Welcome to the "Survival Kit"! In this series, Brian and Sheldon unpack the ancient practices of God's people, spiritual disciplines, as the secret to surviving SSA and thriving in relationship with Jesus Christ. In this episode, the guys reflect on the practice of Sabbath. It's not just an Old Testament thing! Sabbath is an act of faith, devotion, and holy rest. And for the believer who wrestles with SSA and like temptations, Sabbath is key to a healthy spiritual life, one that teaches us to en...
Jun 02, 2025•41 min•Season 2025Ep. 29
Welcome to the "Survival Kit"! In this series, Brian and Sheldon unpack the ancient practices of God's people, spiritual disciplines, as the secret to surviving SSA and thriving in relationship with Jesus Christ. Is meditation a part of your spiritual rhythms? If not, you are missing out on a gift: intimacy with the Father through His Word. As theologian J.I. Packer wrote: "Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various thi...
May 26, 2025•26 min•Season 2025Ep. 28
Welcome to the "Survival Kit"! In this series, Brian and Sheldon unpack the ancient practices of God's people, spiritual disciplines, as the secret to surviving SSA and thriving in relationship with Jesus Christ. This episode tackles a spiritual practice that many of us often neglect—fasting.. Arthur Wallis describes fasting as “abstaining from anything for the sake of something greater.” How relevant is fasting to SSA and sexual temptation? Find out in this reflection led by Sheldon.
May 19, 2025•36 min•Season 2025Ep. 27
Welcome to the "Survival Kit"! In this series, Brian and Sheldon unpack the ancient practices of God's people, spiritual disciplines, as the secret to surviving SSA and thriving in relationship with Jesus Christ. This episode addresses a practice that is as fundamental to life as the air we breathe: feasting on the Word of God. Our survival spiritually is dependent on our intake of Scripture — the very word of God. If intimacy with the Father, renewal of the mind, and strength for the spirit is ...
May 12, 2025•28 min•Season 2025Ep. 26
Welcome to the "Survival Kit"! In this series, Brian and Sheldon unpack the ancient practices of God's people, spiritual disciplines, as the secret to surviving SSA and thriving in relationship with Jesus Christ. This episode is about confession and repentance, twin disciplines that we practice both in prayer with the Lord and with each other. How can confession and repentance help the believer who wrestles with the temptations of SSA or any other struggle cultivate a deeper more intimate relati...
May 05, 2025•24 min•Season 2025Ep. 25
Welcome to the "Survival Kit"! In this series, Brian and Sheldon unpack the ancient practices of God's people, spiritual disciplines, as the secret to surviving SSA and thriving in relationship with Jesus Christ. This episode is about prayer. Are you on speaking terms with God? Are there things you just don't talk to Him about? In this episode, Sheldon shares a reflection about the spiritual discipline of prayer and how it can transform our hearts and minds. Believers who experience same-sex att...
Apr 25, 2025•35 min•Season 2025Ep. 24
Same-sex attraction can be a daunting, discouraging experience for young believers. The world, the flesh, and the devil are just so loud with lies about their identity, their needs, and the "good life." How can they remain faithful and keep walking in the light of the gospel? In this series, Brian and Sheldon unpack the ancient practices of God's people, spiritual disciplines, as the secret to surviving SSA and thriving in relationship with Jesus Christ. Ever wonder what inspires the guys to tac...
Apr 18, 2025•55 min•Season 2025Ep. 23
The trauma of sexual abuse can lead to a lifetime of wrestling with our sense of self, our ability to trust others, and our understanding of God’s design for relationships. In fact, trauma is often a factor in our sexual desires and attractions. But take heart. Jesus offers the hope of healing and restoration. In this episode, Brian and Sheldon discuss this complex topic and how faith, forgiveness, and spiritual family can play a part in the journey to healing.
Mar 22, 2025•25 min•Season 2025Ep. 22
God created Adam and Eve as gendered beings with good sexual desires for one another as husband and wife. Our sexuality is His creation, and in His words, it is "very good"! Sexuality is undeniably a part of our identity as image bearers of God. But how we express our sexuality and the desires we experience don't always reflect God's design. So how do we integrate our God-given sexuality with our identity in Christ? In this episode, Sheldon and Brian continue their response to questions from the...
Mar 08, 2025•28 min•Season 2025Ep. 21
How do you love and support a friend who is same-sex attracted when they express feeling attracted to you? In this episode, Brian and Sheldon continue to respond to questions asked by friends and family of LGBTQ loved ones. The fact is, all friends are attracted to each other in some ways. If one or both are same-sex attracted, the situation can feel more awkward or risky. But that does not mean we can't navigate the challenge together with help of the Lord and other friends!
Mar 01, 2025•16 min•Season 2025Ep. 20
In this episode, Sheldon and Brian tackle the first of a series of tough questions asked by friends and family of LGBTQ loved ones. How do we navigate these relationships as Christians, holding fast to Biblical truth while truly loving our brothers and sisters? Can we still be close and have meaningful connections if we diisagree?
Feb 22, 2025•39 min•Season 2025Ep. 19
In this final episode of their series on "affirming theology," Brian and Sheldon discuss the best answer to affirming arguments for gay marriage—God's good design for marriage from the beginning. Tune in for a thoughtful reflection on the beauty of marriage as God created it!
Dec 07, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 18
In this episode, Sheldon and Brian welcome a special guest to discuss the ups and downs of coping with same-sex attraction as a believer who holds a historic, biblical theology of sex and marriage. How are Christian singles supposed to be faithful and stay grounded when the world, and even other Christians, is affirming gay romance and marriage? How can we encourage them as they navigate desire and temptation?
