Mercy
/
Photo credit: David Watkis via www.unsplash.com.
Don't Give Up...
/Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. – Galatians 6:9 NIV
Are you feeling discouraged lately? Don’t give up. Maybe you’ve been trying to overcome your sexual struggle for a long time and you just crashed again. Maybe you’ve been praying for a loved one to come back to Jesus for years, and it seems like the more you pray, the further and faster he runs from God.
What do you need the Lord to do for you? Are you about ready to give up? Have you given up? It can be difficult to trust the Lord for healing to overcome emotional challenges, addictive sin, and physical illness. It can be difficult to continue praying when it seems like God doesn’t care. The truth is that God does care. Prayer is worth it whether the fulfillment takes a day, three months, three years, or three decades. God is faithful. He changes us as we trust in Him to do the impossible. Keep praying for your miracle.
We at Reconciliation Ministries are here to walk with you if you need help overcoming emotional challenges, sexual and relational sin, or the trauma of abuse. We offer peer support groups, prayer ministry, licensed counseling, and more. We’ve seen God do the “impossible” in our own lives, and in lives of those we serve. There is hope for you. There is hope for your loved one. There is hope for your marriage. Call us at 586.739.5114 and find out how we can help.
Trusting God...
/Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
The Lord has been tugging at my heart lately, urging me to trust Him more than ever before. That’s pretty easy to do cognitively and theologically. Sometimes emotionally, it’s another story. I know… we aren’t supposed to be led by our emotions. I know… God is faithful and the Bible is true… But in the brokenness of our hearts, so often, something seems to be holding us back from fully trusting Him. What is the “noise of your heart” telling you? Sometimes trusting the Lord isn’t all that easy for those who have been sexually abused – or who may be struggling with addictive sin. Oh, it’s super easy when everything is going our way, but sometimes it feels impossible when we’re going through tough challenges. That’s when the noise our hearts takes over. That’s when we have a hard time trusting the Lord because the people in our lives who should have been the safest for us were the most dangerous. The accuser whispers in our ears, “If God is so good, why did __________ happen?” Our own brokenness causes us to pull back. “If I couldn’t trust my parents who I could see, how can I trust a God that I can’t?”
I know... I’ve been there... There really are answers to those tough questions. There really can be healing in the core of our being. Reconciliation Ministries is here to help you overcome the effects of trauma and abuse. You can be free from sin. You can learn to trust the Lord in the depths of your soul. God is good. God does care. He will never let you down. When we learn to open up our hearts to Him, He won’t abuse us. He will restore us, strengthen us, and empower us far more than we ever dared to hope that He would.
If you or someone you care about needs help, call Reconciliation Ministries at 586.739.5114. We offer licensed professional counseling, prayer ministry, and peer support groups to help you heal from abuse and overcome life dominating sin. You can learn to embrace the life that Jesus has for you.
Will the Church BE THERE for Me?
/
We in the church are quick to tell people to repent of their sin without really understanding the fullness of what we are telling them to walk away from. That sin may be the only comfort they know. The people they sin with may be the only people they feel accepted by. The question in the heart of someone who is considering leaving the comfort and familiarity of their sin behind is, “Will the church really be there for me when I truly need them?” I hope the answer to that question is a resounding, “YES!” backed up by a life of pouring out to those in need.
In his 2008 article, “The Transsexual Dilemma”, author Joe Dallas quoted the heart of a transgender man sitting in his office looking for help. That precious soul’s question pierced my heart: “You’ve got some pretty clear answers, Joe. But tell me honestly: if I go home and break up with my girlfriend, then put on a skirt and try to live as a woman, leaving behind everything about my life as I know it, will the church be there for me? Will they welcome me, even though I’ll look like a man wearing a dress? Can I be honest with fellow Christians about the surgery I had? Will I really be a sister in Christ, or will I be the resident freak?”
This is the heart of a desperate person looking for help. He or she may be an addict, a prostitute, or a member of the LGBTQ community. The next time you may be tempted to look upon someone like that with contempt, ask yourself these questions: “If I tell that person to repent and they actually do, am I willing to make the sacrifices necessary to really be there for him or her? Am I willing to be inconvenienced to help him or her find true comfort and salvation through Christ? Or am I just feeling self-righteous and condemning without being willing to be a part of the answer? I hope my answers to the first two questions are “yes”. I hope my answer to the third question is “no”.
