In anticipation of my lifetime commitments to vocational singleness and to the Nashville Family of Brothers, I wrote this letter…

Some people assume that my same-sex attractions are the sole reason that I am committing to vocational singleness. Not so! For me, celibacy isn’t a consolation prize or a second-class vocation. I'm confident God would have called me to vocational singleness even if I were straight.

The short answer: whomever God gives me to love.

For 24 hrs, I thought I might leave my family. God knew this summer would include some setbacks, so He made sure I was on sabbatical to provide plenty of bandwidth. I'm grateful. One of those tough moments was 24 hours when I seriously doubted re-committing to the Nashville Family of Brothers.

When I make lifetime commitments to vocational singleness and to NFOB next month, I want some kind of physical symbol to remind me of my commitments and help me share my story with others. So I decided to get a tattoo.

If bachelor parties (at their best) are celebrations of the past and preparation for a lifetime commitment in the near future, then vocational singles deserve a bachelor party as much as any groom-to-be. So in July, some of the people who've been instrumental in my journey thus far helped me celebrate and prepare, complete with...

What is the vocational singleness that Jesus and Paul invited every Christian to consider? Is it still a call to family? How does one discern whether they’re called to vocational singleness?

During a recent Ask Me Anything, someone asked me how I refrain from gay sex and gay pornography. As I've shared consistently on this platform and when I speak publicly, I am not perfect. Years ago I struggled mightily with sexual addiction, and while I have experienced significant progress over the past five years, I am still a sinner in desperate need of a savior. But we are not without hope.

Some who know Jesus experience crippling doubt. Others who don’t yet know Jesus see a Creation in chaos. Christ’s promises seem to ring hollow, the kingdom is coming too slowly, the gospel feels feeble. Thankfully a potent vehicle of kingdom work and kingdom hope for the early Church is available to God’s people today, if we will only embrace and nourish it. Amid Christ’s ministry on earth, he instituted a vocation meant to give us hope for the kingdom to come and to bring forth that kingdom with undivided attention: the vocation of singleness.

"Whenever monks come back, marriages will come back."

My hope for the Church is that gay celibate Christians would find real family. What kind of family are we all made for? How can vocational singles, regardless of sexual orientation, build the permanent family they need?

In previous posts we established that Jesus and Paul are particularly commending permanent singleness in Matt 19 and 1 Cor 7. Later we explained WHY every Christian young adult should open-handedly discern between vocational singleness and Christian marriage, seeking God's preference for each of our lives. But HOW can we discern?

Why should every Christian young adult open-handedly discern between vocational singleness or Christian marriage? And what about reasonable objections?

Max Thurian’s “Marriage and Celibacy” is my go-to recommendation if reading on Protestant theology of celibacy. Check out this post about his book and an icon recently commissioned of the theologian.

Here's 5 reasons why Jesus and Paul *were* particularly talking about permanent singleness. Plus how recognition of this would change our churches.

Check out this transcript about the challenges of involuntary celibacy for gay Christians committed to a traditional sexual ethic and how they can embrace and thrive in their celibacy.

Is celibacy harder than marriage? I don't think so. Doing life with faithful Christian marriages has convinced me.

Is giving up gay romance a sacrifice? If not a sacrifice, why is gay celibacy so difficult?

From Fathom Magazine - Today, more Christian young adults are postponing marriage or considering never marrying than ever before, and the church at large fears plummeting marriage percentages and the declining birth rates that follow. As those numbers soften, their refrain booms louder: “If abstinent singleness isn’t easy for you, don’t worry. Just get married.” Armed with 1 Corinthians 7:9, they plead with the under-thirty crowd, “PLEASE. Get married.”