God has a place for you!
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God has a place for you! We are all like a puzzle piece. Some are borders. Some are front and center. Some are off to the side. All are valuable! If we put together a 1000 piece puzzle and there is a "minor" piece missing, our eyes seem to be drawn to the missing piece. The entire puzzle loses some of its beauty. You are an important piece of the Kingdom of God. He has a place for you. You may not be front and center, or a corner piece, but you are important. The Body of Christ loses a bit of its beauty if you're not there. Open your heart to the role God has created for you to fulfill. You are important! You are needed!
Photo courtesy of Pierre Barmin via Unsplash.
Stop Living in the Drain Pan!!!
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When our kids were little, we purchased a series of very used refrigerators for our house. One of them had a problem with the drain pan and the tube running from the refrigerator to the pan. Every so often the pan would overflow and start leaking onto the floor. The pan was full of nasty, moldy water and scum. I’d try as carefully as possible to slide it out from under the refrigerator and empty it without spilling most of the filth on the floor. You can guess how that went. Eventually, the tube from the refrigerator to the drain pan would get plugged and we’d have issues inside the refrigerator itself. More messiness.
A few weeks ago, during my quiet time, the Lord showed me a picture of a nasty drain pain full of smelly, moldy water. Some of the scum formed a plug at the bottom of the drain pan and was holding the water in. I recognized the drain pan and its contents. It represented my residual brokenness. The Lord showed me that was an emotional place I retreated to when I felt insecure and inferior. It was familiar. Sometimes it seemed to offer a strange, eerie comfort. It gave me an excuse to not press through the current challenges and risk defeat. It gave me an alternative to being vulnerable, facing the pain, and trusting the Lord to do a deeper work in my heart. The Lord told me to stop living in the drain pan. He was calling me to trust Him and stand in who I really was in Him, rather than cowering in my human brokenness. I was the one keeping the plug in place. He helped me to renounce the plug and repent for retreating to the false comfort of familiar shame and internal isolation. When I did, all of the nasty water started plunging out. Then I saw a picture of a globe and the ocean water was coming out of the globe and gushing through the drain pan to clean it out and open up the doors of opportunity. There were still some stains on the drain pan. I think they help me remember what life in the drain pan was like. I don’t want to go back there. Then I noticed the water was flowing through me to cleanse others. God wants to do a deep work in all of our hearts and equip and empower us to “comfort others with the comfort we have been comforted with”.
What about you? Are you living in your own drain pain? Do you retreat to a familiar hiding place of brokenness when you feel like you’re in a situation that reminds you of your past failures and current shortcomings? If you can relate, I encourage you to repent and take the plug out of your drain pan. Allow the Lord to clean your heart and empower you to stand in your true identity in Christ. You’ll find a strength you’ve never known before, and out of your belly will flow rivers of living water to bless others for the good of eternity. God is calling us out of our familiar hiding places of brokenness and into His marvelous light.
[Photo courtesy of Michael and Dianne Weidner via Unsplash.]
Michigan Bans "Conversion Therapy" for Minors
/Dan Hitz is the Executive Director of Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc., a member-ministry of Restored Hope Network. He is a licensed professional counselor, an ordained minister, and an EMDR trained, certified clinical trauma professional. Dan began his journey out of homosexuality after surrendering his life to Jesus Christ in 1984.
Michigan is set to become the 22nd state to ban “conversion therapy” for minors when the law takes effect in late October, 2023. As the director of Reconciliation Ministries, I have had multiple people ask me how this law will affect the ministry. This article will look at the law and respond to the question of how it will affect the ministry.
House Bill 4616 prohibits “mental health professionals” from practicing “conversion therapy” with minors. You can read HB 4616 on the Michigan Legislature by clicking here.
House Bill 4617 defines the term “conversion therapy” and adds it to Michigan’s mental health code. You can read HB 4617 on the Michigan Legislature website by clicking here. It defines conversion therapy as “any practice or treatment by a mental health professional that seeks to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, including, but not limited to, efforts to change behavior or gender expression or to reduce or eliminate sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward an individual of the same gender.” The definition of a “mental health professional” according to Michigan’s mental health code includes licensed therapists such as a licensed professional counselor, social worker, marriage and family therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, and registered nurse.
It is unfortunate that Michigan’s conversion therapy ban forbids licensed therapists from helping minors overcome unwanted same-sex attraction, and forbids licensed therapists from helping minors work toward embracing their biological gender. The law clearly states that mental health professionals are only allowed to help minors embrace same-sex attraction and/or embrace a transgender identity. This law applies even if the minor states that he or she does not want to embrace his or her LGBTQ feelings, and attributes them to trauma endured during childhood sexual abuse.
