ReStoried 2022 Breakouts

Transgender Trends

Linda A. Seiler, PhD

Dr. Seiler will address how transgender desires develop, including traditional gender dysphoria and rapid onset gender dysphoria (ROGD)—the current social contagion trending among teen girls. She will also offer practical advice on how to respond when a loved one identifies as transgender.

For decades, Dr. Linda Seiler felt like a man trapped in a female body and was exclusively attracted to women. Today, she is content in a female body and wholly attracted to men. Dr. Seiler offers a unique, compassionate perspective as one who has struggled with her own gender identity and sexuality.

An ordained Assemblies of God minister, Linda led a team to pioneer Chi Alpha (XA) at Purdue University in 2007, where she served as XA director for 13 years before transitioning into her current assignment as a National XA Field Specialist in Applied Theology and Culture and appointment as Executive Director of ReStory Ministries. She earned a PhD from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (2020) with her dissertation investigating thirty case studies of men and women who were once same-sex attracted and have experienced transformation.

Linda is an avid golfer, dark chocolate lover, and cat mom to feline Facebook sensations Bo and Tabby. Learn more about Linda’s story and her ministry at lindaseiler.com.

Answering Pro-Gay Theology

Joe Dallas

Joe will be explaining how pro-gay theologians interpret the biblical references to same-sex attractions and how we can refute these errors point by point. He will also explain how he personally came to embrace pro-gay theology and what led him to eventually reject it.

Joe is an author, conference speaker, and ordained pastoral counselor. He’s the Program Director of CloudFire Ministries in Tustin, California, and has authored nine books on human sexuality from a biblical perspective. He received his Master’s Degree in Christian Counseling from Vision University, San Diego, CA, and is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.

He is also the host of the weekly podcast Christians in a Cancel Culture. He has addressed conferences, churches and universities across the country, and has lectured and debated in Norway, Denmark, Canada, Spain, Geneva, Hong Kong, and Mexico.

Joe and his wife Renee have been members of Mesa Church (AG) in Irvine, California, since 1993, where both of them have served on the Board of Elders. They’re proud parents of their two grown sons Jody and Jeremy, and of Petey the amazing bulldog. Learn more about Joe’s ministry at joedallas.com

Becoming a Community of Healing

Renee Dallas

As cultural pressure builds and more Christians are dealing with LGBTQ friends and loved ones, Renee will be sharing a few models for church ministry and give practical steps that you can take to equip both your leaders and congregants to cultivate a culture of redemption and healing.

Renee Dallas has been in women’s ministry since 1992. She works with her husband Joe Dallas at CloudFire Ministries where she established WifeBoat.com, a support ministry for wives impacted by their husband’s sexual and gender identity struggles. She has also served as an Elder at Mesa Church (AG) in Irvine, California, where she was previously appointed Director of the HELPS Ministry Team, and produces and hosts the Setting the Table Podcast for the Mesa Women’s Ministry.

Renee is a Bible teacher and frequent guest speaker along with her husband at churches, conferences, and seminars. She is passionate about spiritual formation and the local church, and is always on the lookout for awesome conversations! She is currently completing the Biblical Counseling Program through CCEF in Pennsylvania (affiliated with Westminster Seminary).

Ministering to Males with Same-Sex Attractions

Brett Martin

Brett will be sharing about his journey of how God used community, confession, and intimacy with Him to give hope in breaking off the shame, self-hatred, and fear that consumed his life because of a secret struggle with same-sex attractions.

Brett’s life was dramatically changed by the power of God’s love on a university campus in Northern California. Upon graduating with a degree in Construction Management/Civil Engineering, Brett felt God’s call on his life to minister to university students and bring the message of hope that Christ can reach into the darkest parts of our lives and set us free. Since 1993, Brett’s heart and passion has been to walk alongside students struggling with relational and sexual brokenness, which were part of his own testimony. Over and over again, he has seen God’s transformative power as students begin to experience increased levels of freedom from temptation and from the shame and self hatred associated with those temptations. As these transformations grow, students begin to more effectively walk into their God given purpose and destinies for their lives.

In 2012, God performed another miracle in Brett’s life by reconnecting him to his former girlfriend Holly. In 2015, Brett and Holly married and, in 2020, Holly joined Brett in ministry, and together they formed BH Restoration Ministries. Focusing on relational and sexual brokenness, Brett and Holly currently serve university students at Northern Arizona University and Embry Riddle. Brett has been a Chi Alpha associate campus pastor for 28 years and currently serves on staff with Restoring Wholeness Ministries based in Tucson that provides a 16-week comprehensive inner healing support group. (restoringwholeness.org).

Brett and Holly live in a small town in Northern Arizona and enjoy cooking, spending time with dear friends and family, and learning how to garden and restore their 100-year-old home.

When Someone You Love Is LGBTQ

Keith and René Martin

As parents of an LGBTQ-identified child and leaders of a parent support group, Keith and René will be sharing helpful information along with principles that can be applied when someone you love is LGBTQ.

Keith and René are the founders and directors of Hearts of Hope in Yuba City, CA. The mission of Hearts of Hope is to inform and equip the Church with a compassionate biblical response to LGBTQ issues; provide support for families with LGBTQ loved ones; and connect strugglers with mentors and resources. René is a credentialed AG minister and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Restored Hope Network.

Keith and René are members of Calvary Christian Center (AG) in Yuba City, CA.

Ministering to Females with Same-Sex
Attractions

Maria A. Nistri

Maria will be sharing her personal story of overcoming same-sex attractions, including contributing factors to sexual brokenness and undeniable transformational truths that anchored her in hope and unspeakable joy for God’s glory. She will also explain how to apply those truths as we walk alongside those seeking transformation.

Maria serves as the Executive Director of Exchange Ministries, a parachurch ministry addressing LGBTQ and offering support to parents and overcomers. She is a graduate of Southeastern University and has been a ministry leader for over two decades. As one who has overcome same-sex attractions, Maria has a heart to see the transformational truth of God’s Word realized in others, supporting them to walk in alignment with the Holy Spirit and enjoying the benefits of daily relationship with Jesus.

Maria is a graduate of Southeastern University and has been a leader in ministry for 20+ years. As she has walked through her own struggle and victory over same-sex attractions, her passion is focused on discipleship, hope, and freedom. She has a heart to see the transformational truth of God’s Word realized in the hearts of people, supporting others to walk in alignment with His Spirit and enjoying the benefits of a daily relationship with Jesus. Her life verse is 2 Peter 1:3-11.

A Clinical Approach to Same-Sex Attractions

Andrew Rodriguez

Andrew will be sharing how compassionate and competent counseling can be an aid to sexuality strugglers to align their whole selves with the truth of God’s design.

Andrew Rodriguez is a Christian psychotherapist. He is the director of Integrity Christian Counseling in Pottstown, PA, and he counsels at the University of Valley Forge (an Assemblies of God institution), his alma mater. He’s been involved in counseling individuals with sexuality struggles since 2006, interning (and later working) at Day Seven Ministries (a former Exodus International member ministry) and leading a recovery group for men at UVF for eight years. He earned his master’s in counseling from Chestnut Hill College in 2015, where he faced discrimination for his work with men dealing with unwanted same-sex attraction.

Andrew is on the board of Voice of the Voiceless (which advocates for the rights of ex-LGBT), he’s trained in Reintegrative Therapy, and he uses his YouTube channel to discuss psychology, theology, and sexuality. He has been passionately married to his wife, Jessica, since 2007.