What do you understand the local church to be? Is it a group of people who all think in unison with a set of beliefs to which each has subscribed? Or, is it a group of people who are worshiping God together even though they may not all agree to what that means? I recently read a post on Travis Flanagan’s website Help Me Believe titled “What Is the Local Church” in which he provided this definition of the local church.Posts Tagged ‘church’
Church: A Band of Jesus Followers
Posted: April 28, 2018 in Christian Life, ChurchTags: Christ, Christianity, church, Jesus, Religion, spiritual
What do you understand the local church to be? Is it a group of people who all think in unison with a set of beliefs to which each has subscribed? Or, is it a group of people who are worshiping God together even though they may not all agree to what that means? I recently read a post on Travis Flanagan’s website Help Me Believe titled “What Is the Local Church” in which he provided this definition of the local church.Reimagining Life with Jesus
Posted: January 11, 2018 in Christian Life, Life's DesignTags: Bible, Christian Life, Christianity, church, conversation, Jesus, Love, Spirit, Spirituality, Transparency, Vulnerability
I have been in a process of reimagining my life. The word “reimagine” means to reinterpret or rethink an earlier version. It is approaching again something already experienced but in a new way.
The memories are warm and comforting as I recall times in my life when I was completely encased in the ethos of those days, enveloped in a particular kind of Christianity and particular brand of Baptist. Inside that cocoon I felt comfortable and safe, developed ministry skills, and exercised spiritual gifts. Yet there were times I felt empty, that there was surely more to Christian living than a confining sterile obedience to biblical principles. (more…)
Being Christian and Gay—Part 7: Living Between Two Worlds
Posted: October 17, 2017 in Being Christian and Gay, Gay LifeTags: Christian, Christianity, church, community, gay, Justin Peck, LGBT, The Times Are Racing
In this post, I’m moving beyond sexuality to talk about straddling a fence. Living Between Two Worlds authentically and with integrity is not easy. Attempting to live such a life for a gay person is compounded by a perceived oxymoron—a gay Christian—by both the Christian community and the gay community. (more…)
Being Christian and Being Gay – An Introduction
Posted: August 29, 2017 in UncategorizedTags: Christian, Christianity, church, ethics, gay, marriage, sex, sexuality, spiritual
“Being Christian and Gay” is a topic I am addressing in a series of posts on this blog. I am Christian. I am gay.
There is a dichotomy of passion and reason in current responses to the gay-Christian debate. Both of these fundamental responses—passion and reason—ebb and flow to a degree; but passion, which often is blind, usually usurps reason, which comes only after passion is quieted. It is my hope that my experience will shed some light on living a Christian life as a gay man. (more…)
