I thought I
was in heaven. What I saw with the majority of the crowd each time I
would go, was how they were always bouncing around from guy to guy.
I didn't want to be like that, or at least let anyone think or know
that about me. Unfortunately, the guys that I came in contact with
would usually cruise the streets at night. I was raped twice, once
when I was 18 and once when I was 20.Very painful moments those were
for me. I got involved with crank, from what seemed like the thing
to do because everyone was doing it. I tried so hard to be what
everyone wanted me to be. I was either at the Adult Book Store,
cruising Belmont street, or Roeding Park. It was glamorized at
times, it was all about GETTING YOURS!!

Years went by and I was 22 now still partying 5 days a week and
still no man. I'm not going to say that I never had a boyfriend but
obviously it never lasted. I was 22 and I started to date this guy
which I didn't know was HIV positive. I was really starting to fall
for him but he just kept playing these mind games with me, so I was
like well let me just go ahead and do my thing and just see if
things fall into place.
The sad thing is that I had close friends that knew of his HIV
status and not one of them warned me of this. It didn't last more
than a month between us. A couple of weeks after we stopped seeing
each other he called me to let me know that I needed to go get
tested, and I was like for what? He told me that I gave him
something, I continued to ask, "What did I give you and how do you
know that I gave it to you." He told me that I was the only one that
he was with in a long time and here I am thinking to myself, yeah
right. So I went to go get tested at the Health Department around
the first week of March 1998.

I was devastated. I couldn't believe it, I was HIV positive. One of
my friends was waiting for me outside and he already knew by looking
at me what my results were. He tried his very best to help me cope
with it, but all I did to suppress my feelings was smoke more crank.
I was up for about a week after I found out my results. I went
through so much that week trying to smoke as much as I could to
overdose, walking in the streets not looking around for oncoming
traffic. I remember my chest and my heart was hurting. I remember
that night I was going to finally sleep, but I didn't want to
anymore because I was so afraid that I wasn't going to wake up. I
remembering crying out to God, "why are you punishing me, why?"

I had friends telling others what I had, like it was their place to
do. And they did this to me just days after I found out for myself.
It was all out of jealousy and hatred towards me. Wow, what friends
I had. And sadly enough I was still being out there with other guys
this time being more precautious in engaging in sexual acts. I was
to afraid to tell anyone what I had because I didn't think anyone
would even consider being with me, how very selfish I was.

I was in a relationship for about 1 ½ years which was off and on,
and in the middle of our relationship things weren't going so good,
we argued a lot, which sometimes led to fights. My health started to
pay the price for it. I was depressed a lot because of the constant
arguing, the only thing that made him truly happy is when we had sex
and that just really disturbed me, because he kept reassuring me
that our relationship wasn't based on that. I had to break off our
relationship for good because my T-Cells dropped tremendously and he
didn't understand or much less cared. He still wanted to have sex
even though we weren't together anymore, sometimes I would and other
times I refused which led to arguments. I was going through too
much. I kept telling myself what if he was to contract this disease
from me, how would I feel about myself knowing that it was me who
gave it to him, I couldn't live with that. We used condoms every
time but still condoms are not in no way 100 % effective.

The gay scene itself was more out there, and so many others were
contracting this disease and also not telling others. I just can't
believe that I was one of them. Years went by and the same old thing
was happening; one relationship after another but this time around I
was letting my boyfriends know before hand that I was HIV positive.
I was a little more comfortable sharing this but still at the same
time scared as hell, because I was so afraid of being rejected. I
was never able to find the man of my dreams, there was always
something wrong either they tried to mold me into what they wanted
or they only wanted self gratification. I tried hard to be faithful
and when I truly was with them, guess what, they weren't. I had
grown so much and was starting to be independent and knew what I
would and wouldn't put up with anymore.

I had friends that were with me out there and would talk me into
selling myself when I didn't want to so that we would could get more
drugs, they knew that my health was getting worse and also knew I
didn't know how to say NO. I just wanted my friends to be happy,
even though they always demanded so much, but I was always there to
try and do what I could to get them through what they were going
through.
I cared for the friendships that I had. Even though these are some
of the friends that have shared my HIV status with one another, and
to let you know something, more than ½ of my friends did the same
things I did, but sometimes without protection, I guess they think
that it will never happen to them. Funny how they never want to go
tested.

On October 17, 2002 I went to the hospital and had my appendix
removed. I did a lot of blood work before the operation. The very
next day after the removal of my appendix, doctor after doctor kept
coming in checking my vitals and were monitoring me closely because
my fever just wasn't breaking and kept getting worse. I then
overheard a doctor telling another that I had full blown AIDS that
my T-Cell count was at 82, I was in shock.

I told the doctor about me bleeding from my rectum. They checked it
out and came to find out that I needed to have an operation to go
inside and find out what's going on. I was going through some
tremendous pain and constant bleeding. I started going to church
twice every Sunday and in the evening on Wednesday night coming down
to alter call asking for prayer, searching for God wanting him to
come into my life. I needed him to help me with everything because I
couldn't do it by myself. I needed strength to keep going, I
couldn't stop thinking about what everyone has done to me, or better
yet what I have allowed to happen to myself. I asked for Jesus to
help me and come into my life. Things started to change dramatically
in the way I acted, and the way I spoke to others. I totally forgave
everyone for what they had done to me and asked the Lord to forgive
me for what I have done to others and to forgive me for my sins.

I had more blood work done. I was excited to see what my results
where going to be because I felt healthier, looked healthier than I
had been in a long time. But the results I got where worse, my T-
Cells were at 51 and more bad news, I was now diagnosed with
Hepatitis C. I still kept continuing on with Church, not giving up
my faith in God, not to say that I wasn't hurting at all. I was
attending Church for several months as a Christian that was living a
Homosexual lifestyle. I believed with all my heart that I was born
like this, what other explanation could there be. Well that was
MAN'S explanation, so I just accepted that, so that I wouldn't feel
so wrong in how I was living.

It was time to have the operation to see what was going on inside my
rectum. The doctors found two huge hemorrhoids insides which they
removed and a couple small one's on the outside, very painful
operation. My doctor explained to me how this happened to me, it was
through anal sex. After the operation I encountered with several
others that had the operation already. And it just so happens all
these guys that I spoke with all practice anal sex. Little did I
know that I would have to have this operation done again to make
sure nothing reoccurs and also because I was extreme high risk for
anal cancer.

July 2003 came and I ended up doing 3 months time in jail for a third
DUI that I had gotten back in April. My mom came to visit the second
day I was there and she told me, "I know you have been going to
Church, but while your in jail make the best of your time and start
reading the Bible." She asked me to start reading in Romans, but to
pray before doing so. I looked at her like what are you trying to
say, but something inside just said to agree with her this time and
see where it leads. I then told my mom," you know what? If God can
change my lifestyle then let him because if I could I would have
done it along time ago." So I went back to my bunk and prayed before
I read. I cried and cried as I read on, God showed me there in bold
print his words, it was like he was talking specifically to me and
he was. As I continued to read I felt so guilty of the things I have
done besides homosexuality and I truly wanted a way out. As I
continued to read on in Romans, He showed me how to accept Christ
into my heart and ask for forgiveness and surrender my life
completely. The Lord said in scripture that by doing so I will enter
His Kingdom, in Heaven. That moment on I confessed to our Lord that
from this day forward I no longer consider myself to be a gay man.

God revealed so much to me in jail where I finally understood what
really happened to me in life. God explained it all. It's not my
fault that I was a homosexual man, its man's sin that did this to me.

But through the grace of our Lord and Savior he can and will deliver
any of us from this lifestyle if we just surrender our lives to him.
I know we can all blame the Church for us not going and seeking him
out, but you know something I attend a Church that not one time has
any one ever been judgmental towards me, not once. Not to say that
there are not Christians out there that will not be accepting of our
lifestyles or any sins for that matter, but you know something, it
doesn't matter what they think because there's only one God that can
judge us and only one way to get into His Kingdom and that is
accepting the fact that Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we
may be forgiven for all our sins. We need to ask him to come into
our lives. You just go and seek out God and hear what he has to tell
you.

He loves all of us gays, straights, prostitutes, thieves, and
murders. We're all sinners every one of us, no one is perfect, no one
at all, but that shouldn't stop any of us from trying to be. I share
my Testimony with anyone in this lifestyle because I know now that
there is a way out. Many of you are hurting or may have gone through
some or maybe all or even worse than I have, but I have been in
search for love for 12 years and never found it. But now I can
finally truly say that I have found what I was looking for and
that's Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. He is one man that will
never disappoint us or never hurt us. He wants to love us, he wants
us to be happy, and he wants to be a big part of our lives if we
would just let him in our hearts.

This year so far, has been a blessing for me and it has just begun.
I no longer have Hepatitis C; my lab works have confirmed it. I am
no longer high risk for anal cancer, my T-Cells are on the rise and
my viral load is undetectable. I thank the Lord for my health and
healing me from Hepatitis C. I know I still have AIDS but I know
deep down in my heart that he will heal me from this disease. Either
in this short lifetime we have left or when I'm up in Heaven, where
he promises no disease, no sickness, no pain or hurting or sin. God
has helped me deal with so much; he's filled my heart with so much
peace and joy, love and compassion for others. Sometimes my face
hurts from smiling so much, but I give all thanks and glory to Jesus
Christ our Lord and Savior.

The day of the premier "The Passion of Christ" a lot was going
through my mind about what I was doing with volunteering. I was
going to start passing out condoms to others along with what I was
already doing online as far educating others about safer sex. God
told me that very day NO; not anymore are you to do this. I was
basically saying its okay to have sex and being a part of what the
world promotes. So I sat there praying, "Lord what would you have me
do."

He put in my heart to share my ex-gay Testimony with others online
as a home page. So that very night after watching "The Passion of
Christ" for the first time, really touched my life in away that
brought me even more deeply in LOVE with Jesus. I started to write
my testimony out and then place it online for everyone in the gay
chat rooms to read on AOL, Yahoo, and also Gay.com. No more than 10
minutes went by when I had gotten the first response to my home
page. It hurts to hear what happens when they are rejected as
members of these churches. This sin is no way that easy to come out
of. It takes time just as anything would and it doesn't happen over
night. Now is the time that we as Christian's, followers of Christ
need to open our hearts and our churches to the many that are
enduring these struggles.

This journey in no way was easy, I struggle from time to time, but
also very little. I have finally come to see that it is only a sin
and that the more I focus on God and stay in the word and listen to
what he is teaching me, the easier it gets. He does this with us
all, but we must be obedient and continue seeking him daily. It may
take months or years, but it's going to happen. My life is and has
always been in his hands. Now, I'm just not fighting it.

God Bless,

Daniel
http://www.pfox.org/asp/newsman/templates/newstemplate.asp?
articleid=255&zoneid=5

Hi brother:
Since I am too "new" in this second epoch of mine, I can only add
that I will be glad if you guide me to post my testimony in a site
devoted to help crossdressers and transgenders, from both sexes.
I am almost 47, married and father of a beautiful (and
understanding) 8 years old girl.
When I decided to go on crossdressing and postop, so to speak, I
believed I was doing the best for "myself".
I actually had to ask my wife, and my daughter..., therefore, in
time I had to understand the depth of my own egotism and egoic trips.
Doing such a research on oneself is not easy, sometimes it requires
the assistance of more than one prepared person.
I begun doing it sharing poetry with a friend at South America.  The
EXGAY DISCUSSION BOARD did not approve my adventure, and time proved
my EXGAY CREW WAS RIGHT.
I will not put details about the painful experience I had in South
America.  It took me almost 2 years to understand that my bros and
sis' were more than 100 percent wise in their comments.
I stubbornly went to South America and posed my health in risk more
than once.  The spiritual rewards were few, and they did not come
from the person I was considering my friend.
Nevertheless, in the process I begun watching at the shadow I threw
on my family, my job, my spiritual relation with the Creator.  It
took HIV (something as painful as HIV) to make me react against my
ego-tripping tendency.
I understand this:  it is completely unnecessary to create an agenda
for things such as crossdressing, it is a waste of time.  If someone
does a thing like that, it is because he became a fan of such a
carnival-like way of life.
A young man (or woman) would not understand a posture like mine, if
he (or she) is inside crossdressing.
Crossdressing has the potential to create such addictive behaviour
in humans.
Transgendered people are often misunderstood as crossdressers.  In
my view transgenderism is somewhat different and less rewarding
after the time.  Why?
Transgenderism involves modification of human DNA.  I remember the
way I begun to "feel comfortable" with pink tones, after a couple of
months under estrogen intake.
Such a DNA modifications are beyond the temporary pleasure a
crossdresser gets with clothing.
Transgenders should be considered one of the most vulnerable
populations inside GLBT communities.  Estrogens and progestines can
move the human brain of a male towards bizarre episodes of
depression and heavy mental confusion.
It took almost a year to me, to feel free from the influence of
femenine hormones in my organism.  Returning to a "male brain" state
is not exactly pleasant, when the person has lived under femenine
hormones for a long time.
To me, at that time (4 or 5 months after stopping the ingest of
estrogens), some pastors and friendly people seemed too "pushy".
The first year after abandoning intoxication with "the other sex"
hormones is critical.
Ministries seeking the relief of such people, like me and others,
should get well informed about this detoxication period, and should
utilize such a knowledge to improve counseling and guidance towards
a more stable period of life.
Christians in relief, be they crossdressers, transgenders or gay
people, are basically living entities and the ministers trained to
help them should be very dynamic and open minded, in terms of this
biological and neurological variables.
For the mean time, keep my testimonies, this is why I came back to
this BOARD.
Respects
from
Jose

Hi Caleb:
Your header is interesting:  "peeps....".  I have this interesting
visual memory, not completely perfect, not completely trained, so to
speak.......
This is why I evade all sorts of stress on my visual organs.  Some
people consider me too "conceited" to handle....
In the present state of my healing I would not like to start
a "peeping" routine....
I feel incredibly afraid of people who "peep" on me, I could not
explain.
I was such an addict to porn art... maybe this is why...
The word "peepers..." catched my attention this time.
By the way, my id and signature in this BOARD are in QUECHUA
LANGUAGE.
RIMANAYKI HAMUCHUN means:  "let your word come".  MUNASQAIKY RURASQA
KACHUN means: "Thy Will be done..."
I study languages, this is one more reason to support my comment, I
hope you will not feel in trouble with it.
Respects
from
Jose

Hi:
Daniel's testimony really deserves more than one reading.  The
material the life of a gay person is made of is very similar to the
material utilized to any gay person elsewhere in the world.  This is
one of the weaknesses of gay world, and we should utilize such
weakness in order to help each other.

