I just finished Day Two of my hospital orientation and my brain hurts!!! I've had to cram so much info into my cranium I think it's ready to explode! One more orientation day to go and then I'll be back to my regular posts. Over the past two days I've learned about every department of the hospital and heard about every possible bad thing that can happen to a human being. I've also met countless doctors, nurses and chaplains who give of themselves on a daily basis to give people hope and healing.
I think one of the reasons why the hospital I'm working at is so accepting of the LGBT community is because when you see the "big picture" on a daily basis, someone's sexual orientation or sexual identity doesn't really matter. We all share a common humanity. We all hurt. We all grieve. We all long for comfort. We all need a hand to hold. Death and trauma are the great equalizer. They will touch all of our lives at some point on our earthly journey.
I really love what I'm learning and have enjoyed meeting the people I'm going to be working with. Unlike John McCain who, today, foolishly supported the idea of a ban on gay marriage in California, most of the people I met today seem to get it. Life is tough enough without us taking it out on each other. We're all in the same boat, whether we like it or not, so we might as well learn to get along with each other.
I have no doubt that God will teach me much through my work at the hospital. I'm also proud this hospital sees the value of hiring a compassionate pastor who also happens to be gay. It's going to be an interesting journey, indeed!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
I'm Baaaaack!
Hi everyone,
I start my chaplain training at the hospital today after an amazing week at Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Boston. I'm back online and will post something this evening.
Lots to share!!!
I start my chaplain training at the hospital today after an amazing week at Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Boston. I'm back online and will post something this evening.
Lots to share!!!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Computer Woes
Hi everyone. My hard drive crashed and is being replaced [ARGH!] I'll be out of comission for several days. Oh well, at least we have gay marriages in California to smile about. It truly is a landmark moment for LGBT equality.
Friday, June 13, 2008
My Hero!
"Let's go with Jesus. Not the gay-hating, war-making political tool of the Right, but the outcast, subversive, supreme adept who preferred the freaks and lepers and despised and doomed to the rich and powerful." -- John Cusack on his hero, in the June issue of Vanity Fair
Way to go, John! What a statement to make in Vanity Fair. Each of us is guilty, to some degree, of making Jesus in our image rather than the other way around. Each of us projects onto Jesus the things we need from God instead of letting his life-changing power invade us souls and change transform us forever. That being said, I must admit that John Cusack's Jesus looks a lot like my Jesus: friend of outcasts, wisdom teacher, movement builder, healer and the one who says God's reign looks more like a circle than it does the corporate ladder.
As a gay man, I've always understood the subversive side of Jesus' message. The part that got him crucified. The part that made some of the Jewish leaders and Roman authorities hate his guts. The part that invites all to the kingdom banquet, including those that some Christians would prefer be deleted from the guest list. Christ's love is big enough to hold all of us: gay, straight and in-between; rich and poor; and whatever color or nationality we may claim as our own. I can only hope that a change of leadership in the White House and a shift away from the Religious Right will allow the real Jesus to live and breathe and reconcile all of us with his love.
Way to go, John! What a statement to make in Vanity Fair. Each of us is guilty, to some degree, of making Jesus in our image rather than the other way around. Each of us projects onto Jesus the things we need from God instead of letting his life-changing power invade us souls and change transform us forever. That being said, I must admit that John Cusack's Jesus looks a lot like my Jesus: friend of outcasts, wisdom teacher, movement builder, healer and the one who says God's reign looks more like a circle than it does the corporate ladder.
As a gay man, I've always understood the subversive side of Jesus' message. The part that got him crucified. The part that made some of the Jewish leaders and Roman authorities hate his guts. The part that invites all to the kingdom banquet, including those that some Christians would prefer be deleted from the guest list. Christ's love is big enough to hold all of us: gay, straight and in-between; rich and poor; and whatever color or nationality we may claim as our own. I can only hope that a change of leadership in the White House and a shift away from the Religious Right will allow the real Jesus to live and breathe and reconcile all of us with his love.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Fly or Fall?
"Then you will be shown the way, Juan, God does not ask you to jump off a cliff unless he knows you know how to fly. You will be given the means to fly, but whether or not you do so will be in your hands." He stared at me. "Fly or fall, young Wolf: the decision will always be yours." -- from "The Last Guardian of Mosh Chaltun" by David Talon, Cold Tree Press
A friend of mine recently released his first novel which is an exciting accomplishment. The book is action/adventure in the style of Indiana Jones/The DaVinci Code. I'm about a quarter of the way through the book and am definitely hooked!
