DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS Between Our LGBTQ Friends, The Family, And The Church
I have four groups or individuals in mind as I write.
1. I want to help the church understand the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (or Queer) community, and care for it as I believe God intends.
2. I want to help families love members they don’t fully understand.
3. I want individuals who have been disappointed in the church and have even been turned away understand how much God loves them and why, and
4. I want to support those who are struggling with their identity.
(In Chapter One I will describe, in four sections, the groups or individuals I have in mind. Briefly read the introduction and those four specific sections in Chapter One to see if you find yourself in there somewhere.)
I want to believe, and in fact, I have to believe, that honest, straightforward communication will dispel rumors, ease tensions, and bridge the gaps. I want all of us to understand how to communicate, express ourselves, and disclose our fears and concerns in a way that maintains friendships, expresses love, and heals families. We can only do this as we listen, talk, and reason together with each other, (and read each-others “stuff”).
Paragraphs or pages that address another group, their struggle, or a different need will be more meaningful to you, and less scattered, when you are invested in understanding them and their concerns.
My hope and prayer are that whoever reads this book will take from any paragraph that which is good, and informative or helpful, for them. Makes no difference to me what group you place yourself in or where you are coming
We all need a road map. (I understand that no one uses a paper map anymore.) We all need a navigator. We need God to prompt us, give us instruction, and show us some of the road, (just like that small screen on the dash and that voice that seems to come from nowhere.)
If you are patient with me and let me connect the dots, I can get you from where you are now to a better place. The Bible is full of observations, plans, and direction, and God (our navigator) can fill in some of the blanks. If you are stuck in the ditch He can supply the wisdom, power, and resources needed to get you out!
The illustrations and bits and pieces I discuss in this book bring us or drive us back, to the same place. Everything I discuss with you returns us to these three facts:
1. God loves mankind.
2. God desires to re-establish a relationship with us.
3. He has plans for us that include observations about what is best.
There is a way to “be and operate” that is to be preferred over other options. Of course, #3 directly relates to how we live and what relationships are healthy and which are not. I know it seems odd, and some of you are not clear on this, but one of the first things God said was, “Go and multiply”. (Have sex!) He does care about your sex life. Genesis 1:28. Odd way to end a chapter, isn’t it?
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