I am an EXGAY person, infected with the VIRUS...........ALTHOUGH
STRONGLY CONFIDENT WITH THE MIRACLES JESUS WANTS TO FILL OUR LIVES
WITH.

The last time I sinned, before realizing about my unhealthy
condition, I placed two young people in the line of "probably
infected" people.  This is like a demolition on my most basic
convivence values.  I always blamed on people who utilized violence
to hurt others, now I do not find easy to blame on me.  I feel
dressed with the most filthy disguise of a hypocrite.

After I found the origin of my physical pains I tried to communicate
with these two guys.  One of them still writes me once in a while.
The person I mention studies medicine at Cuba and is 23 years old.

It is a painful situation....

Every day I try to pray for these two people, I beg for intelligence
bestowed on them so they can be out of gay world as soon as
possible.  I regret my sin, in the name of Jesus, I regret.

I pray to God, so that He can place me inside a ministry wich can
reach the heart of these two friends and many others.  Please pray
for me, and pray for the two of them.

God is immensely merciful on a person such as me, bless His mercy
and desire to relieve us all from our chains and darkness (read
Isaiah 56:3...Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD
say, "The LORD will surely exclude me from his people." And let not
any eunuch complain, "I am only a dry tree.")

Respects from Jose

(I utilized the translation service at
http://translation.paralink.com/plugin_templates/?
clientid=IDABXORB&afid=&text=, to enhance my speech here)
(I utilized the Online Bible search services at
http://www.biblegateway.com/)

AFTER YOU TAKE THE DECISION TO BE FOR GOD, THE PAST CEASES TO EXIST.
JOSE

AMEN!

--- laempresadeserhombre
<laempresadeserhombre@...> wrote:

> AFTER YOU TAKE THE DECISION TO BE FOR GOD, THE PAST
> CEASES TO EXIST.
> JOSE
>
>
>




________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Need a quick answer? Get one in minutes from people who know.
Ask your question on www.Answers.yahoo.com

Hi Jose - the term "peeps" is short for people and is
considered a very friendly term.  Hope this helps -

--- laempresadeserhombre
<laempresadeserhombre@...> wrote:

> Hi Caleb:
> Your header is interesting:  "peeps....".  I have
> this interesting
> visual memory, not completely perfect, not
> completely trained, so to
> speak.......
> This is why I evade all sorts of stress on my visual
> organs.  Some
> people consider me too "conceited" to handle....
> In the present state of my healing I would not like
> to start
> a "peeping" routine....
> I feel incredibly afraid of people who "peep" on me,
> I could not
> explain.
> I was such an addict to porn art... maybe this is
> why...
> The word "peepers..." catched my attention this
> time.
> By the way, my id and signature in this BOARD are in
> QUECHUA
> LANGUAGE.
> RIMANAYKI HAMUCHUN means:  "let your word come".
> MUNASQAIKY RURASQA
> KACHUN means: "Thy Will be done..."
> I study languages, this is one more reason to
> support my comment, I
> hope you will not feel in trouble with it.
> Respects
> from
> Jose
>
>




________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Have a burning question?
Go to www.Answers.yahoo.com and get answers from real people who know.

Ministry Needs (keep these in your prayers)
NCXDS Ex-Gay Christian Ministries
(the parent ministry of the Ex-Gay Discussion Board)

We are continually looking for volunteers to serve in the following positins:

Assistant Moderators for this Ex-Gay Discussion Board (~700 members strong!!)
[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/exgaydiscussionboard/] helps to answer questions
on the discussion board, re-direct discussions when they go off-topic,
screen/approve new members, and refer people to ministries in their local area.

Assistant WebMasters (at least some web programming/html experience is
preferred, but not required) helps keep the links list
[http://geocities.com/exgaylinks] as current as possible (this is becoming more
and more of a time-consuming task as more ministries and additional resources
seem to pop-up on the web weekly!)

Assistant Web Researcher helps to validate the many links that we have on our
site to ensure they are still valid, as well as to "glean" additional ministries
and other resources from those sites as well as using search engines to find
even more ministries and resources to include in our list (NO programming
experience necessary, anyone who can "Google" qualifies).

Pray that God sends us volunteers to help keep this ministry strong and active
to serve the Internet community and provide information and referral information
on Healing from Homosexuality. If you know of anyone who may be interested,
please have them contact me.

Blessings!!

--Alan Levering
Founder/Director
NCXDS Ex-Gay Internet Christian Ministries
ncxds@...

Amen that twice!!

nfttm <nfttm@...> wrote:          AMEN!

--- laempresadeserhombre
<laempresadeserhombre@...> wrote:

> AFTER YOU TAKE THE DECISION TO BE FOR GOD, THE PAST
> CEASES TO EXIST.
> JOSE
>
>
>

__________________________________________________________
Need a quick answer? Get one in minutes from people who know.
Ask your question on www.Answers.yahoo.com





---------------------------------
Any questions?  Get answers on any topic at Yahoo! Answers. Try it now.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

December 2, 2006



KJV - (King James Version)

NIV - (New International Version)

BBE - (Bible in Basic English)



Scripture of the Day



Acts 2:38



38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost. (KJV)



38Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit. (NIV)



2:38 And Peter said, Let your hearts be changed, every one of you, and have
baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and
you will have the Holy Spirit given to you. (BBE)





Daily Devotional





Verses for the Day:



Proverbs 29:15-17



15) The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth
his mother to shame.
16) When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the
righteous shall see their fall.
17) Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight
unto thy soul. (KJV)



15The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself
disgraces his mother.  16When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the
righteous will see their downfall. 17Discipline your son, and he will give
you peace; he will bring delight to your soul. (NIV)



29:15 The rod and sharp words give wisdom: but a child who is not guided is
a cause of shame to his mother. 29:16 When evil men are in power, wrongdoing
is increased; but the upright will have pleasure when they see their
downfall. 29:17 Give your son training, and he will give you rest; he will
give delight to your soul. (BBE)




Thoughts for the Day:



These verses from Proverbs give instruction for raising and disciplining
children; and also states the destiny of the wicked because of their sin.



In verses 15 and 17 we see several things that are necessary if our children
are to bring delight to us. The first thing is that we must reprove or
discipline them by using the rod (spanking them) when they are young.
Children who are not properly disciplined, are among the most miserable of
children. Unruly and spoiled children are not the blessings that the Bible
says they should be to parents. Correction and training will direct the
child so that they will grow up with a respect for authority, and this comes
by punishing them when they rebel.



This brings us to the subject of how we should discipline a child who
disobeys the rules. There has been much debate on the subject of corporal
punishment (the spanking of a child). Corporal punishment simply means
bodily punishment while the definition of spank in Webster's Dictionary is:
1.) to strike with something flat, as the open hand, especially on the
buttocks, as in punishment. 2.) to move along swiftly or smartly, a smack
given in spanking. This is what the Bible says about spanking:



Proverbs 22:15



15) Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of
discipline will drive it far from him. (KJV)



15Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will
drive it far from him. (NIV)



22:15 Foolish ways are deep-seated in the heart of a child, but the rod of
punishment will send them far from him. (BBE)





Proverbs 23:13-14



13) Withold not discipline from the child, for if you strike and punish him
with the (reed-like) rod, he will not die. 14) Thou shalt beat him with the
rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. (KJV)

13Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod,
he will not die. 14Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.
(NIV)

23:13 Do not keep back training from the child: for even if you give him
blows with the rod, it will not be death to him. 23:14 Give him blows with
the rod, and keep his soul safe from the underworld. (BBE)



First of all, discipline of children should begin at an early age, whenever
a child begins to defy the parent. Remember the old saying, "He who spares
the rod, spoils the child." Notice that the Bible says that all children
have foolishness in their hearts.  We are to drive out this foolishness by
punishing them with a whack on the buttocks with a small reed-like rod when
they disobey. This rod could be a switch from a fruit tree branch or a
willow tree branch or a small wooden spoon. It is not to be a large heavy
rod or anything that would cause permanent physical damage.  We are not
talking about child abuse here. The purpose of a spanking is not to cause
any lasting bodily harm, but to cause spiritual correction. A spanking
should be swift and cause short lived pain that makes a point.  That point
is that the small pain they feel now will prevent them from feeling great
pain by the act they are committing, which could cause them the loss of
their lives in some cases. For instance, if a child tries to eat something
that is poison, you will train him or her not to eat anything that is
poisonous to their body.



Proverbs 19:18



18) Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his
crying. (KJV)



18 Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party
to his death. (NIV)



19:18 Give your son training while there is hope; let not your heart be
purposing his death. (BBE)





Proverbs 22:6



6) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not
depart from it. (KJV)



6Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn
from it. (NIV)



22:6 If a child is trained up in the right way, even when he is old he will
not be turned away from it. (BBE)



Godly discipline will keep children from being dysfunctional later in life.
We are told as Christian parents to train our children in the ways of the
Lord and when they grow up, they will not depart from that training.  Notice
it says "train" instead of "teach." Many parents teach their children right
from wrong, but have failed to "train" them to obey.  Spanking is part of
the training.  Many parents yell and threaten their children, but never
follow through with the proper punishment and therefore their children get
their own way. A disciplined child will bring great delight to parents,
while the child left alone will bring shame to the home. Many a mother has
wept when her children became wicked and thus shamed her. The Bible way to
prevent this is by disciplining a child while he is young by spanking him.
The Bible does not say to "reason" with a child. When a child is older, you
can certainly add reasoning with the spanking. However, the most convincing
thing we can do is to spank them.  We have heard the expression "the way to
reason with them is through their bottoms."



Verse 16 talks about when wicked men are in places of authority,
transgression multiplies because of it. However, we must remember that in
time we shall see the fall of the wicked. The Bible tells us in many places
that the Lord is going to remove the wicked from this earth and that His
righteous kingdom will rule on the earth.



Proverbs 2:21-22



21) For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in
it.
22) But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors
shall be rooted out of it. (KJV)



21For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in
it; 22but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will
be torn from it. (NIV)



2:21 For the upright will be living in the land, and the good will have it
for their heritage. 2:22 But sinners will be cut off from the land, and
those whose acts are false will be uprooted. (BBE)





Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you for the blessing of children.  Lord, help
all Christian parents to heed the Bible's instructions for rearing their
children. Father, there are many different voices in the world telling us
how to do things; however, we want to know what the Bible says about child
rearing. Lord, since You created us, then surely Your advice would be the
best advice to follow, as You know how to do all things in perfection. Give
us divine wisdom in the area of child rearing and give us grace to spank our
children when they need that discipline. I ask this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.

Keep each other in PrAyer and display HuMility.  Have a BlEssed day and stay
ENcourage.



God is Good All the Time!!!



Scripture Of The Day and Daily Devotional are sent out Daily via email.  If
you would like to add any of your family members or friends to this
distribution list, just reply to the email address listed below with their
full email address and they will start receiving the Word Of God in the
future.  If you want your email address remove from this distribution list,
please reply to the email address listed below requesting for your email
address to be removed.  Thank you.



Stay Blessed,

Riley

  <mailto:pass_the_word@...> pass_the_word@...



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Wait for the first 3 candles to go out then watch the 4th candle...
http://i.euniverse.com/funpages/cms_content/2529/4candles.swf
<http://i.euniverse.com/funpages/cms_content/2529/4candles.swf>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Exodus has a great list for those struggling who speak
spanish, also there is a help like for transexuals also

http://www.psicologoscristianos.org/ Mexican Ex Gays

http://www.exodus.org.br/ BRAZILian Ex Gays

http://www.nuevacondicionpr.com/ Puerto Rico Ex Gays

http://www.zapatos-nuevos.org/portal/ VENEZUELA Ex Gays

http://www.geocities.com/caminodesalida/  ECUADOR'S Ex GAYS

http://www.freetobeme.com/en_espanol/index_es.htm

MINISTERIOS AFILIADOS A EXODUS LATINOAMÉRICA - (En orden alfabético)

http://www.exoduslatinoamerica.org/

http://exoduslatinoamerica.org/index.php?
option=content&task=view&id=42&Itemid=50



  Courage (Valor) "CATHOLIC EX GAY GROUP"

Courage es un apostolado de la Iglesia Católica cuyo propósito es
ministrar a aquellos con atracciones hacia el mismo sexo y a sus
seres queridos.

http://www.courage-latino.org/

Join the Courage Yahoo Group

http://www.courage-latino.org/index.php?
option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=1&Itemid=71

"You Are Not Alone!"

http://help4families.com

http://www.raf-t.org/

http://www.shatteredn2pieces.com/

http://www.realityresources.com/

http://www.users.bigpond.com/megabyte_mcguire/home

http://www.parakaleo.co.uk/

http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0411/articles/mchugh.

http://help4families.com

Cross-Dressing and Christianity

  by Randall Wayne

Why do some men engage in dressing as woman for erotic pleasure? And
how can men trapped in this behavior find freedom?
This article is written for Christian men and their families to get
another perspective on the issue of cross-dressing. If you are not a
Christian, this page will probably not make much sense and could be
taken to be offensive, although that is not my heart in writing this.
If you are a Christian man looking for answers in how to deal with
cross-dressing, or a concerned spouse or family member of a male to
female cross-dresser, I invite you to read further and keep an open
mind. So, you have been warned.

