Jun 30
2025
Jesus Met Me in My Control and Freed Me
“Jesus Met Me in My Control and Freed Me” recounts a believer’s journey through a study on manipulation and control that turned from examining others’ behavior to confronting her own. The Holy Spirit revealed subtle patterns of coercion and codependency, prompting heartfelt repentance and prayer. Immediately afterward, she experienced an unexpected physical miracle—lifelong chronic fatigue vanished. This testimony powerfully illustrates how surrendering unhealthy control to Christ not only frees the soul but can also bring tangible healing and renewed strength.
This powerful reflection shares a mother’s experience as her son transitions to a female identity, revealing layers of grief, fear, guilt, and unwavering love. She describes the emotional toll, family tensions, and spiritual wrestling while holding fast to her faith and hope in God’s redemption. With honesty and compassion, she navigates the pressure to accept or reject, choosing instead to trust God’s timing and truth. Her story offers comfort and solidarity to parents facing similar journeys.
Aaron Girod grew up in church but secretly struggled with same-sex attraction, eventually abandoning faith for a homosexual relationship and methamphetamine addiction. After being struck by a vehicle and hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury, a miraculous moment in his hospital room — witnessed by his mother and Stephen Black — marked the beginning of his restoration. Through Living Waters, ongoing discipleship at First Stone Ministries, and genuine surrender to Christ, Aaron found the lasting freedom and healing he had sought his entire life.
“In His Image” is a documentary created to help churches navigate pressing cultural questions about gender, sexuality, and Christian faith. The film addresses questions like “Can you be gay and be a Christian?” and “Did God make me this way?” by combining personal testimonies, scriptural teaching, and scientific insights. Produced by American Family Studios, it seeks to confront the rise of LGBT-affirming theology, advocate a biblical approach to sexuality, and provide practical, compassionate support for those wrestling with sexual and relational struggles.
In this video testimony posted by First Stone Ministries, Stephen Black recounts how childhood victimization and adolescent experiences led him into a homosexual lifestyle marked by compulsion and confusion. Drawing from his personal journey, Stephen describes how faith in Jesus Christ brought genuine transformation and freedom. His testimony serves as a message of hope for those struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction, pointing to the power of the Gospel to heal and restore a life of holiness.
In this video testimony from First Stone Ministries, Andrew Franklin recounts growing up as a praised church kid while secretly hiding deep shame over his effeminate identity. After coming out as gay and hitting rock bottom in New York City, Andrew surrendered to Jesus Christ and discovered for the first time that change was possible. Discipled into his true identity as a son of God, Andrew now devotes his life to speaking identity and destiny into other men — his greatest weakness becoming his greatest calling.
Annette Morales grew up invisible — surviving parental abandonment, stepfather molestation, and a chaotic young adulthood before finding stability in marriage. After her husband Rudy's death from cancer, grief drove her into dangerous online sexual relationships that eventually exposed a child exploitation network. Her courageous decision to report the abuse marked a turning point. Through First Stone Ministries' Living Waters program, counseling, and a battle with stage four breast cancer, Annette discovered that God truly sees her — and that her identity is found in Him alone.
In “Melissa’s Story,” Melissa Ingraham describes being raised in a religious yet emotionally distant family, leading to anger, identity struggles, and eventual same-sex attraction. After an intense but brief lesbian relationship, she experienced deep spiritual conflict. A Christian conference became a turning point, prompting her to surrender her sexuality to Christ. Through support groups and counseling, she discovered forgiveness, embraced her femininity, and found healing. Ultimately, Melissa’s journey brought her marriage, children, restored family bonds, and a fulfilling career in Christian counseling.
In “HOPE 2013 Testimonies of Jim & Debbie Venice,” Jim recounts his formative years shaped by family instability, fatherlessness, and bullying, leading to same-sex attraction despite deep Christian faith. Marriage to Debbie didn’t resolve his struggles, resulting in divorce and years away from the church. After a personal encounter with God, Jim experienced forgiveness and lasting transformation. He and Debbie remarried, found deeper healing as a family, and today minister hope to others facing relational and identity challenges.
