Most of my life, I've thought of faith mainly as a decision based on knowing some facts about God. Instead, faith is about coming to Jesus in such a way that the deepest hungers and thirsts of our souls are satisfied in him.
It's the final episode of our Five Values series! Our editor, Tom, discusses his personal journey of vulnerability from attending a conference to writing a book to cofounding this very blog. Additionally, he affirms the role vulnerability plays in each of our stories — whether we're publicly "out" or not.
Same-sex attraction is not the only thing. It's not the only struggle. And I can't tell you the freedom I experienced when I realized homosexuality was actually not even close to the top of my human struggle pyramid.
I would be coming out to my family over dinner. I told them that I wasn't planning on changing the course of my faith. I explained that I was telling them because I planned to tell even more people. I told them that if I wanted to talk about it again I’d be the one to bring it up, and I stood up and left.
He wanted me to be a man, to be tough, emotionally disciplined and not giving in to my grief. After all, we should consider ourselves like soldiers in battle who can't afford to stop and grieve when someone dies. I couldn't fully process everything at the time, but you can imagine how I felt as a sensitive guy.
In this episode of Manly Monday, Tom dives into the fourth of our five YOB values — courage. A value that goes hand-in-hand with our final value, vulnerability. In order to embrace vulnerability, however, one must first take courage. Watch as Tom talks about rollercoasters, public speaking, and Holy Spirit promptings.
He was never physically affectionate; we’d never even hugged. I wanted to touch him not out of a sexual desire but from a longing to connect with him as love with a brother. I dreamed of a day when we could embrace and confess our brotherly love for each other. I put my hand on his shoulder once. He brushed it off.
You shouldn't have to hide you are. You should be able to be honest about every part of yourself and be accepted and loved for it. And your friends and family should be the biggest supporters of your life as you do so.