I asked her through tears if someone like me could be an LGBTQ ally – someone who holds a Biblical interpretation that God designed sexual relationships to be between one man and one woman. Missy, being a bisexual and a Christian, seemed like a safe person to ask…

… It’s a myth that our country is more divided than ever before. Contrary to what headlines and social media posts will make you think, there is a powerful uprising of people around this country rolling up our sleeves willing to do the hard work of confronting the limits of our love. People committed to learning from each other’s experiences; not dismissing experiences. People lamenting over each other’s wounds; not evaluating or diminishing wounds...

It's a really rough week right now if you are reading headlines and believing that 50% of Americans are white supremacists, or at least they want one as their leader. If I was a person of color, I'd be feeling a tremendous amount of pain right now. But... (deep breath)

I had made a promise in 2020 to listen to the voices of minorities, but in just a matter of days, I was feeling the pains of empathy intoxication.

Our conversation Friday turned emotional when we began discussing the oppression of LGBTQ youth and how judgement and condemnation, particularly from the faith community, impacts their perceptions of self-worth. This is a difficult emotionally-charged conversation but it’s not a two-sided conversation.

…the fact those are the only two choices is absurd. Another indicator that we’ve lost our reasonableness. So I’ll end my thoughts on a question I think we should all ask: What do we want?

On January 21 2017, when the world watched women passionately march for their beliefs, I sat at home feeling rejected, irrelevant and shamed. I watched the news and witnessed social media explode with photos of women being powerful, making themselves heard. And yet there I sat feeling powerless and unheard because I realized…

You know what I think our faith community's biggest challenge is? We're defensive. We're defensive because we feel like our Truth (belief systems and God) are threatened and compromised if we love others as they are

So bottom line: people were hurt. And that's what inspired this letter. To acknowledge something I think a lot of Christians don't think through. Our moral positions may hurt others.

"Have your opinions on gay marriage changed over the last 5 years?" I posed this question to my close (and very conservative) friends while devouring chips, guacamole and sipping strawberry lime margaritas.