This Saturday, October 17, from 9-12, and Sunday, October 18, at 9 and 10:45, during our regular services, our church will be honored to host Dr Christopher Yuan, a professor from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, whose story of turning from a homosexual lifestyle to God has become a popular book, co-authored with his mother, Angela, who will appear with him as well on Sunday.
I would venture to say that Christopher’s story is unique in a couple of ways. First, his is an immigrant family from China, steeped in notions of self-reliance and success, which his father and mother infused in Christopher from the time he was young. The fact that he was expelled from dental school three months from graduation would be a blow to any family, but especially to one with the pedigree of the Yuans.
The other unique feature of Christopher’s story is that it was his journey into the abyss — going to jail for drug trafficking, being infected with the HIV virus, etc.– that brought his family out of the abyss of self-reliance and into the glorious life of a Christ follower.
The road, however, was not paved with gold. There were twists and turns, moments of triumph and tribulation, tenuous passageways and tenacious forging ahead. No one could predict the outcome but in the end, as the Portuguese proverb says, “God wrote straight through crooked lines.”
Christopher’s story is as much about his mother’s struggles through the valley of prayer as it is about the miracle of a prodigal returning home. It is as much about faith as it is about swollen knees on the ground. It is much about hope as it is about courage to do the right thing. If you have watched the movie “War Room,” Christopher’s story is “War Room” on steroids.
Christopher’s story is still unfolding, as God is using him and his family to bring a compassionate and solidly biblical message to those of us who agonize over how we should reach out to people in the gay and lesbian communities. Anymore, these so-called “communities” are no longer out there. They are people we know in our homes and churches. Many are people we care deeply for and would cut our arm for them, if necessary. They are people who need to hear a message that carefully balanced God’s love and truth, and that is the message Dr. Yuan will be bringing to our community this weekend.
I hope you will not miss this opportunity to hear and meet Dr Yuan in person. Here is the line up for the weekend:
Saturday:
9:00 am: “My Story and What it Tells About a Christian Response to Homosexuality.”
10:00 am: Simultaneous sessions
“Relevant Biblical Texts About Homosexuality” -Dr. Christopher Yuan
“Ordinary Parents, Extraordinary Father” (for parents of “prodigals”) – Dr. Leon and Angela Yuan
11:00 am: “Nurture or Nature” followed by Q & A – Dr. Christopher Yuan
Sunday Morning:
“A Gay’s Son Journey to Life: Family Testimony” (with a special emphasis on overcoming pornography).
Dr Yuan’s book will also be available during his presentations.
Hope to see you there!
Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
Lead Pastor, Grace Church, Lititz, PA
pastor ivanildo 