Okay, I grew up in a crazy household. We had seven kids altogether, but far enough apart in age out that we never all lived there at once. We had little supervision and a lot of fighting. Whatever good we may have had, it was still a dysfunctional family. My younger brother Matt was always kindhearted, creative and full of love. Kind of trampled through life, as our mother (when Matt was five), plus three other brothers, and our Dad,... Read more
Karen is from a legalistic, fundamental, literalistic denomination that believes gays are bound for hell. She never questioned it or had to give it any thought personally. Then her son came out as gay. In the months since then, she’s found unexpected peace as she is discovering the truth about the Bible and about God’s heart. She has completely embraced her son. She knows he didn’t choose to be gay, nor did their parenting cause it. Those “clobber” verses still... Read more
More today from my Saturday “Jesus Blog” – a word from Jesus to you… Beloved child, let your heart be at rest. Trust me. Stop concerning yourself with sorting it all out, but listen for my voice and trust that I will speak. Surrender your angst, your quest to sort out what’s right and what’s wrong, a job I never gave you. Hand over your fear to me, and I will care for you. Know these few simple truths, and... Read more
“Nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be. It’s easy. All you need is love, love. Love is all you need.”- The Beatles Today is a very emotional and tender post for me as I answer the last part of the letter from a Dad… I want to understand the true message in your ministry, because I NEED to find my own peace in your message, and many who suffer with this need to find the salvation... Read more
“In all of mankind’s history, there has never been more damage done than by people who ‘thought they were doing the right thing.’ Five cents, please.” – Peanuts’ Lucy Van Pelt All week we have been reading a letter I received from a father struggling with his son being gay. His struggle is based on what he has heard on Sunday morning for years. That does not make it right. That does not make it the truth. I know this... Read more
“Beyond that, we absolutely, definitely, completely have no place to demand someone else (our gay son) be crucified!” We continue with a dad’s letter about balancing unconditional love with expectations for behavior. Here is the Dad’s letter, Part 3… “The immediate gift of salvation is free to all regardless of condition, but the sustained life of salvation and the subsequent gift of eternal life with our Lord and Savior constitutes entirely from a complete change of behavior/condition; a changing of the mind.... Read more
“Now I find I’ve changed my mind and opened up the doors.” – The Beatles’ Help A father wrote me a letter with an open heart and a cry for help. It is a sincere request to understand the ongoing FreedHearts message. He is drawn to the love he finds here, but afraid to ‘take it too far.’ Perhaps you too are wondering how to embrace this love but fear going too far ‘off-road.’ No need to be afraid! We can go off-road, because we... Read more
If you are a parent and struggling with the issue of your child being gay, this week is especially for you. All you need to bring to the table is an open heart. It is all I ask. A father wrote a beautiful letter to me with an open heart and a sincere hope to understand this ongoing message of love I write about at FreedHearts. This dad is drawn to the love here, but afraid of what may happen... Read more
An easy way to identify those who truly know God is to see how they love… especially how they love and accept those the church and much of the world rejects. More today from my Saturday “Jesus Blog” – a word from Jesus to you… It’s important that you know how much God loves you. Lavishly. Abundantly. More than you could imagine! He calls you his child, an overwhelming gift. You ARE a child of God! If the world doesn’t... Read more
Dear Franklin Graham, I was dismayed by your interview. You are so unlike your father. He spoke with love and tenderness. You speak with contempt and no love. Gandhi said, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.” I like your father. Over his long and illustrious life, he has exemplified the Christian ethic: love God, love others. He showed his love to the world in countless ways. When asked how he... Read more
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