There are some in the Christian faith who do not understand cross-
dressing and will condemn you. I know where you are coming from and
do not condemn you. I am not a therapist or counselor, but I
have "been in your heels," so to speak. I am now an ex-cross-dresser
(heterosexual male-to-female) by the grace and healing of Jesus
Christ..

My desire is to offer hope to those who are conflicted by cross-
dressing and their spiritual beliefs. I am really not looking to
debate, but if you or a loved one wants freedom from cross-dressing,
you might find hope in my story. .

My Background
In or about October of 1996 I experienced an onslaught of temptation
and spiritual warfare in the area of cross-dressing. This strong
desire to dress in women's clothes was totally out of the blue,
although it was something that I had experienced before in my life.
At times, the temptation was so strong that it was all I could think
about. As a result, I could not focus on the normal activities of
life. Fortunately, I found help and hope. Today I can truly say after
over 30 years of dealing with this, "Thank God I'm free!"

I was an only child, so the closest thing to siblings I had to play
with were my girl cousins who were close to my age. Of course,
playing with girls meant playing girl games, like playing house and
dress up. So, the overall effect was that I was raised in a feminized
environment where the female role was dominant and the male role was
passive. In my inner being, I found the feminine role attractive, but
modeled after the passive male image.

One of my earliest remembrances was when I was about five or six and
my mother would have me try on clothes she was sewing for my girl
cousins to hem the skirts and make other alterations. As I grew older
and into adolescence, I had a strong desire to try on female clothes.
I remember finding discarded dresses, wigs, earrings, etc. and trying
them on and feeling an erotic excitement. I formed a strong
association at that time between wearing female clothing and sexual
release. Later in life in times of stress, I would retreat to that
same activity to feel relief. This was my secret world where I could
fantasize about being beautiful and soft.

On the outside, in many other ways I was a typical boy. I was active
in Boy Scouts, worked on cars, liked to go target shooting, and was
not feminine at all--just "a nice guy."

Marriage Years
In college, I met and married a wonderful girl to whom I am still
married. In the early years of our marriage, my cross-dressing
desires were only occasional. I never told my wife of my urge to
cross-dress because I was in a state of denial. I really didn't see
cross-dressing as a bad thing, just an odd thing.

After we had been married for a few years and had both of our boys,
the pressures of work and family seemed to increase my desire to
cross-dress. I would look for any occasion to cross-dress, especially
Halloween. On unexpected opportunity came at a church banquet where
one of the ladies of the church asked me if I would dress up as Dolly
Parton. This was a real treat because not only could I cross-dress,
but I could do it right at church! During these years, I would feel
guilt, confess the cross-dressing as sin, but eventually do it again.
I never really admitted to myself I was a cross-dresser.

A strange irony is that my wife is a Mary Kay cosmetics consultant,
with a whole closet full of make-up inventory right in my study at
home. I guess you might say I was not really a hard-core case because
I never took anything from her inventory, but I sure was tempted at
times!

Even though cross-dressing was a source of release, it was also a
cycle of guilt and shame. Every time I would do it, I would feel
shame. The shame would cause me to feel even worse about myself than
I did before and I would be tempted to cross-dress again to relieve
that shame and so on.

Eventually, I got to the point where I just decided to "white
knuckle" it and quit cross-dressing. Whenever a temptation would come
along, I would just ignore it. I really didn't give a thought to
cross-dressing for two or three years. I managed to totally repress
any feelings or thoughts about cross-dressing. Then, the Lord
engineered what I believe to be an incredible set of circumstances.

The Spiritual Warfare
We were happy in our church at the time, but on the day of our 19th
wedding anniversary, the Lord impressed both my wife and I that we
should move on. "But to where?" we wondered. We decided to visit a
new church much closer to home and we were so led by the Lord that we
joined. One of the first sermon series was titled "Everyday Victory
for Everyday People." This study in spiritual warfare would prove to
be life-changing.

After going through the study, my wife approached me one day and said
that she felt a need to confess a stronghold in her life so that she
might be delivered. I already knew about her stronghold, and I
said, "Well, since you confessed yours, let me confess mine."

In the previous days, I had started to experience some of the old
temptations of cross-dressing. I said, "You know I struggle with
smoking, but I also have another problem that I have struggled with
all my life." At that time I told my wife that I had strong urges to
wear women's clothes. I was also quick to say that I was not asking
for her acceptance or permission of any cross-dressing. I also
explained that the battle at that point was mainly in my mind and
that I had never been unfaithful to her. She handled my confession
very well and said she would pray with me about how to deal with this
problem.

I decided that I needed more information about cross-dressing, so I
logged on to the Internet and started doing searches on "cross-
dressing" and "Christian." This proved to be a mistake. I learned
everything the world had to say on the topic and I learned what the
arguments that other Christians had constructed to justify the
behavior. At this point, I became very confused and deceived. I saw
so many images of guys like me transformed into beautiful women, that
I was really tempted to seek out a makeover for myself.

It was at this point that the temptations and thoughts were almost
constant. I was having dreams about being dressed as a beautiful
woman and those dreams would set me up for the rest of the day
thinking about such things. It was hard for me to work or do anything
else with these thoughts constantly bombarding me. I would even
fantasize that my wife would go along with and accept my behavior. I
was truly deceived. I was truly staring to get concerned that I might
start acting out my temptations in public.

I was typical of many male to female cross-dressers in that in all
other areas of life, I was masculine in appearance and actions. I
also had absolutely no desire for sexual relations with other males,
so homosexuality was not part of my problem.

It was at this point that I realized I had a clear-cut decision:
either choose the ways of the world or follow after God. I loved the
Lord more than I loved the urge to cross-dress, so I made a decision
to get Christian-based help.

Coming Into the Light
As I shared this with my wife, she suggested that I get Christian
counseling. Almost every resource I found said that cross-dressing
could not be cured. Even many of the Christians who had testimonies
on the Internet told of how they knew that it was all right to cross-
dress--to them it was not a sin, but something fun to do. The only
resource I could find on the Internet that dealt with cross-dressing
as a sin was First Stone Ministries' home page. I was glad to learn
they were in my home city.

The first person I spoke with was Stephen Black. Stephen was the
first person to sit down with me and show me Romans 1:18-32. Although
I considered myself a mature Christian and student of the Bible, this
passage took on a whole new meaning to me. For the first time in this
entire episode, I saw that I had been deceived by "the lie" of the
enemy. Stephen assured me that Jesus was not a cross-dresser and that
if Jesus is our model, then we should pattern our lives after Him.

After my initial visit with Stephen, I started meeting on a monthly
basis with a female counselor, Kim Gately. Before I started meeting
with her, I did not know whether it was best for me to meet with a
male or female counselor. As it turns out, I feel that she was the
perfect person to counsel me. I really needed the female perspective
on my problem and also on my relationship with my wife. A verse that
she shared with me that really helped during times of temptation was
Romans 6:21-22,

"What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now
ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now you have been set
free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap
leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."

Whenever temptation would come, I would remember this verse and it
helped me to ask, "Is this going to benefit me?" The answer was
always "no," so instead of simply ignoring the temptation, I dealt
with it in a rational way.

Around Christmas time, I made a special trip to my parent's house to
talk with them. Although I didn't share specifics about my problem, I
did ask many questions about my upbringing. I discovered some things
and I also learned that some events which were significant in my
memory, were not remembered by them at all. One of the significant
things that happened was hearing my parents say that they never
expected me to be perfect. I think that growing up I has felt a
perceived (by me) expectation to always be a good boy, never to get
into trouble, always make good grades, etc. As a result, there was
something in me that wanted to rebel against that expectation, but I
never did rebel openly--just in my private world.

It took about two months before the voices in my head started to die
down. One night when I was on a business trip, I had one thought too
many and got angry enough with the enemy that I resolved to get rid
of this thing one and for all. I knew that I was weak, but the Lord
is strong. Under the authority of Jesus, I gave the enemy and his
demons their marching orders back to HELL.

Soon, I started seeing things much more clearly. I also was able to
bring things out into the light with family, which really helped. The
more I talked about this with my wife, the more deliverance I
received.

A major resource that helped me during this initial time of coming
into the light was T.D. Jakes' book Loose That Man and Let Him Go. I
found it to be an excellent book in helping me to learn what it means
to be an authentic man of God. A foundational verse that came to mean
much (and still does) to me is I Corinthians 13:11:

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I
reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways
behind me."

I realized that cross-dressing was like playing the childish game
of "dress up" like I used to with my cousins when I was a child.
cross-dressing also tends to be self-centered, with the cross-dresser
expecting others to accommodate their behavior even to the detriment
of their families. I could either stay in a childish condition or I
could move on and be a man. I chose to be the man God wanted me to be.

Learning to be a man patterned after God's plan was a matter of
learning the truth and modeling after Jesus. I realized that a
lifetime of being raised and taught by women had unknowingly
feminized me. Actually, I think many men today share this condition.
I don't mean to be sexist, because certainly both male and female
models are needed for a balanced upbringing. The problem is that
males and females approach life from different perspectives and being
exposed to largely the female perspective, I developed a gender
confusion.

At this point, my wife ministered to me in two very tangible ways.
First, she affirmed my manhood verbally. This was powerful,
especially when having sex. Secondly, she helped me upgrade my
wardrobe. I think one of the reasons I was drawn to cross-dressing
was because I felt women get to wear more stylish clothes. One of the
things we did was to buy me some new suits. We got a great deal on
some high quality suits at a local discount clothing store and they
really helped me feel better about myself.

Something else I started doing at this time was "reality checks." A
practical example of this was when I reasoned through the issue of my
self-esteem. I had always seen myself as unattractive and I think
this also contributed to the cross-dressing urges. While in my
confused state, I liked the thought of being beautiful.

So, I decided to do a reality check at Wal-Mart one day. While
walking through the store I started counting how many people, both
men and women, were truly attractive. I still had two unused fingers
after the count! Admittedly, Wal-Mart is not where the "beautiful"
people hang out, but still I realized that by far most people are
average at best and some are just downright ugly. I don't intend to
be mean about this, but the reality is that beauty is a fleeting
fantasy for most people. I also had to come to terms that I didn't
make a ravishing beauty when dressed up, either!

For the next few months, the cross-dressing temptations and urges
died down tremendously. Only every once in a great while did I think
of cross-dressing. When a temptation would come my way, instead of
simply dismissing it or ignoring it, I dealt with it. For example, I
would examine the thought and say in my mind, "Lord, I know I am the
man you made me to be. I know you love me just the way I am. In the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ I command Satan and his demons to
flee." This worked without fail.

Then, one Saturday morning I awoke feeling free for the first time in
many, many years. I know it sounds odd, but it was like an overnight
final transition happened. Not only were there no cross-dressing
temptations or feelings, but also the appetite for other fleshly
actions were gone. I felt clean and free. The only thing I can figure
is that God healed me in my sleep.

Some Common Questions
Here are some of the basic questions I had to deal with in my
journey. They might not have the answers who want to hear, but to the
best of my study and reasoning they represent a Biblical perspective.

Is Cross-Dressing A Sin?
This is probably the key question because if cross-dressing is not a
sin, then it shouldn't be a problem. You will find differing opinions
on this, many of which are constructed by Christians (and non-
Christians) who wish to justify cross-dressing as a harmless
activity. I don't want to condemn anyone as "sinner," because I have
many other sins myself. I also understand where you are at. So please
look at these as things to consider, not a condemnation.

True, about the only direct reference you will find on cross-dressing
is in Deuteronomy buried in the Judaic code. If we use that verse for
a reference we are on shaky ground because most of us do things like
eat pork, which is also in there. Besides, the blood of Jesus has set
us free from the law to follow a higher law of grace.

In my early struggles I reasoned that cross-dressing was not a sin
because obviously men wear and have worn wigs for many years, actors
wear makeup, etc. Although each piece of the picture can be taken
alone as harmless human activity, when you combine all of the pieces
for the overall effect of trying to pass as or become a person of the
opposite sex, you have transcended into an entirely different realm.
If cross-dressing was simply wearing a dress but acting like a male,
then one could perhaps make the point they were doing a bad imitation
of Milton Berle. But if you follow the path of many male to female
cross-dressers you will find it leads to learning how to walk, talk
and act like a female.

