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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I have a deep sense that the Lord is doing a special work with the roots of this ministry. By God’s grace, Reconciliation Ministries will continue to uphold the Biblical standard that God ordains sexual activity solely within the marriage covenant between one biologically born male and one biologically born female. We will continue to offer the message of redemption and transformation for those struggling with same-sex attraction, gender confusion, heterosexual sin, and the trauma of abuse. We will continue to seek ways to expand our outreach to those who are most needy.
As always, you are a vital part of this ministry. You are helping to touch hearts and transform lives through your prayers and financial support. The Reconciliation Ministries support team is just as vital as the Reconciliation Ministries ministry team. We welcome your end of the year tax-deductible donation to help make the impact that God wants us to make in 2020. You can donate securely online by clicking here. Your gift will make a difference.
A Season of Thanksgiving and Looking Ahead
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Dear Friend,
As we prepare to celebrating Thanksgiving, we at Reconciliation Ministries want to thank you for your faithful prayers and financial support during 2019. You have touched many lives in our recovery programs, as well as through licensed professional counseling and prayer ministry. Although our suggested donation for counseling and prayer ministry is well below the average price at most clinics, many of our clients are unable to contribute the full suggested donation for each session. Some are unable to contribute at all. Others are unable to afford the low tuition rates for the Living Waters and Mending the Soul programs. It is the generosity of support of team members like you that make it possible for these precious hearts to receive the healing that they need through scholarships and financial assistance. You are making a tremendous impact in the hearts of sexual abuse survivors and those struggling with sexual sin. You are saving marriages and lives. You are helping to set the captives free.
Your investment in Reconciliation Ministries during 2019 has helped to strengthen the foundations of the ministry. It’s been a year of recalibration and equipping for me after returning from Thailand and getting resettled back here in Metro Detroit. I was blessed to see the growth in the ministry team during the preparation for ministry in Thailand, during the six months I was away, and continuing to this day. The Lord is equipping and empowering the Living Waters team members and therapists here at the ministry.
Your support during 2019 has made it possible for us to reinforce the original calling of Reconciliation Ministries to help men, women and adolescents overcome unwanted same-sex attraction, and live a life of Biblical sexual integrity. Reconciliation Ministries was founded in 1984 to offer pastoral care, seminars, and equipping for the local church to minister to the sexually broken. The Lord has expanded that calling through the years as we’ve added ministry to those who are bound by heterosexual sin and pornography. We began to offer the Living Waters program in the early 1990s, and licensed professional counseling in 2008. About four years ago, the Lord began to speak to us to deepen our ministry to those who have endured childhood sexual abuse and trauma. We recognized this included serving many people who were far more wounded than those we’ve served in the past. That led to a search for an effective recovery group for sexual abuse survivors, and we began offering Mending the Soul.
This year we recognized the need to learn more about ministering to those who were struggling with gender identity confusion. As we learn more about each of these challenges, we pass much of that information on to you through our newsletters and website.
As we look ahead to 2020, we’re excited to see how the Lord will use each of you on the support team to touch even more lives. The percentage of those who have experienced childhood sexual abuse and trauma among those who are sexually and relationally broken is mind boggling. When the pain of past trauma is overwhelming, most people don’t know what to do. Many turn to sin to numb the pain. As a member of the Reconciliation Ministries support team, you can offer them hope. Your donations can help provide additional resources for healing. In the past few months, the Lord inspired me to get better equipped to work with trauma survivors and I recently became a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional [CCTP]. This has given us even more tools to reach out and help others. In the beginning of 2020 I’ll be receiving training in a form of therapy called EMDR. EMDR is one of the most valuable therapeutic techniques for trauma recovery available today. Most importantly, whatever pastoral care and clinical offerings we provide at Reconciliation Ministries will always be presented within Biblical parameters. True healing doesn’t happen without Jesus, and He has created a wide variety of tools to help people receive the healing that He provides. Your donations can provide more ministry services to those who are emotionally wounded, and to those who don’t have the financial ability to cover the cost of the help that they need.
If you are already a Reconciliation Ministries support team member, you are fulfilling a critical role in our mission. We cannot do what we do without men and women like you who pray regularly for this ministry and our participants. We cannot do what we do without the men and women who invest financially in this ministry to cover the cost of touching lives. On behalf of the people whose lives you’ve touched through your generosity, thank you. We invite you to continue touching lives as a support team member in 2020 and beyond.
If you aren’t yet a member of the Reconciliation Ministries support team, now is a great time to join us in touching hearts with an end of the year tax-deductible gift, and monthly giving. You can donate online securely online by clicking here. We also invite you to join us as an intercessor and pray for the ministry participants and our leadership team. Join our intercessory team by emailing me at dhitz@recmin.org. No financial gift is too small to change a life. Every prayer is valued.
