All the colors of the rainbow.

That is the first line.

Four words. And somehow, they always held more than they were allowed to say.

Testify to Love was originally recorded in 1997 by Avalon, a contemporary Christian group, and appeared on their album A Maze of Grace. It went on to claim the title of the longest-running #1 song on the Christian music charts of the decade.

For years, those of us who would grow up to claim our place in the LGBTQ community sang Testify to Love with full voices and quiet questions.

We knew every word.

We meant every word.

We just didn't know yet if we were allowed to.

But somewhere underneath the melody, a smaller, harder question lived — one we weren't ready to speak aloud.

Does this love include me?

Now, with Ty Herndon, Michael Passons, and Melissa Greene stepping into a 2026 reimagining of the song, that question finally has the answer it always deserved.

Yes! This love includes you!

Not eventually.

Not conditionally.

Not after you become easier for people to understand.

Now.

Wholly.

As you are.

The Song Was Always Bigger Than the Walls Around It

Every color of the rainbow. Every voice of the wind. Every dream reaching out to find where love begins. Every word of every story. Every star in every sky. Every corner of creation living to testify.

Those are not small words. Those are not careful, hedged, institutional words. Those are words that reach. Words that overflow. Words that sound like creation itself rising up to say what people have tried so hard to suppress.

Love is the testimony.

And yet, for decades, a song this expansive lived inside spaces that taught some of us to make ourselves smaller. We sang every and meant most. We sang all and whispered the asterisk.

This new release does not change the words.

It finally lets them mean what they always said.

This Is Not a Cover. It Is a Correction.

When Melissa Greene, a former Avalon vocalist, reflects on this recording, she says she has sung this song a thousand times — but now it gets to mean what it always said:

Love is for EVERYONE.

Not a rewrite.

Not a reclamation project.

Not a rebranding campaign.

A truth that was always embedded in the song, finally breathing without restriction.

Michael Passons was a founding member of Avalon from 1995 to 2003. Testify to Love is named in his own biography as one of the top inspirational songs of all time and central to Avalon’s legacy — twenty No. 1 radio singles, six GMA Dove Awards, two Grammy nominations, two gold records. His voice helped carry this song into the world. His voice helped build what the song became.

And then he was quietly removed from the group for being gay.

He is not a newcomer returning to borrow something. He is coming home to something that was his.

That is not nostalgia. That is restoration.

The Silence Under the Song

Be a witness in the silences when words are not enough.

Some of us know those silences intimately.

The silence after the conversation that did not go the way you hoped.

The silence of sitting in a pew wondering if the people around you would still love you if they saw your whole self.

The silence after someone used God’s name to push you out the door.

The silence of praying, God, are You still there? after the people who claimed to speak for God told you to leave.

We sang about love while wondering if love had exceptions we were not told about. We sang about grace while grace was being explained to us with fine print. We sang about belonging while learning which pieces of ourselves to leave outside the sanctuary.

And in those silences, sometimes words are not enough.

Sometimes the testimony is survival.

Sometimes the testimony is still believing in love after love has been used as a weapon against you.

Sometimes the testimony is showing up — whole, breathing, unashamed — and letting your life say what others tried to silence.

Restoration, Not Redemption

This is the distinction Melissa Greene makes that I keep returning to.

She writes that Michael was never someone who needed to be redeemed.

He was always whole. Always worthy.

That matters more than it might first appear.

LGBTQ people are not broken people who need fixing before they can be loved.

We are not projects.

We are not before-and-after stories.

We are not testimony-in-progress waiting for an acceptable ending.

We do not struggle because we are queer. Our struggle is with the people who think we should not be.

We need healing from shame — but not because shame was deserved.

We need healing from rejection — not because the rejection was righteous.

We need healing from the relentless weight of a lie that God’s love comes with an asterisk.

Michael’s own biography describes his 2026 reimagining of Testify to Love as reflecting personal healing and a deeper understanding of the song’s message. In 2020, he publicly embraced his identity in a Billboard interview, offering the world clarity about who he is and what he survived.

Restoration does not say: you have finally become worthy.

Restoration says: you were never outside the reach of love.

Restoration says: the song was always yours.

Restoration says: come back to the table — not as a tolerated guest, but as the celebrated guest of honor.

A Testimony That Has Been Lived

Ty Herndon brings his own history into this.

