This is why I'm proud to be an ELCA Lutheran Pastor. Way to go, Bishop!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Amos' Plumb Line
"This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD said to me, 'Amos, what do you see?' And I said, 'A plumb line.' Then the Lord said, 'See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel.'" [Amos 7:7-8 NRSV]
A plumb line is something that keeps us from getting out of line, from traveling a crooked path. A plumb line helps us to avoid being stranded in shallow water and ensures that we will travel on safe seas. Moral and spiritual plumb lines are a necessity in life. Without some type of guidance, philosophy or creed, we are more likely to get ourselves into trouble and travel down a path that is nonproductive at best or dangerous at worst.
What is your plumb line? What keeps you grounded? I have a number of plumb lines myself. Theologically speaking, the commandments to love God and love neighbor are my anchor. I always try to evaluate what I do by asking if my words and actions are drawing me closer to God/others or are they having the opposite effect?
Relationally speaking, my husband is definitely a plumb line, along with my closest friends and family. I count on all of these people to be my sounding board. I also know they will challenge me when they think I'm headed in the wrong direction.
We all need plumb lines in life. Without it we're just flying blind without a compass. Lately, we've been watching plenty of politicians and celebrities crash and burn because they didn't have a strong enough plumb line. Think about the significant relationships in your life and make sure those people are not "enablers" but will help you to grow in healthy and life-affirming directions.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Listen to the Call
If you talk to most clergy long enough, you can usually pinpoint the moment when they first received a call to ministry. Nine times out of ten, it did not come straight from God. Instead, it came from a grandmother, a father, a sick sibling, a wounded bird. Sometimes the call came with spoken words such as, "You're good at this," or "I need your help badly." Other times, the words arose inside, such as, "This needs fixing and I think I know how." --Barbara Brown Taylor, "Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith"
I remember the first time I seriously considered going into ministry. I was in college and the pastor of my church was sharing a message about how we discern God's call for our life. He was sharing his own personal story of his call to ministry and I felt like his words were written just for me. In fact, I felt like he had his eyes on me the whole time he was preaching the sermon. Afterwards, I asked him for some time to talk and when we met he assured me he didn't write the sermon specifically for me but, perhaps, the Holy Spirit, was trying to tell me something.
Not too long after that I was on a beach retreat with a group of Jr. and Sr. High students. I was one of their youth group advisors and we were tent camping. Everyone was nestled snugly in their sleeping bags and the tent was filled with chatter. One by one the boys drifted off to sleep except for one. The two of us continued talking for quite some time and when we finally decided to call it a night the young man said to me, "You know, you'd make a great pastor."
I continued to hear the call from many others along the way including the congregations I served while I was in seminary. I never had a "burning bush" experience. It was always still, small voices along the way who nudged me in that direction.
I am certain that there are other LGBT Christians out there who have heard the call to go into some kind of ministry but have ignored the call because of their sexual identity. I wish I could say that it is easy being gay and being a pastor. It is not. However, if it is truly who you are called to be, God will find a way. Therefore, me advice is to listen to the call wherever it comes from. God wants to use you to shed light into the darkness of other people's lives.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Between You and God
Here's a poem by Mother Teresa someone sent me the other day. You might already know this one but I though it was beautiful:
Between You and God
by Mother Teresa
People are often unreasonable, irrational and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind. people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend your years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, someone may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have and it may never be good enough.
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Paul's Thorn in the Flesh
Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. [2 Corinthians 12:7-9, NRSV]
Recently, someone asked me [in a comment I chose not to publish] if I thought my being gay was a "burden." My answer comes out of Paul's words from 2nd Corinthians. When I was younger I always felt like my being gay was a thorn in my flesh. I appealed to God not three times but hundreds of times to take those feelings away from me. It only left me depressed and exhausted. Then, one day, I realized that God was not going to change me and I felt like God was saying to me "So, are you tired of beating yourself up about this? Are you ready to move forward?" Thankfully, I had reached the point in my spiritual journey where I answered "yes."
Ever since that day, my relationship with God grew stronger and deeper. I spent a great deal of time studying the Scriptures and came to the conclusion that my being gay was simply a part of my identity and God was totally O.K. with it. God was not O.K. if I used my sexuality in an abusive way such as having casual sex. However, God gave me an amazing husband who I've been with for 16 years now. He is also a person of deep faith and, together, we've helped each other to become better Christians and better people.