In “HOPE 2013,” Jason Thompson recounts his journey with same-sex attraction from adolescence, grappling with fear, confusion, and rejection within his faith community. After a failed attempt to “pray away” his struggles and a suicide attempt, he found hope at Portland Fellowship, where he learned God’s plan was not instant change but deep restoration and community. With time, healing, and faith, Jason built a new life—marrying, raising children, and now ministering to others seeking similar hope and transformation.
In "God's Call to the Lesbian," Anne shares how childhood trauma and identity struggles led to same-sex attraction. Despite involvement in the LGBTQ+ community, she felt unfulfilled. After a spiritual experience in college, she embraced Christianity, pursued healing through counseling, and left the lesbian lifestyle. Though her marriage later ended, Anne affirms that lasting change is possible through faith in Jesus Christ. Her story offers hope for others seeking transformation through God.
In this video, Kent Paris candidly recounts enduring sexual abuse from his mother and emotional rejection by his father, leading to confusion about his identity and years of homosexual relationships1. After an intense period of brokenness, drug use, and spiritual searching, Kent found healing through Christianity and therapy. Christ’s love, wise pastoral guidance, and setting healthy boundaries empowered him to overcome the past, marry, and raise children. Kent now counsels others, sharing hope for freedom and restoration through faith and support.
Laura Leigh Stanlake, Ministry Director of First Stone Ministries in Oklahoma City, recounts her life story in "Sing Over Me." She describes growing up in a loving family but facing depression, sexual addiction, and the development of same-sex attraction following her mother’s illness and father’s death. A teacher’s encouragement and involvement in a supportive church community led her to faith in Christ, which she credits with gradually transforming her desires and bringing her hope, healing, and lasting change.
In “The Father Heals the Lesbian,” Maité Rodriguez recounts growing up in Puerto Rico without a father’s presence, facing unmet emotional needs and early sexual abuse. After a turbulent adolescence and broken marriage, Maité descended into addiction and a double life, struggling with her identity. A turning point came when she attended a Christian conference, experienced deep spiritual transformation, and began a journey to healing. Through faith, mentorship, and understanding God as a loving father, Maité found freedom, hope, and restored identity.
Andrew Franklin grew up feeling disconnected from his father and masculinity, eventually coming out as gay and moving to Manhattan where substance abuse and risky sexual behavior consumed his life. After hitting rock bottom and experiencing a profound encounter with Jesus Christ, Andrew returned to Oklahoma City and connected with First Stone Ministries. Through discipleship, accountability, and courageous obedience, he experienced genuine transformation — eventually joining First Stone's staff full-time, walking in freedom, and identifying as a heterosexual man restored by God's grace.
Beth Babb's testimony traces the painful journey of a wife who discovered her husband Mike was struggling with homosexuality and suicidal thoughts. Through a season of separation, spiritual warfare, and raw emotional exhaustion, Beth clung to Jesus while Mike found healing through First Stone Ministries in Oklahoma City. When he returned a changed man with a ministry vision, Beth honestly confronted her own resentment and bitterness — and found God faithful to heal her heart and restore their marriage.
“A Letter from Parents,” published by First Stone Ministries, presents the candid testimony of parents navigating their child’s homosexuality. The article recounts their emotional struggles—shock, grief, and confusion—while emphasizing their commitment to unconditional love and faithful prayer. Drawing strength from Scripture and biblical community, the parents ultimately discover hope, healing, and renewed trust in God’s promises. Their story serves as encouragement for other families, highlighting the possibility of restoration and transformation for loved ones through faith and compassionate Christian support.
This article from First Stone Ministries puts human faces to the ministry's work, sharing brief testimonies from men and women whose lives were shaped by childhood sexual abuse, neglect, and identity confusion. From Steven and Stephen to Kim, Linda, and others, each story reflects a common thread — wounds that followed children into adulthood. Through discipleship, Living Waters, and the Father heart of God, First Stone walks alongside these individuals as Jesus heals what was broken and restores what was lost.
Chris M. grew up with a distant father, leading to deep "father-hunger" that was sexualized through adolescence, molestation, and years of living a secret double life as a church musician. After cycles of emotional idolatry with male friends and growing desperation, his pastor connected him with First Stone Ministries, where transparency and love brought lasting freedom. Today Chris is married with children, testifying that what he always needed was not sexual connection with men, but a heavenly Father to make him whole.