By shedding your masculinity and over-developing the feminine you are
stepping outside of the role God has for you. This concept is even
more important if you are a husband and father. It is very clear in
scripture that God has ordained a specific order for the family where
the husband is the spiritual leader. I know from experience that you
can't be the masculine spiritual leader of a family and a practicing
cross-dresser without some kind of detrimental effect. One reason for
this is that the spiritual leader should be active and not passive.
Transcending into the female role or image is usually a passive role.

Another problem is when male children are involved and the father
models a passive image. The children are likely to carry that image
into their own marriages and experience all kinds of difficulties.
Personally, it was very difficult for me to even discuss this subject
with my two sons, much less let them see me in the act. My sons and I
have a great relationship and I am teaching them the importance of
active leadership in the home. Please don't misunderstand me - I'm
not advocating a domineering, heavy handed approach. I'm talking
about leading our families as our loving Heavenly Father leads us.

Also keep in mind that something can be a sin even if there is no
direct reference to it in the Word. You must submit an issue to
the "whole test" of the Word. In other words, is the practice
consistent with the overall teaching of the Bible? It is entirely
possible to construct all kinds of arguments to justify a particular
sin, even in the presence of numerous New Testament references
indicating otherwise. One current example of this is the
justification of homosexuality as Scripturally permissive.

The Bible also speaks to the issue that some things are permissible,
but not all things are expedient. So, we can reason that some common
sense and judgment is needed to make the call. If cross-dressing is a
problem in your relationship to God, your wife, or anyone else close
to you, then you might consider it as one of the not so expedient
things to do.

I consider myself to be the kind of believer that could "eat meat
sacrificed to idols" and it not bother me in the least. In other
words, I am not a legalist. I don't like to live by rules alone, but
some are needed to establish boundaries.

While searching for an answer to the question of cross-dressing being
a sin, I realized that I was looking for a black and white literal
answer in the Word that was not there. My reasoning was that if the
prohibition was not there, it was OK to cross-dress. Later, I
realized that was the same attitude the Pharisees had in Jesus' day -
they would strain at observing all of the "must dos," but they would
create all kinds of ways to follow the law literally while breaking
it in spirit. It occurred to me that on this issue, I had become a
legalist!

Let's define sin as missing the perfect mark of God. As Christians we
know that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
(Romans 3:23) We also know that "the wages of sin are death." (Romans
6:23) The good news is that Jesus forgives all of our sins when we
turn to him for forgiveness with a repentant heart.

So, for me, I believe cross-dressing is a sin because:
1. It is deception. Yes, most of us to some degree modify our
appearance to cover imperfections and to look our best (although
sometimes the modifications look worse than the imperfection!).
However, to equate this with being completely transformed to look
like the opposite sex is a huge leap of reasoning.

2. It violates God's ordained gender role for a person. God doesn't
make mistakes, but Satan can take small hurts and flaws in our
upbringing to cause gender confusion. This gender confusion can cause
many kinds of relationship problems.

3. A cross-dressing father is a confusing model for children.

4. Cross-dressing is normally a very self-centered activity.

5. It is not healthy for most marriage relationships. True, there are
some exceptions to this, but most women I have spoken with on the
subject indicate a) they want a masculine male as a husband and b)
they don't care to be in a virtual lesbian relationship with the
other woman as their husband.

The real test of whether or not something is a sin is your comfort
level in doing it in front of people you go to church with. For
example, would you feel at ease dressing up and attending church "en
femme"? If the answer to this question is "no" or if you feel guilt
over cross-dressing, then it fails this test.

I do know that for many men who are in conflict between cross-
dressing and their faith, the compulsion to cross-dress is a
spiritual bondage. You dream about it at night, you read about it,
you fantasize about it, and before long you want to go public. I
personally would spend many hours on the Internet looking at web
sites of other cross-dressers. When anything goes to this point of
compulsion, there is a spiritual stronghold.

The Lord is to be the center of our attention and the object of our
praise. When I was set free from the bondage, I could finally see the
issues much more clearly. It also helps to have someone to speak
openly with. The more you bring the issue into the light the less
power the bondage has over you. It is a very freeing experience
to "confess your faults one to another that you may be healed."
(James 5:16)

Finally, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal this answer to your own
spirit. I can only give you my perspective. You must be convicted in
your own spirit as to the right and wrong of cross-dressing before
you can change.


Is it Possible to Change?
Most secular psychologists will tell you that a cross-dresser might
go into remission, but will relapse during times of stress. They also
say the same about homosexuals. I can't give you my long term story
yet, but I know I'm free from any desire to cross-dress. I can also
point you to others who have been set free from cross-dressing,
homosexuality, and other areas of sexual brokenness for many years.
Of course, the secular media usually doesn't report those cases.

(First Stone Ministries defines "sexual brokenness" as: devastation
brought about by behaviors outside of God's original intent of
sexuality. These include adultery, promiscuity, homosexuality,
lesbianism, sexual abuse, molestation, prostitution, pornography,
transexuality and transvestitism.)

Yes, there is hope! It's not easy and it's not quick, but you can be
set free by Jesus Christ. The first step is to follow the Lord's way
and not the world's way. You must repent of your sin and ask the Lord
to heal you. cross-dressing is a symptom of an inner hurt. To deal
with the cross-dressing, you must first deal with your inner wounds.

In breaking the cycle of compulsion, you will also need to do
spiritual warfare. All of the Neil Anderson books are an excellent
resource in this area. The titles are found at the end of this
article.

Healing prayer, where your past and present hurts are healed by the
Holy Spirit, is how the Lord ministers to you. You will likely need
someone to intercede for you in this area, but it is one of the most
powerful ways to be healed. Leanne Payne has written a wonderful
book, Crisis in Masculinity, which describes the healing prayer
process. You can find or order the book from your Christian bookstore
or order through the Exodus online bookstore (click on "Resources" at
this website).

Am I the Only One?
By no means! I don't know of any firm statistics, but if cross-
dressing is like any other activity, the church is slightly less than
secular society in terms of percentages of people with addictions and
compulsions. If this is true, then somewhere around 2 percent of men
in our churches cross-dress. The problem is that not many people are
aware of this or even believe it. I can tell you of a transgender
ministry that has over 500 regular correspondents on transgender
issues.

How Do I Tell my Wife and Family?
This is something that many cross-dressers really struggle with. In
my case, I know my wife so well, that it was very natural to seek her
help. But keep in mind, that I was coming from an attitude of
repentance and confession. I would advise you to get Christian
counseling in sexual brokenness issues to decide when and how to tell
your mate. You and your family will need support and a Christian
counselor can be the person to help you through the rough spots. You
will need to trust the Lord to prepare the hearts of those nearest to
you.

Why Should I Stop Cross-Dressing?
I had a struggle with this myself. At first I felt almost a grief at
giving up a fetish-like behavior I had clung to for comfort for
almost 30 years. I can now say it was the best thing I ever did. My
relationship with my wife and family is so much better than it was
before I made the choice. I'm not proud of my past thoughts and
actions of cross-dressing, but I am glad I made the choice to follow
God's leading in my life.

Actually, stopping cross-dressing was a result of dealing with all of
the hurts and wounds of my past, taking them to the Lord, and getting
healing from Him. I had tried simply quitting before but it never
lasted because I was treating the symptom and not the problem. As my
wife has remarked, "I had no idea there was even a problem in our
marriage. Everything was just going along fine." The trouble was that
I was living in my own private fantasy world and not dealing with
reality. I was the spiritual leader of our family in name only.

A Final Word
Keep seeking the Lord. He will reveal all truth to you and "the truth
will set you free." (John 8:32) In my victory over cross-dressing, I
found it to be more of a truth battle as opposed to a power struggle
with the enemy.

Also, look down the path to see where cross-dressing leads. If you
examine closely what is on some of the more popular web sites, you
will find graphic descriptions of bi-sexuality and infidelity. What
goes in our minds usually works its way out into practice. Ask
yourself if this is really what you want in your life.

Many of us in the Christian community have grown to see adultery as
the "big sin" to be avoided. In doing so, we condone other behaviors
that undermine the marriage relationship almost as much and are just
as sinful to God. In cross-dressing, you can be "the other woman."

Consider what would happen if someone found out about your cross-
dressing. There is great truth to the saying "Your sin will find you
out." So, you need to give this some consideration before your
reputation is affected.

Finally, and most importantly, God loves you with an everlasting
love. You were in his thoughts when he created the world. He knows
your every hurt and your every need. When you come to the end of
yourself and feel you can go no lower, God is there to welcome you
home. He and the angels will rejoice!

If this has been a help to you, or if I can pray with you, e-mail me.
If you are the spouse or a family member of someone struggling with
cross-dressing, e-mail me and my wife can join me in sharing and
praying with you.

The following verse describes my motive in putting in taking a stand
and putting this information on the web:

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart
from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of
demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience
seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to
abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving
by those who believe and know the truth.

"For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if
it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of
God and prayer. If you minister the brethren in these things, you
will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of
faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But
reject profane and old wives' fables and exercise yourself toward
godliness." I Timothy 4:1-7

http://www.exodus.to/content/view/60/55/

Hi:
I was immersed into Courage-latino for some time.  After some
months a guy started pushing me about taking a course on
reparative therapy.

Some other people were strange.  People from Spain, at that
board, were somewhat playing with words.

The social relations among different spanish speaking people,
coming from different countries and cultures, is not as easy as it
seems for someone outside this circle.

I definitely consider EXGAY DISCUSSION BOARD as more
educational in the long term, although it may seem that we are
separated culturally from the anglo-speaking crew.

The reason is simple:  English language is more flexible when
explaining some sort of facts.

In my location, south to Mexico, protestant population is as high
as 50 percent of the total, while in places like Ecuador it is as
small as less than 3 percent.

Salutations
Jose, from somewhere between North and South Poles

thank you Laura for all that you share with us -

--- Laura <exgaydates@...> wrote:

