Giving Up On My Dreams for a Wife and Kids
When I was a kid, my dream was to grow up and get a wife and kids. A lot of kids. My family and church taught me to pray for my future spouse. So, I did. Everyday for years. I prayed for the girl I’d one day marry, that God would protect her and care for her, whoever she was.
Read More
The Joys and Sorrows of Being an Introvert
I hated being the awkward, quiet introvert; I wanted to be like the energetic, chatty, extroverted kids. They always seemed to make a bajillion friends and were always the life of the party who people laughed at and enjoyed. I hated myself for not having charisma or speaking when it mattered. I thought something was wrong with me.
Read More
Finding Another Word for “Brother”
I came to see how often the word “brother” was being used around me. The word was being thrown around constantly. And I saw that I was one of the ones who used “brother” the most. In my desire to embrace this new brotherhood, I had actually started ruining the word for myself. I had worn out this once meaningful word until I couldn’t even bear to say it anymore.
Read More
My Jesus Journey Leads Me Here
Call it a “new direction” or a clearer translation of what YOB has been from the start: a community desperate for Jesus. My 31-year Jesus journey leads me here. Wherever “here” is. Broken on the floor. Echoes of the past ringing in my ears. Doubts for the future always shadowing my vision no matter how many tears I blink away.
Read More
Embarking Upon My Midlife Crisis
How does a middle-aged, single, Christian guy dealing with same-sex attraction (SSA) embark upon and survive a midlife crisis? It was clear that I was selfishly living an easy life that didn’t help anyone else and did little or no eternal good.
Read More
Finding Hope for Relationships and Hope in Jesus
During our inaugural YOBBERS retreat, all attendees were assigned to one of five small groups (“tribes”) whose weekend discussions would focus on each of our five YOB values: hope, humility, brotherhood, courage, and vulnerability. Three of our authors were assigned to the Hope Tribe, along with seven other men. What follows is a conversation sharing some of what we learned that weekend: hope in relationships and hope in Jesus.
Read More
YOBcast Episode 039: Strengths
We’re so focused on repairing our weaknesses, we often neglect our God-given strengths. What would our lives look like if we recognized and intentionally built these strengths? Tom and Elliott talk about their strengths from Gallup’s Strengths Finder. They first took the test five years ago and recently retook the test with new results! They talk about their old and new strengths and how these strengths tie to their faith and relational journeys of the last few years.
Read More
How to Follow the Will of God
In this episode of MANLY MONDAY, we dive into the concept of the will of God. How do you find it, and what does it look like? Does the will of God look the same for everyone? I share a campfire experience from our recently held YOBBERS retreat and also dive into my experience finding the will of God, including an image of a father and a son that changed how I view the will of God.
Read More
YOBcast Episode 038: Fathers
How did our fathers affect our upbringings as men with same-sex attraction? How do our fathers still affect us today? What does Father’s Day mean to us, if anything? Tom and Elliott welcome back Dean for a discussion on fathers and Father’s Day. Additionally, our YOBBERS submit questions for Dean to answer from his perspective as a father.
Read More
The Male Imprints Left On Us
When we give our hearts to people we are changed, even if they never give us their hearts in return. These effects aren’t scars — they don’t begin as wounds — and I wouldn’t call them baggage. They’re like paint splashes on our canvas hearts or imprints on our soft, clay souls.
Read More
Recent Comments