A couple of weeks ago Lipscomb University began a Tuesday night devotion series called, “The Gospel of Sex” where speakers are going to discuss issues of sexuality and intimacy in a straight-forward, yet Christ-centered fashion. They opened this series with several videos which covered a variety of topics, including pornography, homosexuality, sexual abuse and adultery. While sitting in the auditorium of several hundred fellow students, I have to admit that I was reminded of some of my least favorite moments.
A couple years ago, I hated where I was in my life. In my depression, I looked to make myself feel better in the form of physical conquests. It is something that I’m not proud of and during the process, I hurt a lot of people’s feelings and put some scars on my own heart, but I have felt for some time now that God has called me to be open about that time in my life and use it to help influence teenagers and college students for the better. I strongly believe that one of the most important things missing from ministry today is relationship and the ability to connect with your audience, to sound less like you are preaching and more like you are conversing.
As I mentioned earlier, I have had the past on my mind the last couple weeks and from those experiences come some of my more entertaining stories. To be rather forward, most of them are embarrassing, but yet there is a point to the silliness and laughter at my expense; embarrassment and heartbreak are the kinds of thing that happens when you step out of God’s plan for physical intimacy. God knows what is best for us and this is why He gives us Scripture to follow, not simply as a set or dos and don’ts, but as rules for a better life for yourself and amongst your fellow man.
How awesome is it that God can take the the brokenness and restoration of a person to heal and direct the life of another, to spare them of the same heartbreak. I firmly believe that experience is most often the best teacher, but you cannot argue with the experience of someone who has “been there and done that.”
“You have turned my mourning into dancing…” Psalm 30:11
