COM Newsletter - July 2022
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT
It was on Monday June 6; I was heading home from speaking in Florida. I got on plane and started to head to Knoxville when I started getting a headache and feeling a little woozy. By the time I landed after two flights it was now midnight and I realized I wasn’t capable of driving the almost 2 hours to where I was staying with my sister on her Blueberry farm. After stopping at four hotels, I finally found a room where I could collapse and get some rest. The next morning, I headed out to my destination realizing I was struggling with some type of flu and my destination was all that was on my mind, to find rest and to recover.
I had posted on Facebook the week before and had found a response from someone that wasn’t in my friend’s list. Looking at his profile I was confused as to the gender of this person. Curious, but not wanting to be too bold, I thanked him for posting, hoping for an opportunity to have a conversation. He did, and I mentioned that judging by his profile he probably had an interesting story to tell. He confirmed that he did have a story, and without making any assumptions I mentioned that we probably had many things in common.
I sent him our documentary “Journey Interrupted,” (available at: JourneyInterrupted.com in twelve languages for FREE), and asked him to let me know what he thought. He responded after watching that it brought him to tears as well as his wife, and that he had recently come out of transgenderism where he had been living as a woman for over six years. He said that he would type out his story and send it to me, but I asked if he would tell it to me on the phone while I was driving back from the airport, which he agreed to do. At this point we had only been texting.
Once I got myself loaded and was heading toward east Tennessee, I reached out and called my new friend in Christ. As he started to share, about fifteen minutes into the call my car began jerking forward and losing acceleration, and I was in the middle of a four lane highway in the middle Knoxville! Under normal conditions this would have been very inconvenient, but I was feeling weak struggling with the onset of my second Covid infection. Yet I also really wanted to hear this amazing story of transformation!
Surrounded by semi-tractor trailers and other traffic, I put on my warning lights and eased over to the side of the highway as quickly as possible before my vehicle died. Once safely off the highway and no longer distracted, I listened intently to this amazing story, held spellbound as I was broken down on the side of the road, and with covid! I stayed there transfixed for 45 minutes not wanting to distract the caller from sharing his story. Not even my broken-down vehicle or my compromised health was going to stop me from hearing him! When he finished, we were praising God and prayed together before I admitted to him that I was sitting on the side of the highway and that his story was so inspirational that I felt I was raptured into Heaven not even realizing my predicament. We laughed together as we determined to continue to communicate and stay in touch.
So, I then had to call AAA and get a tow to a mechanic. Once I sorted all that out, I had to leave my vehicle and rent a car to return home. I would have to get my vehicle at the end of the week and return the rental, but all that was then on my mind was just crawling into bed. I purchased a self-test in town and tested as I fell into bed for the next few days in isolation and exhaustion.
I wanted to share this experience to let you the reader know that the life of ministry isn’t glamorous, and many times it is challenging with travel and keeping up good health. But that experience on the side of the road is a testimony to why I gave up my home and business career to hear stories like Rick’s and to be a part of something much richer and more meaningful than what this old world has to offer.
“Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the POWER that works in us,” Ephesians 3:20
As a testimony part to the newsletter, I have been given permission by Rick to share with you what he wrote to me. I hope you are blessed as you hear his incredible story…
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Q&A
Question: What would be the best way to share your information with a gay friend? Quite frankly, I don't know if he wants to change. One thing I know for sure is that God does not create people as homosexuals or lesbians. Please give me your input.
Reply: True, God does not create homosexuals or lesbians. If so, the Bible would be condemning the works of God Himself. If your friend is content with his lifestyle and does not want to change or to investigate available help, then God Himself has to wait. A person must recognize His need and acknowledge that need before God can be of assistance. “Only acknowledge thine iniquity… and I will heal your backsliding” He says in Jeremiah 3:13-22. In other words, “Acknowledge that your homosexuality is a sin issue, and then I can heal you.”
You, however, can pray that God will do whatever it takes to get your friend's attention, to help him recognize and acknowledge his need. Continue also to maintain your friendship with him, loving him unconditionally that he may see Jesus in you and be drawn toward Him through you.
As you are able to read my book and other information for yourself, you are more credible in introducing your friend to it as well. If you can get your friend to read my book (Strait Answers to the Gay Question) and/or visit our website (www.comingoutministries.org), I think he will find much interesting material there to consider.
Q&A text taken from:
Author: “Victor J. Adamson”
(Ron Woolsey)
TESTIMONY
Hello from Arizona!
