Category — overcomers

GCM Watch was the first to tell you about Kiana Dennis, the former Detroit-based lesbian nightclub owner who left a highly successful career in gay entertainment to follow Jesus.

More good news to report.  Dennis has branched out with a new ministry and website to reach others who want to leave “the lifestyle” and follow Jesus. Called Blood,Sweat and Tears the ministry aims to “to help lead women and men out of homosexuality into the hands of The Savior Jesus Christ.”

Blood = Sacrifice
(“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” – Romans 12:1)

Sweat = Work
(“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” – James 2:26)

Tears = Pain
(“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’ – Matthew 16:24 & Luke 9:23)

Hands (symbolizing Gods Hands)
(See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me” – Isaiah 46:16)

Visit Blood, Sweat and Tears ministry.

In Ferndale, a suburb of Detroit, a new club had everybody excited. The new owners had set out to make it the hottest interactive gay nightclub in the state of Michigan and judging from the consistently packed crowds, for the most part, they had succeded.  Michigan’s top gay magazine Between The Lines, hailed the owners and the club as a major attraction.
Club 9 attracts one of the most diverse crowds of any gay club in Ferndale, with Monday night football, Hump Night on Wednesdays for the boys, Trend-Sexy Fridays for hip-hop lovers and Sweet Saturdays, when a predominantly female crowd kicks it to the latest top 40 jams.

The club also attracted a pair of young and ambitious women. In October of 2009, Kiana Dennis, who is just 29, and Angela Vincents, who just prefers “thirty-something,” purchased the business and expanded it. They added TV’s, dance poles, a T-shaped stage for fashion shows and a new sign out front. They painted the walls and made the events calendar more diverse.

They also brought in talent from out of town, including the sexy dancers from the 2012 club in Windsor and Spinderella, the turntable genius from the iconic rap group Salt-n-Peppa.

Dennis and Vincents also worked to make Club 9 a part of both the gay community and the Ferndale scene. The club was a gold-level sponsor for Motor City Pride, a participant in the annual Ferndale Pub Crawl, and a club sponsor for Hotter than July, an LGBT celebration organized by the Black Pride Society.

But about a year ago, all of that changed. Club co-owner Kiana Dennis closed the venue, gave up the women, the fame and all the benefits of sin to follow Jesus. Now she’s telling her story to help others know that there is nothing too hard for God. See the videos below.

WATCH: Video testimonies of other men and women who have come out of homosexuality.

Michigan Live reported the passing of Roberta Laurila, 80, who pioneered ministry to homosexuals even before the Exodus Movement began. Roberta began her struggle out of  lesbianism at a time when homosexuality was barely spoken of publicly. Yet, she believed God and fought her way through to help liberate thousands of others.

“Roberta Laurila, went to be with Jesus and her many friends and loved ones on Thursday October 20, 2011. Her parents were, Bert and Rosella Meyers, she was the youngest of five siblings, raised near Lake Odessa, MI. Later in life, after receiving Jesus as her Savior she was called by her Lord to minister his love to the rejected and lost who were searching a new life in salvation. Knowing there would be consequences, she plunged into God’s plan for her life by writing a testimony of her own life, which was published in 1975. Soon after she received many letters for help to be delivered from their life style, plus salvation. A few years before, in December of 1967, God had shown her a spiritual vision or dream, her desire to reach many rejected internationally would come to fruition after nine years. The ministry of “EXODUS” was born and shortly thereafter became “Exodus International.” Her prayerful hope of many years, only God had performed, in his plan for her life.”

In her own testimony Roberta knew her call was not to the limelight of leadership but to pray and intercede.

“Much has happened since that time. While I continued to intercede, God began calling forth former gays to minister. God has blessed my friendships with many of the “pioneers” in the Exodus movement, such as Frank Worthen, Robbi Kenney, Ed Hurst and others. I have been blessed also to see many ministries begin in foreign soil. What a wonderful God he is!

God has kept me at a low profile. At times, I have rebelled concerning this. But deep down, I know I was called to intercede for others to be led by the Holy Spirit into all the world.

Even as I write these words, tears are flowing down my cheeks. Surely God will complete His perfect plan to reach the many millions of the lost who have been so rejected and lonely so many years. I weep for the church, blinded by the enemy so it cannot see the need to reach gays. So many Christians cannot truly believe that God can set these people free. My great desire now is to reach those in the gay church. I am believing God to also work a miracle there.”

