Resource Center

“The Words We Hide Behind” uses images from The Wizard of Oz, fig leaves, and Aaron’s golden calf to show how believers cover secret sin with spiritual-sounding words. Drawing from Romans 13, Jeremiah 17, 1 John 1, 2 Corinthians 6–7, and Hebrews 12, it confronts pornography, idolatry, and self-deception. The article calls readers to step out of darkness, embrace transparency, set boundaries, seek accountability, and walk in the light for lasting freedom.

“Boundaries with Adult Prodigal Children” explains how God models clear boundaries and consequences, and how Christian parents can follow His example with their wayward adult sons and daughters. Drawing from personal experience with three prodigal children, the author outlines house rules, financial limits, and key areas like communication and living arrangements. The article encourages parents to stop enabling, surrender their children to God, and hold firm in love, trusting His greater care and purposes.

The Summer 2025 First Stone Ministries newsletter addresses subtle spiritual challenges, such as envy, fatherlessness, unforgiveness, and issues of control. Articles highlight how envy can erode relationships, the lasting impact of absent or poor father figures, and the freeing power of forgiveness. Personal testimony describes deliverance from control and chronic fatigue through repentance. The newsletter also offers ministry updates, recommended readings on faith and sexuality, upcoming support groups, and events, all aimed at promoting spiritual and relational healing.

“What’s Eating You: The Rot of Envy” exposes envy as a destructive spiritual force, likened in Proverbs 14:30 to rotting bones. Using Cain’s downfall and warnings from Galatians and Proverbs, it shows how envy blinds, divides, and tempts toward sin. Scripture calls believers to reject comparing themselves to others and instead pursue the fear of the Lord, contentment, and gratitude. The antidote lies in intimacy with God, walking by the Spirit, and trusting His timing, favor, and perfect care for each life.

“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.

“The Problem with Unforgiveness” warns that refusing to forgive carries severe spiritual consequences, as Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:14–15. Unforgiveness blocks prayer, fosters spiritual dryness, opens doors to the enemy, and reflects a graceless heart. Drawing from Acts 8:22–23 and June Hunt’s Forgiveness, the article details harmful traits—bitterness, pride, judgment, vengefulness—that poison relationships with God and others. By contrast, forgiveness reflects God’s nature, breaks captivity to sin, and restores freedom, intimacy, and spiritual vitality in the believer’s life.

“Healing the Ache of Fatherlessness” examines the profound impact of absent or distorted fatherhood on identity, relationships, and one’s view of God as Father. Whether through neglect, abuse, or emotional distance, father wounds distort worth and hinder intimacy with God. Citing Scripture and personal testimony, the article points to forgiveness as the doorway to truth and restoration. Through the Holy Spirit’s work, believers can exchange shame for sonship, discovering a Heavenly Father who delights in them and offers lasting healing and wholeness.

The Spring 2025 First Stone Ministries newsletter highlights the ministry’s biblical stance against gender transitions for minors, citing concern for their emotional and physical well-being. Articles address healing from deep personal wounds through faith, the spiritual dangers of affirming behaviors deemed unbiblical, and guidance on handling pronoun usage as a Christian. The publication reflects on God’s intentional design for gender, promotes the value of compassionate ministry, and shares practical resources for families navigating gender and identity issues.

Laura Smalts argues that using preferred pronouns contrary to biological sex conflicts with God’s intentional design of male and female in creation. She highlights purposes for sex distinctions—fruitfulness, complementary gifting, and whole‑body sexual differentiation—alongside research on the brain’s rapid recognition of sex. Smalts contends affirming cross‑sex identity harms truth and obscures God’s glory reflected differently in men and women. Practically, she advises kindness, restraint with pronouns, using given names cautiously, asking questions like Jesus, and prioritizing respectful, gospel‑centered conversations.

“The Dangers of Affirming What is Clearly Wrong” reflects on Paul’s warning in 1 Timothy 4 about the peril of a seared conscience—losing sensitivity to the Holy Spirit through repeated compromise. Using the example of families affirming a prodigal’s LGBT identity, it warns that embracing what contradicts God’s Word invites deception and spiritual deadness. Over time, conviction can fade into full affirmation of sin, with eternal consequences. The article calls believers to stand firm in truth, resisting cultural pressure while remaining faithful to Christ.