Preloading

The Impact Pastor Mitchell's Affairs Have Had on His Family

Season 3 Episode 315
Aired on 09/12/2015 | CC tv-14
Mitchell, a 42-year-old pastor, admits to having relationships with men while simultaneously preaching against homosexuality. His duplicity stems from years of wrestling with the fear that his homosexuality would "send him to hell." It was this same fear that drove him into the ministry years ago, where he hid from his true identity.

"It wasn't that the appetite wasn't there, the desire wasn't there. ... It was just that I didn't give in to the tendencies."

Mitchell thought he was fully "healed" by his early 30s, and married Tiffany, a 20-year-old single mother of three. The couple then had two children of their own and, seemingly, a happy life together. But two years into the marriage, Mitchell could no longer control his desires and began a string of affairs with men.

When Iyanla first sits down with Mitchell, it's clear to her that he does not see the impact that his actions have on everyone in his life, from his family to his congregation. Watch the above video as she takes him through an exercise that illustrates how everything is connected. Will he finally understand the damage he's caused?

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