We have looked at the misleading nature of the term “conversion therapy” in past newsletter articles such as “The Equality Act and Cancel Culture”. The effectiveness of change allowing therapy has been explored in the articles “The Truth About Counseling” and “What Does Research Conclude About Counseling for Unwanted Same-Sex Attraction or Gender Dysphoria?” These articles and more are available on the Reconciliation Ministries website at www.recmin.org/newsletter-archives.
In response to the question of how this will affect the work we do at Reconciliation Ministries, we will continue to explore our legal options and stand fast on the Word of God. We uphold the belief that God ordains physical sexual expression to be practiced exclusively within the marriage covenant between one biologically born male and one biologically born female.
Through the years, the number of minors that we have worked with has been a small percentage of our participants. We have only worked with minors under the conditions that the parents fully explain the focus and values of the ministry before the minor comes to the first session. We have only met with teens who were freely willing to come in and talk with us. We maintained a respectful atmosphere and invited anyone we work with to disagree with us, ask questions, and make their own decisions. There have been teens who have agreed with our convictions and those who have not. Through it all, biblical seeds have been planted and mutual respect has been maintained.
Reconciliation Ministries will continue to work with adults who seek change allowing therapy to overcome unwanted LGBTQ feelings. We will continue to work with minors experiencing heterosexual struggles, including pornography addiction and recovery from sexual abuse. While the conversion therapy ban applies to “mental health professionals”, it does not apply to “biblical discipleship”. We will work within the parameters of the law to provide the best biblical care possible to anyone seeking to align their sexuality with their Christian faith. Please pray for us as we uphold the calling the Lord has given us.
© 2023 Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc.
Hope Deferred - Dan Hitz
/Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12 NIV
All of us at one point or another will experience the crushing that Proverbs 13:12 refers to. It may be the dashed hope of a lost loved one repenting and returning to Christ, unanswered cries for physical healing, or the unfulfilled hope for freedom from painful thoughts that we just can’t seem to shake. We know Jesus could swoop in and change our situation in an instant. But He doesn’t. For whatever reason. Our hopes are deferred. It ain’t happennen… At least for now.
What is our response during those tough seasons? Can we sincerely rest in the Lord, and trust that He is working in our hearts even if we don’t understand why He isn’t moving the way we think He should? Do we get ticked off at Him? Are we like the man who seemingly waits in vain at the pool of Bethesda for 38 years, not even sure why he’s still there? Can we trust that in spite of the unanswered prayers… the deferred hope… for whatever we are longing for, the Lord is doing something deeper in our hearts that is much more important that the thing we are immediately focused on. Most of the time He doesn’t share the details. Sometimes, years down the road, we realize what He was doing in while we were in the wilderness. Sometimes we never figure it out. No matter the case, He is faithful. He does care about you and has your best interested at heart. May our hearts remain open to Him, even when we don’t understand Him.
I’m in a season now where the Lord is beginning to revive lost hope. There was a desire and vision that I truly believe the Lord placed in my heart. It was precious to me. It was also dashed to pieces. Very small pieces. Not only was hope deferred, it was lost. My heart was sick. In some ways, it is still healing. And now, I see the Lord beginning to set things in order to step once again into that vision. At times I find myself excited that He is resurrecting things. Other times, I find myself afraid to hope again. I don’t want my hopes dashed. I don’t want to run ahead of Him, pull a Moses, and spend 40 years wandering the wilderness. I don’t want to pull an Abraham and create an Ishmael. But I do want the Lord to do whatever it is that He wants to do in my heart and my life.
If you’re like me, you may sense a pain in your heart when you see others stepping into their vision. Part of you is happy for them, yet part of you still feels the sting. You may wonder why it isn’t you. Try to remember during those times that you are seeing their excitement. You aren’t seeing the years of deferred hope and painful losses that they likely experienced while they were waiting to be in the place they are now. If you know them well enough to ask them, they may be able to share some of those details with you. In time, they may even be able to share some of the deeper things the Lord was doing in their hearts during their time of waiting.
If you’re in a long, drawn-out season of waiting, I hope you can take some time to sit quietly with the Lord and focus on Him rather than the things you wish He would do. Admit any bitterness you may have. Ask Him to show you some of the deeper things He is doing in your heart. Ask Him to help you focus on some of the good things He is doing in your life right now. If you can’t come up with anything good, ask Him to comfort your heart and help you accept the situation you are in now. That doesn’t mean that you pretend a bad situation is good. It means that you ask God for the grace to endure your situation while He shows you how to navigate through it. Remember, He loves you. He is working on something much deeper and much more important in your heart than the thing you are immediately focused on. That’s a difficult concept to grasp. It takes much grace. But it is true.
In 2006 I wrote an article called “Hope Deferred. Hope Displaced”. Through the years, it has been one of the most read articles in our archives. It might help you. You can find the article by clicking here.
