Isaiah 1:13-17 (a modern translation)

January 16, 2012
by Gayle

Quit your worship charades.
I can’t stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—
meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
You’ve worn me out!
I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion,
while you go right on sinning.
When you put on your next prayer-performance,
I’ll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
I’ll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing
people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up.
Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings
so I don’t have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
Go to bat for the defenseless.

I didn’t come up with this translation, but I sure do like it! I believe it speaks to the modern Americanized Church in ways God would choose to speak to us.

: Borrowed Thoughts

I am Angry!

October 16, 2011
by Gayle

Last week we celebrated National Coming Out Day. It’s an annual celebration when those crazy Gay and Lesbian folk proclaim their right to be out and about in the world! At our house we celebrated by working all day and then playing trivia with our straight friends. It’s something we do every Tuesday. When we got home last night I realized that by our actions we had failed to celebrate our independence. It was almost as if we had missed The Fourth of July.

Upon further reflection, I then began to celebrate the lack of necessity to celebrate. By not celebrating, we had in essence proclaimed our sameness. Our ability to not be different! It was a moment of pure and unadulterated joy. Until, and there always is an until, I realized that October the 11th is not only National Coming Out Day it is also my nephews third wedding anniversary (a fact I remembered due to all the familial accolades on his and his wife’s Facebook pages).

I certainly do not begrudge my nephew nor his wife their celebration. However, my partner and I just celebrated our 14th anniversary and in those fourteen years not one member of either of our families has offered the first congratulatory word! You see we are without the benefit of a signed and sealed legal document. Our relationship is no different from any other. We have made our relationship work, through richer and poorer, through sickness and health, we have seen each other through tragic loses and celebrated tremendous achievements. We did it not because there is some piece of paper that says we must stay together but because we made a commitment.

I am angry! Angry that my hard fought fourteen years, without paperwork, are some how considered less than their three years, with paperwork. Hebrews 13:4 tell us that Marriage is honorable in all and I believe that marriage is honorable; honorable to God, honorable to each other and honorable to humankind. Would my marriage be less honorable to God?  I am angry because Churches celebrate marriages that are the 4th and 5th attempt for some. They understand that 50% of US marriages do not survive. However my stable 14 year relationship is an abomination and a threat to the institution of marriage?

I am angry that my state, that already does not allow gay marriage, domestic partnerships or any other form of legalization has spent months debating a Constitutional amendment that will make it even further illegal for me to have a legalized relationship. Never mind the 10% unemployment; the crumbling infrastructure; or our failing educations system; let’s spend precious legislative time piling on the anti-gay bandwagon. Is it possible to make it any more illegal for me to be gay and in a relationship?

All this frustration left me feeling very alone in the world, well as alone as I can be with 3-25% of the population who are also fighting for their gay rights. Then yesterday, I spent some time with a friend. He’s married, straight and 20 years my junior. We sat on the tailgate of my truck for a couple of hours talking about work, relationships, politics and the US economy. When suddenly he begins to tell me how knowing me has changed his attitude about gay people in general. How he struggled to force himself to stop using the phrase ‘that’s so gay’ after we met because he realized it was offensive. How the vote coming up in May is offensive to him because of me and Jenn. It was then that I realized how the Freedom Riders of the 60’s must have felt. The pain of the ever so slow process, mixed with the elation of knowing you are making a difference.

 

: Struggles

Lost Sheep Looking for a Shepherd

October 4, 2011
by Gayle

Photo via flickr.com/photos/thomashawk

Last Sunday as we sat in church listening to the service, I am hesitant to call it a sermon because it was interactive and more like a classroom setting, and as the discussion progressed I became more and more uncomfortable. The scripture that was the reference was Matthew 21:31 where Jesus says in a parable, “I tell you with certainty, tax collectors and prostitutes will get into God’s kingdom ahead of you!” At one point in the service I was sure the minister was going to say ‘it is easier for prostitutes and homosexuals to enter the kingdom’ and I was not sure I was welcome among my fellow church goers.

