Rising From The Ashes

By Believe Out Loud | May 1, 2014 |
A woman waving her hands in front of a church.

As I reflect on the last six months, I can only say it was the grace of God that has kept me and kept my mind. It was only God’s love that kept my wife and I covered. After disclosing my sexual orientation to the church where I was the senior pastor and sharing that I had…

Read More

Let It Go: When You’ve Been Nice Enough

By Believe Out Loud | March 25, 2014 |
A silhouette of a person holding balloons in the air.

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.” I John 4:18 A year ago this month, I came out to myself and the world. I totally overturned my life to seek peace and happiness, because neither my ex-husband nor I was happy, and by extension, our daughter was…

Read More

My Loneliness Led Me To God

By Believe Out Loud | March 18, 2014
A boy smiling for a picture.

Simply writing the title makes me feel over-exposed. Just now walking our dog, Hobbes, I found myself contemplating my lifetime need for God. I felt extremely lonely as a child. Hard to believe in a loving household of a family of five with pets living in a small tract house with a single bathroom, sharing…

Read More

Loving My Queer Identity

By Believe Out Loud | February 14, 2014 |
A rainbow with water droplets on it.

This Valentine’s Day, I pledge to love my queer identity. I pledge to honor the truth I hid for ten years—the door that remained unopened, the secret I was too afraid to face. Today, I pledge to love the part of myself I was told to hate. I pledge to remember the relationships I never had,…

Read More

Blessed Are They That Mourn

By Believe Out Loud | February 4, 2014
A cross is silhouetted against a sunset.

“Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). When I was living and working in Toledo, Ohio, in my mid-20s, I often had lunch at this large, cafeteria-style restaurant downtown. Patrons would load their trays and sit in a large atrium filled with tables, booths, and a lot of potted ferns.…

Read More

Our Lives Are Valuable

By Believe Out Loud | November 15, 2013
Two people holding candles in their hands at a candlelight vigil in san diego, california, on.

The following piece was written for a virtual Transgender Day of Remembrance service that will be held online this Sunday, November 17, at 9pm ET, offered by the new coalition TDOR Unite! and hosted by the Church of the Larger Fellowship, a congregation without walls. This new service makes it possible for all to mourn…

Read More