> "You Are Not Alone!"
>
> http://help4families.com
>
> http://www.raf-t.org/
>
> http://www.shatteredn2pieces.com/
>
> http://www.realityresources.com/
>
> http://www.users.bigpond.com/megabyte_mcguire/home
>
> http://www.parakaleo.co.uk/
>
>
http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0411/articles/mchugh.
>
> http://help4families.com
>
> Cross-Dressing and Christianity
>
>  by Randall Wayne
>
> Why do some men engage in dressing as woman for
> erotic pleasure? And
> how can men trapped in this behavior find freedom?
> This article is written for Christian men and their
> families to get
> another perspective on the issue of cross-dressing.
> If you are not a
> Christian, this page will probably not make much
> sense and could be
> taken to be offensive, although that is not my heart
> in writing this.
> If you are a Christian man looking for answers in
> how to deal with
> cross-dressing, or a concerned spouse or family
> member of a male to
> female cross-dresser, I invite you to read further
> and keep an open
> mind. So, you have been warned.
>
> There are some in the Christian faith who do not
> understand cross-
> dressing and will condemn you. I know where you are
> coming from and
> do not condemn you. I am not a therapist or
> counselor, but I
> have "been in your heels," so to speak. I am now an
> ex-cross-dresser
> (heterosexual male-to-female) by the grace and
> healing of Jesus
> Christ..
>
> My desire is to offer hope to those who are
> conflicted by cross-
> dressing and their spiritual beliefs. I am really
> not looking to
> debate, but if you or a loved one wants freedom from
> cross-dressing,
> you might find hope in my story. .
>
> My Background
> In or about October of 1996 I experienced an
> onslaught of temptation
> and spiritual warfare in the area of cross-dressing.
> This strong
> desire to dress in women's clothes was totally out
> of the blue,
> although it was something that I had experienced
> before in my life.
> At times, the temptation was so strong that it was
> all I could think
> about. As a result, I could not focus on the normal
> activities of
> life. Fortunately, I found help and hope. Today I
> can truly say after
> over 30 years of dealing with this, "Thank God I'm
> free!"
>
> I was an only child, so the closest thing to
> siblings I had to play
> with were my girl cousins who were close to my age.
> Of course,
> playing with girls meant playing girl games, like
> playing house and
> dress up. So, the overall effect was that I was
> raised in a feminized
> environment where the female role was dominant and
> the male role was
> passive. In my inner being, I found the feminine
> role attractive, but
> modeled after the passive male image.
>
> One of my earliest remembrances was when I was about
> five or six and
> my mother would have me try on clothes she was
> sewing for my girl
> cousins to hem the skirts and make other
> alterations. As I grew older
> and into adolescence, I had a strong desire to try
> on female clothes.
> I remember finding discarded dresses, wigs,
> earrings, etc. and trying
> them on and feeling an erotic excitement. I formed a
> strong
> association at that time between wearing female
> clothing and sexual
> release. Later in life in times of stress, I would
> retreat to that
> same activity to feel relief. This was my secret
> world where I could
> fantasize about being beautiful and soft.
>
> On the outside, in many other ways I was a typical
> boy. I was active
> in Boy Scouts, worked on cars, liked to go target
> shooting, and was
> not feminine at all--just "a nice guy."
>
> Marriage Years
> In college, I met and married a wonderful girl to
> whom I am still
> married. In the early years of our marriage, my
> cross-dressing
> desires were only occasional. I never told my wife
> of my urge to
> cross-dress because I was in a state of denial. I
> really didn't see
> cross-dressing as a bad thing, just an odd thing.
>
> After we had been married for a few years and had
> both of our boys,
> the pressures of work and family seemed to increase
> my desire to
> cross-dress. I would look for any occasion to
> cross-dress, especially
> Halloween. On unexpected opportunity came at a
> church banquet where
> one of the ladies of the church asked me if I would
> dress up as Dolly
> Parton. This was a real treat because not only could
> I cross-dress,
> but I could do it right at church! During these
> years, I would feel
> guilt, confess the cross-dressing as sin, but
> eventually do it again.
> I never really admitted to myself I was a
> cross-dresser.
>
> A strange irony is that my wife is a Mary Kay
> cosmetics consultant,
> with a whole closet full of make-up inventory right
> in my study at
> home. I guess you might say I was not really a
> hard-core case because
> I never took anything from her inventory, but I sure
> was tempted at
> times!
>
> Even though cross-dressing was a source of release,
> it was also a
> cycle of guilt and shame. Every time I would do it,
> I would feel
> shame. The shame would cause me to feel even worse
> about myself than
> I did before and I would be tempted to cross-dress
> again to relieve
> that shame and so on.
>
> Eventually, I got to the point where I just decided
> to "white
> knuckle" it and quit cross-dressing. Whenever a
> temptation would come
> along, I would just ignore it. I really didn't give
> a thought to
> cross-dressing for two or three years. I managed to
> totally repress
> any feelings or thoughts about cross-dressing. Then,
> the Lord
> engineered what I believe to be an incredible set of
> circumstances.
>
> The Spiritual Warfare
> We were happy in our church at the time, but on the
> day of our 19th
> wedding anniversary, the Lord impressed both my wife
> and I that we
> should move on. "But to where?" we wondered. We
> decided to visit a
> new church much closer to home and we were so led by
> the Lord that we
> joined. One of the first sermon series was titled
> "Everyday Victory
> for Everyday People." This study in spiritual
> warfare would prove to
> be life-changing.
>
> After going through the study, my wife approached me
> one day and said
> that she felt a need to confess a stronghold in her
> life so that she
> might be delivered. I already knew about her
> stronghold, and I
> said, "Well, since you confessed yours, let me
> confess mine."
>
> In the previous days, I had started to experience
> some of the old
> temptations of cross-dressing. I said, "You know I
> struggle with
> smoking, but I also have another problem that I have
> struggled with
> all my life." At that time I told my wife that I had
> strong urges to
> wear women's clothes. I was also quick to say that I
> was not asking
> for her acceptance or permission of any
> cross-dressing. I also
> explained that the battle at that point was mainly
> in my mind and
> that I had never been unfaithful to her. She handled
> my confession
> very well and said she would pray with me about how
> to deal with this
> problem.
>
> I decided that I needed more information about
> cross-dressing, so I
> logged on to the Internet and started doing searches
> on "cross-
> dressing" and "Christian." This proved to be a
> mistake. I learned
> everything the world had to say on the topic and I
> learned what the
> arguments that other Christians had constructed to
> justify the
> behavior. At this point, I became very confused and
> deceived. I saw
> so many images of guys like me transformed into
> beautiful women, that
> I was really tempted to seek out a makeover for
> myself.
>
> It was at this point that the temptations and
> thoughts were almost
> constant. I was having dreams about being dressed as
> a beautiful
> woman and those dreams would set me up for the rest
> of the day
> thinking about such things. It was hard for me to
> work or do anything
> else with these thoughts constantly bombarding me. I
> would even
> fantasize that my wife would go along with and
> accept my behavior. I
> was truly deceived. I was truly staring to get
> concerned that I might
> start acting out my temptations in public.
>
> I was typical of many male to female cross-dressers
> in that in all
> other areas of life, I was masculine in appearance
> and actions. I
> also had absolutely no desire for sexual relations
> with other males,
> so homosexuality was not part of my problem.
>
> It was at this point that I realized I had a
> clear-cut decision:
> either choose the ways of the world or follow after
> God. I loved the
> Lord more than I loved the urge to cross-dress, so I
> made a decision
> to get Christian-based help.
>
> Coming Into the Light
> As I shared this with my wife, she suggested that I
> get Christian
> counseling. Almost every resource I found said that
> cross-dressing
> could not be cured. Even many of the Christians who
> had testimonies
> on the Internet told of how they knew that it was
> all right to cross-
> dress--to them it was not a sin, but something fun
> to do. The only
> resource I could find on the Internet that dealt
> with cross-dressing
> as a sin was First Stone Ministries' home page. I
> was glad to learn
> they were in my home city.
>
> The first person I spoke with was Stephen Black.
> Stephen was the
> first person to sit down with me and show me Romans
> 1:18-32. Although
> I considered myself a mature Christian and student
> of the Bible, this
> passage took on a whole new meaning to me. For the
> first time in this
> entire episode, I saw that I had been deceived by
> "the lie" of the
> enemy. Stephen assured me that Jesus was not a
> cross-dresser and that
> if Jesus is our model, then we should pattern our
> lives after Him.
>
> After my initial visit with Stephen, I started
> meeting on a monthly
> basis with a female counselor, Kim Gately. Before I
> started meeting
> with her, I did not know whether it was best for me
> to meet with a
> male or female counselor. As it turns out, I feel
> that she was the
> perfect person to counsel me. I really needed the
> female perspective
> on my problem and also on my relationship with my
> wife. A verse that
> she shared with me that really helped during times
> of temptation was
> Romans 6:21-22,
>
> "What benefit did you reap at that time from the
> things you are now
> ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now
> you have been set
> free from sin and have become slaves to God, the
> benefit you reap
> leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."
>
> Whenever temptation would come, I would remember
> this verse and it
> helped me to ask, "Is this going to benefit me?" The
> answer was
> always "no," so instead of simply ignoring the
> temptation, I dealt
> with it in a rational way.
>
> Around Christmas time, I made a special trip to my
> parent's house to
> talk with them. Although I didn't share specifics
> about my problem, I
> did ask many questions about my upbringing. I
> discovered some things
> and I also learned that some events which were
> significant in my
> memory, were not remembered by them at all. One of
> the significant
> things that happened was hearing my parents say that
> they never
> expected me to be perfect. I think that growing up I
> has felt a
> perceived (by me) expectation to always be a good
> boy, never to get
> into trouble, always make good grades, etc. As a
> result, there was
> something in me that wanted to rebel against that
> expectation, but I
> never did rebel openly--just in my private world.
>
> It took about two months before the voices in my
> head started to die
> down. One night when I was on a business trip, I had
> one thought too
> many and got angry enough with the enemy that I
> resolved to get rid
> of this thing one and for all. I knew that I was
> weak, but the Lord
> is strong. Under the authority of Jesus, I gave the
> enemy and his
> demons their marching orders back to HELL.
>
> Soon, I started seeing things much more clearly. I
> also was able to
> bring things out into the light with family, which
> really helped. The
> more I talked about this with my wife, the more
> deliverance I
> received.
>
> A major resource that helped me during this initial
> time of coming
> into the light was T.D. Jakes' book Loose That Man
> and Let Him Go. I
> found it to be an excellent book in helping me to
> learn what it means
> to be an authentic man of God. A foundational verse
> that came to mean
> much (and still does) to me is I Corinthians 13:11:
>
> "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I
> thought like a child, I
> reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put
> childish ways
> behind me."
>
> I realized that cross-dressing was like playing the
> childish game
> of "dress up" like I used to with my cousins when I
> was a child.
> cross-dressing also tends to be self-centered, with
> the cross-dresser
> expecting others to accommodate their behavior even
> to the detriment
> of their families. I could either stay in a childish
> condition or I
> could move on and be a man. I chose to be the man
> God wanted me to be.
>
> Learning to be a man patterned after God's plan was
> a matter of
> learning the truth and modeling after Jesus. I
> realized that a
> lifetime of being raised and taught by women had
> unknowingly
> feminized me. Actually, I think many men today share
> this condition.
> I don't mean to be sexist, because certainly both
> male and female
> models are needed for a balanced upbringing. The
> problem is that
> males and females approach life from different
> perspectives and being
> exposed to largely the female perspective, I
> developed a gender
> confusion.
>
> At this point, my wife ministered to me in two very
> tangible ways.
> First, she affirmed my manhood verbally. This was
> powerful,
> especially when having sex. Secondly, she helped me
> upgrade my
> wardrobe. I think one of the reasons I was drawn to
> cross-dressing
> was because I felt women get to wear more stylish
> clothes. One of the
> things we did was to buy me some new suits. We got a
> great deal on
> some high quality suits at a local discount clothing
> store and they
> really helped me feel better about myself.
>
> Something else I started doing at this time was
> "reality checks." A
> practical example of this was when I reasoned
> through the issue of my
> self-esteem. I had always seen myself as
> unattractive and I think
> this also contributed to the cross-dressing urges.
> While in my
> confused state, I liked the thought of being
> beautiful.
>
> So, I decided to do a reality check at Wal-Mart one
> day. While
> walking through the store I started counting how
> many people, both
> men and women, were truly attractive. I still had
> two unused fingers
> after the count! Admittedly, Wal-Mart is not where
> the "beautiful"
> people hang out, but still I realized that by far
> most people are
> average at best and some are just downright ugly. I
> don't intend to
> be mean about this, but the reality is that beauty
> is a fleeting
> fantasy for most people. I also had to come to terms
> that I didn't
> make a ravishing beauty when dressed up, either!
>
> For the next few months, the cross-dressing
> temptations and urges
> died down tremendously. Only every once in a great
> while did I think
> of cross-dressing. When a temptation would come my
> way, instead of
> simply dismissing it or ignoring it, I dealt with
> it. For example, I
> would examine the thought and say in my mind, "Lord,
> I know I am the
> man you made me to be. I know you love me just the
> way I am. In the
> name of the Lord Jesus Christ I command Satan and
> his demons to
> flee." This worked without fail.
>
> Then, one Saturday morning I awoke feeling free for
> the first time in
> many, many years. I know it sounds odd, but it was
> like an overnight
> final transition happened. Not only were there no
> cross-dressing
> temptations or feelings, but also the appetite for
> other fleshly
> actions were gone. I felt clean and free. The only
> thing I can figure
> is that God healed me in my sleep.
>
> Some Common Questions
> Here are some of the basic questions I had to deal
> with in my
> journey. They might not have the answers who want to
> hear, but to the
> best of my study and reasoning they represent a
> Biblical perspective.
>
> Is Cross-Dressing A Sin?
> This is probably the key question because if
> cross-dressing is not a
> sin, then it shouldn't be a problem. You will find
> differing opinions
> on this, many of which are constructed by Christians
> (and non-
> Christians) who wish to justify cross-dressing as a
> harmless
> activity. I don't want to condemn anyone as
> "sinner," because I have
> many other sins myself. I also understand where you
> are at. So please
> look at these as things to consider, not a
> condemnation.
>
> True, about the only direct reference you will find
> on cross-dressing
> is in Deuteronomy buried in the Judaic code. If we
> use that verse for
> a reference we are on shaky ground because most of
> us do things like
> eat pork, which is also in there. Besides, the blood
> of Jesus has set
> us free from the law to follow a higher law of
> grace.
>
> In my early struggles I reasoned that cross-dressing
> was not a sin
> because obviously men wear and have worn wigs for
> many years, actors
> wear makeup, etc. Although each piece of the picture
> can be taken
> alone as harmless human activity, when you combine
> all of the pieces
> for the overall effect of trying to pass as or
> become a person of the
> opposite sex, you have transcended into an entirely
> different realm.
> If cross-dressing was simply wearing a dress but
> acting like a male,
> then one could perhaps make the point they were
> doing a bad imitation
> of Milton Berle. But if you follow the path of many
> male to female
> cross-dressers you will find it leads to learning
> how to walk, talk
> and act like a female.
>
> By shedding your masculinity and over-developing the
> feminine you are
> stepping outside of the role God has for you. This
> concept is even
> more important if you are a husband and father. It
> is very clear in
> scripture that God has ordained a specific order for
> the family where
> the husband is the spiritual leader. I know from
> experience that you
> can't be the masculine spiritual leader of a family
> and a practicing
> cross-dresser without some kind of detrimental
> effect. One reason for
> this is that the spiritual leader should be active
> and not passive.
> Transcending into the female role or image is
> usually a passive role.
>
> Another problem is when male children are involved
> and the father
> models a passive image. The children are likely to
> carry that image
> into their own marriages and experience all kinds of
> difficulties.
> Personally, it was very difficult for me to even
> discuss this subject
> with my two sons, much less let them see me in the
> act. My sons and I
> have a great relationship and I am teaching them the
> importance of
> active leadership in the home. Please don't
> misunderstand me - I'm
> not advocating a domineering, heavy handed approach.
> I'm talking
> about leading our families as our loving Heavenly
> Father leads us.
>
> Also keep in mind that something can be a sin even
> if there is no
> direct reference to it in the Word. You must submit
> an issue to
> the "whole test" of the Word. In other words, is the
> practice
> consistent with the overall teaching of the Bible?
> It is entirely
> possible to construct all kinds of arguments to
> justify a particular
> sin, even in the presence of numerous New Testament
> references
> indicating otherwise. One current example of this is
> the
> justification of homosexuality as Scripturally
> permissive.
>
> The Bible also speaks to the issue that some things
> are permissible,
> but not all things are expedient. So, we can reason
> that some common
> sense and judgment is needed to make the call. If
> cross-dressing is a
> problem in your relationship to God, your wife, or
> anyone else close
> to you, then you might consider it as one of the not
> so expedient
> things to do.
>
> I consider myself to be the kind of believer that
> could "eat meat
> sacrificed to idols" and it not bother me in the
> least. In other
> words, I am not a legalist. I don't like to live by
> rules alone, but
> some are needed to establish boundaries.
>
> While searching for an answer to the question of
> cross-dressing being
> a sin, I realized that I was looking for a black and
> white literal
> answer in the Word that was not there. My reasoning
> was that if the
> prohibition was not there, it was OK to cross-dress.
> Later, I
> realized that was the same attitude the Pharisees
> had in Jesus' day -
> they would strain at observing all of the "must
> dos," but they would
> create all kinds of ways to follow the law literally
> while breaking
> it in spirit. It occurred to me that on this issue,
> I had become a
> legalist!
>
> Let's define sin as missing the perfect mark of God.
> As Christians we
> know that "all have sinned and come short of the
> glory of God."
> (Romans 3:23) We also know that "the wages of sin
> are death." (Romans
> 6:23) The good news is that Jesus forgives all of
> our sins when we
> turn to him for forgiveness with a repentant heart.
>
> So, for me, I believe cross-dressing is a sin
> because:
> 1. It is deception. Yes, most of us to some degree
> modify our
> appearance to cover imperfections and to look our
> best (although
> sometimes the modifications look worse than the
> imperfection!).
> However, to equate this with being completely
> transformed to look
> like the opposite sex is a huge leap of reasoning.
>
> 2. It violates God's ordained gender role for a
> person. God doesn't
> make mistakes, but Satan can take small hurts and
> flaws in our
> upbringing to cause gender confusion. This gender
> confusion can cause
> many kinds of relationship problems.
>
> 3. A cross-dressing father is a confusing model for
> children.
>
> 4. Cross-dressing is normally a very self-centered
> activity.
>
> 5. It is not healthy for most marriage
> relationships. True, there are
> some exceptions to this, but most women I have
> spoken with on the
> subject indicate a) they want a masculine male as a
> husband and b)
> they don't care to be in a virtual lesbian
> relationship with the
> other woman as their husband.
>
> The real test of whether or not something is a sin
> is your comfort
> level in doing it in front of people you go to
> church with. For
> example, would you feel at ease dressing up and
> attending church "en
> femme"? If the answer to this question is "no" or if
> you feel guilt
> over cross-dressing, then it fails this test.
>
> I do know that for many men who are in conflict
> between cross-
> dressing and their faith, the compulsion to
> cross-dress is a
> spiritual bondage. You dream about it at night, you
> read about it,
> you fantasize about it, and before long you want to
> go public. I
> personally would spend many hours on the Internet
> looking at web
> sites of other cross-dressers. When anything goes to
> this point of
> compulsion, there is a spiritual stronghold.
>
> The Lord is to be the center of our attention and
> the object of our
> praise. When I was set free from the bondage, I
> could finally see the
> issues much more clearly. It also helps to have
> someone to speak
> openly with. The more you bring the issue into the
> light the less
> power the bondage has over you. It is a very freeing
> experience
> to "confess your faults one to another that you may
> be healed."
> (James 5:16)
>
> Finally, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal this answer
> to your own
> spirit. I can only give you my perspective. You must
> be convicted in
> your own spirit as to the right and wrong of
> cross-dressing before
> you can change.
>
>
> Is it Possible to Change?
> Most secular psychologists will tell you that a
> cross-dresser might
> go into remission, but will relapse during times of
> stress. They also
> say the same about homosexuals. I can't give you my
> long term story
> yet, but I know I'm free from any desire to
> cross-dress. I can also
> point you to others who have been set free from
> cross-dressing,
> homosexuality, and other areas of sexual brokenness
> for many years.
> Of course, the secular media usually doesn't report
> those cases.
>
> (First Stone Ministries defines "sexual brokenness"
> as: devastation
> brought about by behaviors outside of God's original
> intent of
> sexuality. These include adultery, promiscuity,
> homosexuality,
> lesbianism, sexual abuse, molestation, prostitution,
> pornography,
> transexuality and transvestitism.)
>
> Yes, there is hope! It's not easy and it's not
> quick, but you can be
> set free by Jesus Christ. The first step is to
> follow the Lord's way
> and not the world's way. You must repent of your sin
> and ask the Lord
> to heal you. cross-dressing is a symptom of an inner
> hurt. To deal
> with the cross-dressing, you must first deal with
> your inner wounds.
>
> In breaking the cycle of compulsion, you will also
> need to do
> spiritual warfare. All of the Neil Anderson books
> are an excellent
> resource in this area. The titles are found at the
> end of this
> article.
>
> Healing prayer, where your past and present hurts
> are healed by the
> Holy Spirit, is how the Lord ministers to you. You
> will likely need
> someone to intercede for you in this area, but it is
> one of the most
> powerful ways to be healed. Leanne Payne has written
> a wonderful
> book, Crisis in Masculinity, which describes the
> healing prayer
> process. You can find or order the book from your
> Christian bookstore
> or order through the Exodus online bookstore (click
> on "Resources" at
> this website).
>
> Am I the Only One?
> By no means! I don't know of any firm statistics,
> but if cross-
> dressing is like any other activity, the church is
> slightly less than
> secular society in terms of percentages of people
> with addictions and
> compulsions. If this is true, then somewhere around
> 2 percent of men
> in our churches cross-dress. The problem is that not
> many people are
> aware of this or even believe it. I can tell you of
> a transgender
> ministry that has over 500 regular correspondents on
> transgender
> issues.
>
> How Do I Tell my Wife and Family?
> This is something that many cross-dressers really
> struggle with. In
> my case, I know my wife so well, that it was very
> natural to seek her
> help. But keep in mind, that I was coming from an
> attitude of
> repentance and confession. I would advise you to get
> Christian
> counseling in sexual brokenness issues to decide
> when and how to tell
> your mate. You and your family will need support and
> a Christian
> counselor can be the person to help you through the
> rough spots. You
> will need to trust the Lord to prepare the hearts of
> those nearest to
> you.
>
> Why Should I Stop Cross-Dressing?
> I had a struggle with this myself. At first I felt
> almost a grief at
> giving up a fetish-like behavior I had clung to for
> comfort for
> almost 30 years. I can now say it was the best thing
> I ever did. My
> relationship with my wife and family is so much
> better than it was
> before I made the choice. I'm not proud of my past
> thoughts and
> actions of cross-dressing, but I am glad I made the
> choice to follow
> God's leading in my life.
>
> Actually, stopping cross-dressing was a result of
> dealing with all of
> the hurts and wounds of my past, taking them to the
> Lord, and getting
> healing from Him. I had tried simply quitting before
> but it never
> lasted because I was treating the symptom and not
> the problem. As my
> wife has remarked, "I had no idea there was even a
> problem in our
> marriage. Everything was just going along fine." The
> trouble was that
> I was living in my own private fantasy world and not
> dealing with
> reality. I was the spiritual leader of our family in
> name only.
>
> A Final Word
> Keep seeking the Lord. He will reveal all truth to
> you and "the truth
> will set you free." (John 8:32) In my victory over
> cross-dressing, I
> found it to be more of a truth battle as opposed to
> a power struggle
> with the enemy.
>
> Also, look down the path to see where cross-dressing
> leads. If you
> examine closely what is on some of the more popular
> web sites, you
> will find graphic descriptions of bi-sexuality and
> infidelity. What
> goes in our minds usually works its way out into
> practice. Ask
> yourself if this is really what you want in your
> life.
>
> Many of us in the Christian community have grown to
> see adultery as
> the "big sin" to be avoided. In doing so, we condone
> other behaviors
> that undermine the marriage relationship almost as
> much and are just
> as sinful to God. In cross-dressing, you can be "the
> other woman."
>
> Consider what would happen if someone found out
> about your cross-
> dressing. There is great truth to the saying "Your
> sin will find you
> out." So, you need to give this some consideration
> before your
> reputation is affected.
>
> Finally, and most importantly, God loves you with an
> everlasting
> love. You were in his thoughts when he created the
> world. He knows
> your every hurt and your every need. When you come
> to the end of
> yourself and feel you can go no lower, God is there
> to welcome you
> home. He and the angels will rejoice!
>
> If this has been a help to you, or if I can pray
> with you, e-mail me.
> If you are the spouse or a family member of someone
> struggling with
> cross-dressing, e-mail me and my wife can join me in
> sharing and
> praying with you.
>
> The following verse describes my motive in putting
> in taking a stand
> and putting this information on the web:
>
> "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times
> some will depart
> from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and
> doctrines of
> demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own
> conscience
> seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and
> commanding to
> abstain from foods which God created to be received
> with thanksgiving
> by those who believe and know the truth.
>
> "For every creature of God is good, and nothing is
> to be refused if
> it is received with thanksgiving; for it is
> sanctified by the word of
> God and prayer. If you minister the brethren in
> these things, you
> will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished
> in the words of
> faith and of the good doctrine which you have
> carefully followed. But
> reject profane and old wives' fables and exercise
> yourself toward
> godliness." I Timothy 4:1-7
>
> http://www.exodus.to/content/view/60/55/
>
>




