Just putting this out there in case it can be a help.  I was brought up Independent Fundamental Baptist.  I accepted Christ as Lord and Savior at a young age.  I also knew at a young age, I was a man.  I never knew I could do anything about that until 2001.  At that point I prayed night and day, wanting to be sure if I transitioned I would be in the will of God.  I started my transition in 2003.  It was a rough road, but God has always been with me.  Prospering me year by year.  Pushing me forward.  Trusting in God is not about religion.  It's not about having a church or a church pushing you out.  It's about having a personal relationship with Jesus.  Jesus did not die to give us a religion.  He died that we could have a personal relationship with Him.  How do we do that?  Read His word.  Pray and Be still.  Be still and know that God id God.  Know that even though some things happen that we don't understand, we have a promise.  Romans 8:28  That' God causes all things to work together for good to those that love God.  To those that are called according to His purpose."  Yea, I have dealt with a lot of hard times and losses, but I know that without God in my life, I could not do this life at all.  And I am thankful.

Thank you for sharing this, mowdan6.    I  intend on giving a much fuller response later on today.  I started on it, but I'm kind of tired and wanted to make sure I didn't have lack of sleep affecting me when responding. 

Very touching story, mowdan!  Nowadays, I am more or list IFB with a lot of my views, but I was raised in a charismatic non-denominational church, the same church I still attend to this day.  Back then as a young kid/teenager, I didn't care much for religion at all, even when I became old enough to become a Sunday School teacher.  I ran from religion and didn't want much to do with it outside of a "Get Out of Hell Free" card. However, one time I was given a prophecy at the altar by the pastor, that I was running in circle, and that even though I was running from God then, I would eventually seek Him.  I thought the pastor had no clue what she was talking about because I had no intention or desire to seek God so I was kind of thinking "uh huh....sure....whatever".

I had no clue that almost 10 years later, she was going to be right.  God wasn't lying.     Interestingly, I didn't start seeking the truth until I came on Susans (and the thing that triggered that had nothing to do with religion).  Long story short, once I found the truth, my mindset started to change. 

As far as my transition, I'm not transitioning right now, but when I fully accepted myself as a man, I felt like that's when I got closer to God.  It was hard for me to comprehend being a "woman" of God and the roles of a woman when in actuality, I was not a woman.  I think that's part of the reason why I was hardened to God and religion.  Now that I've embraced the man that I am, things started to make more sense to me as I began to seek and live out the Biblical view of manhood to the best of my ability.  Granted, I am far from perfect, but I'm trying.

I know when I do transition, God is going to be a part of it.  He has to be.  I don't have a fighting chance without him.  I know that non-believers transition all the time without even the slightest thought of God, but for me, that just can't happen, especially if I wish to seek the fulfillment of what it means to be a man biblically.  Aside from that, I'm just too much of a broken person to go through transition alone.  I need Him as a crutch because He is just about all I got.  I'm poor, and have no support system from my biological family, and no spouse to help me cope (and even if I did, He would still be included) so who else am I going to turn to?

Nice to hear your story also.  Isn't it nice to know we cannot out run God?

I absolutely understand about having no support system.  God has been my only support for many years.  It's only been within the past 2 years that my family has spoken to me.  I met up with my Mom a year ago, after not seeing or talking with her for 7 years.  I am also now the primary care giver for my Dad.  Still, I know it is only because of God in my life that I can do life at all.  I thank Him everyday for always being with me. 

Is great to hear that He is also with you.  The old saying is true.  "When all you have is God, you find out God is all you need."

