Ron Raynes
Francisco Ruiz has served in numerous leadership roles in Affirmation and has supported other leaders and members worldwide to make a difference in the lives of others. He is the recipient of the 2022 Affirmation Mortensen Award.
God doesn’t ask us to suffer and stay under the storm. As we move away from darkness and towards a lighted horizon, we can find our safe space. There may be rain, wind and flying debris in the journey away from oppression and conflict. But if we’re looking for the rainbow, we’ll recognize God’s colors when we see them.
I’m drawn to Christ’s pronouncement (Matt 10:29) that not even a sparrow would fall to the ground without our Father knowing it. I grieved for all the fallen among LGBTQ Mormons, with no acknowledgement or expressed concern by the church.
What do we do when we begin to realize that our evolving identity, the genuine identity that causes us to be happy, the one we feel called into, the one that is honest, no longer fits or meshes within a culture?