The truth is right in front of us......

I am starting out with a song by Third Day that really spoke to my heart earlier this year.......

Cry Out to Jesus by Mac Powell

To everyone who's lost someone they love
Long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough
When you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there’s nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right

Chorus:
There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus
Cry out to Jesus

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They've lost all of their faith in love
They've done all they can to make it right again
Still it's not enough

For the one's who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember your not alone in your shame
And your suffering

When your lonely
And it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out
You cry out to Jesus
Cry to Jesus

To the widow who suffers from being alone
Wiping the eyes from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight

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I apologize for anyone who has been reading this blog as of late that I haven't updated in close to a month. I have been busy as I finally passed my state licensure examination for Social Work and now am a full fledged Licensed Master's of Social Work (LMSW). My wife and I also recently went to Las Vegas for spring break without the kids and saw Celine Dion at Ceasar's Palace. Great concert. So I have been out of pocket for a while.......

I guess I feel that I need to clarify some things that are unclear. I have made references that same sex attractions are similar to drug and alcohol addictions, and that put some people on the defensive. I teach a class on addictions called "High Risk Situations" dealing with the high risk of a "relapse" if the addict is not proactive in their "recovery". This follows the A-B-C model created my on of the founding fathers of psychology, Albert Ellis.


A--------------B-------------C
A = Activating Event
B = Behavior
C = Consequence

For the drug/alcohol addict, it goes something like this:

A = "triggers", "signs","Cues", "Red flags"
B = Use/Drink or Cope in some healthier way
C = Postive or negative outcome


Ok, now for us with same sex attractions, our "trigger" (activating event) might be getting on a chat room, cruising an adult bookstore or park, bathhouses, loneliness, etc. This is where our free will and thought processes come into play. We have a choice at that point to continue down the path (behavior) that will probably lead us to a sexual encounter (negative) or toward sexual fidelity (postive). We also have free will and choices to make. The key here is to guard our thought processes and that is a choice.
As far as therapy is concerned, most popular today is Cogitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It's goal is change our thought processes which will change our outcome behavior. Now you have just had a crash course in Psycho-therapy 101!

I have to be honest here: While I know the path that I need to do, I have not taken the steps to correct what I need to do. It's the proverbial, "Do as I say, not as I do". This is probably due to my own involvement with another married man. I am not justifying my actions; I know it is morally wrong. I hope you as the reader will understand where I am at currently. A person can have all the "book knowledge" in the world, but they have to actually apply it to elicit any change in their lives. If I, or even you for that matter, are going to change and quit playing games, we need to be serious about our actions. We also need support. I personally can't do this on my own, and I am too embarassed to seek help from my local church. This is why Gock and I created this blog. Your comments and practical advice is appreciated.