Bob Davies, former president of Exodus International told Exodus International’s blog that Roberta prayed many of them out of homosexuality and was a major influence on early leaders.

“Quiet faithfulness.” Those are the two words that come to mind when I think of Roberta Laurila.  I first heard about her 30 years ago when I read her testimony—one of the first books to be published from a “former lesbian.” I was even more impacted when I heard “the rest of the story”:  As a new Christian, Roberta began praying for others caught in homosexuality, that God would also free them. One day God gave her a vision of whole stadiums full of people who had left homosexuality.  She began quietly praying for the fulfillment of that vision—and within a couple years, Exodus was born.

For the past 30 years, Roberta continued to pray for the fulfillment of her vision, and her beloved Exodus has grown into a worldwide movement. Her little Exodus ministry in a suburb of Grand Rapids was never well known; few people even knew of her. But, over the decades, she continued to serve in her own quiet, gentle way.

I am humbled by her faithfulness—and feel overwhelming gratitude for the years of prayer that she invested in me and other Exodus leaders. Roberta Laurila will always be one of my heroes in the faith.  I am greatly indebted to her—and I thank the Lord for “every remembrance” of this faithful servant of God.

Roberta’s prayers are yet reaching the throne of God as he calls out men and women who have been trapped in homosexuality out to a new life of faith in the Son of God. The fervent, effectual prayers of the righteous availeth much.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. Rev 2:17

God called Jaye Thomas out of homosexuality and sin. Because he is no respect of persons, he will do the same for you.

Video courtesy of CBN

The world of politics, religion and media has converged  in a stranger than fiction drama. Feeding off the illogical hate of homosexual activists, the liberal news media seems to be fascinated with former homosexuals. First there was Lisa Ling’s “pray away the gay” slur-o-rama where she mocked God’s power to transform sexually broken people. That show included a  long time friend Janet Boynes. Then, Dr. Drew, using the same flawed and biased premise, aired a show called ” Can you pray away the gay? also featuring Janet Boynes.  As we noted before, such a phrase is the social equivalent of calling a black person a nigger.

The problem, you see, is that homosexual activists (aided by “professionals” at the nation’s mental health organizations) believe that a person can change their [homosexual] behavior, but their “sexual orientation”? Absolutely, 100% impossible.

But how does the opinion of educated people fare against the wisdom of God?

“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26

To rephrase:

1. Is changing a man or woman’s sexual orientation too hard for God?

2. Jesus says that men dont have the ability to change certain things, but when GOD is in the equation, what men say is impossible (like changing sexual orientation) becomes possible.

So, this latest mock-up comes via ABC News.

In continued efforts to prove former homosexuals, exlesbians and yes even their favorite mock term exgays don’t exist they enlisted the investigative expertise of ABC News CHIEF investigative journalist Brian Ross.  To ABC, this apparently was on the scope of the Watergate scandal. But Ross has a reputation. Gawker said Ross “has a breathtaking record of recklessly inaccurate, overhyped stories that don’t live up to the headline.” Ross held true to form with this “investigative story”.

Ross used recycled video from an internet based homosexual organization ironically called Truth Wins Out (TWO). TWO has doggedly sought legitimacy by claiming that former homosexuals are not actually former homosexuals.  Thus, the video was  taken by an “undercover” homosexual activist who wanted to tell the world some shocking news.  Presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann’s husband has a Christian counseling practice that tells people sexual orientation isn’t set in stone. A Christian counseling practice that tells men and women they can change from homosexuality. Shocking news indeed.

Americans for Truth about homosexuality provides more detail about the faux sting.

Once a greatly feared investigative reporter, Brian Ross has been reduced to recycling left-wing material from the homosexual lobby. But the pathetic hit job he narrated on Monday’s ABC Nightline show on GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has backfired in a big way. The charge was that the Bachmann family counseling service engages in terrible things by teaching homosexuals how to leave their disease-ridden lifestyle.

Ross called this method of counseling, which emphasizes religious conversion, “highly controversial” and said it “could become a campaign issue.” Ironically, however, he presented evidence that ex-homosexuals do in fact exist

It is a sign of the dominance of the homosexual lobby in the media business that such a program would even be aired. The upcoming National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association convention features “Today” show co-anchor Ann Curry and CNN’s Don Lemon as keynote speakers.

