Parsing Pleasure

A few years ago, as I strolled through my neighborhood, I spied a small business card on the sidewalk that arrested my attention. The card simply said: I was planned for God’s pleasure. I put the message in my pocket and brought it home. I placed the card next to my computer where it has […]

Spotted

A couple of years ago, my hair started to change color. I would have welcomed this new reality if the result was a George Clooney salt n’ pepper look. Alas, my body decided that a series of randomly placed circles of white hair each about 2-inches in diameter were more stylish. I begged to differ. […]

From Couch to Far Country

I first told someone about my sexuality while sitting in a dorm room at a Christian college in Middle America. The couch on which we sat had seen better days—frayed along the edges of its arms and missing its feet so we had to sink quite low, almost to the ground, to finally meet the […]

Cold Hands, Warming Heart

My body has a capillary condition which results in my having constantly cold hands. In the winter, I have a particularly difficult time keeping them warm—especially if I’m outside for any period of time. In talking with my doctor about the condition, he suggested wearing mittens instead of gloves so that the collective warmth of […]

The Embrace

I have a regular walking route around the city where I live. I particularly like taking a stroll at dusk when the street lights first flicker on creating pockets of soft light and shadow. Often, I find myself calling a friend who becomes my remote walking partner. Other times I spend my time walking in […]

Warm Brioche and Broiled Sole

A few years ago, I attended a dinner party with a group of LGBTQ+ Christians. As we delicately sliced our warm brioche and broiled sole, we began to share our coming-out stories. Each person told how, over Thanksgiving dinner or in a letter or in a YouTube video, they opened the door to others allowing […]

The Weight of Glory

In the fifth grade, I weighed 150 lbs. The reason I know this is because my mother took me to the doctor to inquire about my weight problem. That it was a “problem” was evident to me well before I stepped on the doctor’s scale since my classmates diligently reminded me every day on the […]

The Church is a Blue Light Special

Do you remember Kmart? My local store had a little eatery in the back that served soggy French fries—a smell that always seemed to hunker down in the toy section. And who could forget the Blue Light Specials, which were never as special as that whirling blue light promised (at least to a child who […]

G.I. Joe and the Battle for Togetherness

As a boy growing up in the 1980s, playing with G.I. Joe action figures was a given. Before my older brother moved away to live with our dad, we had many heated G.I. Joe battles. As with most battles, there were two sides—G.I. Joe and Cobra. If you know anything about this toy line, then […]

In the Beginning

I don’t believe in blogs. At least, in so far as they are a means for communicating something deeply personal. Perhaps blogs are a fine medium for sharing information, an opinion even, but for the things of the heart they seem an ineffectual tool. To be certain, the story of a person’s heart is a […]