Hi Michael: Watching the “Journey Interrupted” video last night had me in tears, tears of joy seeing and hearing about God’s love and work in our lives. His mercy and grace are just so amazing to me. So, I’ll try to share a little bit about my story with you.
I started to transition into Anna Lisk back in June of 2015. I had always felt different ever since I was 7. Like you I would try on my mom’s clothes and it just felt right. When she caught me one time, she didn’t say anything to me and just walked away. So, I thought it was okay? Not till I was a little older is when she would start to tease me in front of my older brothers. Early on I learned how to try and fit in with my older brothers so I wouldn’t get beat up by them. It was survival.
I became a Born-Again Christian at 13. It was then the Holy Spirit started to convict me of my feelings and crossdressing. But the older I got the stronger the feelings became. I never got any support from my family, other than teasing about my feelings and dressing up. My mom and stepdad never talked with anyone about me to the church we attended. So, I just continued to dress up whenever I was alone. Playing with makeup, etc.
At 15 I came to live with my dad in Tucson because I was just too rebellious to my mom and at school. I just didn’t care anymore! Things didn’t change either living with my dad. But oddly enough, during my high-school years, the feelings of wanting to dress up in girl clothes almost went away! It wasn’t till I got married, a few years after that, that the feelings and desires came back like a tidal wave!
My wife knew about it after a while and was okay with it, as long as it stayed in the “closet”. I did try to stop and prayed all the time for God to take those feelings away from me. But I could never get the courage to seek help from our church due to the embarrassment it would bring to me and my family. So, the internal battle continued from 1992 to 2015!
In October 2015, I started to Google if there were others like me? Then bingo, Transgender popped up on one of my searches and as I read more about it, it all made sense to me. And just like that, I told my kids and wife that I was going to transition to be a woman, no matter what the cost! Not realizing it, I also turned my back on God.
So, for the next 7 years I tried the best I could to live as a woman. Even legally changing my name, driver’s license, social security card, etc. It was hell at first. I almost lost my wife and kids and her family. But by the grace of God, they stuck by me. And I didn’t know they had been praying for me all those years for God to bring me out of the lie and deception I was in. I was so blinded and just wouldn’t listen to anyone about the path I was heading on.
Early on in my transition I found out my endocrinologist was an avid cyclist like myself. His son was also an elite racer. He asked once during one of my visits with him if I would consider racing again. I just laughed and said no. The women racers wouldn’t go for it! But a month later, on Facebook, the Arizona Women’s Racing Team ad popped up on my Facebook feed, and as I read about the team, I remembered what my doctor told me about racing again. So, I said, what the heck and reached out to the team, all the while not getting my hopes up too much. Well about a week later I heard back from the team captain, and she told me that she presented the idea of having a trans woman cyclist join the team and that they all voted yes! I couldn’t believe it and was very excited and scared too!
I had to try out first, and I met one of the AZWR teammates that live in my city. I met her at the base of Mount Lemmon one morning, and she said let’s do some intervals up the mountain a little bit. I was thinking, oh crap! This is going to hurt! Somehow, I managed to hang onto her wheel and keep up with her, barely! Well, she said afterwards, “Good job, and welcome to the team.” As I began racing with this all woman’s racing team and winning some races, things got rough, but with the support of all my teammates, I was able to begin to open hearts and minds of those that didn’t approve. I was living the dream! But also, I was not living for Christ and found myself still feeling empty and scared and wondering how long I could continue living as a trans woman, especially racing within the women’s elite fields. I had to follow strict guidelines in order to race as a woman. So, I had to take higher doses of hormones than normal, to keep my testosterone levels low. I did this for almost 6 years! And I believe it finally caught up to me.
Just about a little over two months ago, God allowed a sickness to come over me. I thought at one point, this is it. I’m going to die! Prior to becoming very ill, I had decided to get off the hormones, but thought I could still continue to live as Anna. Then one day, while taking a shower, God didn’t just speak to me, he slapped me and told me no! You can not be in the middle. You can not be lukewarm, for I will spit you out of my mouth! I just broke down and cried my eyes out because I knew He was right. I also knew if I didn’t come back to Jesus right then and there, I would not have another chance! So, I told him, “Okay, Lord. I’ll come back to you right now 100%!”
It’s been a struggle since then with the temptation to go back as Anna and even to cross-dress here and there. But I now know, my true identity is in Christ Jesus. And, Lord willing, I can maybe race again someday and give all the praise and glory to My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for making me whole again! Amen!!
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Amen!
So that’s just a little bit of my story. I look forward to talking with you soon and hopefully meeting you someday.
God bless!
Rick
(Here is his picture now living as Rick the man that God created him to be.)
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