Spirituality
Participants came with open hearts, right from the beginning sharing the most vulnerable elements of their journeys and their lives: their hopes, their pain and their questions, their skepticism and their faith. Read more here about the conferences held in South America this past month.
What does He ask for in return? “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
I have a firm belief that the future holds a multitude of promise and blessings for the faithful…. Should the day come when something “great and important” is revealed I want to make sure that I am spiritually ready to hear it.
By Tom Christofferson
Some may have already decided that they no longer desire to participate; some may be taking an approach of listening on tenterhooks, dreading the moment when they have to grit their teeth, knowing that the longest addresses are only twenty minutes, most are fifteen or twelve. In order to listen, we need to free our minds and hearts of a focus on past challenges and wounds in order to enable ourselves to be fully present to hear and feel what will be said.
One day it occurred to him that he’d never thought to ask God how He felt about his being gay. He prayed with that question and described his experience in his story. I immediately dropped my book and finally asked God what His thoughts were about my life.
Love had begun to change her, to empower her. Suddenly she was fearlessly living her life. She was accomplishing amazing things, because someone loved her for who she truly was, and believed in her, she believed in herself and dared not only to dream, but to strive to make those dreams a reality.
Affirmation members from across the country and from all walks-of-life came to Fort Myers, Florida last week to participate in workshops, discussions, social events and spiritual edification. Some of us were looking for answers to life’s toughest questions. Others just needed a friend. Whatever life story was shared, the heart felt plea from Affirmation leaders and the few members whom trod familiar paths was to be authentic and be yourself.
Our sexuality and our gender identities are blessings, not curses. If we allow ourselves to lean on Christ, He will support us, and with His support and guidance, we don’t have to take the hard way. We don’t have to do this on our own.
It seems odd for us to apply the term “allies” to parents. In a normal world, every child simply assumes that their fiercest, most loving defenders are and will always be their parents. The term “parent” ought to be synonymous with “ally.” Unfortunately, we don’t necessarily live in a world where that can automatically be assumed. In the meantime, we are deeply grateful to parents who — sometimes quietly, sometimes boisterously — stand by our sides and let us know through action and through words that family matters, and that we are family.