Jenn and I have visited many churches in our 14 years together. Some of our experiences have been comical. For example our local MCC Church tried to give us the first time visitor prize 6 Sundays in a row. We visited our local Unity Church and when they asked first time visitors to stand, we did. We accepted the visitor carnation to designate us as visitors. We waited around holding the carnations for the coffee time and still left without anyone acknowledging or welcoming us. We attended a Baptist Church for 6-months where the only people who ever spoke to us were the preacher and our neighbors; we stopped attending because on a Sunday when the preacher was away, the guest speaker instigated a coup. There are more stories and more failed church relationships.

We landed at our current Church because we were invited by a friend to listen to him sing in the Easter cantata. As luck would have it, another acquaintance invited us to celebrate Easter with them that evening where we met, and liked the minister. We saw him again at the same couple’s Independence Day party, and he simply said “Haven’t seen you at Church lately”. A hopeful glimmer of acceptance was shinning on us like a spotlight!

We have found this Church to be welcoming and accepting. Turns out we knew and liked several members. We have been regularly attending since, July.  However the past two Sunday’s we have both felt uncomfortable in the service. Nothing was said that caused the discomfort, it was the result of years of experience.

You see in our long and substantial Church going past we have experienced hate. Not the kind of hate where people are throwing stones at you; not the overt hate of verbal assaults but the hate of not being truly accepted. Preachers will stand in the pulpit and equate being homosexual to those who commit murder. They will choose a scripture what will condemn homosexuality as a topic while ignoring the portions about eating shellfish.

A friend yesterday, in response to my equating homophobia with hate, said ‘not to split a hair… but, a phobia causes fear not hate. Sometimes the reaction of those who fear something, often because they are ignorant about the particular topic manifests itself in the form of hate. It also causes avoidance which is far from hate. I’m not a big fan of the word hate being tossed about without careful consideration. I know many good folks who are ignorant about certain things that are far from being filled with hate. Let’s not be lumping the uneducated with the hateful minority.’ He may well be right that the majority of homophobic and hate-filled rhetoric we hear is based on ignorance and not on hate. However, I am not sure I can feel the difference.

In Mark 9:38-40 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn’t a follower like us.” But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him, because no one who works a miracle in my name can slander me soon afterwards. For he that is not against us is for us. I long for the acceptance of a Church who understands as Jesus did that those who are not against them are for them. Those of us who sit in their pews and pay a tithe are not the enemy. We are, as they are, lost sheep looking for a Shepherd.

 

: Theology

Live and Let Live

September 28, 2011
by Jenn

Some nights, the bed that I share with Gayle just isn’t big enough for the two of us.  For whatever reason, one or the other of us can’t get comfortable.  When this happens, I usually move to the spare bed and all is well.  The other night, she got up and moved to the uncomfortable couch.  When I realized she was gone, I was upset.  ”Why didn’t she just poke me and tell me to move?  She knows I don’t mind and then we both could have been comfortable in beds, instead of her fighting with the couch for a few hours and waking unrested.”  So I got up, told her to get back in bed and I moved to the spare bed, causing bad feelings all around.   Later I found out that she had tried repeatedly to wake me because she couldn’t get comfortable and finally gave up.

So what is the point of recounting this little “marital squabble”?  Because it made me realize that by just assuming that you know what is best for other people and trying to orchestrate your ideas in their lives, you run the risk or just making things worse for everyone.  I think as Christians we do this with regularity.  We try to force others to conform to our ideas about what is best.