I love this quote because it gives us plenty of food for thought. There are times in our lives when we feel like we're falling off the edge of a cliff. However, this quote reminds us that God has our backs because God has given us the ability to fly. The only question we need to ask ourselves is whether or not we'll use our gift of flight or resign ourselves to spiraling downward.
This week was a BIG week for me. I got the part time chaplaincy position at the hospital as a pastor who also happens to be a gay man. I didn't have to hide anything and they STILL thought I was the right person for the job. WOW! That's a very empowering thing for me. To be able to live openly and honestly with my colleagues at the hospital is a gift I won't take lightly. I know God is putting me there for a reason...not only for the patients but also as a witness to the rest of the staff.
The bad news is that I'm going to have to cut all my volunteer work to make space for this position. This means I may not be blogging as regularly as I have in the past. However, take heart my dears, I will continue as best as I can. Thanks for all your love and support. Pray for me as I embark on this new spiritual journey.
A friend of mine recently released his first novel which is an exciting accomplishment. The book is action/adventure in the style of Indiana Jones/The DaVinci Code. I'm about a quarter of the way through the book and am definitely hooked!
I love this quote because it gives us plenty of food for thought. There are times in our lives when we feel like we're falling off the edge of a cliff. However, this quote reminds us that God has our backs because God has given us the ability to fly. The only question we need to ask ourselves is whether or not we'll use our gift of flight or resign ourselves to spiraling downward.
This week was a BIG week for me. I got the part time chaplaincy position at the hospital as a pastor who also happens to be a gay man. I didn't have to hide anything and they STILL thought I was the right person for the job. WOW! That's a very empowering thing for me. To be able to live openly and honestly with my colleagues at the hospital is a gift I won't take lightly. I know God is putting me there for a reason...not only for the patients but also as a witness to the rest of the staff.
The bad news is that I'm going to have to cut all my volunteer work to make space for this position. This means I may not be blogging as regularly as I have in the past. However, take heart my dears, I will continue as best as I can. Thanks for all your love and support. Pray for me as I embark on this new spiritual journey.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Stand Up, Take Your Mat and Walk
"Although we might use different words to describe it, most of us know what is killing us. For some it is the deadly rush of our lives; for others it is the inability to move. For some it is the prison of our possessions; for others the crushing poverty that dooms our children to more of the same. Few of us can choose our circumstances, but we can choose how we respond to them. To be saved is not only to recognize an alternative to the deadliness pressing down upon us but also be able to act upon it. Even those who have no choice but to be carried toward safety on stretchers will eventually be given the chance to take up their mats and walk, and even those whose legs still will not work can discover who agile a healed spirit can be." --Barbara Brown Taylor, "Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith"
"Stand up, take your mat and go to your home." These are the words Jesus spoke to the paralytic in Mark 2 who was lowered on a stretcher through the roof by four of his friends. It's a dramatic scene that has been played out on felt boards in Sunday School room ever since I was a kid. There are two interesting dynamics in this story. The first is the relationship between the paralytic and his friends. Everyone should have friends like this. Everyone should have friends who go way out of their way to steer us toward the source of healing and new life even if it means carrying us bodily on a stretcher! This is especially true in the LGBT community where our friends often become our adopted families. One of the keys to navigating life successfully is having good friends you know you can count on.
The second dynamic we need to examine is the relationship between the paralytic and Jesus. The command is given "Stand up, take your mat and go home," however the paralytic needs to own these words for himself. He needs to have the faith that Jesus is the source of haling and new life and claim this power for himself. Our friends may help us get there but, ultimately, we need to embrace the good news for ourselves. What is this good news? The good news that Jesus cares passionately for us and desires that we "have life and have it more abundantly." [John 10:10]
There will be some people, who will tell us that because we are gay or lesbian or transsexual that we are not worthy of God's grace and mercy. Don't listen to them. They want to put God in a box and it has been my experience that God is "unboxable." Just look at the story in Mark 2. Jesus is offering healing to this man, no conditions attached. The religious leaders can only cry "blasphemy" and grumble about Jesus' actions. He's not following the rules. He's not acting the way a good rabbi should. Jesus' gracious treatment of the paralytic remind us that God's love and grace cannot be contained by us or by our theology. It is open and accessible to all no matter what letter of the alphabet we identify with.
Barbara Brown Taylor is right. We know what's killing us. May it also be true that we know the one who offers us healing for whatever wounds we have sustained in this world. It's time for all of us to stand up, take our mats, and walk into the love and grace of God.
