On Nov 26, 2010 ⋅ 3 comments
One of the elements of Thanksgiving that I hold dear is that it is celebrated, year in and year out, no matter what the circumstances surrounding the day may be. In the times of deepest distress in our country — I think of the Civil War or the Great Depression — Thanksgiving was celebrated. In […]
On Nov 12, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments
11/12 Bruce Reyes-Chow, pastor of the Mission Bay Community Church in San Francisco and Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) from 2008 to 2010, has started a new project on his blog he calls “PresbyMEME: Why I am voting yes on Amendment 10a.” In his blog post describing the project he writes: “. . . […]
On Nov 5, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments
11/5 The mid-term elections are written in the Book of Life and now Congress will return for the lame duck session. The House has already passed the bill to end Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) and the Senate leadership has promised to pass it before the end of the year. If all goes well, lesbian, […]
On Oct 29, 2010 ⋅ 13 comments
10/29 When I was a child in Sunday school, I was taught that “justice” was a quality of God’s kingdom manifest in acceptance and equality. As the years have passed I have become dismayed by how, both in the church and in our national discourse, this beautiful word has seemingly lost its meaning. Instead of […]
On Oct 22, 2010 ⋅ No comments
10/22 I’ve written before about what I believe it means to “Believe Out Loud.” Well, two weeks ago I was blessed to attend the Believe Out Loud Power Summit, hosted by the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce. This news clip from the conference gives you some sense of what was so transforming about these days […]
On Oct 8, 2010 ⋅ No comments
10/8 “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus speaks of this command in Matthew, Mark and Luke as joining “Love the Lord your God” at the heart of faithful living (Mt 22:39, Mk 12:31, Lk 10:27). Paul in Romans (13:9) and Galatians (5:14), as well as James (2:8), cites “Loving your neighbor” as the fulfilling of […]
On Sep 10, 2010 ⋅ 6 comments
9/10 Labor Day, for me, means the start of the new school year. The late summer days in September, with their slanting light and thin, spent warmth, still give me a sense of hope and anticipation for new areas of study and challenge. As I reflect, I am grateful for this week’s rise in hopeful […]
On Sep 3, 2010 ⋅ 7 comments
9/3 Shame, like all feelings, is a prayer. Shame is a prayer that says, “I am bad in my innermost being; please, God, heal me.” I was reminded of this last Friday as I read the Redwoods Presbytery Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) decision in the disciplinary case against Rev. Dr. Janie Spahr for presiding at […]
On Jul 16, 2010 ⋅ 4 comments
7/16 The 219th General Assembly — a roller coaster ride, if there ever was one — has barely been written in the Book of Life as I participate in the annual gathering of some of the most faithful Christians I know: gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Presbyterians who deeply feel a call from God to […]
On Jul 9, 2010 ⋅ 4 comments
7/9 It’s been a typical week at a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly, full of intense conversations, raucous reunions with friends not seen since the last General Assembly, long meetings with complicated procedures, and above all, a shared desire for the church to embrace our deeply held convictions about God’s will for us. As I […]