I pray that the Lord works in my heart and makes that burden become a full reality.
Photo credit: Sharon McCutcheon via www.unsplash.com.
For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. – Acts 28.30 NIV
/
Image via www.google.com/maps
That may seem like an odd verse to lead this section of a prayer update, but for someone who has just spent the better part of two years preparing for and ministering in Asia, it makes a lot of sense. When you read through the Gospels and the book of Acts, it’s easy to make the assumption that things were changing and exciting new things were happening every minute. However, this verse shows a lot of truth when you consider that Paul stayed in the same area for two years and accomplished a lot for the Kingdom of God by being faithful to the daily routine the Lord had called him to. There were certainly a lot of ministerial and personal changes over the past two years. Certainly, a lot of exciting new things were happening in Asia. However, as I’m now in the “recalculating” process, I’m reminded of how important the daily routine I’ve been called to in Metro Detroit truly is. There are lives to touch. There so many people who need someone to help them crawl out of the mud and into the arms of the Savior.
I’m finding that “strengthening the roots of the ministry”, as the Lord has called us to do this year, may not bring the same type of excitement as all the new experiences in Asia have brought; yet, I’m learning to see the love and power of God in a deeper way back here in Metro Detroit. There is love and power coming from God’s heart to mine as I learn to wait on Him and rest in the specific calling that all of us who are part of the support team and ministry team have. It is a good calling. The Lord is clarifying some specific parameters to operate within. They are good parameters. All of the things that He is calling us to are far beyond our human ability to accomplish. God knows that. He is good with that… I’m learning to be… The Loving Heavenly Father knows what is best. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will accomplish the beautiful work in our hearts that He is in the process of doing. We may not always be calm in that process… but He certainly is… That’s all we really need to start trusting Him more and continue on this journey. Thank you for sharing this journey with us.
Strength in Weakness
/
There may be times when we feel like we’ve gotten our spiritual and emotional butts kicked. Then God shows us that we’re like the prize fighter who won the match but ended up with a black eye, a missing tooth, and a couple of cracked ribs in the process. God grace is sufficient to restore our souls. He can renew our strength and revive our hearts. We come out stronger on the other side.
Strengthening the Roots
/
Dear Friend,
As I’ve been pondering and praying about what the Lord would have us focus on in 2019, He has been speaking to my heart to strengthen the roots of the ministry. 2019 will be the 35th anniversary year for Reconciliation Ministries. We began in 1984 with the focus of helping men and women walk away from homosexuality and embrace Biblical sexuality. Through the years, the roots expanded to include helping people overcome heterosexual sin, sexual addiction, sexual abuse, and transgender issues.
These roots have brought life to the healing branches of Reconciliation Ministries. The Living Waters program helps people struggling with sexual and relational brokenness experience healing through Christ. Mending the Soul is our newest branch, and helps men and women overcome the trauma of abuse. The Healing Hearts group helps parents of LGBTQ identified individuals learn how to love their sons and daughters as Jesus does without compromising their Biblical convictions. Our Walking Free support group has helped others begin their healing journey and gain trust that Jesus really does have the answer for their struggles. Additional healing branches include licensed professional counseling, prayer ministry, speaking engagements, seminars, and educational resources like our monthly newsletter.
Through your prayers and financial support, these branches have helped countless men, women and adolescents find healing and transformation through the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. You have helped to touch lives in Metro Detroit, across the US, and in Southeast Asia. Thank you for changing hearts for all of eternity.
In 2019, Reconciliation Ministries and support team members like you will continue to strengthen the roots and branches of the ministry to ensure that we offer the most effective ministerial and professional care available for people struggling with sexual sin and the aftermath of abuse.
Thank you for sharing this journey with us!
Dan Hitz and your friends at Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc.
P.S. You can have an eternal impact on lives that are desperate for the transformation that Jesus has to offer. Your prayers and financial support of Reconciliation Ministries are an essential part of this ministry. Join our monthly support team by making a secure, online donation by clicking here.
