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Biblical Clarity
Sacred Sexuality offers readers a raw testimony and a Scripture-centered call to return to God’s design for sex, identity, and holiness. This book blends testimony with teaching. How did you decide how much of your personal story to share?
As I’ve led Sacred Sexuality workshops and spoken publicly about God’s design for sexuality, people often asked if I would write a book that fully detailed my testimony and life journey. I previously shared portions of that journey in a public letter on my website, titled In Error to God’s Heir. That letter included deeply personal experiences—my father’s alcoholism, my parents’ divorce, the challenges my mother faced as a single parent, experiences of sexual abuse, and other formative wounds. While many readers found it helpful, it also brought tension within my family, and I eventually edited out certain details in pursuit of peace.
When it came time to write the book Sacred Sexuality, I sensed the Holy Spirit leading me in a different direction. Rather than centering the book on my full autobiography, I was called to focus on God’s revelation—His design for sexuality, identity, holiness, and redemption. My story is present, but it serves as a witness, not the foundation. Scripture is the foundation. My testimony is woven throughout.
I wanted to write a book that would speak truth and grace into a culture increasingly confused and wayward about sexuality—a book that helps readers understand what God’s Word actually says, how people drift into sexual sin, the cultural lies that deceive people, how freedom is found, and how believers can walk alongside others with both conviction and compassion. That is how Sacred Sexuality came to be.
Was there a specific verse or passage that you feel “cracked something open” for you spiritually?
Yes—Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21–23 were deeply unsettling to me: “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not done mighty works in your name… and then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” I remember asking myself, honestly, Would that be me?
That question drove me to study everything Jesus said about sexuality and the heart. In Matthew 5:27–30, Jesus makes it unmistakably clear that sexual sin is not merely about behavior, but about the heart—desire, intent, and obedience. Later, in Matthew 15:19–20, He explains that sexual immorality flows from within and that these sins defile a person.
The apostle Paul reinforces this sobering truth in 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 with a clear warning: “Do not be deceived…” Sexual sin—like all unrepentant sin—separates us from the kingdom of God. But Paul doesn’t stop there. He proclaims the gospel hope: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
That verse became deeply personal to me. For such was I. And by God’s grace, that is no longer who I am.
Much of the book wrestles with identity—who we are versus who God calls us to be. How did your understanding of identity shift over time?
As I immersed myself in Scripture, I began to see that God’s Word is remarkably consistent about sexual immorality—and equally consistent about redemption. My identity is not defined by my desires, temptations, past experiences, or labels given by culture.
Scripture tells us plainly that the human heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), and Jesus confirms that sexual sin flows from the heart (Matthew 15:19–20). But Scripture also tells us that Christ demonstrated His love for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). His grace is not theoretical—it is powerful and sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9).
One passage that profoundly reshaped my understanding of identity is 1 Corinthians 6:19–20: “You are not your own… You were bought at a price.” Our bodies matter to God. They are sacred because Christ paid for us with His own blood. In response, Romans 12:1–2 calls us to present ourselves as living sacrifices—transformed, not conformed.
My identity is no longer rooted in who I was or what I felt, but in who Christ is and what He has done.
Some readers may find your confidence reassuring, while others may find it challenging. How did you think about your audience while writing?
I wrote Sacred Sexuality for readers who are hungry for biblical clarity in a confusing cultural moment—and for those who long to see that clarity delivered with grace. Pastors, parents, and believers who feel overwhelmed or silenced by cultural debates will find firm convictions, careful Scripture, and practical guidance.
For readers seeking a biblical sexual ethic, this book is meant to function as a roadmap—and perhaps even a lifeline. And for those who are questioning, searching, or carrying deep pain around sexuality, my prayer is that they encounter not condemnation, but the steady, redemptive voice of God’s Word. Truth and grace are not enemies. In Christ, they meet.
This book is ultimately an invitation to repentance, to freedom, and to the life that only God’s design can give. To book is to bring God glory; none to me.