________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Any questions? Get answers on any topic at www.Answers.yahoo.com.  Try it now.

DEAR RABBI:

I AM YOUR JOSE, YOURS.  I AM SICK, THERE IS A DARK SHADOW COMING
OVER ME, AGAIN AND AGAIN, YEAR AFTER YEAR.  (Revelation 3:17
You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a
thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor,
blind and naked.  Revelation 3:16-18).

THIS DARK SHADOW IS CALLED HOMOSEXUALITY (Mark 2:17 On hearing this,
Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but
the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark
2:16-18).  PEOPLE CALLED ME A HOMOSEXUAL, BEFORE I MET YOU, DURING
MY EARLY YEARS.

IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW THE PEOPLE AROUND CALL ME, I KNOW YOU CALL MY
SUFFERING IN THE PROPER WAY.  SOME CALL IT A DEMON (Luke 4:35
"Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon
threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.
Luke 4:34-36); SOME CALL IT A SICKNESS (Luke 4:40
When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had
various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he
healed them. Luke 4:39-41); SOME CALL IT SIN (Luke 5:8
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go
away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" Luke 5:7-9 ); I HAVE FELT
THIS LIKE A SPIRITUAL LEPROSY (Luke 5:13  Jesus reached out his hand
and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And
immediately the leprosy left him. Luke 5:12-14); THIS SHADOW FOUND
ITS WAY TO PARALIZE ME (Luke 5:18  Some men came carrying a
paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him
before Jesus. Luke 5:17-19); SOME HAVE TOLD ME THAT I CANNOT CHANGE
(Luke 8:49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the
house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," he
said. "Don't bother the teacher any more." Luke 8:48-50); HEAL ME
RABBI!  WHAT HAPPENS IN MY PRESENT LIFE?  (Luke 11:14  [ Jesus and
Beelzebub ] Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the
demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was
amazed. Luke 11:13-15).

I KNOW THERE ARE PLENTY OF YOUR SERVANTS WHO WANT TO HELP PEOPLE
LIKE ME (Matthew 10:1 [ Jesus Sends Out the Twelve ] He called his
twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil
spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. Matthew 10:1-3),
PLEASE BLESS THEM SO I CAN COUNT ON THE BEST OF ADVICES, AND I CAN
COUNT ON THE BEST SORT OF FRIENDSHIP, WHILE I AM STILL ON EARTH,
SOMEHOW ALONE.

ALLOW ME TO HAVE OPEN EYES, SO I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW TO BECOME YOURS
(Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would
come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow
me. Matthew 16:23-25).

HEAL ME AND SHOW ME THE WAY I MUST FOLLOW THE NEXT MONTHS (Mark 5:17-
19: 17) Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their
region.  18) As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had
been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19) Jesus did not let
him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the
Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.")

YOU WILL HEAL ME, LORD!  YOU LOVE ME, I WANT TO LOVE YOU SO!
(Matthew 11:5  The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who
have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the
good news is preached to the poor.  Matthew 11:4-6) (Matthew 15:30
Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the
crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and
he healed them.  Matthew 15:29-31)

YOU CAN CALL MY SICKNESS BY ITS OWN NAME, AND I WILL BE DELIVERED
FROM IT, DEAR RABBI OF MY HEART!  (Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord
is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the
poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and
recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, Luke 4:17-
19).

THANK YOU, AMEN

JOSE

(Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed
me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom
for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the
oppressed, Luke 4:17-19)

Caleb:
(Proverbs 17:27  A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a
man of understanding is even-tempered.  Proverbs 17:26-28)

I was not intended to be harsh, maybe I have read such a word in dirty
literature (fortunately well away in my past).
I will be more careful next time.  (Thanks Laura for the context
insight).

:-)

Jose

Hi DOMINICKE:

Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:11-13

I WILL BE GLAD IF YOU ALLOW ME TO PRAY FOR YOUR HEALING THIS SUNDAY
3RD OF DECEMBER.

JOSE

HI:

SPANISH SPEAKING PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING HARD.  MY FAMILY COMES FROM
PORTUGAL, WITH SIMILAR BUY SOMEHOW DIFFERENT CULTURAL INTERESTS.

REGARDING HOMOSEXUALITY, THIS PRACTICE WAS CONSIDERED SACRED IN
MOCHE, MOCHICA AND INCA CULTURES.