In Christ,
Dan Hitz, Director, Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc.
P.S. If you would like to meet with me in person to find out more about how you can become a Reconciliation Ministries support team member, or if Reconciliation Ministries can help you in any way, please feel free to contact me personally at 586.739.5114 or via email at dhitz@recmin.org. We are here for you.
Photos used with permission from www.unsplash.com.
Current Events and Transformation
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You may be aware of some issues that have been in the national news quite a bit lately. The enemy of our souls wants to thoroughly discourage us from being faithful to Scripture and living our lives for Christ. It is in the times of shaking that we need to remember First Corinthians 6:9-11. That section of Scripture lists many sins that will keep us from entering into the Kingdom of God. Fortunately, verse 11 gives those who surrender their lives to Christ precious promises. We can be cleansed. We can be made holy. We can be made right with God.
A former ministry leader who helped men and women overcome unwanted same-sex attraction for over twenty years has recently come out as gay. This man has been very public in his renunciation of any ministry that helps men and women overcomer unwanted same-sex attraction or transgender issues, and has been apologizing profusely for all the “harm” he has caused in his years of ministry. He has been giving multiple interviews on national media and has the stated goal to “ban conversion therapy wholesale”. He has joined the ranks of other former ex-gay ministry leaders who have abandoned the call to Biblical sexuality, many of whom now openly identify as gay.
Unfortunately, Christian leaders falling away from the faith and falling into sin is nothing new. Many heterosexual pastors have fallen into immorality. Nevertheless, we do not discount helping these men and women overcome their heterosexual sin, nor do we discredit the sanctity of heterosexual marriage because of the sinfulness of a few. However, when an ex-gay ministry leader falls back into homosexual sin, LGBTQ proponents quickly jump to the occasion and claim that such ministries were never valid in the first place, and in fact, cause great harm. This claim is not backed up by research and actually runs counter to research that does show benefit from working to overcome unwanted LGBTQ attractions, and that such efforts do not cause harm when practiced appropriately. Research affirms what I and countless others have experienced firsthand; Jesus Christ can and does transform hearts that are surrendered to Him. We must also recognize that the transformation process occurs at different levels for each person, and that anyone undergoing pastoral care or professional therapy will likely continue to experience some level of unwanted LGBTQ attractions while they are living in this fallen world.
The news media now uses the phrase “conversion therapy” in the context of any pastoral care or licensed therapy that helps clients overcome unwanted LGBTQ issues and align their sexuality with their Christian faith. Such care includes discipleship programs, clinical counseling, and Christian prayer and meditation. LGBTQ advocates fabricated the term conversion therapy to demonize legitimate care for unwanted LGBTQ issues, and to set those who promote LGBTQ issues at odds with the conservative Christian church. It is a strawman argument that uses guilt by association to equate any appropriate efforts to submit one’s sexuality to his or her Christian faith, with abusive methods such as electric shock therapy, ice baths, and shaming. None of these harmful practices are used by reputable therapists or pastoral caregivers. Neither Reconciliation Ministries, nor Restored Hope Network to which we belong, practice conversion therapy. Reconciliation Ministries practices biblical, compassionate care and mainstream counseling techniques to help ministry participants achieve their goals of overcoming sexual and relational brokenness. Our ministry team is composed of peer ministry volunteers and license professional counselors who respect each participant’s dignity and who are dedicated to walking with each person to Jesus Christ, the only one who can truly change hearts and transform lives.
Thank you for partnering with us to help men and women find deep healing and true freedom from sexual and relational brokenness. Please feel free to call us at 586.739.5114 if you have any questions, or if you or someone you know needs help. There is hope in Christ.
You Can Change Lives
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Before Living Waters, I didn’t even know who I was, I had hidden myself so well behind my layers of broken protection, that I couldn’t even find myself… but God found me. He found me buried in the rubble, He gently scrubbed my wounds, and bandaged them in both Grace and Mercy.
A female participant.
I knew that I needed help to actively pursue a different course, one that acknowledges that God hasn’t made people to have same-sex relationships. I’m pursuing God with everything in me and learning, thanks to Living Waters, how to approach life in a healthy way.
A male participant.
These are just two examples of the lives touched through the prayers and financial support of the Reconciliation Ministries support team. You can empower men and woman to find freedom from the trauma of abuse, the bondage of sexual addiction, and struggles with unwanted LGBTQ identities. You can help men and women find freedom in Christ.