"Stand up, take your mat and go to your home." These are the words Jesus spoke to the paralytic in Mark 2 who was lowered on a stretcher through the roof by four of his friends. It's a dramatic scene that has been played out on felt boards in Sunday School room ever since I was a kid. There are two interesting dynamics in this story. The first is the relationship between the paralytic and his friends. Everyone should have friends like this. Everyone should have friends who go way out of their way to steer us toward the source of healing and new life even if it means carrying us bodily on a stretcher! This is especially true in the LGBT community where our friends often become our adopted families. One of the keys to navigating life successfully is having good friends you know you can count on.
The second dynamic we need to examine is the relationship between the paralytic and Jesus. The command is given "Stand up, take your mat and go home," however the paralytic needs to own these words for himself. He needs to have the faith that Jesus is the source of haling and new life and claim this power for himself. Our friends may help us get there but, ultimately, we need to embrace the good news for ourselves. What is this good news? The good news that Jesus cares passionately for us and desires that we "have life and have it more abundantly." [John 10:10]
There will be some people, who will tell us that because we are gay or lesbian or transsexual that we are not worthy of God's grace and mercy. Don't listen to them. They want to put God in a box and it has been my experience that God is "unboxable." Just look at the story in Mark 2. Jesus is offering healing to this man, no conditions attached. The religious leaders can only cry "blasphemy" and grumble about Jesus' actions. He's not following the rules. He's not acting the way a good rabbi should. Jesus' gracious treatment of the paralytic remind us that God's love and grace cannot be contained by us or by our theology. It is open and accessible to all no matter what letter of the alphabet we identify with.
Barbara Brown Taylor is right. We know what's killing us. May it also be true that we know the one who offers us healing for whatever wounds we have sustained in this world. It's time for all of us to stand up, take our mats, and walk into the love and grace of God.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Gardening With Jesus
"Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!" Mark 4:3-9, NRSV]
My congregation does a contemplative service the first Sunday evening of each month. During this service, one of the things we do is use a method of unpacking the Biblical text called "Lectio Divina" or "holy reading." [You can Google the subject for more information.] During our time of sharing one of my high school students remarked that the way the sower scatters the seeds seems so "random." It's sort of wasteful as the sower tosses seed everywhere without any regard to where it lands.
WOW! That's a really great insight into this text. Perhaps that's the point of the parable in the first place. It just might be another parable that talks about God's "extravagant wastefulness" in showing love, grace and mercy to us. We see this often in the gospels such as the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine in search of the one lost sheep or the Samaritan who goes way out of his way to help the injured person on the road.
Perhaps this parable is calling us to be as wastefully extravagant as God is, trusting that although sometimes our efforts may seem like a waste of time, whatever good patch of soil we find will produce a harvest beyond our wildest imagination.
As a pastor who is also a gay man, I can relate to what this text is saying. As I reach out into my community, trying to sow seeds of love, acceptance and understanding, I encounter lots of rocky ground. Some days it's easy to feel like my efforts are wasted as I randomly sow seed wherever I go. However, this parable reminds me that we never know when we're going to find fertile soil. We are simply called to sow the seeds and trust God to do the rest. That's not always an easy thing to do but God promises us that our efforts are not in vain.
My congregation does a contemplative service the first Sunday evening of each month. During this service, one of the things we do is use a method of unpacking the Biblical text called "Lectio Divina" or "holy reading." [You can Google the subject for more information.] During our time of sharing one of my high school students remarked that the way the sower scatters the seeds seems so "random." It's sort of wasteful as the sower tosses seed everywhere without any regard to where it lands.
WOW! That's a really great insight into this text. Perhaps that's the point of the parable in the first place. It just might be another parable that talks about God's "extravagant wastefulness" in showing love, grace and mercy to us. We see this often in the gospels such as the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine in search of the one lost sheep or the Samaritan who goes way out of his way to help the injured person on the road.
Perhaps this parable is calling us to be as wastefully extravagant as God is, trusting that although sometimes our efforts may seem like a waste of time, whatever good patch of soil we find will produce a harvest beyond our wildest imagination.
As a pastor who is also a gay man, I can relate to what this text is saying. As I reach out into my community, trying to sow seeds of love, acceptance and understanding, I encounter lots of rocky ground. Some days it's easy to feel like my efforts are wasted as I randomly sow seed wherever I go. However, this parable reminds me that we never know when we're going to find fertile soil. We are simply called to sow the seeds and trust God to do the rest. That's not always an easy thing to do but God promises us that our efforts are not in vain.
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