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?You need not fight this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, oh Judah and Jerusalem, do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you.?

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II Chronicles 20:17


Dear friends & ministry partners,


The last time I was preparing our ministry update, I was about to preach at a church just outside of New York City. That was the beginning of more than a month of ministry travel ? sharing and preaching from church to church in the Northeast. God opened up so many amazing doors for the message we are eager to share with the Church ? Jesus is still on His throne and He?s still transforming lives that are yielded to Him today, regardless of the need or issue.


My wife (Melissa) and I were blessed to be filmed as we shared our story and answered questions in preparation for a three-week series that our large, multi-campus church began in September, entitled ?Sexuality?. Our brief story was shared with approximately 45,000 attendees across all fifteen Phoenix area campuses, alongside our senior pastor?s first message of the series. They later edited an extended, 60-minute version of our story for their video channel.


This entire series was excellent and provides a great model of compassionate love and unwavering truth. We highly encourage you to check out that sermon series here.


You can find the extended version of our testimony and response to questions here.


We only had a few weeks back home before heading out for another extended ministry trip ? for three weeks this time. After a weekend of ministry with three churches in Paducah, Kentucky (two of which were UMC), we headed to Nashville to exhibit at the American Association of Christian Counselor?s conference (AACC). If you?ve been watching or listening to our podcast, you?ll be interested to know that we filmed seven interviews with various ministry leaders right from our ministry booth! We are excited to share those with you. We would love for you to share our podcast with other people as well.


AACC was an excellent opportunity to connect with hundreds of Christian counselors as there were more than 7,000 in attendance. There were many like-minded men and women eager to hear our stories, and wanting to know about the ministries of Transforming Congregations and Love & Truth Network. Many took our information to encourage their pastor and other leaders to connect with us. We also had the chance to engage with some counselors who have believed the popular narrative and were skeptical that Jesus could change the lives of those who identify as LGBTQ+. We were able to give them a different perspective ? a Biblical perspective.


I also had an opportunity to talk and share with someone who seemed unusually frustrated about our ministry and some of the responses I offered to questions they asked or statements they made. Clearly, this person wasn?t happy that we were exhibiting, but I continued to engage and sought to understand where they were coming from. They had seen our ministry in the registration material and lineup of exhibitors, making it a priority to visit our booth and challenge us. There is always a ?backstory? to people?s pain, often expressed through frustration.


After a good 30 minutes of back-and-forth conversation, this person said they were going to risk sharing something. ?I?m trans?, they said. They were the opposite sex from what they were presenting. To simply look at them and even talk with them, no one would have known. We talked a little about their dysphoria and experience. I felt genuine compassion for this person standing before me who was made in the image of God, but struggling against their true self. I sensed this was a God-opportunity to show kindness and respect (as is always the case), while also clearly communicating truth and God?s design and intention for maleness and femaleness.


As they were about to leave, I gave them my card and said I would like to stay in touch. I offered a hug and they accepted. ?Keep up the good work,? they said. I was surprised by that statement. I don?t know what God might do with this interchange, but I was glad for the opportunity and that this person came to feel safe enough to offer me a glimpse into something so personal and painful.


We never know how God may open up such doors of opportunity. But we will all have them ? if not with a trans-identified person, it will be someone broken who needs to experience a Christian being kind, respectful, and fully truthful about what God rescued them from and what His Word teaches about sexuality and identity. And most importantly, what His word teaches about Jesus loving them so much He came to give them new life and a new identity.


I didn?t say anything profound. I asked questions, listened, and responded to their questions. I simply spoke the truth of His design and shared my own story of God?s rescue out of who I once thought I was ? a gay man.


Also, I have chosen to refer to this person with the use of the words ?they? and ?them?, not because they identify that way (they didn?t), but because I simply want to maintain anonymity, and not mention their sex. Would you pause a moment and pray with me for this one whom God knows and whom He desires to restore?


As I was writing this update, our ministry team was flying back to Phoenix from the AACC conference, and I continued on to D.C. for meetings with national leaders. Together, we were invited for prayer, planning, and strategic discussions with several national family policy leaders, as well as opportunities to meet with legislators. What an amazing time of synergy and unity! Even as we acknowledge how our enemy has been deceiving and wreaking havoc throughout culture, it has also been so encouraging to hear of the many victories we have all been witnesses to. God is on the move! Please keep praying for His mercy and enlightenment.


