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Personal Stories

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June 2024

June 07, 2024

Honoring the Pulse Shooting: Choose Love in a Time of Hate

As another anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting approaches, it’s time to stop and honor...

September 2023

September 08, 2023

The Power of Self-Love: Oscar Wilde’s Enduring Wisdom

Oscar Wilde, the celebrated poet and playwright, once said, "To love oneself is the beginning...

June 2022

June 09, 2022

How a Parent’s Journey Can Help Us Be More Inclusive

I’m the Parent of an LGBTQ Child… Two of Them! Our lives changed the day...

May 2021

May 09, 2021

Moms, you are NOT a disappointment.

Moms, would you sit with me here for a minute? Mother's Day came and went. You went...

November 2020

November 20, 2020

7 Deadly Sins Parents Commit Against Transgender Kids – In Memory of Leelah Alcorn

Leelah’s story is one you have probably heard.  The transgender girl who committed suicide in...

June 2020

June 17, 2020

Serving in the Army as a Queer Black Man Opened My Eyes to Racism in America

"I started filming the protests in New York so I could draw attention to the...

June 03, 2020

WHAT OUR BODIES ARE SAYING

Grief for the loss of so many bodies. So many black bodies. So many transgender...

May 2020

May 04, 2020

Why the Sadness Won’t Go Away: A Tribute to Rachel Held Evans

Years ago at a conference, the husband of a dear friend said to me, “Your...

November 2019

November 27, 2019

Have You Been Left Out of Family Events?

She barely hung up the phone before the tears poured out. “Oh, God, why are...

November 09, 2019

A Letter To My Boyfriend’s Homophobic Parents On Christmas

Congratulations. You’ve won. You’ve earned your ticket into Heaven by showing your son God’s love....

October 2019

October 04, 2019

A Straight Christian Mom’s Response to Dobson’s Attack on Gays

James Dobson doesn’t really “Focus on the Family”… he just focuses on SOME families. Full...

January 2019

January 06, 2019

Why I Chose my LGBTQ Child Over the Evangelical Church

She stood on stage in front of over 5,000 people. She told of a phone...

July 2017

July 05, 2017

Flowers for the Living

It was a big day nonetheless. Graduating from seminary, I enjoyed family and friends here...

June 2017

June 22, 2017

Margaret Court’s Outdated Game With the LGBTQI Community

Margaret Court was the name in Women’s Tennis. She was the best in the world....

June 18, 2017

A Father’s Plea to Christian Dads of LGBTQ+ Children

In 2010, my daughter came out. I love her. Nothing will ever change that. Nothing....

April 2017

April 19, 2017

My Easter Sunday with Jen Hatmaker and Her Downtown Friends

What would Jesus do on Easter Sunday? As I stood under the bridge in downtown...

February 2017

February 21, 2017

You Had Me at Hello… My Advice to Adele

She was so upset. Almost to the point of tears. And nearly an hour later,...

December 2016

December 06, 2016

LGBTQI: You Deserve to Love & be Loved! You Deserve to be Free!

Well, here you are! You're gay or bi or lesbian or transgender or intersex or...

November 2016

November 03, 2016

Are You the Parent of an LGBTQ Child? You Are Not Alone.

“Mom, I’m Gay!” You want to shove those words back in and put the lid...

September 2016

September 15, 2016

My Daughter… the Wise, Wonderful Heretic!

“If the you of five years ago doesn’t consider the you of today a heretic,...

September 07, 2016

Eat, Pray, Love Who You Love. Elizabeth Gilbert Comes Out!

I love how Elizabeth Gilbert - the bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love - came...

August 2016

August 29, 2016

A Boy in a Tutu, a Mom, and the Scary Words of a Stranger

"My son wears tutus. It was fine... until yesterday!" This is the story of the...

August 23, 2016

As a Person of Faith, I Fully Accept & Affirm LGBTQ

“You’re a Christian! How can you support LGBTQ people and gay marriage? Don’t you realize...

June 2016

June 22, 2016

Obergefell & Orlando, From Joy to Grief… What Do We Do Now?

The world is grieving the horrific mass murder of so many innocent LGBTQ people and...

March 2016

March 23, 2016

Sharing My Heart, My Vision, My Hope

We recently announced my new book with Westminster John Knox Press, and launched our new...

December 2015

December 30, 2015

Apparently, I Won’t Be Going To Heaven

I want to share this with you. It is from our friend Jim Rigby.  Jim...

September 2015

September 17, 2015

Celebrating the Truth and Beauty of the Real You

When Clay told his parents he was gay, they screamed that he never should have...

May 2015

May 25, 2015

“I am the mother of a gay son and I’ve taken enough from you good people.”

"I'm tired of your foolish rhetoric about the "homosexual agenda.” You are cruel and ignorant....

May 04, 2015

I Just Want To Be Loved. Is That So Wrong?

“My heart is heavy. My daughter’s friend killed himself on Thursday. No one knows why...

March 2015

March 31, 2015

Finding Truth at Austin Food Trucks

Austin is renowned for food trucks. In my neighborhood is a great little coffee truck -...

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