The Fiery Dart of Condemnation
/“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
Romans 8:1-2 NLT
One of the enemy’s biggest weapons against you is condemnation. Condemnation robs you of your faith in Jesus Christ to complete the work that He began in you. Rather than inspiring you to continue resisting sin, condemnation pushes you to resign yourself to sin. It tells you that you might as well keep on sinning, since you can’t seem to get victory anyway. Condemnation also robs you of your confidence in the words and spiritual goals the Lord has given to you. “How can I dare believe that the Lord will use me for His purposes after all I’ve done… after all I keep on struggling with?”
Sin breeds condemnation. The remedy for sin is repentance. Jesus Christ gave His life to pay the penalty of our sins, and He rose from the dead to empower us to overcome our sin. If He is your Savior, He lives in you. Jesus has already provided everything you need for repentance and cleansing. 1 John 1:8-9 NLT reads, “8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” Yes, we have sinned, but confession and repentance is the process whereby we are cleansed from our sin and the weaknesses in our heart. It is a process. The process must be a lifestyle.
If the Lord has spoken to your heart and called you to a special place in the Kingdom, no doubt the enemy has spoken words of accusation and discouragement to you again and again. He did it to Nehemiah and the Israelites as they were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. In Nehemiah, Chapters 4-6, Sanballat and Tobiah hurled accusations and threats to try to discourage the workers from completing the task that the Lord had given them. They even used legal threats to try to get them to stop. The good news is that Nehemiah encouraged the Israelites to trust in the Lord, ignore the enemy’s threats, and keep on building. It wasn’t easy, but they completed the task the Lord gave them. The walls of Jerusalem were successfully rebuilt.
As you continue to walk towards the vision – the calling – the Lord has given you, remember repentance. As you allow the Lord to cleanse your heart, He will empower you to overcome “the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12.1 NIV) and fulfill the task He has give you. Remember the words of Isaiah 54:17 NLT, “But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord; their vindication will come from me. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
"We're the Pam now!"
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I heard the news of the shootings at MSU as I was talking with some of the Living Waters leadership team members. As we were hearing of the chaos and trauma on the campus, I found myself holding back tears and saying how much I missed our dear ministry friend, Pam, who passed away last year. We all agreed that she would be directly involved in the aftermath at MSU, leading crisis debriefings with her unbelievably strong, but gently, motherly compassion. She was skilled at helping people through trauma. The Lord spoke to my heart and I relayed the message to the team, “We’re the Pam now!” We may have different gifts. We may not feel qualified. But Jesus has deposited into each one of us the unique skill sets that He wants us to use to touch lives for eternity. We can pray. We can speak. We can care. We can make a difference to the lives Jesus brings our way. Each of us is a unique vessel for Jesus, skillfully designed to fulfill the specific purpose that He calls us to. “We’re the Pam now!” Go out today and be a light for Jesus in this dark world.
Your Prayers Are Valuable!!!
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We are so thankful when people let us know that they are praying for the ministry and us personally. We truly need your prayers. They have great value. This was highlighted to me last Monday night. As I was driving northbound on Gratiot Avenue, and just after I crossed eastbound Metro Parkway, I heard a loud bang. I looked in my rear-view mirror as I cleared westbound Metro Parkway to see at least two police cars heading east on Metro Parkway with their lights flashing. It turns out that there was a police chase on Metro Parkway and the suspect ran the red light, went through the intersection, and hit another vehicle. From my position, I’m guessing that he missed hitting the driver’s side of my vehicle by less than five seconds. When I got home, my wife told me that she was in bed and all of a sudden got worried that I could be seriously hurt and started praying for me. I believe the Holy Spirit prompted her to pray for my safety which kept me from getting seriously hurt in a horrible car crash. Never underestimate the power of your prayers. Please keep Reconciliation Ministries, the participants, and our leadership team in your prayers. As it says in James, 5:16b, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
Who Identifies You?
/For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
How confident are you with your identity in Christ? Are you secure in Him, no matter what others think about you? A while ago, it seemed like someone I value and respect threw a negative label at me. To be honest, it really bothered me. None of us like having a negative label put on us. Those labels can sting even more if they come from someone we trust. It brought up memories of other times people threw a negative label at me and I found myself going down a frustrated, angry rabbit hole. I took some time to pray, and the Lord spoke to my heart and asked me who I wanted to be defined by. Do I want to be defined by those who dislike me? Do I want to be defined by those who think I’m a pretty nice guy? In reality, we shouldn’t be defined by either of those choices. Those definitions can be pretty inaccurate and fleeting at best. We should seek to be defined by the One who knit us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13) and who calls us by our true name (Isaiah 43:1). We should be defined by our Heavenly Father. The more secure we are in Him, and who He declares us to be, the better we can navigate through the challenges and accusations thrown at us by those who don’t see us as God does. As we rest in our true identity in Christ we have peace no matter what others think about us. We have more confidence to make the changes He calls us to make, embrace His transformation process, and grow to be more and more like Him.