AT NORTHERN PERU, I WAS AMAZED WHEN LOOKING AT THE BURIAL OF THE
LORD OF SIPAN.  HIS CHIEF PRIEST WAS BURIED WITH HIM, ALONG WITH TWO
WOMEN AND TWO YOUNGSTERS, IF I DO REMEMBER WELL.

THE PRIEST HAD HIS FEET REMOVED.  LATER ON I FOUND SOME INFORMATION
ABOUT HOW THE CASTILIAN CONQUERORS STRUGGLED TO HAVE THE SACRED
HOMOSEXUALITY STOPPED IN AREAS AT PERU AND ECUADOR.

CERAMIC REVEALS SEXUAL PRACTICES IN THE MOCHE CULTURE, WHICH
INCLUDED A MINIMUN OF MALE HOMOSEXUAL REPRESENTATIONS, ALONG WITH
NECROFILIA, BESTIALISM, AND HETEROSEXUAL INTERCOURSE.

THE INCA CULTURE SEEMS TO HAVE PRIVILEDGED THE HOMOSEXUAL PRACTICES,
MORE INTENSELY THAN OTHER HIGH CULTURES LIKE THE MAYA AND THE AZTEC.

CASTILIAN PROCEDURES AGAINST NATIVE SEXUAL PRACTICES ARE AN
INTERESTING SUBJECT EVEN TODAY.  NEVERTHELESS, AT SPAIN YOU CAN FIND
THE MOST LIBERAL POLICIES TOWARDS ALL SORTS OF THE GLBT COMMUNITY
PRACTICES.

HOMOSEXUALITY IS PARTICULARLY NOTORIOUS AT THE LARGE CITIES, BUT THE
CULTURES ARE SO DIFFERENT.  CITIES IN THE UPPER PART OF SOUTH
AMERICA ARE SO CULTURALY DIFFERENT TO CITIES AT PERU, AND THESE ARE
SO DIFFERENT TO THE CULTURAL INTERESTS AT CITIES IN ARGENTINA AND
CHILE.

HISTORY AND CULTURE MAKE VERY IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES TO ANGLO-
SPEAKING COUNTRIES.

JOSE

December 3, 2006



KJV - (King James Version)

NIV - (New International Version)

BBE - (Bible in Basic English)



Scripture of the Day



Philippians 3:21



21) Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his
glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue
all things unto himself. (KJV)



21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control,
will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
(NIV)



3:21 By whom this poor body of ours will be changed into the image of the
body of his glory, in the measure of the working by which he is able to put
all things under himself. (BBE)





Daily Devotional





Verses for the Day:



Proverbs 29:18



18) Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the
law, happy is he. (KJV)



18Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed
is he who keeps the law. (NIV)



29:18 Where there is no vision, the people are uncontrolled; but he who
keeps the law will be happy. (BBE)





Thoughts for the Day:



This verse from Proverbs tells us when there is no vision and revelation
from God, the people will perish. Also, it states that the keeping of the
laws of God will bring blessings to a society. Down through history when the
light of God was burning dimly, we can see this truth confirmed. Perhaps the
most infamous time was during the Dark Ages.



According to the World Book Encyclopedia the "Dark Ages" refers to the
period in time during the middle ages when there was a decline in literacy
stemming from political chaos and social disorder. Only a few places, such
as monasteries, preserved Latin learning.  After the fall of Rome,
civilization almost completely disappeared in much of Western Europe during
this period.  The literate Romans were followed by illiterate barbarians.
The Church (at this time still fighting heretical sects and pagans for the
soul of Europe) still had many literate clerics, but many of these were
inconsistent and the records from this period did not have much clarity. The
public gospel was mostly gone, as well as any schooling. Authors at this
time showed great ignorance by accepting popular stories as truth. In spite
of this, many of the barbarian rulers admired (actually coveted) the glory
that was Rome and the church that was its last remnant.



Anytime the gospel is silenced, the world suffers for it. God is light, and
His light brings the revelation of the good news of the gospel which
liberates people. The revelation of Biblical truths and the practice of them
always make possible an orderly and civilized society.  Without this vision
of the gospel, people perish and are destroyed by the devil who likes to
keep people in the dark.



There was also a time recorded in the Bible where there was no open vision
of the Lord.  It was in the days of Samuel when the glory of the Lord
departed from Israel. When God's vision and revelation depart, then the days
become dark indeed.



1 Samuel 3:1



1) And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of
the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision. (KJV)



1The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word
of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. (NIV)



3:1 Now the young Samuel was the servant of the Lord before Eli. In those
days the Lord kept his word secret from men; there was no open vision. (BBE)




The Bible also prophesied a day of darkness and famine, not a famine of
food, but one of not being able to hear the Word of the Lord.



Amos 8:11-12



11) Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in
the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the
words of the LORD:
12) And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the
east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not
find it. (KJV)



11The days are coming, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I will send a
famine through the land-not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a
famine of hearing the words of the LORD. 12Men will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they
will not find it. (NIV)



8:11 See, the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send times of
great need on the land, not need of food or desire for water, but for
hearing the words of the Lord. 8:12 And they will go wandering from sea to
sea, and from the north even to the east, running here and there in search
of the word of the Lord, and they will not get it. (BBE)



When the Bible's influence is strong in a society, it will affect all
aspects of that culture in a positive way.  The opposite is also true --
when a society turns its back on God, it will begin to reflect evil in its
cultural choices. People that come against true Christianity don't realize
they are coming against the very influences that make life pleasant in this
earth.  (Please note that everyone who claims to be a Christian may not
truly be one, as many come in Christ's name but are not keeping His
commandments.)



The laws and commandments that God gives us to live by are given to us so
that we might live a good life in this earth.   The keeping of these laws do
not get us to heaven; only faith and a relationship with Jesus Christ will
do that.  However, the keeping of God's laws brings harmony to the earth.
If we are a true Christian we will be striving to keep the rules of the
Bible to please God.  God's vision and revelation come to a people who are
seeking and obeying Him. Sharing that vision with others will keep them from
perishing.





Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us Your revelation and vision.  I
do appreciate the light You give me as I am walking in a dark and fallen
world.  Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I will always be filled
with Your light and love.  Draw those who do not know You, unto that light.
Fill my mouth with the right words so that those who do not know You can
hear the gospel and come into the knowledge of Your dear Son, Jesus. May I
practice good deeds in this life so that others may see them and thereby
bring glory unto You. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.



Keep each other in PrAyer and display HuMility.  Have a BlEssed day and stay
ENcourage.



God is Good All the Time!!!



Scripture Of The Day and Daily Devotional are sent out Daily via email.  If
you would like to add any of your family members or friends to this
distribution list, just reply to the email address listed below with their
full email address and they will start receiving the Word Of God in the
future.  If you want your email address remove from this distribution list,
please reply to the email address listed below requesting for your email
address to be removed.  Thank you.



Stay Blessed,

Riley

  <mailto:pass_the_word@...> pass_the_word@...



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

thank you Jose - I didn't know any of this - very
interesting.

--- laempresadeserhombre
<laempresadeserhombre@...> wrote:

> HI:
>
> SPANISH SPEAKING PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING HARD.  MY
> FAMILY COMES FROM
> PORTUGAL, WITH SIMILAR BUY SOMEHOW DIFFERENT
> CULTURAL INTERESTS.
>
> REGARDING HOMOSEXUALITY, THIS PRACTICE WAS
> CONSIDERED SACRED IN
> MOCHE, MOCHICA AND INCA CULTURES.
>
> AT NORTHERN PERU, I WAS AMAZED WHEN LOOKING AT THE
> BURIAL OF THE
> LORD OF SIPAN.  HIS CHIEF PRIEST WAS BURIED WITH
> HIM, ALONG WITH TWO
> WOMEN AND TWO YOUNGSTERS, IF I DO REMEMBER WELL.
>
> THE PRIEST HAD HIS FEET REMOVED.  LATER ON I FOUND
> SOME INFORMATION
> ABOUT HOW THE CASTILIAN CONQUERORS STRUGGLED TO HAVE
> THE SACRED
> HOMOSEXUALITY STOPPED IN AREAS AT PERU AND ECUADOR.
>
> CERAMIC REVEALS SEXUAL PRACTICES IN THE MOCHE
> CULTURE, WHICH
> INCLUDED A MINIMUN OF MALE HOMOSEXUAL
> REPRESENTATIONS, ALONG WITH
> NECROFILIA, BESTIALISM, AND HETEROSEXUAL
> INTERCOURSE.
>
> THE INCA CULTURE SEEMS TO HAVE PRIVILEDGED THE
> HOMOSEXUAL PRACTICES,
> MORE INTENSELY THAN OTHER HIGH CULTURES LIKE THE
> MAYA AND THE AZTEC.
>
> CASTILIAN PROCEDURES AGAINST NATIVE SEXUAL PRACTICES
> ARE AN
> INTERESTING SUBJECT EVEN TODAY.  NEVERTHELESS, AT
> SPAIN YOU CAN FIND
> THE MOST LIBERAL POLICIES TOWARDS ALL SORTS OF THE
> GLBT COMMUNITY
> PRACTICES.
>
> HOMOSEXUALITY IS PARTICULARLY NOTORIOUS AT THE LARGE
> CITIES, BUT THE
> CULTURES ARE SO DIFFERENT.  CITIES IN THE UPPER PART
> OF SOUTH
> AMERICA ARE SO CULTURALY DIFFERENT TO CITIES AT
> PERU, AND THESE ARE
> SO DIFFERENT TO THE CULTURAL INTERESTS AT CITIES IN
> ARGENTINA AND
> CHILE.
>
> HISTORY AND CULTURE MAKE VERY IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES
> TO ANGLO-
> SPEAKING COUNTRIES.
>
> JOSE
>
>
>
>




________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Have a burning question?
Go to www.Answers.yahoo.com and get answers from real people who know.

hey nfttm

   Thanks for that.. i was pretty worried i had offened someone there.. i just
sent an email to him confirming i meant 'people; when i said 'peeps' I did not
relaise it meant somehting else..

   Thanks

   Caleb

nfttm <nfttm@...> wrote:
           Hi Jose - the term "peeps" is short for people and is
considered a very friendly term. Hope this helps -

--- laempresadeserhombre
<laempresadeserhombre@...> wrote:

> Hi Caleb:
> Your header is interesting: "peeps....". I have
> this interesting
> visual memory, not completely perfect, not
> completely trained, so to
> speak.......
> This is why I evade all sorts of stress on my visual
> organs. Some
> people consider me too "conceited" to handle....
> In the present state of my healing I would not like
> to start
> a "peeping" routine....
> I feel incredibly afraid of people who "peep" on me,
> I could not
> explain.
> I was such an addict to porn art... maybe this is
> why...
> The word "peepers..." catched my attention this
> time.
> By the way, my id and signature in this BOARD are in
> QUECHUA
> LANGUAGE.
> RIMANAYKI HAMUCHUN means: "let your word come".
> MUNASQAIKY RURASQA
> KACHUN means: "Thy Will be done..."
> I study languages, this is one more reason to
> support my comment, I
> hope you will not feel in trouble with it.
> Respects
> from
> Jose
>
>

__________________________________________________________
Have a burning question?
Go to www.Answers.yahoo.com and get answers from real people who know.




  Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

hey Man

   I am slightly confused.... i dont know what u mean.. I meant 'peeps' as a
slang for 'people' i did not realise it meant something else... does it? sorry
it offened you and pls (please)  let me know if it does mean something else cus
(because) i would not want to ofend anyone..

   Caleb

laempresadeserhombre <laempresadeserhombre@...> wrote:
           Hi Caleb:
Your header is interesting: "peeps....". I have this interesting
visual memory, not completely perfect, not completely trained, so to
speak.......
This is why I evade all sorts of stress on my visual organs. Some
people consider me too "conceited" to handle....
In the present state of my healing I would not like to start
a "peeping" routine....
I feel incredibly afraid of people who "peep" on me, I could not
explain.
I was such an addict to porn art... maybe this is why...
The word "peepers..." catched my attention this time.
By the way, my id and signature in this BOARD are in QUECHUA
LANGUAGE.
RIMANAYKI HAMUCHUN means: "let your word come". MUNASQAIKY RURASQA
KACHUN means: "Thy Will be done..."
I study languages, this is one more reason to support my comment, I
hope you will not feel in trouble with it.
Respects
from
Jose





  Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Caleb,

You are welcome - I am glad you are here and please
keep writing :-)

--- Ian Miff <fancis_caleb86@...> wrote:

> hey nfttm
>
>   Thanks for that.. i was pretty worried i had
> offened someone there.. i just sent an email to him
> confirming i meant 'people; when i said 'peeps' I
> did not relaise it meant somehting else..
>
>   Thanks
>
>   Caleb
>
> nfttm <nfttm@...> wrote:
>           Hi Jose - the term "peeps" is short for
> people and is
> considered a very friendly term. Hope this helps -
>
> --- laempresadeserhombre
> <laempresadeserhombre@...> wrote:
>
> > Hi Caleb:
> > Your header is interesting: "peeps....". I have
> > this interesting
> > visual memory, not completely perfect, not
> > completely trained, so to
> > speak.......
> > This is why I evade all sorts of stress on my
> visual
> > organs. Some
> > people consider me too "conceited" to handle....
> > In the present state of my healing I would not
> like
> > to start
> > a "peeping" routine....
> > I feel incredibly afraid of people who "peep" on
> me,
> > I could not
> > explain.
> > I was such an addict to porn art... maybe this is
> > why...
> > The word "peepers..." catched my attention this
> > time.
> > By the way, my id and signature in this BOARD are
> in
> > QUECHUA
> > LANGUAGE.
> > RIMANAYKI HAMUCHUN means: "let your word come".
> > MUNASQAIKY RURASQA
> > KACHUN means: "Thy Will be done..."
> > I study languages, this is one more reason to
> > support my comment, I
> > hope you will not feel in trouble with it.
> > Respects
> > from
> > Jose
> >
> >
>
>
__________________________________________________________
> Have a burning question?
> Go to www.Answers.yahoo.com and get answers from
> real people who know.
>
>
>
>
>  Send instant messages to your online friends
> http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>




________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Do you Yahoo!?
Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta.
http://new.mail.yahoo.com

amen

   dominicke

laempresadeserhombre <laempresadeserhombre@...> wrote:
           Hi DOMINICKE:

Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:11-13

I WILL BE GLAD IF YOU ALLOW ME TO PRAY FOR YOUR HEALING THIS SUNDAY
3RD OF DECEMBER.