A Lesson Learned from a Bug
/
The Lord spoke to me today during my devotion time through a bug. They don’t always have screens on the windows here in Thailand, and the poor guy flew into my bedroom through my middle window that was wide open. Somehow he made his way to the bottom row of windows that don’t open. He buzzed around that bottom window for a good long time trying to figure a way out of the invisible force field that kept him trapped. Every so often he would drop down to the bottom of that same window pane where he encountered the same invisible barrier. After watching him for quite a while the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “Sometimes we can’t find the answer because we’re too busy looking at the problem.” I realized the bug was studying the problem of the invisible force field pretty intently, but he didn’t stop looking at the problem long enough to get a different perspective. He needed to stop doing what he was doing over and over again with no success, back up, and survey the big picture. Then he might have noticed that the middle window directly above the one that was holding him captive was different from the rest. It was lighter than the tinted glass and had a nice breeze blowing through the open space. Unfortunately for him, he never took his eyes off the problem long enough to see the very easy solution. He met an untimely end by my swat. I realized that sometimes we humans can be so fixated on the problem of the day that we don’t back up long enough to ask the Lord for His perspective. It helped me to realize that when I don’t know what to do, repeating the same unsuccessful behavior isn’t the answer. Time to take my eyes off the problem and seek the Lord for His easy solution. Sometimes there’s an open window nearby that we humans just can’t see.
A Fruitful Harvest... A New Season of Planting...
/Dear Friends,
One of my favorite food experiences in Thailand is enjoying the various fruits that have come in during the different months that I’ve been here. I realized that this is similar to the various fruits from your prayers and financial support, during the different seasons that you have equipped Reconciliation Ministries to serve in the US and Thailand. As I write this newsletter, I have just over a month left here in SE Asia. I can sense the Lord preparing my heart to transition back to the States. He has been speaking ministry vision for 2019 as our time here in Thailand concludes with a fruitful harvest.
Thank you so much for sowing eternal seeds and sharing in the harvest that we’ve had this year. You have helped touch hearts in the US through our increased focus on abuse recovery, and the continuation of our support groups and individual counseling for men, women and adolescents struggling with sexual and relational issues. Your prayers and financial support for the ministry expansion program have made it possible to add two part-time therapists to the Reconciliation Ministries team, add an additional meeting room, and build on the high standard of ministry care that we’ve practiced since the ministry was founded in 1984. You have touched many hearts in a variety of other ways including the Living Waters program, the Walking Free support groups, the Healing Hearts parents’ group, individual licensed counseling and prayer ministry, the Overcoming Strongholds seminar and much more.
Your prayers and financial support have brought a fruitful harvest in Thailand and have planted seeds for future ministry. One of the main objectives during our time here was to prepare a male leadership team for Living Waters Ubon. It is such a blessing to watch the Lord strengthen three husbands and wives in particular who are called to bring Living Waters into their very different communities. One couple is called to serve with Living Waters Ubon directly as a member of their ministry team. Another man and his wife work with abuse survivors and at risk youth, while the third couple ministers to those who are struggling with addictions and emotional brokenness. All three of these couples plan on integrating the Living Waters concepts into their regular ministry. Your support is also bringing healing to the other participants of the 20-week Living Waters program, and making an impact through Sunday speaking engagements, cell group meetings, and the upcoming Cross Current group which will introduce churched and unchurched people to inner healing.
Your continued prayers and financial support through 2019 will continue to sow the seeds of healing in the men and women that come to Reconciliation Ministries for help with sexual and relational issues. Your support is instrumental to help fight against the cultural tide that tells young people to embrace their gay or transgender identity. You will help men and women caught in adultery and sexual addiction find freedom in Christ and restore their families. You will help precious souls tormented by the effects of trauma and abuse find healing and restoration through the grace of God. Your prayers and financial support will help set the captive free.
Please join us in prayer as the Lord continues to lay out His vision and specific steps for 2019. He has been speaking to our hearts to continue increasing our ministry offerings to those affected by sexual abuse. We are excited to be looking at training and equipping offerings by Dr. Dan Allender, Desert Stream Ministries, and others. We will also be offering a new session of our Mending the Soul group, and will be connecting with area leaders who are actively involved in outreach to abuse survivors both in Metro Detroit and Southeast Asia. Although my main focus for 2019 will be in Metro Detroit, my wife and I are praying about a ministry trip to Cambodia for two to four weeks in the second half of 2019 to help equip pastoral caregivers to minister healing to trafficking and abuse survivors.