Are You in a Spritual Drought?
/When the Lord allows you to go through a spiritual drought, you can either let your roots grow deeper in Him, or spray yourself with Roundup and become a tumble weed.
We all pass through times when it seems like the Lord is nowhere to be seen, he isn’t speaking, and we really aren’t sure if what we do has any meaning. Spiritual droughts are frustrating. Maybe you were excited as the Holy Spirit spoke some great promises to your heart. As the months… and years went on… things happen. The next thing you know it seems like you’re spending 40 years far out in the wilderness like Moses (Exodus 2-4). You’ve had some great victories, but all of a sudden it seems hopeless and you’re running like Elijah (1 Kings 19). As restlessness sets in, we can be tempted to kick a few doors open. To make something happen. Remember Abram and Sarai (Genesis 16)? That didn’t go so well.
In times of spiritual drought, it is important to stay the course, to remain faithful to the last words, the last instructions, the Lord spoke to you. Even though it seems like He’s a million miles away, it is important to draw nearer to the Lord and allow the roots of your faith to grow deeper. This feels so counterintuitive. We may not sense the Lord’s presence, but He is there drawing us into a deeper relationship. He is a faithful father who gives good gifts to His kids. Sometimes us kids get more focused on the gifts than the Father who gives them. Sometimes we get more focused on the calling than the one who gave the call. It is actually God’s mercy that brings the drought and draws us back to the One who gives life. His refining fire – or root deepening drought – purifies our hearts and brings us back to the most valuable calling of all… that we love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind (Matthew 22:37).
If you’re in the middle of a spiritual drought, don’t try to twist God’s arm and make something happen on your own. Don’t try to numb the restlessness with sin. That equates to giving up and spraying yourself with Roundup. It dries up our hearts even more. Our roots become brittle. We are at risk of becoming a tumbleweed and being blown further out into the wilderness. Instead, go against the forces of nature and continue to seek the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. He wants to strengthen your roots and wrap your heart around Him, more than His promises.
If you’re in the middle of a spiritual drought, we’d love to pray for you. Send us an email at info@recmin.org and let us know how we can pray. We would be glad to do so.
Intimacy in Communion: The Broken Body of Christ
/While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Matthew 26:26 NIV
www.shutterstock.com
The Lord showed up in an intimate and powerful way at last month’s Restored Hope Network annual conference. It was a beautiful time of worship, equipping, and celebrating testimonies from men and women who have overcome same-sex attraction and gender confusion. God is still in the business of redemption and transformation!
I was honored to lead the communion service towards the end of the conference. Most of us have heard the communion story in 1 Corinthians 11 countless times throughout our lives as we celebrate communion at church. Usually we focus on how Jesus offered the bread and wine, representing His body and blood. We celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection and so much more. We may even talk about examining our hearts and the importance of forgiveness and repentance. These things are truly important; however, the Holy Spirit gripped my heart with the depth of intimacy that Jesus shared with the disciples during the Last Supper. It brought an even deeper understanding of Jesus’ offering.
We can see more of the depth of intimacy in the Last Supper as we read through the account in John, Chapters 13 through 17. Jesus knows the hour of his death has come and he, the faithful rabbi, begins to share the most important thoughts on his heart with his beloved disciples. He begins by washing their feet (13:4-12). He then shares many of the concepts that we hold dear to this day. He tells them that the hour has come for him to be glorified and prepares them for his betrayal. The intimacy between the group was so strong that Peter knew that John was the one who could ask Jesus who the betrayer was and receive an answer (13:22-26). Jesus gives them a new commandment to love one another and he has loved them (13:34). He tells them that he is going to prepare a place for them (14:3), and is sending them the Holy Spirit (14:16-17). He tells them that he is the vine and they are the branches (15:5). He reiterates his love for them as he says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (15:13) He warns them of the persecution to come and says a time is coming when “anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God,” (16:2b) and lets them know that he is preparing them to withstand the persecution (16:4). He assures them that even though they will be suffering sorrow like a woman in labor, their sorrow will be turned to joy (16:21-22). Jesus tells them to ask the Father for anything they need in his name and the Father will grant it (16:23). Jesus finishes up his last teaching session with his High Priestly Prayer in John 17. This is my favorite prayer in the Bible. Jesus shares his heart even more intently as he prays to be glorified, prays for his disciples, and prays for all who will ever believe in him. As soon as he finished this prayer, he and the disciples crossed the Kidron Valley and entered the Garden of Gethsemane where he would be betrayed (18:1).
The Lord gripped my heart with the most beautiful thoughts of intimacy as Jesus offered his body in Matthew 26:26. “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’” The Lord showed me a contrast that was pretty blunt, but at a conference for men and women overcoming LGBTQ struggles, it fit. Jesus offers us his body in a holy, pure way. The Lord reminded me of the men who had offered me their bodies in a sinful way. Their offering did nothing but fuel my insatiable desire for sin. Their offering plunged me deeper into bondage and despair. Jesus’ offering of his body brings life. He offers redemption and transformation. Cleansing and freedom. He offers eternal life. There’s no comparison.
