Sundaes With Kimberly

     “I don’t care if you are a preacher! You ain’t listening to me! Ya’ll can ALL kiss my *** cause I’m going HOME!!” Smelling of Kool menthols and the detergent used to clean hospital sheets, and wearing nothing but the little gown they gave her upon admission, Kimberly started down the hall of the hospice floor towards the elevator. Her short, strawberry blonde hair was just beginning to grow back in enough to style, but today it was all natural curls misshapen on one side by a pillow that had mashed it to the side of her head. Her pale, freckled face was a mixed mask of anger and pain. At just 27 years old she was the mother of five, fathered by three different men, and had stage four, terminal melanoma. Now all she wanted was to die at home. It would seem like a simple request to most, but the circumstances of her life had brought her here to the last place that would take her and give her medicine for the unimaginable amount of pain she was in. It was her last hope of a less painful existence and death. And she wanted NO part of it. But that was Kimberly, willful, headstrong, and determined that the world wouldn’t dictate how she lived… or died. I think about this incident now and smile, but at that time it was just exhausting. The irony is that in spite of all of her bluster, bad language, and worse choices, Kimberly taught me a few things about my life, my faith and my practice as a minister.

I Confess... I've Often Wanted to Just Stay Home.

What a troubling time it is to be living in this world.  Violence and venom swirl in a seemingly constant stream of darkness that flows around us and threatens to overwhelm.  In our little corner of Panola County we’ve been witness to two senseless murders in the span of a few short weeks.  I see posts on social media about places I’ve lived and have such fond memories of from my childhood touched more and more often by violence and death.  National and local news outlets feed us an almost endless supply of stories surrounding these and other evils in our midst.  We’re given more and more reason to stay closer to home and become increasingly isolated.  And I more and more often hear people ask, “What’s happened to our community?!  It used to be a safe place to live.”

I Have to Confess... I am open to lots of things. But does that mean I should embrace them?

Am I Open To An LGBT-affirming Biblical perspective?

An honest response to Rev. Morgan Guyton’s treatment on the subject.

To be clear, I am always open to hear anyone’s viewpoints on this or any other topic.  I am open to the discussions that are needed to ensure that healthy dialogue continues.  I believe that when we stop communicating and start name calling and belittling, everyone loses.  Especially those who we are seeking to give voice to.  Passion can't afford to be undermined by vitriol.  If everyone is yelling, then no one is able to listen.  You can’t do both at the same time.  And I’m not interested in “winning” a conversation.  If that’s my goal, then I’ve already lost, because that means I’ve placed more importance on my pride or “rightness” than on searching for real resolution to a deep and painful division.  With that said, Rev. Morgan Guyton’s recent and repeated challenge for any "conservative" to offer “good-faith engagement” on his blog post from last year, “Are You Open To LGBT-affirming Biblical Perspective?”, coupled with his subsequent commenting on a UM clergy group page, led me to read his blog… carefully… several times.  So, “Am I open to an LGBTQ-affirming Biblical perspective?”  And what does that mean exactly?