Nov 22, 2024•36 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Often, the arguments that carry the most weight among "affirming Christians" are not actually those from Scripture but those rooted in feelings and desires. In this episode, Sheldon and Brian explore some of these more "experiential" arguments and how we can respond with compassionate truth. A resource that we've found helpful on this topic is the pastoral paper by Preston Sprinkle of the Center for Faith, Gender, and Sexuality: "15 Responses to Arguments Affirming Same-sex Sexual Relationships....
Nov 15, 2024•41 min
Even if we hold the conviction that the Bible condemns same-sex relations, we still need to be familiar with the arguments of affirming Christians if we want to be prepared to give a thoughtful, credible answer for what we believe. In this episode, Brian and Sheldon break down some of the affirming arguments given from Scripture. For an excellent resource on this topic, check out the pastoral paper by Preston Sprinkle of the Center for Faith, Gender, and Sexuality: "15 Responses to Arguments Aff...
Nov 09, 2024•33 min•Season 3Ep. 15
In this episode, Sheldon and Brian take a break from the conversation about affirming theology to pray together with you for those whose lives are personally touched by these questions of identity and sexuality. Do you have a special prayer request? Reach out to the True Union team at trueunion.org or on instagram #TrueUnionMinistries and tell us how we can pray for you specifically.
Nov 02, 2024•16 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Brian and Sheldon focus on God's intent and design in Genesis as they consider some of the questions that affirming theology often provokes around sexuality and marriage. Why do we believe what we believe about this? Find out!
Oct 25, 2024•31 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Have you heard teaching or preaching about sexuality that seems to bless same-sex romance and marriage? Have you or those around you been questioning the traditional, Biblical ethics of sex and marriage? In this episode, Sheldon and Brian discuss the false teaching of "affirming theology" and its growing influence among Christians today.
Oct 18, 2024•30 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Brian and Sheldon share the vision of True Union Ministries and discuss the need for gospel-centered ministry to those who struggle with sexual identity. Join them for a hopeful conversation about how we can help believers navigating same-sex attraction find hope and encouragement in their faith communities.
Oct 11, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Co-hosts Brian and Sheldon share their testimonies as Christian men who have struggled with identity and same-sex attraction and found hope in Christ. Find out how God made beauty from ashes and used hardship for good in these stories of redemption and restoration!
Oct 06, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 10
We were created for intimacy—it is one way we reflect the image of God. But what is intimacy? In this episode, Sheldon and Brian unpack this very good, natural desire and discuss how God can meet this need in good ways.
Oct 06, 2024•49 min•Season 2024Ep. 9
Should a Christian "Come Out" publicly about his or her struggle with same-sex attraction? In this episode, Brian and Sheldon explore this question and talk about the importance of honesty, confession and accountability among Christians and how to know when to share and with whom.
Oct 06, 2024•45 min•Season 2024Ep. 8
Ever feel like a lone ranger on a spiritual battlefield? Whether same-sex attraction is your challenge or something else, it can be easy to fall prey to the lies of the enemy that you are alone. But God has not left us to fight alone! He has given us His Spirit AND a spiritual family in the body of Christ, His church. In this episode, Brian and Sheldon discuss what it means to have community in the body of Christ and why it is so important for all believers. As His children, God desires us to be...
Oct 06, 2024•1 hr•Season 2024Ep. 7
What's it like for Christians who experience same sex attraction to surrender their sexuality to God's design and pursue His plan for them? It's much the same as for anyone; we all struggle with brokenness and temptation. We all must surrender our sexuality in order to follow Christ. In this episode, Brian and Sheldon share a little of their stories, and talk about how God has been faithful through it all.
Oct 06, 2024•45 min•Season 2024Ep. 6
All of Jesus' disciples are called to deny self and take up their cross, but those who experience same-sex attraction face some unique battles. Not that their temptations are any greater, but the messages of our culture and attitudes of the church in the past have made the struggle of SSA particularly difficult for many believers with that experience. In this episode, Brian and Sheldon talk about how Christian men and women can navigate these challenges and how their spiritual family can help.
Oct 06, 2024•46 min•Season 2024Ep. 5
So how do we as believers reinforce true identity in others? Can we help each other realize our identity as sons and daughters of God? In this episode, Brian and Sheldon explore the different ways that the body of Christ facilitates and encourages true identity through discipleship and other expressions of spiritual family.
Oct 06, 2024•54 min•Season 2023Ep. 4
How should our identity in Christ influence the way we live? In this episode, Brian and Sheldon wrap up our conversation about identity with a few practical insights about what it means to be a new creation and how to live like it.
Oct 06, 2024•44 min•Season 2023Ep. 3
In this episode, Sheldon and Brian continue the conversation about identity as they explore the Biblical perspective. How are we made "in the image of God"? How did sin affect creation and specifically mankind? And how does the gospel offer hope for those struggling with their identity, meaning and purpose in this life? A few resources we have found helpful for this topic: Holy Sexuality, Christopher Yuan Finding Your Best Identity, Andrew Bunt
Oct 06, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In this episode, Brian welcomes a new co-host, Sheldon Farrington, to introduce a new season and series: The Conversation about Identity. Why is everyone talking about identity? What are they saying? Why is it such a hot topic? Does it really matter what we believe or how we "identify"? Brian and Sheldon explore different viewpoints and arrive at a definition of identity that brings it into a biblical perspective. If you've been wondering about this subject and following the debate in Christian ...
Oct 06, 2024•48 min•Season 2023Ep. 1