Freedom March Minnesota 2019
I pray that you know the love and intimacy that Jesus shared with his disciples at the Last Supper deeply in your soul. May you joyously receive Jesus’ beautiful offering of love, redemption, and transformation. May you live according to your true identity in Christ every minute of every day. May you experience Jesus’ offering to the fullest.
If you or someone you love is struggling to live according to your true identity in Christ, Reconciliation Ministries can help. Call us today at 586.739.5114. We would be glad to walk with you to Jesus, the one who offers you beauty for ashes. You can give him your mess, and he will give you his hope.
Videos for HOPE 2022 will be posted soon.
You can watch the conference videos from previous years conferences at https://www.youtube.com/c/RestoredHopeNetwork/playlists
In Loving Memory...
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Heaven has gained a precious soul. Our dear friend and ministry team member, Pam Farlow-Wolgast, passed away last week. She had a tremendous impact on those she ministered to and carried the gentle peace of the Holy Spirit while she walked in the authority of Jesus. While we are happy that she is now rejoicing in the presence of Jesus, we miss her greatly here on the earth. Pam impacted this ministry greatly as she served as a licensed counselor, prayer minister, and Living Waters team member. She helped in the expansion of the ministry to help those who are overcoming the pain of sexual abuse and trauma. Most of all, she was a dear friend and godly mother figure to many of us. Her words of kindness and godly wisdom will continue to speak to us throughout eternity.
Pam’s Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held on Friday, May 6th at 6.30pm at Great Lakes Church, 39051 Dodge Park Road, Sterling Heights, MI 48313.
37 Years of Transformation
/I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:20 NIV
I was overwhelmed with the love and transformational power of Jesus Christ when I was Colorado Springs at the end of January for the Restored Hope Network board retreat. I arrived a day before the meetings to see some of the beautiful scenery in the area. The presence of the Lord was with me in a tender way as I drove through the sandstone mountains. My first trip to Colorado was in the summer of 1984. I was twenty-three years old and very far from Jesus; struggling with bulimia and bound by homosexuality. It was during that trip that a friend told me how much Jesus loved me and how much I needed Him. I dedicated my life to Jesus a few days after we returned from Colorado and things have never been the same since. I had no idea what life in Christ would be like. Some struggles like bulimia fell away instantly. Others, like homosexuality, lingered.
Although looking relatively clean on the outside, I continued to wrestle with obsessive homosexual thoughts. As much as I tried to fight my unwanted same-sex attractions in my own power, I couldn’t find victory. After battling for over fifteen years, I finally came to the end of myself in 1999. I had no more strength left for the fight. I was finally honest with God and told Him that everything I had tried to do to fix myself didn’t work. I surrendered to Him. I gave Him permission to do whatever He wanted to do to change me. He did. And He is.
Dan Hitz and Tom Cole, circa 2003.
Within a short time of my surrender, God supernaturally introduced me to Tom Cole, who directed Reconciliation Ministries at the time. I became a participant in the Living Waters program and hope was birthed in my heart as I heard the personal testimonies of men and women who fought the same battle I was fighting and found freedom. I learned more about the love and grace of God, and how Jesus’s death and resurrection really can transform our hearts. The more I allowed the Holy Spirit into the dark areas of my soul, the more I experienced His love and healing. The obsessive homosexual desires began to fall away and I began to understand who I really am in Christ… a dearly loved, redeemed, son of Father God.
I am so thankful for all that the Lord has done in my heart in the 37 years since that trip to Colorado. I am thankful for the men and women who prayed for Reconciliation Ministries and supported the ministry financially. They provided the opportunities for me to experience the healing power of Christ. Your prayers and financial support of this ministry can provide opportunities for other men and women who are bound by sin to experience freedom. Please make a donation today by clicking here. Your prayers and financial support can change lives for eternity.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16 NIV
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Image used under license with www.shutterstock.com.
I’m sure you’re very familiar with John 3:16. It was likely one of the first verses that you ever learned. It’s also a verse we need to be reminded of frequently. We might know this verse in our brains, but it’s important to know this verse in our hearts. God loves us. It doesn’t get am simpler than that. He also made a way for our salvation and transformation. These truths are among the important foundations of our faith. However, we are all very much a work in progress. We are constantly walking in the tension between who God declares that we are, and who we see when we look in the mirror. It is during our times of struggle that we need to remind ourselves of some of the basic foundations of our faith.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Hebrews 4:15-16 - For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Philippians 1:6 - Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
May these verses penetrate your heart and transform the way you see yourself. God doesn’t identify us according to our past sin, or even our present failures. He sees us through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ who lives in us. May that truth give us the grace to live according to our true identity in Christ.