I was originally brought up as a Presbyterian, but when I moved to Florida in 1992 I realized what I didn't like about the Presbyterian religion. they followed everything too closely to the Bible. so I went over to the Baptist church for a while and if found I liked it there. BTW, I became a reborn Christian around the age of 16 and when I was 10 I was in a coma for 3 months and being that close to death I saw the light and I also saw Jesus but He wasn't ready for me. Then in 2006 I found a nice home in the united Methodist church and that's where I stayed for 18 years until I started to transition. I spoke with my pastor about it and he told me that since it's God's house, and He doesn't turn no one away he didn't see any problems. So I went to church and because of a washroom problem, I felt rejected and left and went to a Baptist church where no one knew me and now six months later because the congregation doesn't feel comfortable with having a transsexual in their congregation I am now being asked to leave.

Gina, I'm sorry that this has happened to you again.

Quote from: gennee on June 21, 2014, 08:42:15 PM
Gina, I'm sorry that this has happened to you again.

Thanks for your heart felt concern Gennee. Its amazing that I lasted 6 months before trouble started. I'm thinking about going to the Salvation Army. I hear that they're a bit more open minded to the transgenders. 

Hey Gina,
        I don't attend church on account of that unscriptural stone throwing that goes on. But it was foretold that there would be "tares" growing among the wheat, tares look like wheat but are really weeds and don't develop heads of grain. It goes on to say that in the harvest that they will be plucked up and thrown into the fire. This alludes to all the phonies that attend churches because they like to be seen as good people or for an opportunity to create sales and business contacts and like wolves prey on the flock. These aren't true believers but have ulterior motives and often worm their way into the administrative end and usually are the ones that are casting the stones because they don't know the heart and will of Christ.

I think Mowden has it pretty well covered concerning religion as opposed to being spiritual in Christ.

Quote from: Shantel on July 05, 2014, 11:17:52 AM
Hey Gina,
        I don't attend church on account of that unscriptural stone throwing that goes on. But it was foretold that there would be "tares" growing among the wheat, tares look like wheat but are really weeds and don't develop heads of grain. It goes on to say that in the harvest that they will be plucked up and thrown into the fire. This alludes to all the phonies that attend churches because they like to be seen as good people or for an opportunity to create sales and business contacts and like wolves prey on the flock. These aren't true believers but have ulterior motives and often worm their way into the administrative end and usually are the ones that are casting the stones because they don't know the heart and will of Christ.

I think Mowden has it pretty well covered concerning religion as opposed to being spiritual in Christ.

Very well said Shantel. I use to know some people from my previous church that were like that. You could always tell who the pew sitters were.  At least I know that my heart is for Christ. 

I believe if God can forgive murderers, theives, child molesters and anything else then we are forgiven too. I don'k we need to be forgiven as much as dealing with what God gave us to deal with no matter what path we take whether full blown SRS, HRT, Trying to let both sides exist in harmony and so on. Believe me with all the evil people in the world I really don't think that LGBTs are high on the list of eternal damnation. If anything we may be more blessed because we feel and sense a difference between our bodie and Psyches and that allows us to see there is more than just the physical body to us.

ME: I just believe in the existence of God just by looking around this world. In the Bible, Moses just gets the 10 commandments then he kills all of the people who will not live by the law. Something about one commandment NOT being obeyed by Moses here. Where  did ""thou shalt not kill" go. The Bible was written by men who spilt the blood of others. The commandments would be good laws to live by. however I have trouble with the 1st, in that God says he is jealous God. Jealously is being sinful. The only thing I like about Islam is that they say "there is no God but God".
Therefore I am not attached to any of the organized religions. Also any law that advocates killing someone as punishment for something that didn't kill anyone would be wrong. Also Jesus said that the breakage of a commandment is the breakage of them all. I don't think that a girl who lied about another's hair style (didn't want to hurt her friends feelings) should be on the same level as a serial killer.

Therefore I think that God said nothing about transitioning.
Besides If God had destroyed Sodom it should have been for torture,killing, slavery  that Lot saw taking place there. Not for Homosexuality . To me not punishing Sodom for what Lot saw , would make God immoral.

Thankfully we don't have to judge God Janet, so we don't get to say what's moral or immoral concerning what God says or does, end of story.