TESTIMONIES |
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:11
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TESTIMONIES |
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:11
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Becket Cook was sipping champagne at a Fashion Week after-party in Paris when the thought hit him: “Is this what I’m going to do for the rest of my life?” He looked around at the sea of beautiful, accomplished, air-kissing people surrounding him and suddenly felt so alone, terrified, and empty that he left the party early. As a Hollywood production designer, Cook was living a lifestyle most people only read about in gossip tabloids. He received invites to movie premieres and fancy ceremonies such as the Oscars and the Golden Globes. He schmoozed at elite parties and luncheons at A-list celebrities’ homes. And yet, all the noise and glamour were losing their luster. As a gay atheist, Cook had enough of a Catholic upbringing in Texas to know homosexuality and God were incompatible, and giving up his gay identity felt impossible and unnatural. Cook had felt attracted to other males since he was 10 years old. But it wasn’t until high school, when he befriended another gay student, that Cook actively explored the world of homosexuality. The two teenagers toured the Dallas gay scene with heart-pumping exhilaration, visiting every gay bar and drag queen show they could find, dancing until sunrise, mingling with subculture crowds, and absorbing their lingo on sexuality and liberation.
“It was a whole new, interesting world,” Cook said. “I felt like I was finally with people who understood me. It was amazing. We were all misfits in society, so I identified with them. I felt free! Anywhere else, I felt like I couldn’t express this deep, dark secret.” At school and at home, he continued pretending to be a “nice, sweet straight guy,” and the double life weighed on him mentally and emotionally. But the day he fell in love with his first boyfriend as an adult, Cook felt so empowered and gratified that he “came out” to everyone. For a season, life as a gay man was fun and fabulous. Next to fame and fortune, falling in love was the ultimate goal within his circle. Cook went through a series of relationships, each lasting about two years until one partner cheated, got bored, or spied another handsome specimen—easy breakups that Cook says are common among gay relationships: “It was all unhealthy, romance-driven relationships, with no real commitment. It’s like, as long as I’m attracted to you, and you give me what I want, we’ll stay together.” A lot of his married gay friends had open relationships. Even in serious relationships, Cook always lived in fear of abandonment. Soon after the Great Paris Freakout, Cook was at a trendy coffee shop in Los Angeles when a group behind him laid out open Bibles. That surprised him because he had never before seen anyone publicly display a Bible in Los Angeles, let alone in the hippest part of town. He turned around and asked the guy nearest to him, “So, are you a Christian?” The young man said yes. Cook surprised himself by asking, “Well, what is a Christian? I don’t even know what that is anymore.” The stranger shared the gospel with him. Then Cook asked the thorny question: “What does your church think about homosexuality?” When the guy responded that homosexuality is a sin, Cook shocked himself further by not dumping his beverage on him or mocking him, something he might have done just a year ago. Instead, he exchanged phone numbers and agreed to visit his church in Hollywood. That following Sunday, Cook temporarily shelved his beliefs as he walked into the church auditorium. When the band started playing worship music, he cringed—a snap reflex. But once the pastor began preaching from Romans 7, Cook started edging forward on his seat, “absolutely blown away” by the truth of the gospel: “I knew then that, oh my gosh, this is true, true, true! It was freaking me out. It turned everything I thought about religion on its head.” That was Sept. 20, 2009, which Cook marks as “the day when everything completely changed.” That was the day when he came “undone.” All of a sudden, he became so overwhelmed by the revelation of God’s absolute holiness and his total sinfulness that he bawled uncontrollably for the rest of the service. He knew right then that if God is real, and if His Word is true, then “homosexuality is not glorifying to God, and I can never date men again.” Though the same-sex attraction hasn’t disappeared, Cook immediately embraced his new identity and lost the desire to pursue a sexual relationship with another man. His mannerisms and interests changed. Instead of partying on Friday nights, he now cherishes intimate “date nights” with Jesus. Today he leads a prayer ministry team and community group at that same church and openly testifies of how God made his hostile, broken heart whole and fertile.
1 Comment
Marianne James
8/15/2017 08:01:52 am
We found out from a friend that our 26 year old son, Nathan, was conducting himself as a female. After the initial shock wore off, we approached he and his wife( yes he's married to a girl) and they had been hiding it. That was in February. We expressed love and concern, but he had rejected us because we made it clear that we love him desperately but can not accept his lifestyle choice. They live in an open marriage of sorts. He knows what God's Word says about this but has chosen to ignore the warnings. It kills his daddy and I. We know there will be permanent consequences to his choices, and all we can think about is where did we mess up as his parents. I have received some godly counseling from our church but still I have times of extreme sadness, as I don't have my son anymore . He wants to be a girl and go by a feminine name and identity. Please pray with us that God will bring him to complete repentance. Thank you.
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