Matthew 7:1 extols us to “judge not, lest we be judged’. It is important that we know all the facts before we attempt to ‘fix’ someone else. I must admit my hackles are raised when ‘they’ try to tell me who I should and shouldn’t love and what we should and shouldn’t do.  I could comply with their beliefs, but I would be miserable, uncomfortable and downright angry. This is even true in Churches, we believe we know to whom the preacher is speaking; or we hope we do. We have predetermined someone’s motivation for their actions when in reality we have no idea.  From the large theology issues to the small ‘embrace or deny new technology in the service’ issues. We as a people love to finger point and tell others how “God would want it”!

1 Corinthians 2:11 tells us, ‘For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”  As people and especially as Christians we must remain vigilant to know the difference between our wants and desires for others and truly God’s commands for their lives. It’s something we all need to recognize and work on.  No two people are the same; we all have our own personal ideas.  And the only way to live peacefully is to let others live with their ideas and not try to force our thoughts into their heads.

: Thoughts

Are Christians Culpable in Gay Teen Suicides?

September 24, 2011
by Gayle

Who am I to place blame? However, I do believe that Jesus commands us to love one another. There were no provisions made to love one another but hate who they are, nor any other type of spin or Semantics.

Love you neighbor as yourself. <THE END>

: Struggles

Choose Carefully Who will Follow

September 21, 2011
by Two or more

Not all who say ‘follow me’ will lead you down the right path.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  Matthew 7:15

: Borrowed Thoughts

Be Still

September 19, 2011
by Gayle

“Be still, and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

The word translated “be still” comes from the Hebrew term raphah. This word is found in various forms in the Old Testament, with different shades of meaning. It refers to that which is slack, or to let drop, or in some instances, to be disheartened or weak. When used of a person (as opposed to some inanimate object) it often has a negative connotation.

Sunrise or Sunset?

I had the pleasure last week of taking time to be still. I used some of that time to sit and reflect; to watch the ocean and the rhythmic waves and to enjoy the antics of seagulls and be mesmerized by the sway of sea oats. I learned so many things from that experience. Paramount was the need I have to be still. I have an aching need in my soul to be still and commune with God.

Many of my life’s biggest missteps occur when my life is out of balance. I begin to press too hard. I am struggling to find my way and I forget that the words of the psalmist ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth do change’ (Psalm 46:1-2a). Instead I begin to count on me and my ability to achieve and attain.

According to the very popular Dr Oz;  ‘Meditation has positive effects on immunity, stress management and sleep. The state of your body and the state of your mind are inextricably linked.’ But I believe God told us that generations ago.

Now, how do we go about meditating? Being still doesn’t just happen. You must plan. Does this mean taking a trip to the ocean? Not necessarily. It does mean making a priority time to stop and clear your mind, to balance your existence and to commune with God. We can meditate almost anywhere, on our beds, at work, washing dishes, or walking in the field like Isaac.  It is probably best to find a quiet place, ideally in the natural setting.

These are some tips I suggest for controlling your thoughts:

You control your thoughts not the other way around. It is you who can decide which thoughts to pursue and which to reject. Never feel a slave to your own thoughts, even if at times they seem powerful.

Patience - Don’t expect a silent mind after the first few attempts. We have been thinking all our life; to change a habit of a lifetime requires persistence and perseverance. Meditation, like any worthwhile activities requires dedicated and focused intensity.

Detachment - If you keep rejecting thoughts, what happens is that you may be aware of thoughts, but, they have much less intensity. A thought bubbles up, but, it becomes easier to detach from it. You start to see thoughts as independent and outside of yourself. This is a good sign; it shows you are developing the capacity to separate the sense of self from your mental thoughts. From this point it becomes easier to stop your thoughts completely.

Concentrate on something - It is hard to control our thoughts through the power of the mind. To achieve inner silence it is advisable to choose something to focus our attention on. This may be the use of a simple mantra; it may be concentrating on the ocean (as I did) however a candle, flower or other inanimate object will do. I like to concentrate on my heart beat; it is after all ever present. If you can consciously leave the mind, it becomes much easier to reduce the power of thoughts.