JOSE






---------------------------------
Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

December 4, 2006



KJV - (King James Version)

NIV - (New International Version)

BBE - (Bible in Basic English)



Scripture of the Day



Colossians 1:16-17



16) For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

(17) And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (KJV)



16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible
and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all
things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in
him all things hold together. (NIV)



1:16 For by him all things were made, in heaven and on earth, things seen
and things unseen, authorities, lords, rulers, and powers; all things were
made by him and for him; 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things
have being. (BBE)





Daily Devotional





Verses for the Day:



Proverbs 29:19-21



19) A servant will not be corrected by words: for though he understand he
will not answer.
20) Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a
fool than of him.
21) He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him
become his son at the length. (KJV)



19A servant cannot be corrected by mere words; though he understands, he
will not respond. 20Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope
for a fool than for him. 21If a man pampers his servant from youth, he will
bring grief in the end. (NIV)



29:19 A servant will not be trained by words; for though the sense of the
words is clear to him, he will not give attention. 29:20 Have you seen a man
who is quick with his tongue? There is more hope for a foolish man than for
him. 29:21 If a servant is gently cared for from his early years, he will
become a cause of sorrow in the end. (BBE)





Thoughts for the Day:



These verses from Proverbs give us instruction as to how a servant or
employee should be treated, and also warn us there is more hope for a fool,
than a man who is hasty with his words. A man who does not control what he
says, and blurts out his thoughts and words in haste, will have a fate worse
than a fool. A wise man will control his speech and be careful about the
things he speaks.



In verses 19 & 21 we find advice about dealing with servants or employees.
Just because an employer tells his servant to do something, he may not have
his wholehearted response if he is not treating him fairly. People will
respond to those in authority according to how they are behaving toward
them. If the master or boss is mistreating them by unjust pay or harsh
treatment, the servant will not fully hearken unto their words. We are also
told that the employee who is hired when he is young, and is pampered and
treated like family, will also expect to receive the rights of a family
member. The Bible gives instructions for both masters and servants. Here is
what the Word of God says to the servants (employees) and to the masters
(employers).



Ephesians 6:5-9



5) Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the
flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
6) Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing
the will of God from the heart;
7) With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8) Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he
receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
9) And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening:
knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of
persons with him. (KJV)



5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity
of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6Obey them not only to win their
favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of
God from your heart. 7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord,
not men, 8because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever
good he does, whether he is slave or free.  9And masters, treat your slaves
in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both
their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
(NIV)



6:5 Servants, do what is ordered by those who are your natural masters,
having respect and fear for them, with all your heart, as to Christ; 6:6 Not
only under your master's eye, as pleasers of men; but as servants of Christ,
doing the pleasure of God from the heart; 6:7 Doing your work readily, as to
the Lord, and not to men: 6:8 In the knowledge that for every good thing
anyone does, he will have his reward from the Lord, If he is a servant or if
he is free. 6:9 And, you masters, do the same things to them, not making use
of violent words: in the knowledge that their Master and yours is in heaven,
and he has no respect for a man's position. (BBE)





Servants or employees are addressed to be obedient and follow the
instructions of their masters and to do their work with respect and
singleness of heart.  They are instructed to serve their masters as they
would serve Christ.  They are also to do this with proper motives not to
please men, but to please the Lord.  If all employees would do their work as
unto the Lord, they would not be guilty of some of the common practices in
jobs today. We can determine what kind of servant we are by:



*        Examining what motivates us to work. Love of money, fear, duty and
necessity are some of the world's reasons to work. Our reason should be one
that is motivated by love for our Lord.



*        Taking short cuts that will lessen the finished product because of
laziness or impatience. This wastes time because a job is done the quickest
way and not the best way.



*        Hiding mistakes that are costly to others because of fear or pride.



*        Stealing from our employer which increases his operating costs,
that in turn, causes company wages or bonuses to be less.



*        Working in a careful manner to avoid carelessness to prevent
accidents. Safety rules need to be obeyed which help lower insurance costs.



*        Communicating properly when we have a problem with the boss,
instead of gossiping about him to other employees?



*        Being responsible and disciplined, workers who are dependable and
loyal.



*        Avoiding slothful habits, such as tardiness and absenteeism without
a cause. (Pretending to be sick just because we do not want to go to work is
outright deception).



*        Lying about our qualifications when applying for a job causing the
employer to believe we can do more than we are actually trained or qualified
to do. (This puts the employer at risk because of inferior work that will be
produced.)



*        Walking out on a job without proper notification.



Masters or employers are instructed to treat their servants or employees
with respect as well, and not to threaten them or favor one over another.
They should be just in their dealings with each of them, treating them the
way they would want to be treated.  They should also be responsible for:



(1.)  Compensating each with fair and just wages and benefits.



(2.)  Treating all workers fairly, without being a respecter of persons.



(3.)  Furnishing comfortable and good working conditions for their help.



(4.)  Observing the Sabbath rest for all employees as well as themselves.
(Workaholics will eventually experience burnout and God knew, as human
beings, we all need a day of rest and refreshing in the Lord.)



(5.)  Terminating employees unfairly because of greed. (Often loyal older
employees are replaced by younger ones at a lesser salary to avoid
retirement benefits and the higher earned salary of the older worker).



(6.)  Correcting their workers when necessary with kindness and grace.



Although these lists are by no means complete, this will give us a starting
place to examine if we are living a Christian life in the marketplace.
Notice the examples used in this list are character related and unless
people come to God and allow Jesus to change their evil nature, our nation
will continue to plunge into a deteriorating workplace. We as Christians
should be examples in leading the way of good work ethics in the
marketplace. It is sad that many Christians fail to do this and our witness
in the world is not Christian at all, as we act like the rest of the world.



Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You so much for instructing us in our business
relationships. Lord, may we serve one another in love, regardless of our
position.  If we are working serving our employer, may we be the best
employee we can be, by realizing that our service to them is also our
service to You. If we serve in the capacity of a boss, then may we be one
who is just, fair and honest in all of our ways, treating our employees with
kindness and respect.  Lord, we invite You into our workplaces and
businesses. May our work be holy work because You are there. I ask this in
the name of Jesus. Amen.



Keep each other in PrAyer and display HuMility.  Have a BlEssed day and stay
ENcourage.



God is Good All the Time!!!



Scripture Of The Day and Daily Devotional are sent out Daily via email.  If
you would like to add any of your family members or friends to this
distribution list, just reply to the email address listed below with their
full email address and they will start receiving the Word Of God in the
future.  If you want your email address remove from this distribution list,
please reply to the email address listed below requesting for your email
address to be removed.  Thank you.



Stay Blessed,

Riley

  <mailto:pass_the_word@...> pass_the_word@...



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

To please all is an impossible aim, and to escape some criticism is an
unattainable goal.

- M. Ibn Ezra, "Shirat Yisrael"
Reprinted from 'A Treasury of Jewish Quotations,'

December 5, 2006



KJV - (King James Version)

NIV - (New International Version)

BBE - (Bible in Basic English)



Scripture of the Day



Jeremiah 3:12



12) Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause
mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will
not keep anger for ever. (KJV)



12Go, proclaim this message toward the north: Return, faithless Israel,
declares the LORD, I will frown on you no longer, for I am merciful,
declares the LORD, I will not be angry forever. (NIV)



3:12 Go, and give out these words to the north, and say, Come back, O
Israel, though you have been turned away from me, says the Lord; my face
will not be against you in wrath: for I am full of mercy, says the Lord, I
will not be angry for ever. (BBE)





Daily Devotional





Verses for the Day:



Proverbs 29:22-24



22) An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in
transgression.
23) A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in
spirit.
24) Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing,
and bewrayeth it not. (KJV)



22An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many
sins. 23A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.
24The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy; he is put under oath and dare
not testify. (NIV)



29:22 An angry man is the cause of fighting, and a man given to wrath does
much wrong. 29:23 A man's pride will be the cause of his fall, but he who
has a gentle spirit will get honour. 29:24 A man who takes part with a thief
has hate for his soul; he is put under oath, but says nothing. (BBE)





Thoughts for the Day:



These verses from Proverbs tell us how those with bad characteristics like
anger, pride and thievery stir up strife and will be brought low; while men
of humility will come to honor. Those who harbor anger in their hearts will
also have other things that will cause them to abound in their own
transgressions. Anger is a form of pride, and pride breeds many other woes.
An angry man will stir up strife, because he will vent his anger on others,
thus causing dissension. Some people think that because they are just angry
at one person, that anger is not that bad; however, a spirit of anger is not
always selective.  People who are angry at one person will find that the
anger they embrace toward one, will spill over to others.  That is why we
must resist all anger. We must ask the Lord to cleanse us from this evil
sin.



Verse 23 talks about pride, another deadly sin. If we yield to this one, we
will be brought down from our lofty place as the Bible says "a haughty
spirit goes before a fall."



Proverbs 16:18



18) Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
(KJV)



18Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. (NIV)



16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a stiff spirit before a fall. (BBE)





Proverbs 18:12



12) Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is
humility. (KJV)



12Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before
honor. (NIV)



18:12 Before destruction the heart of man is full of pride, and before
honour goes a gentle spirit. (BBE)





Proverbs 15:33



33) The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is
humility. (KJV)



33The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before
honor. (NIV)



15:33 The fear of the Lord is the teaching of wisdom; and a low opinion of
oneself goes before honour. (BBE)



The Lord looks for those who have a heart attitude that is humble and
contrite and to those who respect the Word of God. Those are the ones who
will receive His blessings and will be brought to honor.



Isaiah 66:2



2) For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been,
saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of
a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. (KJV)



2Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?
declares the LORD. This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite
in spirit, and trembles at my word. (NIV)



66:2 For all these things my hand has made, and they are mine, says the
Lord; but to this man only will I give attention, to him who is poor and
broken in spirit, fearing my word. (BBE)



Jesus in the New Testament told us the same thing - the way up in the
kingdom of God is down. Those who are great in God's kingdom are those who
become a servant to all.



Matthew 23:11-12



11) But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12) And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall
humble himself shall be exalted. (KJV)



11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself
will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (NIV)



23:11 But let the greatest among you be your servant. 23:12 And whoever
makes himself high will be made low, and whoever makes himself low will be
made high. (BBE)





James 4:6-7 & 10



6) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud,
but giveth grace unto the humble.
7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you.
10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
(KJV)



6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: God opposes the
proud but gives grace to the humble. 7Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 10Humble yourselves before the
Lord, and he will lift you up. (NIV)



4:6 But he gives more grace. So that the Writings say, God is against the
men of pride, but he gives grace to those who make themselves low before
him. 4:7 For this cause be ruled by God; but make war on the Evil One and he
will be put to flight before you. 4:10 Make yourselves low in the eyes of
the Lord and you will be lifted up by him. (BBE):





The Bible tells us that God resists those who are proud, but to the humble
soul, He will give grace. Also, the way to overcome when the devil attacks
us, in to first submit ourselves to God, then we must resist the devil and
when we do, we are guaranteed that he will flee.  How do we resist the
devil?  We must quote the Word of God in faith that pertains to our problem,
and then verbally command the enemy to leave. The Bible says, "he will
flee," not maybe he will flee. The devil will flee!



Proverbs 29:24 states that a man who partners with a thief really does not
care about his own life, for he knows the consequences and does it anyway.
The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy. A thief will threaten an
accomplice, because of what they know and he will make them swear, they will
not tell on them. Out of fear under such an oath, he dares not testify. This
is a world of deceit and in time it will come down.





Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You asking that You deliver me from all
pride and anger.  I truly want to be like Jesus who was meek and lowly.
Father, help me to remain humble and always be willing to assume the place
of a servant. May I always be sensitive to the needs of others and look for
ways to help them. I am reminded in Your Word that we told, by love, we are
to serve one another. Fill me with Your love so that I might love those
around me and serve them as You would.  I ask this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.



Keep each other in PrAyer and display HuMility.  Have a BlEssed day and stay
ENcourage.



God is Good All the Time!!!



Scripture Of The Day and Daily Devotional are sent out Daily via email.  If
you would like to add any of your family members or friends to this
distribution list, just reply to the email address listed below with their
full email address and they will start receiving the Word Of God in the
future.  If you want your email address remove from this distribution list,
please reply to the email address listed below requesting for your email
address to be removed.  Thank you.



Stay Blessed,

Riley

  <mailto:pass_the_word@...> pass_the_word@...



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]