Introducing Wendi
I came to know Jesus as my Savior when I was 8 years old. I did not learn how to submit to His leadership and learn to trust Him as a loving Father until I was 57 years old.
Daren Mehl on Changed Movement
“I pursued spiritual counseling. Through the help of powerful books and resources I found my true identity… and then my behavior and sexual attractions changed. ”
— DAREN MEHL
In my early twenties, I attempted to live as a celibate gay, but that all changed the night I was raped at a party. The trauma threw me into a spiral of same-sex encounters. To avoid HIV, I moved in with my boyfriend and settled into a monogamous relationship. For nearly a decade, although I looked happy on the outside, I lived in constant inner turmoil and stress because I knew my homosexual behavior wasn’t who I was. I did my best to ignore my inner voice, but doing so came at a high cost to my personal peace and conscience.
All that began to change the night I was invited to a prayer service and told a friend about my inner battle. Deep down I knew I hadn’t been created gay but couldn’t reconcile why I had same-sex attraction. My friend prayed for me, and for the first time in my life, I saw clearly that my issue was sexual addiction, not sexual orientation. That night, my hope was restored in my long-lost dream to marry a woman and have a family. Right then and there, I asked God to end my same-sex relationship because I knew I couldn’t do it myself, and I asked Him to arrange it so I could marry a particular woman. When I got home that night, my boyfriend abruptly ended our relationship, and soon I was dating and eventually married the exact woman I had prayed for.
While this set me on a course towards personal peace and fulfillment, even as a happily married man, I could not break my secret addiction to gay porn. Despite my best efforts, I cheated on my wife with another man. In an instant, instead of feeling fulfilled and satisfied, I felt dead. I thought I’d lost it all—my wife, my unborn son, my best friends—but by a miracle of mercy and love, my wife took me back.
Desperate for help to get free from gay porn, I pursued spiritual counseling. Over the next year, through the help of many powerful books and resources, weekly prayer and support from a faithful friend, and my wife’s unconditional love, I found my true identity. For the first time in my life, I began to see the false beliefs I had about myself, men, women and my sexuality, and my sexual orientation changed. God healed my mind and my heart, and then my behavior and sexual attractions changed. I now see other men as potential friends, not sexual partners.
The journey wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. Today I am a whole person living authentically to who I am. My sexuality and behaviors are in line with my original design. For the last 12 years, I’ve been married to my beautiful wife, my gay porn addiction is gone, and now my sexual energy is directed toward her. I’m the happy, fulfilled father of a beautiful four-year-old son and three-year-old daughter.
Originally Appearing on ChangedMovement.com
Reverend Daren Speaks at School Board Meeting Upholding The Biblical Dignity of Children
Originally appearing in Tennessee Star
Associate Director Reverend Daren Mehl spoke at his local school district upholding the dignity of the children in light of the ‘transgender’ policy the school would pass. Daren spoke of the fact God has made them male and female, and it is harmful to tell kids they might be the other sex. Daren mentioned that the children are not spirits separate of their bodies such that they might have the wrong body and need to be treated differently. They were created by God intentionally as male or female and manipulating children with the transgender religious beliefs is confusing and harmful to them.
Daren Mehl, a father of two Osseo students and a former member of the LGBTQ community, explained in an interview with The Sun why he spoke out against the policy at the school board meeting.
“My motivation was to share my heart for children, which as a Christian, I believe is God’s heart for children, which is that God created us male and female,” Mehl said. “And to know that you were created with value. Instead of valuing the children for who they are, the policy will be teaching children that boys can be girls and girls can be boys.”
Mehl is the president of Voice of the Voiceless, an organization that works to help those who struggle with same-sex attraction. According to the Voice of the Voiceless website, they exist to “defend the rights of former homosexuals, individuals with unwanted same-sex attraction, and their families.”
Mehl said that, as someone who formerly belonged to the LBGTQ community, the mentality behind the policy can actually create depression and suicidal thoughts.
He said, “How horrible is it to think that your body is your enemy.” He also took issue with a specific statement within the policy, requiring the school to designate a “safe staff member.” Mehl said that the statement implies that all of the staff are not safe. While some board and audience members took issue with Mehl’s public comments regarding religion, he responded, “The definitions of the policy are, in a way, religious doctrines, just godless ones.”