On the heals of GQ Magazine naming Chicago their City of the Year, our (I’m from, and live in Chicago) governor just got arrested by the FBI for trying to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat. Doesn’t surprise me one ounce. In fact, it has been common knowledge in Illinois that Rod Blagojevich has been under Federal investigation for months now. Can someone please tell me the thought process of how a man already under Federal investigation goes about making a... Read more
This morning I received the coolest email from my editor—it was my book in a proofed PDF, page-laid-out form. It included the Library of Congress catalog page, dedication page, acknowledgement page…the whole shebang. In fact, Dave (my editor) told me they’re sending it to the printer next week. HOW EXCITING! So here is my final reflection of everything I learned, summed up in a nice little paragraph: Question: What were the overall lessons I learned most from this process? I... Read more
As the end of 2008 continues to arrive quicker then I know what to do with, I wanted to reflect a little bit on what I’ve learned about myself. This past year has been a year of many firsts and big happenings: -I got married-I wrote and edited a book-My Grandpa (who taught me what a humble, loving and hardworking man looks like) really digressed in his health—he now has full blown Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Please pray for my... Read more
The day before Thanksgiving I was graced with a phone call from a great friend of mine: Wendy Beech-Ward. Wendy works for Spring Harvest, she knows absolutely everyone and she’s British! Cool side story—her husband was the band manager for Boy George and the Culture Club. Just adds to her coolness doesn’t it… Anyway, as we were talking about the future and some exciting possibilities between The Marin Foundation and the UK based Spring Harvest and Soul Survivor, she said... Read more
The editing process sucks. It was the worst thing I’ve had to do in a long, long time! Not only are all of your words, thoughts, experiences, insights and conclusions shredded by your editor, but then you have to somehow refocus on the broader task at hand and try to write it all again more succinctly to what makes clearer sense to the audience. My thought about that: “I did write it clear to the audience the first time, you’re... Read more
So I guess I couldn’t just go off quietly into the holidays now that I actually have some free time post-book editing. I’ll post about that in the upcoming days, but let me just tell you I went on a couple 60 hour stretches where I only got anywhere from 2-4 hours per sleep per 60 hour stretch … total! Ouch. Anyway, something I want to talk about during this time of Thanksgiving is my ‘haters.’ I don’t understand haters.... Read more
Hello everyone! It’s official…. Love Is an Orientation is officially done, turned in and ready to go to print! I’m back now, no longer ‘off the grid.’ Thanks for hanging in there with me over the last couple of weeks while I struggled to get everything done with total and full confidence in every word that I wrote – and all that I represent as a bridge builder for our heavenly father. I want to wish everyone a happy and... Read more
Hello! I’m going off the grid for a few days (maybe a week). Next week my final edits for Love is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community, are due! And when I say final edits I mean: -This is it for real -No more changes once I turn it in this one last time -Final, final, final version of everything -No more take-backs -What I turn in is what you’ll be reading when you buy it And... Read more
Before I go off the grid, I wanted to briefly talk about the last YS national convention held in Pittsburgh. I have to say that everything I said during Sacramento held true again! What a blessed and humbled weekend I had. But there was one glaring difference between the two cities: As my friend Margaret Feinberg so elequently said to me before I took the general session stage – this region is more stoic in general, and therefore probably won’t... Read more
I voted this morning. It’ll be an interesting night not only for our nation, but also here in Chicago (Barack Obama’s setting up camp in Grant Park about a mile away from where I live – they are expecting about 650,000 people in attendance tonight). More importantly, it’ll be an interesting next 4 years – whoever wins. And regardless of whoever wins the election I know that the Body will need to rise up, together, and live faithfully. Focusing on... Read more
Love is an Orientation
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