Spirituality
This conference featured a much stronger emphasis on leadership development and training than ever before, with a five-hour-long leaders session on Friday, focusing on themes chosen by the Mexican leaders. Themes emphasized throughout the conference included emotional intelligence; wellness and resilience; diverse spiritual paths; and family support.
I love my LGBT tribe. Membership isn’t restricted by color. Every shade is welcome. We love and judge by other, hopefully higher, standards. We seek to find the good in each other, where we have common ground, and we seek to build true empathy by listening and learning, sharing and caring.
Affirmation’s first international conference in the Dominican Republic took place in the heart of the oldest section of the oldest European settlement in the Western Hemisphere, and it included representation from Haiti and Cuba.
It’s not pleasant when you don’t fit in. And one of the ways we learn to cope is to sacrifice integrity. I suppose that we’ve all been guilty of a little deception in order not to be seen as different. Agreeing verbally with what everyone in the group is saying, when you really don’t believe it. Failing to speak up and say “That’s not right” when that would put you at odds with the majority. Going along with the pressure to conform. But self-deception turns out to be hard to bear and hard to maintain.
Many gathered the week of Jan 13-15, 2017 in Portland Oregon for a two-day conference focused on honoring the uniqueness of the lives and the choices of every member of the Affirmation family, in or out of the Church. Wherever our individual paths lead us, Affirmation is committed to the Zion-like quality of being ‘of one heart.’ Hence the title “Many Paths, One Heart.” Re-live the messages shared or watch for the first time.
There was a constant struggle between my mind and my heart. I felt desolate, like in that passage of the Bible: Tossed by every wave of the sea, without purpose or direction. Then Affirmation appeared in my life.
Danny & I just gave an opening keynote to the largest audience to date (650 people!). It turns out it was one of the most amazing, holy, spiritual experiences of our entire lives. Preparing to speak there was some of the most important work we’ve ever done.
Conference time is coming soon, and we are excited to have amazing speakers, programs and workshops focusing on youth empowerment, trans and genderqueer stories, self-care, intersectionality, finding an authentic spiritual path, and much, much more!
Believe that your Heavenly Parents spiritually put you here to have this life. You don’t have to do it to someone else’s timing or model, because even though you may appear to be like others your spiritual plan is to return with more light, your light on your own time and way and plan.