Thank you for partnering with Reconciliation Ministries to help others experience the transformational power of Jesus Christ. No one is beyond the power of the cross. No sin is more powerful than the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. Your prayers and financial support help men, women, and adolescents find the love of Christ in their lowest moments of sin and abuse. You can change a life by making a tax-deductible donation to Reconciliation Ministries online at www.recmin.org/donate. You can make an eternal difference in the lives of others.
Now is the time to stand for righteousness. You can make a difference!
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Imaged used under license with www.shutterstock.com.
On the Reconciliation Ministries’ website and in our newsletters, you can read numerous testimonies of man and women delivered from the bondages of sexual addiction, unwanted same-sex attraction, and gender confusion. Many of these people went down those paths as a reaction to childhood sexual abuse, neglect, and physical and emotional abuse. Programs like Living Waters, pastoral care, and licensed therapy are just a few of the ways that men and women have overcome LGBTQ issues and embraced Biblical sexuality.
We desperately need your help. The future of ministries like Reconciliation Ministries that help men and women overcome unwanted same-sex attraction and gender confusion hangs in the balance. On Thursday, February 25th, the US House of Representatives voted 224 to 206 to pass the Equality Act. The fate of this bill in the Senate is unclear; however, President Biden has stated that he intends to sign the act into law within the first 100 days of his presidency. The Equality Act is one of the biggest threats to religious freedom that our country has ever faced.
Here are just a few of the disastrous effects of The Equality Act:
It would remove protections offered to faith-based organizations under The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.
Faith-based organizations will be obligated to accept and follow federal LGBTQ guidelines or face severe penalties.
The Equality Act will remove freedom of conscience protection from medical practitioners forcing them to perform abortions and provide gender affirming treatments regardless of their convictions and religious doctrine.
The law identifies any form of support to help anyone overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion and embrace biblical sexuality as discrimination.
The bill would mandate licensed professional therapists and pastoral caregivers to affirm LGBTQ attractions regardless of their religious convictions and the desires of their clients.
You can find more information in the links at the end of this article.
You can make a difference. Contact your US Senators today and urge them not to sponsor or support the Equality Act.
Please be respectful and courteous in your communications with them. Affirm the value and dignity of all people regardless of their beliefs. This includes people within the LGBTQ community as well as people within communities of faith. Let them know if you or someone you love has been helped to overcome homosexuality and/or gender confusion through pastoral care, licensed therapy, and/or support groups. Urge them to keep that option available for others. Keep your communications brief and to the point. You can find your US Senators at https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm.
Thank you for helping to keep the freedom of religion alive in the United States. This is an important time in our nation’s history, and you can make a difference.
Here is more information about The Equality Act:
The House version of The Equality Act
http://lc.org/PDFs/Attachments2PRsLAs/2019/031819EqualityActHR5.pdf
A Call to Action on the Equality Act – Doug Clay, General Superintendent Assemblies of God, USA
https://news.ag.org/en/news/a-call-to-action-on-the-equality-act?fbclid=IwAR2LzpSwrurgIvGj0lkpTCRcC2Ej6tkUlukkMe9a3yyiYRQAO-mJyC3eV3o
A Dangerous Attack on Religious Freedom and Free Speech – Liberty Counsel
https://www.lcaction.org/HR5
The FAQS: What You Should Know about the Pro-LGBTQ Equality Act – Gospel Coalition
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-faqs-what-you-should-know-about-the-pro-lgbtq-equality-act/
Thank you for speaking out for the religious freedom of our country. Your voice matters!
In Christ,
Dan Hitz and your friends at Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc.
There is Hope!!!
/“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Jesus in John 16:33 NIV
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Lately I’ve found myself returning to John 16:33 for comfort. To say that we are in stressful times is a cosmic understatement. As Christians, we know that our only peace is in Jesus Christ, but sometimes we have a hard time walking that out. Worry and uncertainty make many of us more susceptible to the temptations and sin that “so easily trips us up” (Hebrews 12:1 NLT). If you’ve found your battle with sexual sin and broken relationships increasing lately, reach out for help. Don’t give in to the false comfort of pornography, anonymous encounters, or codependency. Jesus can bring you peace and give you strength to live for Him.
I was reminded of the precious love of Jesus a few days ago as I was privileged to share my testimony of overcoming sexual abuse and unwanted homosexuality at a Celebrate Recovery meeting in Saginaw. As I was sharing my story of growing up in pain and trying to make that pain go away through sin, I could see the hurt in many faces. I could sense that they understood the journey. These brothers and sisters knew what it was like to experience pain – some self-inflicted, some inflicted by others – and try to make that pain go away through sin. They knew the futility of it. They were also experiencing the beautiful love and transformation of Jesus Christ to heal our hearts and empower us to rise above the pain and live for Him. The love that Jesus has for everyone in that room is overwhelming.