Your faithful prayers and generous financial support will continue to sow the seeds of healing in the hearts of men and women struggling with sexual and relational brokenness. You can help bring a fruitful harvest of healing, equipping and victory to men and women, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, and sons and daughters. If you are already a monthly ministry supporter, please know that you are very much appreciated. If you aren’t yet a member of our monthly support team, we invite you to begin sowing into the lives of brothers and sisters today. You can join the support team and donate securely online by clicking here.
Thank you for sharing this journey with us, and thank you for sowing seeds of healing into the lives of brothers and sisters in need. Your prayers and financial support are changing lives.
In Christ,
Dan Hitz and your friends at Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc.
P.S. Your special end of the year donation will help bring freedom to many who are struggling with sexual sin and the trauma of abuse. Reconciliation Ministries is a 501.c.3 organization and all gifts are fully tax deductible. You can donate securely online by clicking here.
Photo of family used under license with www.shutterstock.com. Photos of male and female used courtesy of www.unsplash.com.
Jesus Can Unlock Your Heart
/
I saw this lock as I was walking through the neighborhood today. It reminded me of how we can have pain, discouragement, trauma and struggles locked deep inside our hearts. Sometimes we don’t even know where we lost the key or how to get healing. It is during times like this that we need to cry out to Jesus and ask for help. When we don’t even have the strength to cry out, we can look toward Him and merely think, “Help.” He always hears. He is always there. He may not answer in the way we expect, but He will always answer. He knows where the key is.
You Can Change a Life!
/Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou My Vision by Dallan Forgaill
Dear Friend,
As I was singing this hymn the other day, I was struck by how different our lives would be if we really lived with the Lord as our only vision – as the focal point of our lives. Sin would be over. Pain would be over. Hopelessness would be over. If the Lord is our only vision, then He will guide us through everything else. We truly would have the fulfillment we've been searching for all of our lives. For now, we can sing this song as a prayer and ask Him to make it a reality in the depths our hearts. May it forever be true in our lives!
Your financial support to Reconciliation Ministries helps men and women leave their lives of sexual sin and emotional pain and move closer to living with Jesus as their heart’s single vision. In this month’s newsletter, you’ll read powerful testimonies from Living Waters participants whose lives you’ve touched. You’ll read one man’s story of how he came to Living Waters with no expectation of change. He had already resolved to divorce his wife and embrace a life in the LGBTQ community. Thanks to the prayers and support of caring men and women like you, this man has experienced a heart transformation and is now committed to following Jesus, remaining a faithful husband to his wife, and being a godly father to his three children.
You’ll also read how one woman who was devastated from the trauma of sexual abuse and sexual assault experienced the cleansing love of Jesus Christ. She was delivered from debilitating fear of men that plunged her into lesbian relationships, and now joyfully lives in freedom with her past washed by the precious blood of Jesus.
You can make a difference in the lives of more hurting souls through your tax-deductible donation to Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan. Be a part of changing lives by donating today. You can use the form enclosed with this newsletter, or donate securely online by clicking here.
Thank you for making a difference through your prayers and financial support.
Dan Hitz and your friends at Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc.
Introducing Our New Therapist...
/We are pleased to announce that Pam Farlow-Wolgast will be joining Reconciliation Ministries as our new part-time licensed professional counselor. Pam is also the women's facilitator for our Mending the Soul abuse recovery program, and a valuable member of our Living Waters leadership team. She previously shared her testimony of overcoming childhood sexual abuse in our April 2017 newsletter. Pam recently attended the Living Waters leadership training offered by Desert Stream Ministries and shares her experiences from the training.
I always considered myself an emotional person. After all, I teach about feelings, and talk about feelings, and am careful to encourage others to express those feelings - joy, sorrow, grief, amazement.
Then I realized that I don't cry often. Well, there are those Hallmark ads and dead animals on the road - I find myself teary at those times.
I began to learn that it was easier to cry about an animal, than it was about me, or what was happening in my life. I considered this and found it quite curious; I still had no answers as to where the tears were.