Is my being gay a "burden"? No, not any more. I've come to see it as a gift that has made me dig deeper into my faith and become more compassionate toward all oppressed people. Like Paul, it has kept me from "being too elated," realizing that I do nothing on my own power. It is Christ who works in me and through me to shed light on the dark prejudices of our world and to boldly proclaim that everyone has a place at God's table. I know there are some Christians out there who will probably never understand me, but I'm at peace with that. God and I are fine and that's all that really matters.
Recently, someone asked me [in a comment I chose not to publish] if I thought my being gay was a "burden." My answer comes out of Paul's words from 2nd Corinthians. When I was younger I always felt like my being gay was a thorn in my flesh. I appealed to God not three times but hundreds of times to take those feelings away from me. It only left me depressed and exhausted. Then, one day, I realized that God was not going to change me and I felt like God was saying to me "So, are you tired of beating yourself up about this? Are you ready to move forward?" Thankfully, I had reached the point in my spiritual journey where I answered "yes."
Ever since that day, my relationship with God grew stronger and deeper. I spent a great deal of time studying the Scriptures and came to the conclusion that my being gay was simply a part of my identity and God was totally O.K. with it. God was not O.K. if I used my sexuality in an abusive way such as having casual sex. However, God gave me an amazing husband who I've been with for 16 years now. He is also a person of deep faith and, together, we've helped each other to become better Christians and better people.
Is my being gay a "burden"? No, not any more. I've come to see it as a gift that has made me dig deeper into my faith and become more compassionate toward all oppressed people. Like Paul, it has kept me from "being too elated," realizing that I do nothing on my own power. It is Christ who works in me and through me to shed light on the dark prejudices of our world and to boldly proclaim that everyone has a place at God's table. I know there are some Christians out there who will probably never understand me, but I'm at peace with that. God and I are fine and that's all that really matters.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Religion is Killing Our Most Vulnerable Youth
It's time for us to speak out. We cannot remain silent anymore.
Monday, October 11, 2010
It Gets Better Campaign
Here is the video Gary and I submitted for the "It Gets Better" campaign. National Coming Out Day seemed like the right time to do it. Hopefully, it will end up on their site once it is approved: www.itgetsbetterproject.com
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are
Now, I'm out in every part of my life. If you had told me at 16 that I would have a husband of 17 years, foster two at risk teens who are now an important part of my family, and have both a church and denomination that affirm my ministry and celebrate my gifts as an ordained pastor, I would have never thought it was possible.
But here I am...and life is GOOD. God has richly blessed my life and my family. It does get better! Sure, still I get called names from time to time. I get hateful comments on my blog which I promptly delete. But those things don't phase me anymore. I'm out and I'm proud. I'm determined to be an advocate for change, a voice for tolerance and nonviolence. I hope others will have the courage to speak out as well and share their stories. The world needs us to be bold and to take risks. The cost is too great for us to remain silent.
My prayers go out to the families who lost their precious children. I cannot imagine the pain they are going through. The only thing I can do to ease their pain is to continue to speak out whenever and wherever injustice, ignorance of oppression rear their ugly heads. How about you?
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
The Bible Tells Me So
"It is important, first of all, to be aware of a fundamental issue that confronts anyone who seeks guidance from the Bible in matters of conduct. The issue, at base, is one's understanding of the nature and authority of the Bible. It is clear that the church has recognized the Bible as authoritative for its life and faith. Unfortunately, Christian people have not always agreed on how the Bible's authority should be understood, particularly in its concrete teachings about morality" --Victor Paul Furnish, "The Moral Teaching of Paul: Selected Issues"
It seems to me that if Christians would put as much energy into loving their neighbor as they do fighting about black ink spots on the pages of the Bible, our world would be in much better shape. [I'm certain that as I write this, the temperatures of some people reading it are shooting through the roof!] Yes the Bible is important but, as Harry Knox of the HRC says, "take it seriously, not literally."
It seems to me that Jesus got most angry with God's people when they fought over the fine points of the Law, while showing no justice, mercy and compassion toward their neighbor. "Woe to you Pharisees," Jesus said, "For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others." [Luke 11:42, NRSV]
The mark of a true Christian is NOT what they believe about the Bible. The mark of a true Christian is how they shine the light of Christ's love, grace, forgiveness, compassion, etc. into the dark corners of our world. The old camp song is true: They'll know we are Christians by our love. It doesn't matter whether we are gay or straight or somewhere in-between. The song is still the same. Let's stop fighting with one another and start loving each other, in spite of our differences. Maybe then, the rest of the world will actually start paying attention to us and what we have to say.
