After going through all the crap my church threw at me, however, my love of the Lord lessened and my love of sex grew again. I crashed and burned.
I was glad I had not abandoned my friend when he strayed, and I was determined to keep being the right kind of friend for him.
I did my best not to break down, but I could feel the tears falling down my face. I sucked it up, took a deep breath, and walked out of the church.
Remembering the way his parents had taught him to follow Jesus Christ, he had a prodigal son moment and spent over an hour crying to God for forgiveness.
I was told I couldn't serve in various areas of ministry, including the youth ministry and being around the younger children at the church.
We were always careful to keep appropriate, healthy boundaries even though we knew we were not sexually attracted to each other. I think we were just cautious of others gossiping if we appeared to be too close. Unfortunately, churches like ours are especially prone to gossip about SSA guys.
Before I applied for SOM, some friends were talking to me about becoming a Bible study leader. I grew thrilled at the idea of leading and serving there.
I love attending my church and uphold them to the highest regard. Unfortunately, I was hurt by my church -- and this is my story.
I didn't belong here. An odd realization to make. YOB is for the outcast. A place for those who feel they don't belong. It's a community for the outcasts.
Leading up Gay Pride, we were in prayer and in the Word, asking God to give us love for the LGBT people and words of wisdom.