I?m reminded of God?s promises in Jeremiah 1:19 ?


?They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.?


And also in Jeremiah 15:20 ?


?Then I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, they will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the Lord.?


Before going into the Capitol buildings today to talk with representatives, senators, and their staffers, we had a very encouraging time of hearing from another faith and family group located right by the Capitol. They shared with us the incredible ways God has been giving them unusual favor and opening hearts and opportunities for prayer, Bible-study groups, and a wide variety of ministry and fellowship with many leaders and influencers in the heart of this national power-center.


A common theme that I?ve been hearing this week from a number of ministry leaders and national policy watchdogs is that ?something is changing.? It feels like we?re in beginning of a much-needed awakening. The tide of deception and mindless rubberstamping of sin (even abuse of children and women) under the guise of ?LGBTQ+ inclusivity? and so-called anti-bigotry are showing signs of faltering under the weight of exposure to truth and light.


As I sat with ministry colleagues, listening to all God is doing ? even in the face of great opposition ? I was encouraged to remember several themes of God?s deliverance:



As we prayed together and were dismissed to walk around the Capitol, we were reminded to simply be His witnesses in every way ? witnesses to what we have seen, witnesses to the way God has moved powerfully in our lives, witnesses to the joy and freedom He has so abundantly poured out on each one of us.


How do you need God to show up in your life, your family, or your circle of friends or influence? What struggles are you facing that only He can change? As we reflect on all that He has done, we can experience our faith raise up in belief in our God for whatever challenge is before us now. I am often asked what the factors were that most prompted me to repent of homosexual identity and practice, and turn to God.


In most cases, my first response is, ?I had a praying mom.? Don?t ever let the enemy make you weary of praying and seeking on behalf of your loved one! God is moving behind the scenes. He is still ?mighty to save? as much today as ever. He is still ?might to save? on issues regarding LGBTQ+ as any other. ?Don?t grow weary in doing good? either (Galatians 6:9, II Thessalonians 3:13).


These themes and passages of God?s deliverance also connect directly with the testimony at the end of this update. More often than not, the testimonies we share are based on experiences of brokenness and eventual freedom that were experienced many months or even years ago. This particular testimony has elements of both ? historic freedom as well as being right in the moment of today ? seeking, believing, and needing God to deliver and heal.


This testimony is close to home for me, as Kyle is a dear brother, friend, and has done an enormous amount of work for Love & Truth Network. The Lord brought Kyle to us to clarify, sharpen, and expand awareness and the reach of our ministry. We are blessed beyond words for this man. We love his precious wife, Chioma, and their sweet baby girl. As you read this testimony would you first pray earnestly for them? Would you also prayerfully consider giving financially through their ?GiveSendGo? link?


MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES


October and November are filling up with ministry travel, many speaking events, and equipping opportunities for Christian leaders. Please pray for us ? that God would open new doors and deepen commitments to Him that will lead to greater discipleship within the Church, as well as many more laborers in His great field of harvest.


PARTNERSHIP INVITATION


The Church needs to be well equipped for the days we're living in, and we need your help to continue our work. Will you partner with us through prayer covering and financial support today?


Always grateful for you!


Reverend Garry Ingraham

Executive Director



My wife is currently battling stage 4 breast cancer that has spread to her lungs and bones, and her body is in a very fragile state. The burdens financially, emotionally, and physically have been beyond what I ever imagined our young family of three could endure (we have a 1-year-old daughter), and my wife has become severely physically limited by the health struggles. If ever I would have given myself an excuse to indulge in sexual sin to dull pain, now would be it. However, not only have I stayed faithful to my wife in this intense battle, but victory over sexual sin has been a consistent pattern in my life for many years now. Comparing my current reality to my childhood though, you might assume I?m a different person altogether.


The God of the Bible clearly does miracles, but I grew immensely frustrated when God would not take away desires for sexual sin as I grew through puberty and beyond. I tried begging, reading many Christian books, joining accountability groups, serving in church, and so many other things to try changing my desires. Nothing worked. My soul ached constantly for the pleasure of sexual satisfaction I had discovered via fantasy, pornography, and masturbation at a young age, and I never could go more than a few weeks without indulging in some or all of my favorite sexual pleasures. As a believer since the age of three, I was fully aware of my sin and thoroughly hated it. I so deeply longed to live an upright life, but I slowly grew to hate myself for not being able to do so. I reasoned that if God wanted me to live rightly, there must be a way to do it! But how?


