Strength To Be Faithful

A bridge over a body of water at sunset.

The sun is setting a little later in the evening, but it sure is cold out. It must be Lent. Given that, I think that we, as LGBTQ Christians, need to take some time to examine our theology of loss. Let me give you a thought exercise: You are thirty years old. You have been…

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I Am #FaithfullyLGBT

A collage of people with different facial expressions.

I am a gay christian. There are times that I say or write those words and pause. I look at them and reflect on the journey that they represent. The years of hiding, the years of shame, the years of struggle. These days, I say them with a nonchalant air. Yet, there was a time…

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It’s Ash Wednesday: Time to Indulge!

A bowl of black powder on top of a purple cloth.

Today’s Ash Wednesday. Wait! What? Already? I still have to put some boxes of Christmas decorations back in the attic. Lent begins early this year—probably about the earliest that it can be. But, truth be told, Lent always kind of creeps up on me. I never seem ready to begin 40 days of fasting, prayer,…

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An Open Letter To Gay Catholic Priests From A Gay Catholic Priest

Two priests holding hands in front of a checkered floor.

Dear Gay Catholic Priests, I know you’re busy, so I will try to make this brief. Many of you have been following the story in the news about a gay catholic priest from Chicago who recently came out. I know you’ve been following his story because I’ve been following his story. And, I know that the thought…

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How LGBTQ-Affirming Christians Can Help Conservatives Walk On The Water

A black and white photo of a stormy sky over a body of water.

The dust is settling from the cultural upheaval of the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision that established marriage equality across the United States and, in my Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the almost simultaneous adoption of a description of marriage as “between two people,” which permits pastors to preside at the weddings of two people…

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The Four Words This Kentucky Pastor Didn’t Expect To Hear

The inside of a church with rainbow flags hanging from the ceiling.

I wasn’t going to call him back. I got the message off our church’s answering machine: “I want to ask you some questions,” the caller said, and he left his name and number. But I wasn’t going to call him back. Frankly, I was afraid. I was afraid the caller would be belligerent, combative, wanting…

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The Real War On Christianity

Two men hugging each other in a church.

I am a transgender Christian woman. This is the line I often use to begin one of my presentations about being a transgender woman of faith. Then I often follow that line with these: I like to start with that because you don’t often hear the words transgender and Christian in the same sentence. I like to…

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Now Is My Time: Coming Out To My Methodist Congregation

A woman in a white robe standing in front of a church.

On January 3, 2016, Rev. Cynthia Meyer, pastor for Edgerton United Methodist Church in Edgerton, Kansas, came out to her congregation. Meyer’s announcement comes after 25 years of leadership in The United Methodist Church (The UMC), a denomination that does not allow LGBTQ clergy or same-sex marriage. The wise sages from different lands had seen…

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God Has Prepared Unimaginable Surprises For Us!

A stained glass window depicting jesus and mary.

This past Sunday’s Gospel reading focused on a beautiful story of two women, one of whom is a central figure in the Advent narrative—Mary. I must confess that I have never felt close to Mary. Growing up Catholic, with yearly May processions, Marian feast days, and rosaries filled with “Hail, Mary’s” just didn’t help me…

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