Grammy-nominated, Dove Award-winning, more than five million albums sold, three Billboard No. 1 singles. In 2014, he became the first mainstream male country music star to come out as gay. His memoir, What Mattered Most, is an unflinching account of addiction, mental health, and learning to live as an openly gay man in an industry that was not ready for him.

When Ty Herndon sings about testifying to love, it does not feel like performance.

It feels lived. It feels like survival. It feels like someone who walked through the darkest possible version of his own story and came out still giving thanks for every breath he gets to take.

Testimony is not polished perfection. Testimony is truth with breath still in it.

It is what you say after you have made it through. It is what you sing while you are still healing. It is what your life declares when you refuse to let fear have the final word.

Love Is Something We Practice

Every hand that reaches out to offer peace. Every simple act of mercy. All the hope in every heart will speak what love has done.

Love is not something we simply believe in. It is something we do.

Love is the phone call to someone who feels forgotten.

Love is the parent who chooses relationship over theology.

Love is the church that makes room without asking people to first become manageable.

Love is the friend who says you are not alone and means it without conditions.

Love is the ministry — the one you are part of right now — that refuses to let people remain at the margins while the table sits full.

If our testimony does not make room for love, then we should ask ourselves what we are actually testifying to.

This Is Why We Are Here

This is the work of Beyond Limits.

• We exist to bridge the gap between God and Gay.

• We are here for the people who still believe in God but have been given every reason to doubt that God’s people believe in them.

• We are here for the people who know every word of every worship song and still wonder if there is room for their whole selves in the room where those songs are being sung.

• We are not here to water faith down.

• We are not here to pretend the wounds of religion are small or easily forgiven.

• We are not here to turn love into a slogan and call it ministry.

• We are here to choose mercy. To choose truth. To choose the difficult, authentic, more costly version of love that does not ask people to earn it first.

• We are here to remind people that the rainbow was never something to fear.

Listen With Your Whole Heart

Today, I invite you to listen to Testify to Love with more than your ears.

• Listen with the part of your heart that still hopes love is stronger than fear.

• Listen for the people who were pushed out.

• Listen for the people who are finding their way back.

• Listen for the sound of restoration.

And if someone comes to mind while you listen — send it to them.

They may need the reminder that they are loved.

They may need to hear that there is still room for them.

They may need to know that love has not forgotten their name.

Listen to Testify to Love HERE

How is it that a loving God would create me with feelings I never asked for, then tell me those same feelings are sinful? Then deny me God’s love and damn me to an eternity in hell unless I change them? I have tried to reconcile those questions for years. But I can’t. I cannot reconcile myself to believe God is in the business of making a joke out of something He painstakingly created with such reverence.

If that is the definition of a loving God, then that is not a God I want in my life.

I keep coming back to the same sentence which is the theme of my 2025 Christmas card:

“God so loved the world that God gave…”

I’ve heard it a thousand times.

I’ve quoted it.

I’ve watched people weaponize it.

I’ve watched others soften it into something polite and distant—like it’s only meant for stained glass and Christmas carols.

But this year, I wrote it the way I actually live it now: as a beginning, not a slogan.

Because for a long time, I believed

• God gave… conditions.

• God gave… tests.

• God gave… a vers…

Read more

I didn’t realize a church could rewrite the story of my life with whispers and good intentions. But there I was, sitting in a dimly lit room, learning to doubt the very memories that once made me feel whole. What they called healing felt more like erosion — a slow wearing away of truth, identity, and the sacred simplicity of a childhood built on love. Some harms don’t roar; they glide in quietly, dressed as prayer, and you don’t recognize the damage until the person staring back at you in the mirror feels like a stranger.

A Childhood Built on Love and Faith

I grew up in a home many people would envy. Stability wasn’t a luxury in our house; it was the air we breathed. My parents loved their kids fiercely, raised us with conviction, and practiced their faith with sincerity.

I didn’t grow up around conflict. I never once witnessed a fight between my mom and dad, I have never even heard them swear. Our …

Read more

Join us for a deep dive into the personal journey of author Timothy MK as he reflects on his 52 years of life, specifically focusing on the parallel journey of the LGBTQ+ community since 1973 and the often-conflicting response of the conservative Christian church. This episode explores the historical context, significant events, personal struggles, and ongoing fight for dignity and acceptance. In this episode, we discuss:

• The state of the LGBTQ+ world in 1973, including the APA removing homosexuality from its list of mental disorders and the tragic Upstairs Lounge arson in New Orleans.

