An Interview With Linda Dipman Author Of 'I Want To Know My Future'

Linda Dipman believes she has lived three different lives. Her first life began when she was a married mother of three children in a small town in central Kansas. A life where Linda’s family, church and friends were the perfect portrait of the American Dream. Her second life took her to Kansas City and pivoted her into the Decorating world. She did upholstery and ran a very successful business. Her third life took her to Colorado. Where she fell in love again and started over. She is the proud grandmother of eight. She is a board member of Front Range Hospice. She loves to decorate, travel and write spiritual books to help people in their Christian walk. She is the author of 'I Want To Know My Future'.

Is this a true story and if so when did this take place?

Elizabeth in the book is really me. I changed the names and places of my story in order to protect my family. The book begins in 1986 and continues through the year 2002.

Why did your family and church turn against you?

They said I changed when Tori came into my life. And they proceeded to cut me off because of our relationship.

How did you end up in jail?

I won custody of my children at first because I was found to be the better parent, but then the Judge decided to have a review of custody in three months. During that time my former church and ex-husband sent many letters to the court claiming I was gay and thus unfit to parent my children. They threatened the judge declaring they would not vote for him in the upcoming election if he continued to give me custody. When the next court convened he took my middle son and gave him to his dad because I was asking for my ex-husband to OK psychological treatment for him because he was having a lot of problems from our divorce in school, church and at home. The Judge then ordered another review of custody in three months. During this time my ex-husband was trying to build any kind of case against me in order to give the judge the power to take away our two remaining children from my custody. One night he came to my home and attacked me in front of the pastor and a deacon from our former church. I was on crutches for six weeks. I pressed charges but the DA refused to try the case because the church was sending tons of letters supporting my ex-husband. The next court convened and the judge came to court drunk. He listened to the evidence and two days later handed my other to children over to their dad, giving him sole custody and complete control over visitation. He didn’t even have to let me see my children if he didn’t want to. The judge then gave me two weeks to hand them over. I was stunned over the verdict! What they did to me was wrong so I ran with my children and later I was put in jail.

What do you mean when you say that God supernaturally rescued you when no one else would?

Before the divorce or the fight for child custody took place Tori and I would go to different churches and sing special music during the church services. I was the choir director and Tori was the church pianist. Tori became very ill. Her cardiologist stated that her heart was enlarged and that she could die. The urgency of her illness made us go to church to pray one evening and as we were praying for healing a warm presences came over us. When I placed my hand over her heart, my hands grew hot and I felt a vibration flow over me. Later we found out that her enlarged heart condition had been healed.

Everything changed from the moment we were baptized by the Holy Spirit. Whenever we were together we felt a strong presence of God and a love for each other. It also opened our eyes to the problems in both of our marriages. Tori obtained an emergency divorce first because her ex-husband admitted to child abuse. But before I could come to terms with divorce I had to understand why I was feeling such love for Tori. My Christian belief system was very strong. I had always desired to do God’s will and I was confused over the church’s position against homosexuality. I didn’t know anything about being gay. And the scriptures over Sodom and Gomorrah confused me even more. But I continued to have this overwhelming love for Tori.
One day out of the blue a woman called Tori on the phone and they started talking. Tori told her about our relationship and she directed her to a church in Wichita. The woman assured her that our love was from God. When Tori left she remembered she had more questions and when she returned to where the church was at; it had disappeared completely. Over the next two weeks the woman continued to call her and assure her that she was a real person and that we were in God’s will in our relationship. She encouraged us to go forward in becoming a couple and I pursued a divorce. When the phone calls stopped typed supernatural messages appeared. When I read the messages they always ended with My Ways Are Not Human Ways Trust In me. God has spoken. This was the beginning of many ways that God aided us in our fight for our children.

How were you able to live when you were forced to hide from Tori's parents and the public?

Tori was forced to make up a pretend boyfriend to keep her parents happy. We used a local paper to run upholstery ads. We only had an ad in the phone book with our upholstery name. For seventeen years I was forced to hide whenever they visited. My children were forced to hide as well. I had to be quiet when they called and hide in locked rooms until they left.

If this lifestyle is so hard, why didn't you just stop living the life of a homosexual?

Because I loved Tori and when God talks to you and says it is His will, you do it. Even if you are suffering terribly for being who He called you to be, you do it because God is God. I believed that no matter what happened that having Him in my life was better than having the approval of everyone else.

How do you think this book can help Christian families?

Because of the teaching of the church many families are throwing out their sons and daughters all because of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. They are also doing this because of the Christian saying “love the sinner but hate the sin”. What happened to me proves that you cannot love what they hate. Because of this teaching families believe it is their responsibility to punish their children for the sin of homosexuality. They do this by rejecting them as a person. This book has all the scriptures families will need to love their children again. The dramatic story is filled with answers I learned from the teachings of the Holy Spirit.

Why did you write this book?

Many things have happened since I went through the terrible persecution I suffered from Christians when I was a young mother. I am now a grandmother of eight children. I want my grandchildren to grow up in a better world. I want them to be able to attend the church of their choice without persecution. If one of my grandchildren turns out to be like me I don’t want them to go through the kind of persecution I went through. I am also concerned for the gay teenagers who commit suicide. I am concerned for all people who are condemned by Christians for whom God made them to be. People are using God for hate!

What are your goals for this book?

a. I would like to put a copy of my book in every church and home. This book is not just for people seeking the truth over homosexuality. It is a book where God uses me to speak messages of truth for His children.
b. I would love to be a public speaker. I have a lot to say to Christians about ‘why bad things happen to good people’.
c. I also would like to help Christians to look back at what they have gone through and see what they learned; Instead of looking back and feeling sad from how much they have suffered.
d. I want to inspire people to walk in love. For God is love!

How can this book change the way the church sees the homosexual lifestyle?

In dramatic detail this book tells the story of a family that is persecuted for homosexuality by the church. It tells how the church policy is a failure because it leads families to hurt gay people. It shows how hating homosexuality actually leads Christian’s into sin.
It is very important that Christians not put themselves in the place of a judge. God is the only Judge! We must love unconditionally. I believe education is the key to knowledge. I Want to know my Future will give evidence found in scriptures to help the church understand that homosexuals are made by God. This book will not only help families with gay members but it will answer questions as to ‘why bad things happen to good people’.

'I Want to Know My Future' is available at www.Amazon.com in paperback form and on the Kindle. It is available on line at www.barnesandnoble.com and can be ordered via the store. Her website is www.lovinghandsministry.com. She can be reached for interviews as well by email: lovinghandsministry@yahoo.com