Then I attended the Living Waters Leadership training in January, and at one point, someone handed me a box of tissues to hold on to, because my tears came and came. Before this training, I'd done a lot of healing from the brutality of my childhood. I didn't cry as the memories came, and sometimes I wondered about this.
I'd looked at the evil represented by my father and others, and the distance and coldness of my mother. I didn't cry as I felt the abandonment and loss of love, and I wondered about this.
Then I planned to attend the Living Waters training. God told me to let Him take charge and to enter wholeheartedly into this time. "But, I don't trust," I said. He said, "It's time to trust and feel."
And God met me at ministry time - and I cried.
And God met me in the small group - and I cried.
God met me, carried me and held me - as I cried.
He went to the deep desolate places of shame and pain with me. God showed me He is so much stronger than the pain. He showed me I was never alone in the darkness, the terror, the confusion.
He showed me how present He was - and how He cried for me when it wasn't safe for me to cry for myself.
God showed me the healing strength of tears, the power of grieving and how the loving presence of others brings light and healing.
He showed me I can trust another with the ugliness of the past, and they show me the beauty He created in me.
God showed me His face - through the faces of each person at the training. God showed me how powerful and intense His love is.
God showed me healing through each of the people I met, through their prayers, their presence and their love.
God showed me who He created me to be and encouraged me to continue allowing Him in; to never close Him out. He showed me His loving eyes, and His kind face. He showed me how love builds and encourages, and never destroys. He showed me the power of His love and taught me to receive and accept it.
God allowed me to see myself through His eyes, and I learned I can laugh with joy, embrace the beauty of His world with smiles, and cry for release, pain and grief. God showed me about the wholeness of life with Him.
I am changed, the same and yet oh, so different. I learned and experienced God in ways which are available for us all - we have only to ask Him. He is waiting for us; waiting with His kind eyes and gentle smile.
Blessings, Pam
Do You Want to be Made Well? There are Risks While Getting Off Your Matt.
/One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”
John 5:5-6 NLT
Dear Friend,
At first glance, that quote from Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda may sound like a ridiculous question. “The guy’s been waiting at the pool for 38 years hoping for an opportunity for healing; of course he wants to be made well!” It’s easy for us to answer that question when we’re talking about someone else. Sooner or later, all of us will face this same question in our own lives. Do we really want to be made well?
There is a lot more to that question when you go below the surface. In today’s terms, Jesus would be asking that man if he wanted to be made well, which would mean that he would lose his social security benefits and his bridge card. He would now be responsible to find a job, work faithfully, and provide for his own necessities. He can no longer rely on others to fulfill his needs. He will have to learn to receive empowerment from the Lord, take appropriate risks, and learn to perform skills that were previously impossible for him. That is scary.
It’s very similar in our recovery. Our addictions have kept us on some type of matt for years. We simultaneously hate it, and fear the day when the Lord calls us off our matt to walk away from our sinful addictions. We know how to be broken. We don’t know how to be whole. We’ve even received false comfort from our addiction. Will the Lord really give us something better? We know in our heads that He says He will. In our hearts we aren’t so sure.
If Jesus is calling you off your matt, you don’t have to do it alone. Reconciliation Ministries can help. We offer licensed professional counseling, prayer ministry, and support groups. Call 586.739.5114 and find out how we can assist you in your recovery.
In Christ,
Dan Hitz and your friends at Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc.
P.S. You can read a related story in this month's newsletter. Those who have experienced the trauma of abuse also have to consider life off the matt of emotional devastation.
Celebrating the Blessings of 2017
/In Mending the Soul I could talk about the abuse I experienced, the addiction I developed, and all the fallout and consequences; without having to be worried about judgement or rejection. – A male survivor.
I can truly say that though I have a ways to go as far as healing, I am not the same person I was when I entered Mending the Soul. I have regained my voice, set boundaries, gained strength in many ways, and found hope for healing in God. This group has truly been a blessing. – A female survivor.
I am closer to God as a result of Living Waters. I see Him more clearly in my past, anticipate Him more certainly in my future, and follow Him more peacefully in the now. - A male participant.
Living Waters saved my marriage. – A female participant.