There are still many more souls in bondage to sin. Emotional battle scars are obvious on the faces of the precious men and women who come for help. Many have been rejected and hurt by those who should have been safe – sometimes even in the church. Many are skeptical that they can ever be free. Your donation can offer hope. You can provide a Living Waters scholarship to help someone experience deep healing in a Christ-centered recovery program. You can provide a counseling scholarship to help men, women, and adolescents who can’t afford therapy at other counseling clinics; receive Biblically based, low-cost, licensed professional counseling and prayer ministry. You can help transform the lives of people right here where you live by making a tax-deductible donation today by clicking here. A gift of any size helps.
Thank you for helping to bridge the gap between the church and the sexually broken. You are making a difference.
Ministry Challenges
/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
Exodus Global Alliance Board Members and Ministry Guests
I was recently reminded of the importance of gathering together with like-minded believers when I attended an Exodus Global Alliance conference in Toronto. Exodus Global Alliance continues to uphold the call to help men and women overcome unwanted LGBTQ struggles and embrace Biblical sexuality. I was privileged to be a part of the guest day at the EGA board meeting held immediately following the conference. Leaders from Latin America, Canada, and the Asia Pacific region shared their ministerial victories and struggles. Although they continue to help men and women overcome sexual brokenness, many of these leaders were experiencing more legal restrictions and challenges than we have here in the United States. Some of the leaders explained that their countries want to be seen as progressive, so they find out the direction the US is going with cultural and legal issues and try to get there faster. Their countries have seen that the US is heading towards banning any therapy helping men and women overcome LGBTQ issues, so some of their countries have already made such therapy illegal.
Just before the conference, I saw that legislation was introduced in Michigan to ban “conversion therapy” for minors. Conversion therapy is loosely defined as any therapy seeking to help someone change their sexual orientation or gender identity away from LGBT and towards a traditional sexual orientation or gender identity. Michigan therapists would only be allowed to offer LGBTQ affirmative therapy to minors, even if the clients requested help to align their sexuality with their Christian faith. Fortunately, it does not look like this legislation will become law with Michigan’s Republican led House and Senate; however, individual cities may be starting to adopt such laws. On June 2nd, the city of Huntington Woods passed a law banning sexual orientation change efforts for minors. Therapists who provide such help will be guilty of a municipal violation.
The reality is that there is over 100 years of scientific research showing that sexual orientation change efforts can be beneficial in helping men and women experience a shift in their orientation and/or gender identity. There is also 2000 year old Biblical evidence in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 that some members of the Corinthian church overcame homosexuality. “Such were some of you…”
Your prayers and financial support of Reconciliation Ministries are crucial to reach men and women who are experiencing unwanted same-sex attraction and gender confusion. You can help these precious souls receive healing for the root issues of their struggles and experience the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. If you are already a member of our monthly support team, we at Reconciliation Ministries sincerely thank you. If you aren’t, we invite you to join our support team by donating to the ministry each month. A donation of any size can help change lives for eternity. You can donate securely online by clicking here.
Thank you for sharing this journey with us,
Dan Hitz and your friends at Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc.
You Are Not Alone!!!
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Men and women who are wrestling with unwanted LGBTQ issues often feel like they're the only ones seeking freedom from unwanted same-sex attraction and transgender issues. Sometimes it seems like everyone else is embracing and celebrating those desires. Similarly, those wrestling with the aftermath of sexual abuse may feel like they're forever tainted and trapped in a mindset of victimization or unhealthy self-protection that leaves them feeling hopeless and isolated. Popular culture viciously attacks those who seek to submit their sexuality to Christ and live for Him. So often, we can feel like the prophet Elijah as he was running from the powers of his day. We ask ourselves, "Am I the only one who doesn't want to embrace homosexuality? Am I the only one who __________" There are many struggles that can fill in that blank.
The truth is that there are countless overcomers. There are many who refused to bend their knee to the gods of this age and have found victory in their fight against sin and abuse. Your support of Reconciliation Ministries helps bring hope and healing to those who feel alone in their struggles. You help provide a safe place where those who feel isolated can experience the truth, that Jesus Christ can heal and restore. Your prayers and financial support of Reconciliation Ministries can help set the captive free.
You can make a difference. Please donate securely online by clicking here.
Thank you for sharing this journey with us! Thank you for "Bridging the gap between the church and the sexually broken."
In Christ,
Dan Hitz and your brothers and sisters at Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, Inc.
Mercy
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Photo credit: David Watkis via www.unsplash.com.
“Who gave mercy my address, or told it how to get to my room? Didn’t it know a sinner lived in it? On the way down the hall, shouldn’t the smell of idols kept its feet from moving any closer? Then I remembered the one verse of the Bible that I knew by heart, ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.’ The same Bible that condemned me, held in it the promises that could save me. I just had to believe it.” – Jackie Hill Perry in Gay Girl, Good God.
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?
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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