🏳️‍🌈✝️ How will you know when you've arrived?

Be the winner God called you personally to be for HIM.

Rainbow Pastor David

11/26/2017 

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Do you not know that in a race all the runners run [their very best to win], but only one receives the prize? Run [your race] in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours!1 Corinthians 9:24

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us,  [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work].

Just consider and meditate on Him who endured from sinners such bitter hostility against Himself [consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

Today I received the first of many emails I will receive from Queer Theology. The content was so good I wanted to share with all my followers. I pray you are empowered to be ALL that GOD has called you to be as one of His RAINBOW CHILDREN {LGBTQI+}. Please take the time to read this valuable lesson and answer for yourself the questions found in the link at the bottom of the article.

Blessings and Peace,
Rainbow Pastor David

 

Written by Brian

Imagine you’re getting ready ready for a hike—I’m not much of a hiker myself; I managed to become an Eagle Scout without ever earning the hiking merit badge, but roll with me for a second will you? Imagine you’re getting ready for a hike.

 

It’s the day of the hike and you’re super excited. You head out and you walk and walk and walk. Sometimes the hike is tough—steep inclines and rocky roads. Other times it feels like you’re flying—an extended downhill, a stretch of smooth dirt. 

Eventually, you arrive at the summit and it’s breathtaking. Here’s a pic from the top of the only “mountain” I’ve hiked in 15 years:

Why am I talking about hiking in an email about queering theology? Because you don’t get to the top of the mountain by accident. In order to get to the top of the mountain, you need a few things:

• Boots that fit and are worn in
• Supplies for the journey
• The physical and mental stamina to keep going
• A destination in mind and a plan to get there

That last point—a destination in mind and a plan to get there—is critical. You need to know where you’re going. 

As we begin to dive deeper into queering theology, we need to know the same thing: where are we going? What will it feel like when we’ve arrived? 

We’ll come back to those other points as well—sans-hiking metaphor, I promise—but for now I want to focus on the destination. If you supply the destination, we can map a plan for you.

Close your eyes for a moment—wait! finish reading this paragraph, then close your eyes—and imagine it’s a year or two in the future. You feel great. Life is good. Your gender, sexuality, and faith are integrated in a way that’s deeply personal to you. What does that look like? What does that feel like?

• Do you go to a church that you love and that loves you back, fully and completely?
• Perhaps you’re serving your community in someway.
• Perhaps you’ve stopped attending church all together.
• When you think about your body, about your relationships, about yourself, what comes up? Not what comes up right now, but what would you like to come up in a year or two? Satisfaction? Wholeness? Integrity? Alignment?

(You can close your eyes and imagine now)

There’s no “right” answer to this exercise — these are deeply personal questions. But there is immense value in the asking. I know you may be thinking this seems a little silly. Or maybe you’ve decided to do the thinking “later” when you’re more clear-headed, have more time, or are less stressed.
I encourage you instead to take just 90 seconds and think on the prompt now: “When you’ve arrived at a deeper place of integration between gender, sexuality, and faith, what does that look and feel like to you?”

We put together a brief worksheet to help think through these questions in greater detail if you’re the type of person who likes more structure and/or to write things down. 

Click here to complete the worksheet.

More soon. As always, you’re invited to reply and let us know what this brings up for you.

Peace,
Brian

More from Queer Theology, here.