• How the conservative Christian church historically viewed faith and queerness as incompatible, often promoting teachings that being gay was sinful and needed "healing".

• The devastating impact of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, the indifference shown by some institutions, and how it galvanized activism through groups like ACT UP and the AIDS Action Council.

• The persistence and harm of conversion therapy, particularly within religious communities, and why it remains a significant issue.

• The profound impact of the murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998 on national awareness and the fight for hate crime legislation, influenced by the advocacy of his parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard.

• Key victories and setbacks in the 21st century, including the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, contrasted with ongoing backlash and struggles, especially concerning transgender rights.

• The current divide between societal progress and the conservative church's stance on LGBTQ+ inclusion, and the resulting pain and departure of many LGBTQ+ Christians from the church.

• Personal reflections from Timothy MK on his experience growing up in a conservative Christian home, publicly coming out later in life, and the personal cost of navigating faith and identity.

Today, as I mark my 52nd birthday, I find myself not just celebrating another year of life, but reflecting deeply on the journey of the LGBTQ+ community since 1973—the year I was born. My own story, shaped within the walls of a conservative Christian home, is woven into our collective struggle for dignity, safety, and love. The arc of these five decades is long, bending toward justice in society at large, yet the church—my first home—has often lagged behind, clinging to exclusion while the world changes outside its doors.

1973: The World We Inherited

In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association finally removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders, a watershed moment that began to chip away at the medical and social stigmas that had long defined queer existence. Yet, that same year, Maryland became the first state to explicitly ban same-sex marriage, a reminder that progress is rarely linear. The founding of the National Gay Task Force in New Yor…

Read more

For over four decades, I lived in the shadow of a theological paradox. As a former architect of conversion therapy programs, I spent years perpetuating doctrines that caused profound harm to LGBTQ+ individuals—all while grappling with my own identity. My book, An Unholy Solution: A Manufactured Problem, chronicles this journey from denial to self-acceptance and challenges the systemic exclusion embedded in religious institutions. This article explores key themes from my work, offering a glimpse into the urgent need for theological reform while inviting readers to engage deeply with the full narrative.

Understanding the Roots of Religious Exclusion

Religious exclusion is not a modern phenomenon. For centuries, interpretations of scripture have been shaped by cultural biases, political agendas, and fear of the unknown. In my research, I trace how doctrines of exclusion took root in early Christian history, from the Council of Nicaea’s enforcement of orthodoxy to …

Read more

• Overcoming life-threatening illness

• Navigating family rejection

• Surviving prolonged unemployment

• Managing financial crisis

• Spiritual transformation

Why You Should Listen:
Discover an intimate, raw account of resilience, faith, and personal growth through a year of unprecedented challenges. This podcast offers a powerful narrative of hope, showing how one individual transformed devastating trials into a profound spiritual awakening.

Episode Highlights:

• Candid exploration of battling severe health issues

• Insights into reconciling personal identity with faith

• Practical lessons on gratitude during scarcity

• Strategies for maintaining hope in seemingly impossible circumstances

• Spiritual insights on trusting God through life's most difficult moments

Who Should Listen:

• Individuals facing personal challenges

• Those interested in spiritual growth

• People seeking inspiration during difficult times

• Listeners exploring faith and personal identity

As I sit down to write this newsletter, I find myself reflecting on the most tumultuous year I had to navigate. 2024 was a year filled with challenges that tested my fortitude, faith, and my purpose for living.

Yet, through each trial, I discovered an inner strength I never knew I possessed and experienced a profound spiritual awakening that has forever changed my life.

Trials At Every Turn

Trial #1 - Facing Death

I was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness in the autumn of 2023 which continued to wreak havoc on my physical body through January 2024. Throughout this time my body was wracked with pain making it unbearable to perform the simplest of life’s tasks.

This trial became exponentially worse when I was given the news that I would likely die within 30 days. The infection was not responding to any treatment tried by my medical team. Each day that passed I got worse, not better.

My team reached out to the top specialists in Western Michigan and develop…

Read more

This episode is based on the article written by Timothy MK in the Beyond Limits publication.

Find Timothy MK at timothymk.com

I hate the holidays. There I said it. I hate them for myself and for many others for whom this time of the year brings the worst depression. While most of the people are complaining about the traffic, or “If I have to go to one more Christmas party!”, there those who spend holiday season alone.

