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Friends and Family Spotlight:
How to Love and Not Affirm

by Marsha Inman, Friends and Family Director


A recurring question that we are asked here at Living Hope is "How do I show love to my child or loved one when I cannot affirm their gay or transgender identity?” The friends and family members who search out Living Hope are committed to their child or loved one, and they want to do the best job they can of loving them well, if only they knew how.  A good place to start might be to realize that "love” and “affirmation” are completely different concepts.  Those two words have been redefined by the culture, causing great confusion.  To clear up the confusion, it would be helpful to review the definitions of these words to make sure we are using them accurately.   Our culture, with the help of most media, has done a powerful job of portraying love as that warm feeling we get when we feel a romantic attraction toward someone or feel drawn to something adorable like a puppy.  Is that what love is? 

Love is used to describe everything from liking something to being obsessed with an object.  As Christians, the Greek word agape would be a better base for understanding love, since that is the type of love that Jesus modeled.  Some of the definitions of agape include “a pure, willful, sacrificial love that intentionally desires another's highest good,” and a “deliberate and unconditional love that is the result of choices and behaviors rather than feelings and emotions.”  A Christian expression of love would be choosing to act towards a person in a way that promotes their highest good, even if doing so involved sacrifice on your part.   A person who was acting in love would not affirm untruths or point a person in a direction that they feel would harm them.  Christians must base their assessment of what would be harmful according to what is revealed in God's Word.  It is loving to be honest with someone even when they aren't going to like what you say. 

Affirming is a completely different and unrelated concept to love.  Its meanings are listed as to “declare one's support for; uphold; defend,” to “accept or confirm the validity of; ratify” and to “offer emotional support or encouragement.”  In order to affirm someone, you (read the rest of the article here)
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 Because the Resurrection Changes Everything!
In June, Ricky Chelette, Executive Director, trained leaders and preached again in Arecibo, Puerto Rico; taught the Executive Directors of Women's Pregnancy Centers of North Texas; taught youth at two Youth Summer Camps and had the honor of preaching in the morning service of Southlake Baptist Church, in Southlake, TX. If you are interested in having LHM speak at your church, group, or organization, please contact us. We would be honored to share the transformational power of the gospel with your group or congregation.

 

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Check out over 100 episodes of Hope Cast! - Honest conversations about real issues Christians face regarding sexuality, faith, and discipleship.
Designed specifically to speak into the sexual and relational brokenness of our lives, these verse-by-verse teachings of the Bible help all believers discover how to surrender their lives, sexuality, and identities to the Lord and be faithful followers of Jesus Christ.
Join Us In Prayer

Please join us in praying for people as they respond to PRIDE month.  This month is hard for many struggling with their sexuality or with a loved one that is LGBTQIA+ identified.
  • Pray for those that are confused about their sexuality to not be deceived by all the ideas and beliefs being put out by the PRIDE movement but instead, hear the truth of the gospel and their true identity in Christ.
  • Pray for Christians to respond with intentionality to LGBTQIA+ issues and people with grace and truth.
  • Pray for the Lord to bring encouragement to those discouraged by all the celebration of identities that are not rooted in His design and for reminders of His faithfulness in their lives.
  • Pray for those who identify with the LGBTQIA+ community that they might be unexpectedly interrupted by God's love and grace toward them and receive His redemptive work on the cross on their behalf.
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