Dear Friend,
As we look forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior and the gift of eternal life that He has given us, we at Reconciliation Ministries would like to celebrate the blessings that you have provided for the ministry participants throughout 2017. The quotes from some of the participants of this year’s Mending the Soul and Living Waters programs (used by permission) highlight the lives that you have changed through your prayers and financial support of Reconciliation Ministries. Many others have found healing through your support of Reconciliation Ministries speaking engagements and affordable licensed professional counseling and prayer ministry. You have touched the lives of many men, women and adolescents who were formerly bound by sexual sin and those who have suffered the trauma of abuse. These precious husbands, wives, men, women, sons and daughters are now experiencing the joy of healing and transformation through Jesus Christ.
Reconciliation Ministries would like to thank those of you who have already joined our support team. Thank you for responding to the opportunity to touch many more lives in Southeast Michigan and Ubon, Thailand in the coming year. If you’re not yet a member of our support team, there’s still time to make a tax-deductible end of the year donation to change even more lives. You can donate securely online by clicking here.
Thank you for changing hearts,
Dan Hitz and your friends at Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc.
You Can Touch Thousands
/ “I’m going to raise up two, or three, or four people in this room to touch thousands.”
God in Ubon, Thailand on Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Dear Friends,
The presence of the Lord was powerful among that small group of Thai Living Waters participants. Among them were several who had been delivered from a life of prostitution, a man who was overcoming transgender issues, someone who was HIV positive, and others who had committed serious offenses. Thailand is a stronghold of sexual sin, prostitution and transgender culture. Yet, it was among that group of Living Waters participants that the Lord said He would raise up two, three, or four people to touch thousands.
Sexual sin is rampant in the US as well. Homosexuality, transgenderism, and pornography addiction are on the rise. The prevalence of sexual abuse is alarming, both in popular culture and within the church. We are only now becoming aware of the depths of human trafficking.
Countless lives have been taken captive; yet, there is hope. You can be a part of the solution. You can touch thousands. Join the Reconciliation Ministries support team and help men, women and adolescents experience the transformational power of Jesus Christ in Metro Detroit, Thailand, and beyond.
During 2017, the Reconciliation Ministries support team establish our very first Mending the Soul program to bring healing to survivors of childhood sexual and physical abuse. We were able to reduce the tuition for the Living Waters program, and now have our largest group in years. Many others are receiving licensed professional counseling and prayer ministry to overcome sexual abuse, sexual addiction, unwanted homosexual attraction, gender dysphoria, and more. Marriages are being restored. Men and women are being set free.
More plans are underway for 2018. Your partnership will make it possible to run our second Mending the Soul group and further reduce the tuition for the Living Waters program. We’ll be adding a part-time counselor and making other improvements to foster our ministry in Metro Detroit. Dan Hitz, Director of Reconciliation Ministries, is making plans to minister in Ubon, Thailand from July through December of 2018. He will be helping to strengthen Living Waters Ubon, mentor male leaders, and present sexual and relational healing seminars in the surrounding villages.
You can touch lives in Metro Detroit and around the world. Reconciliation Ministries invites you to become a member of our monthly support team. We are praying for 30 new members to invest an average of $100 per month into the lives of broken people. You can help those who are hurting experience the healing power of Jesus Christ, and become the men and women that God created them to be. If you are already a member of our support team, please know that we truly appreciate you. If you aren’t a current member of our monthly support team, please join us. You can also make a special year-end donation to touch lives in Metro Detroit and Thailand. All donations are tax deductible. An investment of any amount can change someone’s life for all of eternity.
You can join the Reconciliation Ministries support team online through PayPal by clicking here.
Thank you for sharing this journey with us,
Dan Hitz, Director
Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc.
586.739.5114
dhitz@recmin.org
www.recmin.org
P.S. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, or if you would like to meet for coffee and hear more about how your investment through Reconciliation Ministries can change lives.
Images used under license with www.shutterstock.com.
Me Too...
/
Me too… Unfortunately… To be honest, I have been wrestling with a personal response to the entire "me too" campaign since those two words began showing up on my Facebook news feed. Sexual assault and harassment of women in the work place is a serious issue that needs to be resolved. I honor those who have come forward in a very personal way to address this critical issue. I would like to offer some sincere thoughts about a very sensitive topic. I ask that your responses be sincere and sensitive as well.