No parties to attend. No gifts to buy. No holiday table filled with food or family.

The Shift

There were two significant life events which caused a seismic shift to the future of the holiday season.

The first from my divorce in 2017 caused by my public admission that I am gay. The entire immediate family, extended family and myself experienced a cascade of emotions. There are no winners in a divorce.

I am not looking for sympathy as I counted the cost and understood the consequences of my admission. I also am aware there are many family members and former friends who would say I am “getting what I deserve.”

Don’t view this article as some flimsy attempt to garnish…

Read more

In the depths of a mother's womb, a miracle unfolds. As beautifully articulated in this personal paraphrase of Psalms 139:13-14.

This interpretation highlights how the Divine meticulously crafts each individual, weaving together the unique fabric of our innermost being. This divine craftsmanship extends to every aspect of who we are, including our sexual orientation. For many, this realization sparks a profound journey of self-discovery and spiritual reconciliation.

The Complexity of Human Development

Science has revealed the intricate process of human development. From the moment of conception, a complex dance of genes and hormones shapes our physical and neurological makeup. This includes the factors that influence our sexual orientation and gender identity. A landmark study published in Science in 2019 identified several genetic markers associated with same-sex sexual behavior. While these findings don't point to a single 'gay gene,' they do provide strong evidence for the biological …

Read more

In 1976, a young Steve Jobs faced a pivotal decision that would shape the future of technology and culture. Jobs and his friend, Steve Wozniak, were working out of a garage, building the first Apple computer. But they needed funding. To raise money, Jobs sold his Volkswagen van, and Wozniak sold his beloved HP calculator. With these funds, Apple was born—a single choice that launched what would become one of the most influential companies in the world.

This decision wasn’t just about building a company; it was a choice that reshaped entire industries and transformed how we communicate, work, and live. However, the true impact of Jobs’ choice to commit to Apple wasn’t felt immediately. It took years—through ups and downs, failures, and innovation—for Apple to grow into a powerhouse. Jobs’ story is a vivid reminder that even one choice, however small or uncertain, can have consequences far beyond what we initially see.

1. The Power of Choice: Why Every Decision M…

Read more

This content for this discussion is from the Beyond Limits article called Gig Review for Contracted Medical Couriers published on 9/29/2024.

I have been working as a contracted medical courier for the last 6 months. In this article I provide the things you need to know and consider before hitting the road.

If you're considering medical courier work, you're probably attracted to the flexibility and independence of the job. This job also has some specific challenges, such as inconsistent income, vehicle-related expenses, and even risks to your health. Driven by opportunities ranging from delivering life-saving medication to sensitive documents and critical medical specimens, this profession allows for both success and setbacks.

Duties and Responsibilities

Being a medical courier is way more involved than just the delivery of packages. They are expected to deliver blood samples, medications, organs, and other related medical equipment from one health facility to another. Many of these items are time-sensitive, and even the slightest mistake may lead to specimen contamination, delays, or breach of confi…

Read more

In this episode we discuss the article from the Beyond Limits weekly newsletter titled Do I Trust You, Lord written by Timothy MK on September 17, 2024.

Introduction

When life becomes overwhelming, even the most devout believers find themselves asking, "Do I really trust God with this?" Trust is at the heart of faith, but it can be a daily struggle to surrender control and lean on God's promises when the future feels unclear. This article unveils what it means to truly trust God, even when life seems uncertain.

In this article, you will learn:

• What it means to genuinely trust God in uncertainty.

• Key Bible verses about trust and their practical application.

• How to deepen your faith by learning to trust more completely.

Let’s explore how we can grow in trusting God.

Understanding Trust in a Biblical Context

Trust, in the biblical sense, goes beyond mere belief—it’s a complete reliance on God’s character, promises, and timing. The Bible often illustrates trust as a deep-rooted confidence that God will guide, protect, and provide, even when we can't see the path ahead.

One of the most well-known scriptures on trust is Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the…

Read more

Feel the pain one more time.

Imagine the horror of being inside the WTC towers as they crashed to the ground.

Think about being in a jet preparing for a certain death.

That day we set aside political differences and were all Americans grieving together.

Take time to sit and remember those who didn’t make it home for dinner that night.

Give a gift subscription

AI content produced using Hear The Web. The Beyond Limits podcast is a production of Timothy-MK Solutions, LLC.

2024 All Rights Reserved

Read more