It seems to me that if Christians would put as much energy into loving their neighbor as they do fighting about black ink spots on the pages of the Bible, our world would be in much better shape. [I'm certain that as I write this, the temperatures of some people reading it are shooting through the roof!] Yes the Bible is important but, as Harry Knox of the HRC says, "take it seriously, not literally."
It seems to me that Jesus got most angry with God's people when they fought over the fine points of the Law, while showing no justice, mercy and compassion toward their neighbor. "Woe to you Pharisees," Jesus said, "For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others." [Luke 11:42, NRSV]
The mark of a true Christian is NOT what they believe about the Bible. The mark of a true Christian is how they shine the light of Christ's love, grace, forgiveness, compassion, etc. into the dark corners of our world. The old camp song is true: They'll know we are Christians by our love. It doesn't matter whether we are gay or straight or somewhere in-between. The song is still the same. Let's stop fighting with one another and start loving each other, in spite of our differences. Maybe then, the rest of the world will actually start paying attention to us and what we have to say.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Interpreting Scripture, Part 4
In one of my earlier posts a reader commented on the way Scripture was interpreted during the Middle Ages. I did a little digging and discovered this little gem that shows, once again, that the church has not always been strictly literalistic in their interpretation of Scripture as some would have us believe.
The following info is from the book Christianity by Alister E. Mc Grath which can easily be ordered online:
"The distinction between the literal or historical sense of Scripture on one hand, and a deeper spiritual or allegorical meaning on the other, came to be generally accepted within the church during the Middle Ages. The standard method of biblical interpretation used during the Middle ages is usually known as the Quadriga or the "fourfold sense of Scripture." The origins of this method lie specifically in the distinction between the literal and spiritual senses. Scripture possesses four different senses. In addition to the literal sense, three non-literal senses could be distinguished: the allegorical, defining what Christians are to believe; the tropological or moral, defining what Christians are to do; and the anagogical, defining what Christians were to hope for.
The four senses of Scripture were thus the following:
1. The literal sense of Scripture, in which the text could be taken at face value.
2. The allegorical sense, which interpreted certain passages of Scripture to produce statements of doctrine. Those passages tended either to be obscure or ot have a literal meaning which was unacceptable, for theological reasons, to their readers.
3. The tropological or moral sense, which interpreted certain passages to produce ethical guidance for Christian conduct.
4. The anagogical sense, which interpreted passages to indicate the grounds of Christian hope, pointing towards the future fulfillment of the divine promises in the New Jerusalem.
Furthermore, in a recent article in the June issue of The Lutheran, entitled "Read with Luther, literally" Steed Davidson made the following observations:
Modern Bible readers fall on a spectrum of beliefs -- from accepting that every event in the Bible happened as recorded to considering them as moral tales. Today the term "literalism" applies to the view that biblical events can be verified by history and science. Older literalists like Augustine, Thomas Aquinas or Martin Luther hold a different sense of the literal....
Augustine understands the literal sense to be love. He thinks clear passages teach love and, through the uses of the spiritual senses, obscure passages teach love. Aquinas sees the literal as the meaning God intends in the text. He separates the literal from the historical, believing historical to be the work of human authors.
Luther doesn't so much shift these positions as enhance them. First, he focuses on the plain sense of the passage, sometimes called the grammatical. The words of the page carry meaning and should not be avoided in search of a spiritual idea not written on the page.
Second, Luther redefines the literal sense of the text as Christ: the words bring Christ to the reader and points the reader to Christ. As a literalist, Luther's concern lies not so much on verifiable history as on an encounter with Christ. His literalism lies in Christ -- not in whether something really happened."
Hmmm, once again, we see that interpreting the Bible is no easy task. Rich and varied meanings can be extracted from every page if we only have ears to hear and eyes to see them.
The following info is from the book Christianity by Alister E. Mc Grath which can easily be ordered online:
"The distinction between the literal or historical sense of Scripture on one hand, and a deeper spiritual or allegorical meaning on the other, came to be generally accepted within the church during the Middle Ages. The standard method of biblical interpretation used during the Middle ages is usually known as the Quadriga or the "fourfold sense of Scripture." The origins of this method lie specifically in the distinction between the literal and spiritual senses. Scripture possesses four different senses. In addition to the literal sense, three non-literal senses could be distinguished: the allegorical, defining what Christians are to believe; the tropological or moral, defining what Christians are to do; and the anagogical, defining what Christians were to hope for.
