Language conveys love. And the attempt to use language correctly goes a longgggg way.
In a conversation a few years ago, I used the phrase gender fluidity correctly in a sentence. The young adult that I was talking to literally stopped and stared at me, and then said, “Thank you for knowing what that means.”
As believers, we’ve held onto some thoughts related to LGBTQ+ folk that are, in many cases, unsubstantiated and wrong. I think we often don't challenge these thoughts because in our minds, the LGBTQ+ community is “out there,” outside of our church walls, people we do not rub shoulders with, people not “like us.”
Read Moreas evangelicals, we often live in fear of being called “affirming”. And that needs to stop. We should know our doctrine and be able to articulate it well and invitingly. But we need to stop fearing the opinions of those around us and start loving people.
Read MoreNone of us enters this conversation as a blank slate. We hear the simple statement “I’m gay” and thoughts pop into our minds. And those thoughts determine how we act. So to change our actions we must confront our thoughts.
Read Morea friend challenged me once saying, “Isn’t the goal the same for both of us? We are both pursuing holiness.” But often in church, and in my mind, holiness was spelled “heterosexual.”
Read MoreDoes God want anyone to experience same -sex desire? Would He remove it if they asked sincerely?
Read MoreIs the church in opposition to gay people? Does the church hate gay people (as my gay friends would say)? And how have we gotten to the place where this is thought of the church?
Read MoreEven though I had not grown up in the church, I had been there since my early 20’s, and somehow, I had been trained in the thought that experiencing homosexual desires was a choice and could easily be turned off and on.
Read MoreI realized a few years back that we never come into a situation with a blank slate. No matter what room or space I walk into, I come with a host of ideas, preconceived notions and biases- good and bad.
Read MoreMissional is a term that has become trendy and seems like a way to describe almost anything. But to me, it describes a way of life that should seem pretty weird to the people around us.
Read MoreDo the terms celibate Christian, Side B, Side A, affirming, or gender fluid mean anything to you? Perhaps if you love music, Side B means the backside of a record :) But if these terms are just buzzwords or ideas that seem vague, you are not alone.
Read MoreI often listen to teens tell a story with the ending first- it is , after all, the most exciting part . This post is like the ending But it began with a prayer. I asked to understand what it was like to be gay.
Read MoreTogether might be my favorite word. Though on a recent trip to Omaha to see an old friend, I discovered that I have several ‘favorite things’: alleys, murals, diet coke and definitely the word together.
Read MoreIn most of the circles I routinely run in, few people have ever heard the words, #revoice 18, Side-B, celibate gay Christian or mixed-orientation marriage. So it seems valuable to jot a few words.
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