Q & A Friday - How Do I Tell My Gay Friends?
“How Do I overcome my fear of telling my gay friends I am overcoming my same sex attraction and homosexuality tendencies? What can I say to them that won’t sound like I’m personally attacking them.”
I want to spend some time laying groundwork here by sharing about my gay friends before and right at the time of my initial decision to pursue Christ’s will for my relationships. I will also touch upon the fact that I do have people I consider friends who identify as gay in my life today.
I left my gay identity and started questioning my gay defined worldview at the age of 24. All my friends were gay or pro-gay, I was “out” at work, with family and neighbors. Being “gay” affected what I considered to be options for sex, romance and friendship. It also imposed some restrictions on who I thought God could be like and what He believed. I would often share with Christians that God couldn’t possibly be who they think He is because I wouldn’t be the way I am if He thought so differently. I had even met an “former homosexual” when I was twenty years old and thought he was crazy. Being gay was the focal point of who I was. Sure, there were other elements of my life but they were all somehow run through the filter of a presupposed gay defined worldview.
In other words, I gave every Christian a run for their money if they brought the subject up. I know a little bit about the above question from both sides of the fence.
Hurricane Gustav News and Online Resources
Nope… no attempt at stupid humor with this one. I have a pit in my stomach that I am using as inspiration to pray for those in the path of Gustav (not forgetting the victims already across Cuba and the Caribbean.)
I will be using this post as a hub for information. Please help me out by posting links in the comments to news stories, videos, humanitarian aid, bloggers … anything you think is interesting to note and helpful information and/or relief oriented. Also, if you click on the picture it will take you to the Weather Channel’s log of updates.
The Red Cross is all over the place too and always a sure bet to get your money where it is needed most.
- The blogosphere: Red Cross Chat, Good News Blog, Red Cross Youth * Flickr: American Red Cross photo pool * YouTube: American Red Cross channel * Facebook: American Red Cross Group, Cause , and Page * Twitter: Red Cross disaster information
May the Lord bless our neighbors with safety, peace, resilience and miraculous deliverance from devastation. I will be praying that those traumatized by Katrina will not be re-traumatized by this and will instead be blessed beyond anything they could imagine or think.
Again, add any links or information you think is useful in the comments. I will update this post as well. The updates will appear after the jump.
More Aftermath - Crane’s Roost Flood Video
Tropical Storm Fay - The Aftermath Video
When I heard the Cicadas singing and the birds chirping I knew something had changed. So, I grabbed my camera and headed outside. This video is actually a fun one because my neighbors make an appearance :).
He Orders Our Steps
Proverbs 16:9 (New International Version)
9 In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.
I was writing on my book today and came to a particular section that caused me to pause and pray. While I knew the angle I wanted to go for I didn’t really know what example to use to help illustrate the point being made. The section was on how there isn’t a single person on this planet who isn’t interesting and worth investing in. So, I prayed that the Lord would show me the example to write about. I have met a lot of people. But, within a minute I got a call from a friends mother who was very worried about him. He has a substance abuse problem. I met him through a mutual friend over six years ago and since then we have had a rocky friendship but I do consider him a good friend.
Florida Only Needs One Fay - Another Intervention Letter
Dear Tropical Storm Fay,
In the spirit of my ongoing efforts to talk storms out of their paths of destruction I must implore you to be reasonable and reverse course, missing all land and then head toward the North Atlantic. I have milk, eggs and chicken in the fridge. I paid good money for all that stuff! I really would like to keep the electricity on to preserve them.
::: horror ::: OMG(osh) if you knock out the power I can’t blog … ::: Iwillnotfreakout :::
Plus, Florida already has a Fay. She’s fun, cute, eloquent, cool, smart … fun. And she doesn’t scare people. Tropical Storm Fay … you scare people.
Did you know that you scare people … little Ms. Tropical Storm Fay? Well … you do.
For example, I went to the grocery store tonight and all the bread was gone. And … hello … Where are the bananas? … anyone? ::: poof ::: gone.
The water aisle was barren and D batteries are being traded in the parking lot for non-perishable luxury items. So what if I got a brand new R2D2 paper weight out of the deal!? People are scared and it’s all your fault Ms. “I wannabe Cat 1 Hurricane” Fay.
Remember the cute Fay I mentioned earlier in the letter? TS Fay … you are not her. Florida only has room for one Fay and we already claimed her. Plus, if you give her a bad name … I don’t wanna’ be you when her Mom finds out.
Just sayin’.
So, Tropical Storm Fay, go away and don’t come back another day. ::: cheesy grin ::: great alliteration huh? :::
Sincerely,
Randy
Aliens in Creation - Just Go Play Outside
August 5, 2008 by Randy
Filed under Environment, Exercise, Friends, Gratefulness, Nature, animals
“What’s that smell Mommy?” Doris Day looking lady looks down at Little Billy and says, “why honey … that’s what we call fresh air …”
… A recent conversation brought a troubling development into focus. A man told me that he had bought a home with some measure of reluctance, fearing that the location of the house so near to a neighborhood playground would mean too much noise. As it turns out, he needn’t have worried at all. Very few children visit the playground at all.
The troubling development is that many children never play outside. They prefer to play computer games, surf the Internet, or update their Facebook pages. Their parents are increasingly afraid to let them play outside, scared by the constant barrage of news stories about crimes against children. These children and teenagers are accustomed to air conditioning, sophisticated entertainments, and lack of physical activity. They are aliens in the outside world.
[From Aliens in Creation -- A Generation of Nature Know-Nothings]
Q & A Friday - Moving Past An Emotionally Destructive Relationship
I just came out of an emotionally destructive relationship LAST WEEK! WHAT NOW?
My first encouragement would be to slow down your thoughts and sit down with someone you consider to be a wise Christian mentor, support group or professional counselor. It never hurts to get objective feedback. Online/Offline anonymous questions are fine but they will never be anything compared to what you would receive from a caring objective mentor or counselor.
The question doesn’t say whether this was a homosexual or heterosexual relationship, married, familial or friends. It doesn’t say whether this was a long term relationship, friendship or a summer fling. In the end though, I don’t think it matters because destructive relationships are destructive relationships. Here is my general-not-professional-and-just-my-opinion advice (which is all I ever give.)
Fun Mail - No Whining Button
Along with the glass flowers my Aunt J. sent me, a button found it’s way into the shipment. A button she thought would be appropriate considering this post on the “War Against Whining.”
So with that sentiment. Here is a gratitude list:
I am grateful …
to live in Florida, to work for a cause I am passionate about, that I am not on some reality show … yet …
Q & A Friday - Transparency & Persecution
July 25, 2008 by Randy
Filed under Activism, Bible, Christianity, Culture War, Current Affairs, Ex-Gay, Exodus, Friends, Gay, Homosexuality, Humility, Jesus, Life, People, Religion, Sexuality, War Against Whining
I love Q & A. We had a Question & Answer session at the Freedom Conference on Saturday morning. We covered a lot but it would have taken days to answer all of the questions. I saved those questions and while I can’t promise to answer every single one here on my personal blog. I will try to pick questions that represent themes I see in many similar or exactly the same questions.
So let’s get to the question for today …
I want to be transparent, but I find myself having to battle some false and serious allegations. This causes me to have to end up in defensive mode but unable to prove innocence. How do you handle false damaging attacks?
There is a lot that could be said with regard to this but what I always come back to is the example Christ set during his trial which eventually led Him to be tortured and crucified. In that poignant moment you see Him sticking to His message, being silent in the face of people lying about Him and yet affirming who He was and the Father’s will.