At first I wasn’t sure that I should speak those two words. While I can acknowledge the need to address the specific focus of sexual assault and harassment of women in the workplace, I am praying to come up with a proper response concerning the other lives touched by abuse/assault in other venues. Innocent girls and boys, women and men, heterosexuals and members of the LGBT community, who were victimized elsewhere; in a wide variety of circumstances and a wide variety of places. I am also praying to come up with adequate words to address the many males who have been victims of sexual assault/abuse. Sometimes males who have been abused can feel marginalized. The effects of abuse on males is often minimized or overlooked through the lens of a broken culture with a false concept of masculinity. The reality is that abuse and assault have touched so many people in so many walks of life. All victims... all survivors… need compassion and understanding. Those who have not endured such trauma will not be able to fully understand the depths of the effects, yet those who have not endured abuse can certainly offer prayers, support, and compassion to those who have been abused.
Let’s all do what we can to end abuse and create an atmosphere of safety and healing for all who have suffered the trauma of abuse. If you are someone who can also write those two words that have such a huge impact, “me too”, and would like to talk about it with people who can help, call Reconciliation Ministries at 586.739.5114. You can also read testimonies and articles to help you overcome the effects of abuse on the archives section of our website by clicking here.
Healing Hearts of the Parents
/
Dear Friends,
Thank you for partnering with us to help hurting hearts find healing and restoration through the power of Jesus Christ. You have helped many overcome sexual abuse, sexual addiction, unwanted same-sex attraction, and transgender issues. Another group of people that you help through your partnership with Reconciliation Ministries is Healing Hearts, a support group for parents of LGBT identified people. Christian parents of the LGBT community often struggle alone. Members say, “When Christian kids come out of the closet, the parents go into the closet.” It is truly heartbreaking for parents to see their sons and daughters making sinful and harmful choices. Many parents sink in despair and false guilt. They wonder how they can continue to have a good relationship with their kids without giving the impression that they embrace their wrong choices.
Your support of Reconciliation Ministries helps bring life back into these worried parents’ lives. Healing Hearts teaches parents how to love and have a relationship with their LGBT identified sons and daughters without compromising their Christian convictions. It is a confidential place to cry, ask questions, pray and receive Biblical hope. Many parents share how they came to the group hoping to learn how to change their kids, then realized that the Lord did a deep work of change in their own hearts. Meetings are held on the second Sunday of each month from 2pm to 4pm at Renewal Church in Warren, 11174 E 13 Mile Road. There is no charge to attend and everyone who wants to love their LGBT identified son or daughter with the love of Jesus is invited. If you’re hurting over your LGBT identified son or daughter, come to this group, get support, and learn to breathe again.
At our next Healing Hearts meeting, we’ll be watching the movie Tranzformed: Finding Peace with Your God-Given Gender. This movie, features interviews with 15 former transgender men and women who have overcome personal transgender struggles through the grace of Jesus Christ. This movie will help you understand the inner turmoil of those who struggle with transgender issues, and give you hope that Jesus Christ can touch your loved one. Anyone wanting to learn more about transgender issues is welcome to attend.
Thank you for partnering with us to bridge the gap between the church and the sexually broken,
Dan
Mom and son photo used under license with www.shutterstock.com.
God Is Faithful!
/I thank my God every time I remember you… 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. Philippians 1:3,6
Dear Friends,
God is always faithful and good. About eight or nine years ago our family was going through a horrible valley. I was at the point of giving up hope when the Lord spoke to me and said, "It’s not over yet." Since that day worse things have happened. Since that day better things have happened. I can honestly say that God has been faithful through it all. The situation from eight years ago remains unresolved; nevertheless, I can still say that God is faithful and good. No matter what you're going through today, He loves you very much and He will carry you. He will finish the good work He started in you.
Reconciliation Ministries is here to help. If you or someone you know is struggling, call us at 586.739.5114. We have multiple options available to care for you. There are currently openings for individual licensed professional counseling and prayer ministry. Walking Free, our open support group for men and women at any stage in their recovery, is held on the second and fourth Monday of each month. The Healing Hearts group for parents and family members of individuals dealing with LGBTQ issues meets on the second Sunday of each month. As we look ahead to the future, our next Living Waters program will be starting in October with a reduced tuition rate, while our Mending the Soul program will expand to fourteen weeks and is tentatively scheduled to begin next October.