Jesus has that same love for you. If you are struggling with sexual sin, the effects of abuse, or you’re trying again to find peace in the arms of another; look towards Christ. Reach out for help. We at Reconciliation Ministries understand the journey. Our next session of Living Waters is on January 25th. Living Waters can help you experience Jesus in a powerful way, and experience freedom. We have special tuition discounts due to the challenges of COVID, and we will be following COVID protocols for safety. We also offer licensed counseling and prayer ministry. Call us at 586.739.5114, and let us walk with you to Jesus. He loves you. He can change your life.
How's the Ministry Doing?
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It’s hard to believe that we’ve all been navigating through the challenges of COVID-19 for about six months now. One question I’ve been asked a lot lately is how the ministry is doing with the challenges. By God’s grace, we’re doing well and seeing Jesus change lives. Your prayers and financial support are having a tremendous impact on the hearts of brothers and sisters in Christ.
Our licensed professional counselors have been especially busy lately. In any challenging situation, the coping skills we have get taxed all the more, while our poor coping skills get amplified. We’ve seen increases in anxiety, deeper struggles with addictive behavior, and an increased need for couples counseling. We’re also seeing an increase in the number of counseling recipients who are unable to contribute the full amount of our lower than average counseling fees. Some are unable to contribute anything at all. We don’t want to turn someone away who is sincerely looking for help and has a legitimate financial need. Your financial support provides Biblically based, licensed professional counseling to those in need.
We’re happy to offer our Walking Free and Healing Hearts support groups online. Walking Free offers groups for men and women who are interested in sexual and relationship healing. Reconciliation Ministries partners with Healing Hearts to provide a group for parents and friends of LGBTQ identified loved ones. We learn to love our LGBTQ identified friends and family members without compromising our Christian convictions. The group offers email support as well as a monthly meeting. It has been great to have many of our out of state email members join us for the new online meetings. Our in-person Healing Hearts meetings have just resumed.
Although there are a few things we’ve had to put on hold for right now, we’ve got some alternatives. We have decided to postpone our Living Waters program until January, in case we have another shutdown if there is an increase in COVID in the fall and early winter. That’s one of the reasons we’re extending our Walking Free groups beyond the summer months. We’ve also had to postpone some conferences and any potential missions trips; however, I was able to share a message with the Living Waters Philippines leadership team and join the Restored Hope Network’s annual conference online.
Although many things look a bit different these days, you are still touching lives in a powerful way through your prayers and financial support. Please make a donation to Reconciliation Ministries today to help those who are hurting by clicking here. You can help brothers and sisters find healing through the transformation power of Jesus Christ.
In Christ,
Dan Hitz and your friends at Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc.
A Letter I Posted to Facebook on July 28, 2020...
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Dear Facebook and FacebookApp,
I am writing to urge Facebook to end its censorship of ministries, groups, and postings that help men and women overcome unwanted same-sex attraction and gender dissatisfaction. These groups and postings do not promote hate speech, but rather offer alternate points of view that can be very life giving for those who wish to align their sexuality with their faith. The many ministries that I have been involved with for over twenty years respect the dignity and personal choices of those who wish to remain LGBTQ identified, while offering an alternative to those who do not wish to embrace an LGBTQ identity.
I identified as bisexual in my late teens and early twenties and had the goal of finding a man and settling down as a same-sex couple. No matter how hard I tried to embrace my homosexual desires, I remained unhappy and wanted to die. When I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ, some of my same-sex desires did shift to a small degree and I got married to a female. Although we remain happily married 33 years later, I found out early in our marriage that marriage did not diminish the rest of my same-sex desires. I became more depressed and hopeless until I experienced true transformation through a very compassionate ministry (similar to Restored Hope Network) that helped me understand who I was as a man in Christ. This ministry helped me to embrace my true self as a heterosexual man who happens to struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions. Over time, my same-sex attractions diminished greatly. I now have joy and self-acceptance of who God made me to be. Without the ministry and counseling I received from good people who helped me yield my sexuality to my faith and walk away from homosexuality, I seriously doubt that I would be full of peace and flourishing today. I seriously doubt that I would be emotionally stable at all.
I respect and value all people, even those who chose to embrace their LGBTQ identities. Even those with whom I disagree. I welcome open, respectful dialog on our differences. True tolerance and diversity allows and seeks to understand all points of view, even those with whom they may not agree. It is actually intolerant to demand that everyone embrace LGBTQ identities and reject the testimonies and scientific evidence that shows men and women can indeed experience a shift in their orientation and gender identity.
Please practice true tolerance and diversity. Please do not silence the thousands of voices of men and women like me who have experienced a real shift in our sexuality.
Respectfully,
Dan Hitz
Stay Home, Stay Safe – How are you doing right now?