In my high school and college years, I mastered the art of appearing to be godly while also pursuing selfish gain. I was very talented and skilled in music, and I pursued a career in film music composition that resulted in meeting my childhood role model ? John Williams ? being mentored by one of the most powerful music agents in Hollywood, interning in the music department on the Fast and Furious movie series, conducting the Hollywood Studio Symphony for film music I had written, and much more. While I was admired and envied by peers and fans, I felt so deeply unfulfilled and sad. I longed for a life of authenticity and meaning.


Desperate to find that life, I quit music and tried several other career paths. I tried pursuing sexual pleasure without restraint through pornography, sexual involvement with women, and fantasy. I eventually decided to abandon Christianity altogether since it only seemed to be a hindrance that led to cycles of misery instead of joy.


In 2013, however, I faced the perfect storm that revealed my life?s rotted foundations: I lost most of my work, my girlfriend, and my will to live. I have never felt such immense pain as the emptiness in my body then ? particularly in my gut. No food, beverage, substance, sexual act, or pain could alleviate the void. I longed for the joy in life I had known as a child and was deeply disturbed by the demonic dreams I was now experiencing, so I began searching for spiritual answers.


The undeserved kindness of Christians in that season of life brought me hope. Of all the religions I was investigating, Christianity uniquely promised a fix to the problem of human selfishness ? death to a corrupt heart resulting in a new life of love, joy, and peace. My hunger for that life drove me to Jesus, and at the end of 2013, I recommitted my life to Him. The emptiness in me felt relieved for the first time in many years.


In my first year of walking with Jesus again, I was still addicted to pornography (worse than ever in fact), was full of pride and arrogance, and frequently committed many other sins. However, after about a year, I got so frustrated by my lack of progress in replacing sin with righteous living that I angrily told God I ?give up? trying and that He would need to ?obey through me? by His own power if I were ever going to have any level of sexual purity. That day is the day I never went back to pornography. Almost nine years later, I?m still sober. Struggles with masturbation lasted another six years, and struggles against temptation to lust are still a daily fight, though the more I walk with Jesus the lure of that temptation increasingly is losing its strength.


More than simply having a vision of the kind of righteous life God wanted me to live, what made the difference between my early attempts at freedom and the later victories is primarily one thing ? pure trust/faith/belief. As a child, I knew that God should be able to help me stop sinning, but my heart was also often set on pursuing idols and thus was full of doubt. The book of James describes this kind of ?belief? as similar to what demons have ? they know God exists, but they refuse to obey Him (James 2). Strictly speaking, this kind of faith without repentance can never result in someone being born again. However, it?s also a pattern of thinking that actual believers have to unlearn once they are born again (Romans 12:1-2). James warned that anyone asking God for wisdom while also doubting is double-minded and ?should not expect he will receive anything from the Lord? (??James? ?1?:?5?-?8?). Similarly, I hadn?t been able to operate in God?s power to quit porn and other sexual sins until I had repented wholeheartedly and believed He could and would help me. Jesus taught that the way to guarantee our prayers will be answered is to abide in Him, which means we both love and obey Him (John 15:7-10).?????????????????????????


That lesson learned has helped me grow up in Jesus in so many ways, and never have I more appreciated it than in the past six months as my wife has battled the worst of the cancer fight. She has been hospitalized twice, and these past two weeks were the most intense ? she literally made it to the edge of death, and doctors said there was no way she could survive more than a few days in her condition. Yet, together she and I chose to trust God for a miracle. As we asked God to heal instead of accepting the decree of imminent death the doctors told us would happen, she has made a miraculous recovery by regaining consciousness and the ability to talk, eat, walk, and more in just a few days. It?s been easy to share the Gospel with many of the hospital staff who witnessed Jesus do the miracle. While the road of recovery looks very long ahead of us, we know from experience that the same God who has rescued us before can continue doing the same.


I invite you to read the story of the miracle God did in the ICU on our GiveSendGo page. The updates between September 12-21 are the heart of the story, but feel free to read even more for context too. The page also lists ways we are inviting the Body of Christ to help us meet practical and prayer needs. If the Lord puts it on your heart to support us, we greatly appreciate it!


May the Lord prove Himself strong in your journey of learning to trust Jesus more and more each day similarly. God bless you all!