The ABC piece, “Michele Bachmann Clinic: Where You Can Pray Away the Gay?,” was constructed in such a way as to suggest that ex-homosexuals are non-existent, even though the Brian Ross report itself noted the presence of books by a “self-proclaimed ex-lesbian” in the counseling center. A video from the ex-lesbian, Janet Boynes, was even shown briefly on the air. This was supposed to be shocking.

Of course, the notion of the Bible condemning homosexual behavior, reflected in several passages, was viewed as bizarre and intolerant.

Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth says the phrase, “pray away the gay,” is intended to ridicule Christians and comes directly from homosexual activist Wayne Besen’s group, Truth Wins Out. LaBarbera asks, “Why are the major media repeating these hateful attack slogans by radical gay activists?”

He explains, “We don’t mock the idea of leaving drug addiction or alcoholism with God’s help. Why is it acceptable to mock faith in God to overcome unwanted behaviors like homosexuality in their lives?”

“Wayne Besen’s thesis is that ex-gays don’t exist,” noted LaBarbera. But Janet Boynes is a real person and absolute proof that one can leave the homosexual lifestyle.

Perhaps without realizing it, Ross has presented evidence of the homosexual “change” that he was trying to discredit.

“The homosexual lobby simply can’t deal with the reality that ‘gays’ can change (usually with God’s help),” LaBarbera adds. His group recently hosted an event with another ex-lesbian, Linda Jernigan.

Its amazing that in 2011 with all the talk of “being yourself”, being “open and honest”, tolerance, acceptance and equality, homosexual activists want to tell us we have to remain enslaved to something God didn’t create us to be.

Homosexuals going “undercover” to prove us former homosexuals don’t exist is nothing new, but its the activist’s #1 tactic to stir up public hatred and disbelief against people who were formerly like them. Several years ago, an “undercover” gay activist showed up at one of our meetings in Atlanta.  After I rebuke her juvenile antics (and story), she claimed she was set up by the gay newspaper editor and they changed her words after she wrote the story.

If homosexuals don’t want to change, then the solution is simple:  don’t go to a Christian counselor who will tell you that you can.

Update: CBN interviews Mark Yarhouse about the possibility of change from homosexuality which is referred to as “orientation”. When the context of the argument is about “orientation”, a scientific/pyschological construct, the ability to leverage a biblical perspective is greatly diminished. The bible doesnt address orientation per se, but it does address the soul and spirit and intangible nature of mankind both in terms of sin and holiness. See our story Does the Bible address sexual orientation. CBN Video of the interview below.

From a Charisma Magazine press release, its July issue will take a hard look at homosexuality and the challenges it presents to the contemporary church with a lead story entitled “The Church’s gay Delimma: What radical activists dont want you to know”. Featured on the cover is Minneapolis based ex-lesbian Janet Boynes.

Lake Mary, FL – Charisma magazine tackles the tough subject of homosexuality and the church in order to shed a huge spotlight of truth on the enemy’s lies. For their lead story, they couldn’t have chosen a better model than Creation House author—and former lesbian—Janet Boynes.
In the July issue (on sale June 22nd), Janet exposes the deception to which so many have fallen prey, when they come to believe that same-sex attraction is a natural part of who they are. With courage, candor, and compassion, she shares her powerful story of a life transformed by God’s grace and delivered to a freedom framed and powered by God’s purpose.
Janet’s message is one of hope, spoken with the wisdom and passion of someone who’s been there. Many people will read her heartbreaking story of childhood abuse and abandonment and be able to relate to the brokenness that led her on a quest for acceptance and love. This is a familiar scenario for many individuals trapped in the homosexual lifestyle.
For years, Janet lived her life knowing she was on a destructive path, but she had no idea how to change. Her heart cried out for freedom, and the Lord heard her. Through a surprise encounter with a Christian woman she’d never met, God set the stage that ultimately would lead to her deliverance.

Boynes, the author of the book “Called Out”,  was also featured on the Dr. Drew show and  Lisa Ling’s “pray away the gay” mockumentary on Oprah Winfrey’s new network.

Ministry website