MattGlover.com

Over the last few years I’ve been trying to build an atmosphere in my community that makes people feel that they don’t have to hide anything to belong. We want to be a community of real, open and honest people wrestling with what it means to be faithful as we struggle with our weakness and brokeness.

It came as no surprise to me, then, that sex and sexuality began to be more openly talked about. Homosexuality, pornography, masturbation, sexually transmittted diseases, lust and others are raised regularly in conversations each week now. Some have found release as they share things for the first time that have kept them bound by guilt and shame. Others have connected with people who struggle with simliar things and now have companions for the journey instead of feeling isolated and alone.

But one thing that I didn’t expect was the number of girls that are struggling with sexual sin. Thinking about it now, there’s no reason why they should be immune, but it seems that we just expect boys to struggle with it and girls to be uninterested. But it’s not the case. My experience suggests it is at least 50/50 but maybe even more.

Anyway, the reason for saying all this is that I find it relatively easy to find resources and networks to support guys in their struggles, but have come up empty when it comes to things to help the girls. In a meeting with other youth pastors yesterday, a few possibilities were suggested, but I’m hoping to build up a fairly comprehensive resource base and perhaps start some support networks. If you have used a helpful resource or know of some good websites, please post them in the comments or email me privately.