Launch dates for Sacred Sexuality:
February 10: Ebook
February 24: Printed book
Author Links: GoodReads | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Sacred Sexuality: Grace and Truth Revealed in a Culture of Confusion equips believers to anchor their lives in God’s sacred design for sexuality and identity. Author Mark Richard—once trapped in decades of sexual sin and confusion—shares his personal testimony alongside timeless biblical truth and pastoral guidance. With both bold conviction and tender compassion, he addresses cultural lies, confronts temptation, and provides practical tools for living in purity and grace. Readers will discover how to: understand God’s purpose for sexuality, resist the enemy’s schemes, speak truth in love, and walk in freedom through Christ. Ideal for individuals, families, pastors, small groups, and church leaders, this resource offers clarity, compassion, and hope for one of the most critical issues of our time.
A Call to Repentance and Renewal
Words for a Wounded World is a striking collection of scriptural poetry that bridges devotion and art, journeying from the foundations of faith to the trials of endurance, calling readers to reflection, repentance, and renewal. What inspired you to write this particular collection of poems?
It all began with a young husband and father named Tucker. He was quietly losing a war few could see—caught in the grip of pornography and desperate for freedom but unsure how to reach it. As I walked with him through this struggle, the Holy Spirit stirred something unexpected in my heart: Write him a poem.
That poem became “Lured: The War for Your Soul.” It wasn’t meant to be creative expression—it was spiritual warfare. Every line was grounded in Scripture, confronting the enemy’s lies, exposing the spiritual battle, and calling Tucker back to the Truth of God’s Word. With the poem, I included companion Scriptures, reflection questions, and a call to repentance and renewal.
Weeks later, Tucker shared that the poem became his lifeline. He carried it with him. He turned to it in moments of temptation. And God used it to remind him that he wasn’t alone—and that freedom is possible through Christ.
After Tucker, the Lord continued placing people on my heart, along with specific burdens and Scriptures for each one. One poem became two, then three… until I realized the Lord wasn’t giving me isolated pieces—He was forming a collection. These became Words for a Wounded World, a book written for every soul wrestling with sin, sorrow, confusion, or spiritual longing, pointing them back to the healing power of God’s Word.
Do you have a favorite poem in the book, and if so, why does it hold special meaning for you?
That’s a tough question and a bit like asking which of your children you love most, (Lol) Each of the sixteen poems carries its own story, its own ministry moment, and its own spiritual burden. They were all born out of real conversations, real struggles, and real breakthroughs.
What makes them especially meaningful to me is how each poem teaches the Word of God in a reverent, compassionate, poetic, and even prophetic way. They are not just poems—they are invitations to encounter Scripture, to hear God’s heart, and to respond to His truth.
How has this poetry book changed you as a writer, or what did you learn about yourself through writing it?
I never set out to write a poetry book, and I certainly never saw myself as a poet. But when you follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit and immerse yourself deeply in God’s Word, you discover that God can do far more through you than you ever imagined.
The process was remarkable. For each poem, the Lord impressed a subject on my heart. I would turn to Scripture—searching, collecting, studying, meditating, wrestling, and praying—until the lines and stanzas began to take shape. After each poem came the reflection questions, journaling prompts, and the prayer prompts.
I didn’t know where any of it was heading until the twelfth poem. That’s when the vision of a full collection began to emerge. By the time the sixteenth poem was written, a four-part structure had taken shape—a structure I didn’t plan, but that God did.
Writing Words for a Wounded World has taught me that God delights in using imperfect people with imperfect words to point others to His perfect Word.
Have you received any feedback from readers that surprised or moved you?
The most meaningful feedback has been how readers are drawn from the poems directly into Scripture. Hearing that a line, a question, or a prayer prompt sent someone diving deeper into God’s Word—that’s the highest encouragement I could receive. The poems were never meant to stand alone; they were meant to be bridges leading people straight to the heart of God.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
In this Spirit-led collection, author and Biblical teacher Mark Richard weaves together sixteen Scripture-inspired poems that speak life into dark places. Each poem is grounded in the timeless truth of God’s Word, accompanied by full biblical references, and deep devotional reflection questions-creating a rich three-part encounter with God’s truth.
These “hymn-like” poems were born in real moments of ministry-written for people facing doubt, anxiety, sickness, and sorrow. Now, they are offered to you-to awaken your soul, convict your heart, and strengthen your faith.
