Judy Johnson Hello, My name is Judy Johnson and this is my testimony. Most of my life I didn't attend church much. I knew there was a God and always beleived He was with me and I didn't need to go to church for that reason. I believed I could pray anywhere and anytime I needed God and He would always answer my prayers. I moved to California and began attending a church once in awhile. I liked the church and the pastor but didn't feel like I belonged there. I then moved to Belleville, Illinois but still wasn't attending a church. After living in Belleville for two years I heard there was going to be a new church that was opening here. It was a non-denominational church. After attending my first church service there I felt like I found the church I was suppose to belong to. Everyone welcomed me and all the people were very nice. I fell in love with the family and the church at "The Well". I have now found my church where I belong! Since now attending "The Well" I try not to miss any church. I love the music and the sermons. I love my pastor and she always makes me think about the bible. We began having bible studies and I try to be there all the time because I want to learn more about the Word. I have never been a member of a chruch, but I am now a member of Well of Living Water Ministries and I finally found where I belong. Every day I'm learning more about God, my Father and Jesus, my Savior. See I came to know Jesus the day I walked into my church at "The Well". God is good to me everday and I thank Him everyday for giving me a family where I belong. Thank you Jesus!

Benjamin Forman The Vessel and The Light-How I gave God my homosexuality When I first started struggling with homosexuality I didn't even know what it was. As I got older, I learned about men liking me sexually and come to a fuller understanding of what homosexuality is. Oh No! That's me! How can I stop it? I was raised in a christian home where Dad was a Prodestant chaplain in the Air force. Sex outside of marriage Was strongly forbidden in our home and the topic of homosexuality was never really discussed. The only time the topic came up was when we destroyed all our Disney movies due to the Christian boycott on Disney and their support of Gay rights. Naturally,when I came to the unserstanding that I was struggling with homosexuality, I was devastated. I prayed, I fasted, I read every scripture I could find on homosexuality. I would even cry myself to sleep some nights. Then wake up with a jolt, fervently praying because I had had one of those dreams in that context. But all my praying and scripture reading did not answer my questions, get rid of my desire, nor did it stop my dreams. When I graduated home school and went to a christian college(my first experience in a "public" school) I was introduced to the concept of psychology. Therefore, I bought several self help books (both christian and non). Am I sure that all of homosexuality is a sin? I knew that the best way to answer this question and all of my questions about homosexuality, was to look up scripture. But I'd already read all those verses and passages and they hadn't helped me. So I pursued my psych. For the most part I found the books to be very helpful. But in light of my homosexuality, I couldn't pin it down to to a crystal clear event to where I told myself I had to be gay to survive or to compensate for something that had happened to me. I also sought counseling from several strong Christians I knew. Some of them I inquired to in "code", while others knew I was struggling with homosexuality. They either boycotted me or encouraging me to be straight/heterosexual. (Although, one "friend" from a church I was considering going to, tried to perform an exorcist on me. It didn't work. And I never went back). Though, the comments that stuck with me the most were from people who barely knew me or from those who knew nothing about my struggless. "God wants to give you all the desires of your heart, Ben." Are yu sure about that? 'Cause I'm desiring to be gay. "The only way to know for sure if you are hearing the voie of God, is to take a step of faith, and see what happens." At the Crhistian college I went to, I learned how to really study the Bible vs. just passively reading the Bible. I learned to take things in contect of- 1). the passage it was written in or the text (What is the main topic that is being discussed?, 2). the audience it was originally written for, and 3).in contect of the whole Bible (cross reverences). Once I was able to take the Scriptures on homesexuality in context, I was able to, finally, dig up my answers. This is what I found: the Bible does not condemn, nor does it condone, one-on-one, exclusive, romantic, God centered relationships between two members of the same gender. The truth is: based on God's Word alone, we really don't know what God thinks about romantic (God centered) homosexual relationships. Obviously, God disapproves of any romantic relationship that is not focused on Him. We do have Biblical proof for that (2 Corinthians 6:14). for if any romantic relationship--gay or straight--to properly function, work and last, Jesus must be the center, the glue, the very foundaiton and direction of that relationship. Otherwise, the marriage union will fall apart. Therefore, whether I concluded that homosexual marriage was a sin or not, my conclusion would be based on my assumption, NOT Biblical fact. This was unsettling to me. Was God saying it was okay for me to be gay? I shrugged this newfound revelation off for a while, but it kept nagging in the back of my mind. Praying for futher understanding and for God to lead me to cross reference Scriptures for clairity, I "stumbled" upon these passages: 1)Jermiah 18:6 (the Potter and the Clay). 2)Romans 9 (especially verses: 20-24;Does the thing formed say to the One whom formed it; "Why have you made me this way?") #)2Corinthians 4:6-12 (The treasure of Jesus'light in jars of clay). 4)2Corinthians 12:1-10 (Paul's un-removed "thorn in the flesh"). I knew what God was trying to say to me, but there was a part of me that still didn't want to beleive. Me: "Jesus, you have to cure me. I'm begging You." Jesus: "Will I be Lord of your life if I cure you?" Me: "Yes! Of course you will. Then I'll give yu praise and glory and honor. Then I'll be able to have a ministry to help other homosexuals to be cured. My life will be perfect, and You'll get all the glory and the..." Jesus: "Will I STILL be Lord of you life if I choose NOT to cure you?" Me: Silence. Jesus: "Will I be Lord of your life if you remain gay?" Me: Silence and tears. "O my precious God. You know how to humble me. You will always be Lord of my life." I, finally, took my pride, myself and my psychology off the thone and put Jesus Christ there instead. The Jesus who belonged on the throne of my life all along. And He's still there. Now, I use who I am (God's homosexual) to encourage people to dig deep into the Bible to find out who God has created them to be, and to discover the realtiy of who God himself is: Lord over everything. Including homosexualtiy. Of course, God can choose to cure me whenever he wants to. And if He does, I'll be submissive. But if not, I'll still be serving Him and giving Him the glory for everything I do. Including the man I date, I marry and I adopt kids with. (I am very family oriented and I love the idea of raising kids to worship and serve the Lord Jesus Christ--especially those who are "unwanted" and "unloved." But until then, I am NOT having sex. Nor do I go to gay bars, bathhouses or clubs. I avoid the whole "gay scene" all together. I do have several gay friends who do frequent these places, though I am encouraging them to stop going and get into church. This is why I have been so blessed that God has led me to Well of Living Water Ministries. I not only have a family that loves me and accepts me for who I am , but I have a family that is 100% focused on Jesus.