In this Pure Passion episode shared by First Stone Ministries, Stephen Black recounts how an absent father and repeated childhood sexual abuse shaped his homosexual identity — and how surrender to Jesus Christ brought transformation and peace. Host David Kyle Foster explains the two most common causal factors in male homosexual confusion, while Andy Reese of the Freedom Resource offers encouragement that Satan's attacks target the very gifts God placed in each person — and that nothing can stop God's redemptive purposes in a surrendered life.
This powerful testimony by Warren Kridler traces one man's journey through fornication, abortion, the occult, EST seminars, and repeated psychiatric hospitalizations — all driven by a deep hunger for truth and unmet need for his father's love. After a dramatic revelation of the Gospel and a literal deliverance from demonic bondage, he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. Years later, First Stone Ministries helped him confront lingering pornography addiction, leading to deep repentance, ongoing transformation, and a life built firmly on Christ as the only true foundation.
Jim grew up without a father, was molested as a toddler, and never bonded with his masculinity — conditions that led him through decades of hidden struggle, a failed marriage, and two long-term gay relationships. After seven years away from God, a church homecoming became the turning point that brought him to his knees. Through First Stone Ministries and a walk of faith and obedience, Jim experienced restoration — including a reconciled marriage — and emerged a transformed man in Christ.
Jan Jordan's testimony traces a life marked by failed marriages, abortion, financial loss, and a 15-year lesbian relationship that left her suicidal and without hope. After years of observing the genuine faith of a Christian coworker named Joan, Jan surrendered her life to Jesus Christ and experienced profound deliverance from decades of bondage. Her story concludes with restored relationships with her parents before their deaths and a hard-won peace she had spent her entire life searching for.
In this January 2001 letter, Traci Brown writes to Stephen Black of First Stone Ministries to express gratitude for his role in her husband Clay's transformation from pornography addiction. Though initially cautious when Clay disclosed his past, Traci found no trace of the old struggle after three years of marriage. She credits First Stone's discipleship and the healing power of Jesus Christ for giving her a godly husband, a thriving marriage, and a growing family.
In this joint testimony, Dennis Jernigan shares how childhood feelings of rejection and a distorted view of his earthly father led him into homosexuality. After a profound encounter with Jesus Christ in 1981, Dennis experienced lasting transformation and eventually went public with his story, sparking healing in others. His wife Melinda shares her own journey of insecurity and restored identity in Christ. Together, they offer practical, scripture-based guidance for overcoming sin through surrender, accountability, worship, and the Father's unconditional love.
Randall Wayne recounts his experience with cross-dressing, describing the intense temptations and spiritual conflicts he faced. Through his faith and reliance on Jesus Christ, he found healing and freedom from these struggles. Wayne's story is directed toward Christian men and their families who may be dealing with similar issues, offering encouragement and a message of hope rooted in spiritual transformation.
In this testimony shared by First Stone Ministries, a woman recounts the devastating moment she and her husband Steven both received AIDS diagnoses — and the faith journey that followed. Battling fear, shame, and grief, she found herself repeatedly brought back to God's promises through Scripture and prophetic encouragement. Through deep surrender, her perspective transformed. Despite the prognosis, Steven stabilized, her own condition improved, and they welcomed a healthy HIV-negative son — a living testament to God's faithfulness over every circumstance.
Jerry grew up feeling like a mistake in a male body, encouraged toward femininity by his mother and rejected by his father — leaving him addicted to cross-dressing and eventually pursuing female hormones and sex-reassignment surgery. After decades of secret struggle, a turning point with a Christian psychiatrist led to honest confession, biblical counseling, and the slow dismantling of deeply embedded lies. Today Jerry lives freely as the man God created him to be, walking daily in faith and accountability.
Chuck McConkey's testimony traces a journey from divorce, alcoholism, and homosexuality to complete transformation in Jesus Christ. After being rejected by his church and spending years seeking love through same-sex encounters and alcohol, Chuck found temporary acceptance in the Metropolitan Community Church — but continued to sense something was missing. Through Restoration Outreach ministry, he discovered he had a genuine choice. Today Chuck lives as a new creation — married, a father of two, and ministering freedom to others still trapped in homosexuality.