Intensity - If we are satisfied with outer life, we will feel no aspiration to meditate. Effective meditation requires an aspiration to discover inner peace and inner happiness. It is an opportunity to come closer with God.

The process of meditation is the process of becoming detached from the controlling and hindering influences of the world and attached to God and his creation. There are those followers of Christ that would say meditation is a time for study and reflection of the Bible. I am not discounting their opinions, and I certainly believe we need to take time to study, reflect and learn from the Bible.

In 1Kings 19:11-12 God come to Elijah …Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:. And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Finding God requires that we still ourselves and be prepared to hear. We need time to be still and listen for God’s still small voice.

 

: Thoughts

Does God Love Me?

September 14, 2011
by Gayle

For as long as I can remember I have been told that God loves me.  I learned songs like ‘Jesus Loves Me’.  I learned scriptures like John 3:16.  Yet, in equal measure I was told that God hated me. That I was an abomination.

It seems to me that if  the greatest example of love available to all of us is found in the scripture from John: ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.’ (John 3:16.). If Jesus died for me and that act is the greatest of all acts of love and by this supreme sacrifice, God set the pattern for love, then why am I so unsure of God’s love?

God demonstrated to me, all humankind,  that His love was and remains unconditional. Gods love is sufficient to encircle every person. It is the humans who have difficulty accepting and loving one another. We use God as a shield. We humanize God and put our opinions and fears onto his shoulders. By using God this way, we can pick and choose who we believe God has called.

In Matthew 28:20 Jesus tells us ‘I am with you always, even to the end of the age’.  and in John 13:34-35 Jesus says “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I tell you today that you should stop doubting Gods love and start to love one another.

: Thoughts

Do you Serve God or Mankind?

September 12, 2011
by Gayle

I didn’t go to church yesterday. It was a conscious choice. I believed that because it was the tenth anniversary of September 11th that the service had a strong potential to be political; Political as in partisan politics.

I believe that God loves all his creations; both those who have the good fortune to live and worship in the United States of America and those who live and worship else where. I believe that our goal as followers of Jesus is to seek and save the lost. Unfortunately, because Americans have grown up as Americans we see the world through our Americanized ways.

We believe that we are ‘We the People’ and that we have a right and a responsibility to do things ‘in order to form a more perfect union’.  However, as followers of Jesus we must set aside our Americanization’s and pick up the cross of Jesus. In Romans 13:1-7, Paul deals directly with the Christian’s attitude and conduct with respect to governmental authority. vs 3 In particular, Paul addresses the Christian’s relationship to civil government.vs 4 There are a number of reasons Christians and civil government might be at odds with one another, and Christians might wrongly twist these into excuses for disrespect and disobedience to authorities.

First, civil government is secular in nature while Christianity is spiritual. Christians are aliens and strangers, just passing through this world (see 1 Peter 1:1). Their citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). Second, the state can look upon Christianity as competitive, even hostile to its authority. The Christian’s highest authority is God. In Rome, Caesar was “god.” Because of this, Romans considered Christians as atheists. Christianity was eventually seen as treasonous. Third, at times Christians were required to “obey God, rather than men” (see Acts 5:29), which openly confirmed the government’s suspicions. Fourth, government officials, either unconsciously or willingly, used their authority to actively oppose the church and to persecute Christians.

In Luke 9:49-62 Jesus admonishes his followers to put away their concern for earthly things. We MUST put our eyes toward heaven and not look back at the world around us. Jesus had no place for followers who were duel in purpose.

What about you? Are your eyes on Jesus or the world in which you exist?

 

: Thoughts

Is there always a right and wrong?

September 7, 2011
by Gayle

“The time is always right to do the right thing.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Is there always a right and wrong? I have been embroiled in a personal Wrestle Mania on this topic since Sunday.

Must we always set aside self and help someone else. Must I step aside and give my competition free access?

I am struggling, and would love to hear others opinions.

 

: Struggles