We would like to thank you for helping us expand the ministry and touch more hearts. In our last newsletter, we asked for your help to add an additional office and give our entrance a much needed facelift. We are happy to report that we have received the finances we need for this project. The participants will soon be greeted with a warmer entrance. We will be adding another therapist soon and increasing our outreach. Thank you for making this all possible through your prayers and financial support.
Your brother in Christ,
Dan
An Opportunity to Invest in Souls
/Dear Friends,
In last month’s newsletter I presented the vision that the Lord has laid on my heart to bring healing to many more souls in Metro Detroit; Ubon, Thailand; and beyond. We at Reconciliation Ministries are thankful for the lives already changed and invite you to invest in transforming many more.
The next steps in our ministry expansion are to add an additional part-time counselor to our staff, and to increase our support team by reaching out to potential members with the invitation to invest in changing lives. Adding another counselor will expand our current services, and ensure that our local counseling services will continue while I’m ministering in Thailand next year. In order to do this, we need to remodel the room next to my current office to provide another counseling office. We also need to give our counseling entrance a much needed facelift through some simple coats of paint and adding a few lights to brighten things up.
We at Reconciliation Ministries would like to thank our generous support team members who have already contributed towards the ministry’s expansion, and invite you to invest in the expansion needs listed below.
- 3 solid core doors with windows for counseling offices - $175 each
- Sound proofing materials (insulation, caulk, plywood) - $100
- 2 new light fixtures for counseling office - $30 each
- 5 gallons of paint for counseling office - $25 each
- 5 gallons of paint for counseling entrance - $25 each
- 2 light fixtures for counseling entrance - $40 each
- 2 white noise generators to ensure privacy - $25 each
- Carpet for new office - $350
- Furniture – couch, chairs, desk – donations appreciated
- We are still getting estimates for labor - approximately $1500 - covered
- Ministry brochures - $300 - covered - covered
- Support team outreach - $500
- Ministerial training - $1200 - covered
Your investment can help someone overcome sexual sin and the trauma of abuse, and walk in their true identity in Christ. Please make a special donation towards our ministry expansion. You can sponsor a specific portion of the project by indicating it on the enclosed donation form, or when you make a donation online via the PayPal link on our website at www.recmin.org.
Your brother in Christ,
Dan
An Expanded Vision: More Lives to Reach
/Dear Friends,
Reconciliation Ministries began in 1984 with a focus on ministering specifically to those struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction. Through the years, our focus deepened to include heterosexual issues and the addition of our Living Waters program. We added licensed counseling to our services of pastoral care and prayer ministry, and recently began a new program for abuse recovery called Mending the Soul.
Over the past several months, you’ve been reading how the Lord has been working on our hearts to minister to those with a deeper level of brokenness than Reconciliation Ministries has ministered to in the past. This part of our journey actually began about three years ago, during a conversation with the Lord that took place over four Sunday worship services. I knew He was doing a deep work in my heart. I was shaking during the last worship service as He asked me to pray that He would send me to the bowels of hell on earth, so that we can save people from the bowels of hell for eternity.
We are excited to announce that the Lord has even more plans in store. As we continue to minister to all forms of sexual and relational brokenness in Metro Detroit, we also have an opportunity to touch souls in Ubon, Thailand. Plans are underway for me (Dan Hitz) to minister in Thailand from July through December of 2018. I have been invited to assist in the development of the Living Waters team in this remote region of Thailand, mentor men who are potential leadership team members, and minister to pastors and villagers in the surrounding areas. You can read more about the progression of this vision and calling on the inside of this newsletter.
Reconciliation Ministries will continue to serve the Body of Christ in Metro Detroit even as we extend our outreach to Ubon, Thailand. We would like to invite you to join us in bringing the transformational power of Jesus Christ to those who desperately need Him. You can become a valuable member of the Reconciliation Ministries Support Team through your generous financial partnership and your prayers for the ministry and the participants. No one can affect the lives that we are called to reach alone, but together through Christ we can reach thousands of people who need His healing touch. You can join our Support Team and help bring healing to those who are sexually broken and to those who have suffered the trauma of abuse by clicking here.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 586.739.5114 or DHitz@recmin.org.
Thank you for sharing this journey with us!
Dan Hitz, Director, Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc.