If you’re in need of hearing a story of God’s unmistakable reality, you may want to listen here.
David Bennett, author of A War of Loves (Zondervan, Nov. 2018), shares his story and God’s obvious breaking into his life. David was a once an atheist LGBT+ activist, and now pours out his life for all people because of God’s love in him. The story includes a psychic telling him he was chosen by Jesus, asking his friends what love is, a prophetic moment from an uncle, and a life-transforming prayer in a bar.
But after that transformation, David still has to walk what we call the awkward middle–navigating relationships on either “side” of this conversation. How does that work?
Let’s dig in.
We also play a game called “Elevensies,” where we talk about which type of snack is absolutely necessary during morning snacks, afternoon tea, and movie snacks.
Highlights:
“There was an inner, ‘I don’t want to be gay and I hate myself. I don’t want to be same-sex attracted. I want to be straight like everyone else and belong.” I reacted to that in an extreme pendulum swing towards radical self-discloser, “I am gay, if you don’t accept it, then I don’t accept you. Get out of my way because I’m getting my rights and you’ll hear from me. I’m going to spend my life defending the gay community and destroying homophobia.” –David Bennett
“Jesus was saying to me, ‘No, I identify with that suffering. I died on the cross and had all the stones thrown at me. You don’t have to take those. I took them for you.'” –David Bennett
“I had been really, really politically active . . . working for gay marriage and very passionate about that and that political faction. I used to tear down all the Christian union posters on campus and put gay marriage march posters on top. That’s where I was. [But] in the middle of this there was still this aching void in my heart. Still this, ‘I want something more.'” –David Bennett
“[Madeline] said to me, ‘David, have you experienced the love of God? You don’t know the meaning of those desires until you experience the love of God.’ She inflected to me that she really didn’t like the narrow-mindedness of a lot of the Christian community and how horribly the LGBTQI community had been treated. That bowled me over. I had never had a Christian actually care–really actually care and embrace me as if they got what I’d been through. That was so powerful and disarming. Then she said . . . ‘I really feel the presence of God right now. I have to pray for you. Do you mind if I pray for you? Is that okay? I don’t usually pray for people but I just feel this compulsion. God’s love is so intense for you.” . . . It wasn’t that [God] loved me as a fact, but she was experiencing how much more God loved me more than everything else. It was as if this love was unique for just me. It was the one thing that could get through the huge wall I had built over my heart.” –David Bennett
Do The Next Thing:
Get his book! A War of Loves (with the forward by N.T. Wright!)
Check out Larry Crabb’s book on gender called Fully Alive. (We have a great conversation on this gender piece in the Question of the Week.)
​Follow David on Twitter