The four senses of Scripture were thus the following:
1. The literal sense of Scripture, in which the text could be taken at face value.
2. The allegorical sense, which interpreted certain passages of Scripture to produce statements of doctrine. Those passages tended either to be obscure or ot have a literal meaning which was unacceptable, for theological reasons, to their readers.
3. The tropological or moral sense, which interpreted certain passages to produce ethical guidance for Christian conduct.
4. The anagogical sense, which interpreted passages to indicate the grounds of Christian hope, pointing towards the future fulfillment of the divine promises in the New Jerusalem.
Furthermore, in a recent article in the June issue of The Lutheran, entitled "Read with Luther, literally" Steed Davidson made the following observations:
Modern Bible readers fall on a spectrum of beliefs -- from accepting that every event in the Bible happened as recorded to considering them as moral tales. Today the term "literalism" applies to the view that biblical events can be verified by history and science. Older literalists like Augustine, Thomas Aquinas or Martin Luther hold a different sense of the literal....
Augustine understands the literal sense to be love. He thinks clear passages teach love and, through the uses of the spiritual senses, obscure passages teach love. Aquinas sees the literal as the meaning God intends in the text. He separates the literal from the historical, believing historical to be the work of human authors.
Luther doesn't so much shift these positions as enhance them. First, he focuses on the plain sense of the passage, sometimes called the grammatical. The words of the page carry meaning and should not be avoided in search of a spiritual idea not written on the page.
Second, Luther redefines the literal sense of the text as Christ: the words bring Christ to the reader and points the reader to Christ. As a literalist, Luther's concern lies not so much on verifiable history as on an encounter with Christ. His literalism lies in Christ -- not in whether something really happened."
Hmmm, once again, we see that interpreting the Bible is no easy task. Rich and varied meanings can be extracted from every page if we only have ears to hear and eyes to see them.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Stand Up, Take Your Mat and Go Home
"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.
Friday, October 01, 2010
God Works With What Is
The effort to untangle the human words from the divine seems not only futile to me but also unnecessary, since God works with what is. God uses whatever is usable in a life, both to speak and to act, and those who insist on fireworks in the sky may miss the electricity that sparks the human heart. --Barbara Brown Taylor, "Leaving Church: a Memoir of Faith"
God works with what is. I like the sound of that! Let's face it, none of us are what we'd like to be. None of us has all the gifts and talents we would like to possess. The good news is that God can use what we already are instead of what we aspire to be.
A casual glance of the Bible only proves the point: God used Sarah, who laughed at God's outrageous promise, to help fulfill God's promise to the nation of Israel. God used Moses, a man who was a stutterer, to be his spokesperson to the nation of Israel. God used Jeremiah, a teenager, to teach adults a thing or two about the nature and character of God. God used Saul, a persecutor of Christians, to be the chief evangelist of the growing Jesus movement.
That's just the tip of the iceberg!! As LGBT people of faith, we have all encountered people who believe that God cannot possibly use us to be pastors, to teach Sunday School, to lead a Scout Troop, to minister to the sick and dying. Hogwash!! God can and will and does use anyone God chooses. I've seen it happen time and time again and our community is no exception to this rule. Don't be afraid to answer the call that God has laid upon your heart, whatever that call may be. We may not have all the tool we think we need to possess in order to get the job done but, with God, all things are possible.
God works with what is. I like the sound of that! Let's face it, none of us are what we'd like to be. None of us has all the gifts and talents we would like to possess. The good news is that God can use what we already are instead of what we aspire to be.
A casual glance of the Bible only proves the point: God used Sarah, who laughed at God's outrageous promise, to help fulfill God's promise to the nation of Israel. God used Moses, a man who was a stutterer, to be his spokesperson to the nation of Israel. God used Jeremiah, a teenager, to teach adults a thing or two about the nature and character of God. God used Saul, a persecutor of Christians, to be the chief evangelist of the growing Jesus movement.
That's just the tip of the iceberg!! As LGBT people of faith, we have all encountered people who believe that God cannot possibly use us to be pastors, to teach Sunday School, to lead a Scout Troop, to minister to the sick and dying. Hogwash!! God can and will and does use anyone God chooses. I've seen it happen time and time again and our community is no exception to this rule. Don't be afraid to answer the call that God has laid upon your heart, whatever that call may be. We may not have all the tool we think we need to possess in order to get the job done but, with God, all things are possible.
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