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Yup, after observing the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order for a little over two weeks, I have to admit that I’m going a bit stir crazy. The reality is that I have it pretty good. I have a nice home to stay in with my wife, who happens to be my best friend. We have all the food we need, and I can work from home providing counseling through telehealth services. I’m an introvert. What could be better? And yet, even with being an introvert, I find myself getting on my own nerves.
The reality is that this COVID-19 pandemic is stressful for all of us. Some of us are experiencing more stress than others. Maybe you’re an essential worker who doesn’t have the option to stay home. Maybe you’re a healthcare worker in direct contact with COVID patients. Does staying at home for you mean increased stress from family dysfunction and limited finances? At times like this, the coping skills we do have are pushed to their limits, and the things we usually wrestle with seem to get worse.
Nevertheless, there are some things that we can do to navigate through our challenges. First and foremost, we need to pray and ground ourselves in Christ. He is our ever present help in times of trouble. We can also pray Psalm 91 over ourselves and those we care about. Secondly, we can proactively engage in some activities that help us cope with the isolation and make social connections as safely as possible. Bessel van der Kolk, a leading trauma expert and the author of The Body Keeps the Score, shared some good coping skills in a recent podcast called Stirring Ourselves and Our Clients through New and Developing Traumas. Here are a few ideas to cope with the isolation and stress produced by the stay at home order and the pandemic:
Maintain a predictable, daily schedule. Wake up and get dressed at a specific time, and go to bed at a specific time. Maintain consistent work, dinner and activity times.
Take this opportunity to enjoy that book or Netflix series you’ve been wanting to see, or maybe work on a project that you’ve been putting off.
Arrange to be in contact with those who are important to you via Facebook Messenger, Facetime, or Zoom. Although you may not be able to be in the same location, you can enjoy conversation, eat dinner, play some games like charades or dice games, worship, or share projects while connected online.
In Michigan, we are allowed to exercise in our neighborhoods and city parks as long as we practice social distancing. Grab your cloth mask and hit the walking trails, a park, or your neighborhood sidewalk. Get outside, move, and enjoy the fresh air. Remember to maintain a social distance of at least six feet.
If you experience stress from family relationships, try to designate a private area in your home where you can agree to have personal quiet time, and take a break from engaging with others for a while.
We at Reconciliation Ministries want to be here for you. If you find yourself struggling and needing prayer or someone to process your anxiety with, call us at 586.739.5114 to set up a free telehealth consultation or prayer ministry session and explore options for your personal care. We’re in this together. Don't go through this alone.
2020 Vision
/All of us here at Reconciliation Ministries wish you a very Blessed Christmas and a New Year full of God’s presence. May the Holy Spirit draw you deeper into relationship with Him, and continue to transform your life.
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Thank you for being a part of what the Lord is doing through this ministry. Your prayers and financial support are truly making a difference. I wish you could witness firsthand the relief and transformation evident on the faces of the counseling clients, Living Waters participants, and others as they hear the truths of the Holy Spirit bringing down the strongholds that have held them captive for years. On behalf of the many lives that you have touched, please receive this heart felt thank you for having an eternal impact by helping brothers and sisters experience freedom in Christ. You are greatly appreciated.
We’re excited for what the Lord has planned for 2020. I mentioned in last month’s newsletter that I recently became a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional [CCTP]. This required approximately 17 hours of additional training, which the Lord is using to bring deeper healing and freedom to several abuse survivors that we’re already ministering to. In January I’ll be attending a five-day training for EMDR therapy. Over the past few years, the benefits of EMDR therapy have been scientifically verified, and it has become one of the standards of care for trauma survivors. Pam, another therapist at the ministry, is also planning on becoming a CCTP and taking EMDR training this year. We are thankful that the Lord continues to provide powerful tools to bring freedom to men and women who are bound by sexual sin and the trauma of abuse. The CCTP and EMDR trainings are excellent additional tools for ministry, enhancing our already existing pastoral care, prayer ministry, licensed counseling, and support groups. All services offered by Reconciliation Ministries are provided within Biblical parameters to help our participants continue their transformation process and become the men and women that God created them to be.
Another focus for 2020 will be to network with leaders and like-minded ministries in the Metro Detroit area. We all have much more strength when we’re joined together in Christ. Through the years we’ve enjoyed great relationships with local ministries like Love Broke the Chains and Celebrate Recovery. One of our goals for the New Year is to get together with our established ministry friends, and build relationships with new ones to see how we can support one another and be more effective for the kingdom.
For the past few years, it has been on our hearts to reach out to survivors of abuse experiencing a deeper level of brokenness than we’ve ministered to in the past. Out of this burden came our Mending the Soul program and a brief run of Celebrate Recovery in a federal prison. We want to do even more in the future. Please join us in prayer as we seek God’s plan to help those who have experienced significant trauma and abuse.
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