When my daughter Hannah was little, she would raise her hand at the kitchen table and say, “Pick me, pick me!” so she could say something. Yeah, she was cute. Still is. I often want God to ‘pick me, pick me,’ when He has a task that needs doing. Something exciting! He has done that many times and I am honored and humbled. Sometimes, I seem to be slow off the starting blocks. I’m a little afraid it won’t pan... Read more
Beautiful people. The time has come. It’s time to be you were designed to be. I just watched Amy Cuddy’s inspiring TED talk about power through body language. Oh my gosh. I was undone by how easily we give away our power, without even knowing it. A random look or gesture, or minimizing words, can make us feel small. Choiceless. Voiceless. I thought of all the times I have made myself smaller to maintain approval. And I thought of you. The... Read more
I walked into an office one day and there she was – the cutest little thing staring up at me with those big eyes! She waved and said, “Bye!” as she tottered out behind her daddy. Oh my gosh! What complete openness in her face, in her heart! She was just being who she was. Where does that delight, that freedom go? After raising five kids – and having been a kid myself – I thought about that wide-eyed wonder... Read more
What is your secret? Come on, you have one. We all do. A secret we are afraid to share. So did Michael Sam, the Missouri football player who recently came out as gay, and who will soon be the first openly gay NFL player. But there is a big difference in Michael’s secret and most of ours. Ours are usually about our behavior – a choice, a mistake we made that we are afraid to share. But Michael, like most... Read more
How obligated are we to each other? Who is our neighbor? Jesus gives the last word on these questions in the wonderful story of the Good Samaritan, where he tells all of us to love each other, period. I took a fresh look at that story here. But I experienced the Good Samaritan firsthand, at the Gay Christian Network Conference in January. A group of us had volunteered to work at a local homeless shelter before the conference. We had all... Read more
“Conceal, don’t feel, put on a show, make one wrong move and everyone will know…” I just saw Frozen, based solely on Justin Lee’s recommendation. I. Absolutely. Loved it! I agree with Justin that the story beautifully mirrors the struggle of those who are LGBTQ – something they never asked for and cannot change. Being “different” this way also scares them, because they don’t know what is ahead for them in a world that has done terrible things to LGBTQ people (…and continues to do... Read more
What is stopping you from loving? Wholeheartedly, unconditionally, overabundantly? Not in some half-baked way of “loving” someone while still holding them in judgment for what you think is wrong with them. Really loving. Like being the kind of neighbor you always wanted to have. You know, that’s the primary job Jesus gave to those who claim Him. So here’s a story you have probably heard, but stick with me for a fresh look at it. Some religious leaders are sitting around... Read more
“We will be behind whatever choices our child makes, and nothing could make us love her less.” We have our dreams for our children – our dreams. What if your little boy or girl is gay? Can you accept them for exactly who they are? I want to share with you an interaction I had with the Mother of a girl just like that… My husband and I have a three-year-old daughter, who we fostered, then adopted, from birth, and... Read more
Why didn’t her son kill himself? “Because he suddenly saw how much we loved him!” This is from a beautiful mom who is grateful for her gay son, and her deepened intimacy with God. Enjoy her story of freedom from judgment, freedom to love… When our son told us he was gay, I pleaded with God to show us the path forward. I felt completely lost, trapped between the official, loudly articulated position of “the church” and my overwhelming love... Read more
“The singing was the most beautiful sound in the world! More than once, I had to stop singing and just listen. I couldn’t get some of the words out through the tears. Some would say that in those moments, our sexual orientation didn’t matter. For me, though, it did.” Yesterday, I shared the first part of Criselda’s moving story. Today, I am honored to continue to share that with you, in her words, from her heart… I was raised Catholic,... Read more
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