This testimony shared through First Stone Ministries recounts a man's healing from six years of sexual abuse by a high school coach that began when he was just twelve. Carrying shame, self-hatred, and fear for over three decades, he found healing through First Stone's counseling process — including writing a raw, confrontational letter to his abuser. Through honesty before God and his wife, and the healing power of Jesus Christ, he discovered that genuine restoration was possible after all.
Steven Hunt grew up raised by his grandparents in California, where early sexual abuse by an older cousin, hurtful labels, and unmet needs for fatherly affirmation set him on a path of homosexuality and promiscuity. After a dramatic conversion at 19 and a courageous escape from a controlling partner, Steven's journey toward freedom included Desert Stream Ministries, relocation to Oklahoma, and eventually marriage. Employed by First Stone Ministries until his death from AIDS-related complications, Steven's life testified to healing as a lifelong, worthwhile process.
Michael Babb grew up without a father, developing deep insecurity and same-sex attraction that followed him through two marriages and a secret emotional and sexual relationship with a man. Consumed by depression, guilt, and thoughts of suicide, a providential phone call broke through his silence. After moving to Oklahoma City and connecting with First Stone Ministries, Michael found genuine healing through an intimate relationship with Jesus — no longer identifying as gay and walking in freedom with a restored marriage.
Stephen Black's testimony traces a journey from childhood molestation and early exposure to pornography through years of homosexual relationships, depression, and suicidal thoughts. After his little brother's death and a series of divine interventions, Stephen surrendered his life to Jesus Christ on February 6, 1983. Through pastoral discipleship, healing from sexual abuse, and complete surrender to Christ, he found lasting freedom — eventually marrying Robin, becoming a father, and dedicating his life to ministering that same freedom to others through First Stone Ministries.
Bob Davies spent decades hiding same-sex attraction behind Christian service — Bible school, missions work, and ministry involvement — before finally surrendering his struggle to God and joining Love In Action near San Francisco. Through accountability, honest confession, same-sex affirmation, and the unconditional love of his church community, Bob experienced deep healing. His story culminates in a God-directed marriage to Pam, whose prayers for her future husband began the very month Bob yielded his sexual struggles to the Lord.
David Kyle Foster's testimony is one of the most dramatic shared through First Stone Ministries. Raised by a stern, emotionally distant father, David's pain drove him through suicide attempts, years of male prostitution on Sunset Boulevard, a stint as a film actor, and involvement in a false religious cult. After supernatural encounters with God's love — culminating in salvation at the Garden of Gethsemane — David experienced complete transformation and eventually founded Mastering Life Ministries, dedicating his life to bringing sexual healing to others.
Laura Leigh Stanlake, Director of Women's Ministries at First Stone Ministries, shares her journey from childhood sexual brokenness and years of hidden shame to a genuine encounter with Jesus Christ. After falling into a consuming lesbian relationship, she felt powerless to leave, a testimony shared at church became the turning point of her life. Through confession, counseling, and biblical community, Laura experienced lasting freedom — learning to trust Jesus as her true source of identity, healing, and contentment.
Stephen Black's testimony recounts a childhood marked by sexual abuse, exposure to pornography, and confusion that led him into a homosexual lifestyle. After years of depression, guilt, and broken relationships, he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ in 1983 and experienced profound transformation. Black argues that homosexuality is rooted in childhood experience rather than genetics, and concludes that lasting freedom comes only through genuine repentance, faith in Christ, and grounding in the Word of God.
“The Man in the Mirror” recounts Sy Rogers’ compelling transformation from a life marked by transsexual identity, early trauma, and same-sex attraction to fulfillment in Christ, marriage, and fatherhood. Through personal crisis, failed solutions, and spiritual searching, Sy finds hope and clarity in the love of God. Over years, he abandons false identities, embraces Christian manhood, and testifies to lasting restoration, healthy relationships, and freedom from the past. His story offers hope for others seeking healing and genuine identity in Christ.
“Todd’s Greatest Regret” recounts the moving story of Todd Neese, whose dying wish was to warn others after facing AIDS and profound sorrow for not honoring his parents or listening to God. Ministered by Stephen Black, Todd’s final weeks included testimony about forgiveness, faith, and hope in eternal life. His story, shared through videos and his mother’s reflection, encourages readers to seek reconciliation, cherish family, and embrace God’s grace before it’s too late, leaving a legacy of warning and hope.