Loving Yourself without Shame (An Excerpt from Unashamed)

February 14, 2019 By Amber Cantorna

It was a snowy Saturday afternoon in Denver, Colorado, when I showed up to lead a workshop at the 2018 Q Christian Fellowship conference. Together with Susan Cottrell of FreedHearts, we led a sixty-minute session on “Navigating Life and Relationships with Non-Affirming Families.” Anticipating the need for a presentation on this topic, the conference team arranged for us to have the largest workshop room available. Just as they expected, when the doors opened, hundreds of people (in fact, one-third of... Read more

Don’t Say You Love LGBTQ People – Prove It

October 14, 2018 By Amber Cantorna

I can’t tell you how many times over the last several years people have told me that they love me like family. They mean well, trying to fill the void of the family I lost when I came out as gay. But unfortunately, I’ve been disappointed too many times to put weight in lip service love. Some say they wish they would have known what I was going through sooner so that they could have been there for me. Yet... Read more

5 Ways to Hug Your Anxiety Today

September 10, 2018 By Amber Cantorna

I recently went through the most intense bout of anxiety that I have experienced in years. It grabbed hold of my very being and altered my reality in such a way, that I could only see life through a lens of fear. I was not okay. And even though I knew what had triggered it, I couldn’t seem to make it stop or go away. It lasted for weeks and there were days where I found myself curled up in... Read more

The Trauma of Almost

August 14, 2018 By Amber Cantorna

I have to be honest–it’s taken me awhile to write this because, well…trauma isn’t easy to admit. It embeds fear, causes intense anxiety, and cripples the world in which you previously lived. My most recent experience with trauma has been particularly hard to share with others because, for those who don’t bond with pets, it is difficult for them to understand why this situation was so traumatic for me. And being vulnerable about pain, only to feel minimized, is one... Read more

What Amy Grant at Wild Goose Taught Me About Jesus

August 2, 2018 By Amber Cantorna

A couple weeks ago, I had my first experience at the Wild Goose Festival in Hot Springs, NC. Let me tell you friends-it was hot, it was humid, and it was holy. I didn’t know what to expect and quite frankly, was a little nervous about what I would find. But these three days in the woods of the Appalachian Mountains were much more than I anticipated. Driving through the one stop sign town of Hot Springs, NC you would... Read more

Speaking Requests and Book Two Details!

June 19, 2018 By Amber Cantorna

Hey Friends and Family! I hope you are enjoying your Pride month and finding ways to celebrate what makes you uniquely YOU! Two quick things I’m excited about and want to share with you: I AM CURRENTLY BOOKING SPEAKING EVENTS THROUGH DEC 2018. If you attend or pastor a church that is looking for guest speakers, or if you have an upcoming event, I am currently booking speaking engagements through the end of the year. (I may even book... Read more

Why My Heart Aches on Father’s Day

June 15, 2018 By Amber Cantorna

“I’m so proud of you Amber,” my dad frequently told me growing up. He said it more times than I could count. It didn’t matter whether it was a new piece on the piano I had accomplished, a story I’d written, or a good grade I got on a test, my dad was good at telling me that he loved me, and that he was proud that I was his girl. As his only daughter, my dad and I were close.... Read more

How “She is Called” Awakened the Poet Within Me

May 21, 2018 By Amber Cantorna

My Dear Friends, This last weekend, I had the rare and incredible opportunity to gather with a group of 50 women from across America for a unique conference experience titled “She is Called.” Together we had discussions around the topics of sex and power, intersectionality and equity, and prevention and repair. We made art, we did yoga, we encouraged one another, we laughed together, we cried together, and we bonded in a way that only women can. It was magical.... Read more

Mother’s Day Reflections from a Motherless LGBTQ Daughter

May 10, 2018 By Amber Cantorna

I am a motherless LGBTQ daughter. My mother is not deceased, she does not live out of state, and my parents are not divorced. My mother lives only 60 miles from me, yet because of our differing religious beliefs, we are divided. We have not spoken in years. I never dreamed it would be this way. It certainly didn’t used to be. My mother and I used to talk on the phone at least once every day. Even after I... Read more

Speaking Persuasively of LGBT+ Inclusion

April 18, 2018 By Amber Cantorna

Hey Friends, This week I have the exciting privilege of featuring another guest blog by my friend, Alicia Johnston. Alicia was a pastor in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church before coming out as bisexual in 2017. Here are some tips from her about how to engage in the important dialogue of LGBT+ inclusion. Enjoy and share around! Because Love Makes All the Difference, Amber Cantorna When I came out about a year ago, I did it in the most explosive way... Read more