Category: A Space for Grace

Let’s Learn the Lingo!

Earlier this year, my son, Jerrod, helped me design and rebuild my website. This may seem to be a reasonably simple job for anyone born after 1990, but for those of us born in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, it’s a real challenge. Part of the challenge is the terminology. I think the same can be true of the Christian community and the LGBTQ community. We often don’t get past introductions before the terminology barrier can obstruct any meaningful dialogue. Often Christians may think they know what the terms lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning mean, but the English language is fluid and words have different meanings to different people, so join me and let’s learn the lingo!

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Coming Out Gay

When my youngest son, Jerrod, was sixteen, he went on a Fine Arts Youth Trip to Orlando with several other youth from our church. Two days later he disappeared in Orlando, Florida. In the back of our minds was the unspoken fear that foul play was the cause of his disappearance – what else could have happened? Although the police suggested he might be a runaway, the thought seemed unlikely to everyone who knew him. Jerrod was a well-mannered and obedient kid; he had been homeschooled and sheltered from negative influences his whole life; and he was smart and talented. But Jerrod had a secret struggle…

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A Space for Grace

In almost any congregation, some feel as though they don’t belong. Maybe they feel marked by sin and judged by others – whether they are or not. Maybe they carry some secret about themselves or their family that they feel would shame them if others knew. Maybe this is you. I’ve been here too. I carried a secret about my family which made it difficult to make connections at church. My youngest son was gay, and I had an unlaying sense of guilt that somehow, I had failed as a Christian parent. This was almost a decade ago and at the time, I did not know of any resources for Christian parents of LGBTQ kids or young adults. I have not done this well, and I am still learning, but I want to see others as Jesus saw them and love as He loved. Won’t you join me on this journey? Can we make space for grace here?

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