Brother Fire

Dan Savage, creator of the It Gets Better Project in response to GLBT teen suicides, has created a new endeavor called Not All Like That (NALT) Christians Project.   This new project encourages Christians who support Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered people to "come out" on video to remind GLBT people, their allies and Christians that not all Christians are like some of the big-name right-wing Christians who rail against LGBT people and seem to get mainstream media attention whenever it comes to the "religious point of view" on GLBT rights issues. Here is my effort in response to this call:

Dear God, Ruler of All Nations – we ask for Your Blessing during this 237 th Anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence. Help us to be a compassionate nation – one that treats its citizens with dignity, that respects the self-evident truths that patriots penned :   “that all [women and] men   are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”   God we ask that you inspire our vision to continue to build a nation that is truly free -- free from chains, free from greed, free from the hypocrisy of those who would use Your name to oppress.     We ask that You keep us from using blind patriotism to disregard the values that make this nation great:   love, freedom, democracy, individualism, equality, diversity, progress and change.  Strengthen us Most High – make us a channel of Your peace.    Give ...

 "Whenever I meet someone in need, it's really Jesus in his most distressing disguise.” -- Mother Teresa As many of you know, I often visit the Charlotte Douglas Airport Overlook -- a parking lot/picnic area beside the airport's busiest runway. I find it to be a wonderful place to relax, pray, write, and enjoy the magic of watching planes takeoff and land. I also feel a great connection to God, to the Queen City, and to the rest of the country as I pray, welcome and bless planes as they arrive and take off to parts unknown. I'm at the Airport even now as I write this and I just had one of those God experiences that reminds me that Jesus is with us always. Shortly after arriving this evening it began to rain -- a steady light rain that blurred the view through my car's windshield -- but not enough that I couldn't see the dozen or so jets lined up ready to take off.  The humid air in my car was becoming stale and stuffy, so I opened my windows despite th...

It has been a stressful few months for me. Secular work has been all too consuming and the tough economic times have taken it's toll on me...just as it has with most of us. When I'm feeling this stressed, it is very difficult for me to find peace in prayer and allowing God to comfort me. However, it seems that my friend Cait has found the perfect image of God comforting us. Cait and her husband Joe always find a way to keep peace in their lives. Below Cait shares an experience -- an image of God in an email that I think will help me to turn to God especially when faced with life's stressors. It's been a challenging week and a half for us here since returning from Florida. First was worst, of course, with news of Joe's sister's death. The personal stress there is obviously the most serious. We were already dealing with corroded pipes in our kitchen, so we thought that was our biggest problem to have repaired so we could once again use our kitchen sink. ...

As a close-to-50-year-old single man on Valentine's Day, it's hard not to be cynical during the holiday. We are constantly bombarded in the media with messages of how we are supposed to celebrate the day and what we're supposed to buy for our partners on this alleged most important day for lovers: electronics, chocolate, new car, $1,300 dollar Pandora necklace, insurance (really? yes really), flowers, etc. -- you get the idea. It's no wonder that we falsely believe that the holiday was created by a greeting card company. And it is also no wonder why it can be difficult for those who are alone to find reason to celebrate. With so much focus of the holiday on romance, it leaves us single folk out to pasture while the rest of the coupled world celebrates their bliss. And don't get me wrong, I love Valentine's Day. I support any day set aside to celebrate our love for one another. However, sometimes it's easy to feel left out when you are not partnered, or ...