Grieve Your Own Way

   Grieving death is a unique experience. Some may eat a galleon of ice cream, drink a bottle of wine, and look at photos of their loved one while crying hysterically. Others may gather together with close friends and family, eat tons of food, listen to beautiful music, and remember the good times. No matter how we grieve, it's important to know that it is never acceptable to shame the way others grieve. We all experience the world differently, even if we are part of the same culture. How we deal with, and process, experiences varies from person to person. And there is nothing wrong with that. 

Death of a loved one causes great sorrow and emotional pain. There is no book titled How To Deal With Death for Dummies; nor is there a Guide to the Rules of Funerals for Idiots. I honestly wish there were, but at the same time, I'm fine with dealing with death and loss my own way. 

David McNeely, Sr., (aka, "Pops") c. 1940

What It's Like Dating in Bible Belt Lesbian Land

   Here is just an FYI for anyone who is curious about dating in Bible Belt Lesbian land...It's fucking hard. There are so many obstacles facing the battlefield that already exists having to be forced to challenge every evangelical ass hole who tries to change me into a "Bible living" human being, that dating, as an almost 30 year old, just adds to the list of reasons why I would NEVER CHOOSE THIS LIFE if I could live it any differently.
   As most of you who know me or follow my blog know, I have been divorced for about 2 and a half years now. I am a deeply loving and caring person. I always see the good in people, and I long for a deep, loving connection. Therefore, I have indeed tried to date. However, I wish you could understand how infinitely hard the dating game can be for someone like me, living in this incredibly frustrating and limiting Bible Belt Society.
   First, where on earth am I supposed to find women who are Lesbian, and who have similar values as I?  I cannot take the luxury of going to a bar alone with my hair down, make up on, wearing something tastefully flirty and be expected to be hit on by someone who actually matters or that I would be interested in. Also, it's not as if I could see a beautiful lady and tactfully or tastefully casually ask, "oh hey, what's your name? Are you gay or straight?" No, my longing is to have a future partner find me, or vice versa, organically. But alas, the nature of what Bible thumpers call my "affliction," and what I know in my heart is true to call "my nature" keeps me from this.
   Therefore, I have tried online dating. This playing field is ridiculously complex. I have to sift through the heterosexual couples who would want a threesome. I have to whittle through the ones who want a one night stand. I have to include at least three complex words (most recently, my enjoyment of irony, dichotomy, and duality) to weed out the idiots. Then, via Tinder, I right or left swipe the 20 women that are within my age, and distance range. This takes me literally 5 minutes, and then I patiently (or not so patiently) wait for a response. It's annoyingly exhasuting. While I'm broadening my horizons to include bisexual women, my odds of success have been horrendous or regretfully unfulfilling.
   What I find the most frustrating about being with women who have been with men, and are also attracted to men while living or growing up in the Bible Belt, is that they cannot get over their neccessity of comparing me to them. I have been forced back into the closet because I am not a man, left out to dry because they went back to their ex boyfriend, deemed not good enough because I seemingly couldn't fulfill the masculine role of father or caregiver, and/or seemingly not good enough in bed becasue I do not have a dick. If it were not because of my great support system of freinds and my twin sister who love me unconditionally, I may have suffered from an incurable ego complex. But alas, during my time of being single, before I started enduring this proposterous game, I have found a strength in me that surpasses the idiocy that is Bible Belt Lesbian dating. However, no matter what, it is ridiculously hard and annoyingly...oh so annoyingly repetitive. I keep going though the same cycle, because of my unconditionally loving nature, to fall very hard, and very fast. Then I find my heart crushed, and fall gratefully into the arms of my friends and sweet sister. Without them, I am afraid of where I would be left. But with them, and the love and acceptance of my Creator, I can get up, dust myself off, and try again to experience the same comfort, love, and benefits (physical, sexual, financial, medical, etc) that my heterosexual brothers and sisters get to enjoy. That is all I want. I am different than them in sexual peference, but I do want to be loved romantically like they do. Wish me luck. It's not easy, but I'm still convinced it's worth it.

The Importance of Loving Holistically

I believe that we as God's children are in a constant state of spiritual and emotional growth. Actually, our growth is quite holistic, but our spirit and our emotions are two we tend to neglect in this world where intelligence and money/gain are the most important. Most of our young lives, we grow our minds though school. While some subjects can challenge the expansion of our emotions and spirits, it's usually not intentional. I believe God uses certain circumstances and/or people to expand our minds, emotions, and/or our spirits in order to help us grow in our ability to love holistically. We are conditioned through church, school, and sometimes through our parents to love depending on a set of rules, or morals. We segment parts of a person, or even a whole person or group of people, solely because they don't believe the same version of morality as we do. When we do this we may be barring ourselves from a chance to fully love, grow, or expand our minds to become more like Jesus. When did "agree to disagree" become insignificant or somehow unholy? Jesus hung out with tax collectors and prostitutes, and he cared about them just as much as his disciples. If he ever corrected anyone - and please let us remember that it was mostly leaders of his same religion - it was a tactful challenge to expand their hearts and minds because their dogma was blinding them to truth and love. People float into and out of our lives because we have something significant and potentially life changing to offer one another. Let's choose to embrace this reality, and open our hearts to love the way Jesus showed us: holistically without judgement.

By Celebrating Our Differences, We Embrace Our Potential

http://geeksout.org/blogs/ztmac108/celebrating-our-differences-we-embrace-our-potential

New piece for Geeks Out. This is a beautiful space for LGBTQ folks who are looking for an interweb home for their geeky side, and I've been honored to be included in writing for them. Enjoy!

How to Support Your Homosexual Christian Friend

Your friend just called/text you asking you to talk. You have noticed that your friend is extremely angsty lately, nervous, on edge. Furthermore, you feel like they may be of a different sexuality than your own because of X, y, or z. You don't know what to do or say because you've never felt this way yourself. You may have heard all of your life that being gay is a sin and have thought you've seen Bible verses to agree with that view. Believe me, they probably have too and have spent years beating themselves raw with them. Here is some advice from the lips of a Christian lesbian that I hope helps you navigate your conversation in a way to best love and support your friend.

1: When your friend texts or calls you asking to speak with you in person, be sure to tell them that no matter what he/she tells you, you love them and accept them.

2: When they confess that they have had homosexual/bisexual thoughts in person or over the phone, repeat number one.

3: After you reassure them you're still their friend no matter what, celebrate the courage it took to trust you with something so incredibly hard.

4: This is very important and very hard for the many Christians who believe being gay/bisexual is a sin and wrong...be sure to remind them that no matter what, God loves them just the way they are.

5: If they are huggers, give them a hug. Then ask how you can support them best. Thank them again for considering you a safe place for this information and repeat step one.

The following are five things that I would ask...borderline beg you NOT to do.

1: Do not quote verses about homosexuality. As I mentioned earlier, they have probably heard them all and are haunted by them.

2: Do not ask if they have tried to be straight. Obviously they have or they wouldn't have come to you. And this makes them think you find them flawed and less than human.

3: Even though I know it's a good intention...don't encourage them to hide it for his/her own sake so they won't be hurt by this cruel world. That's a kind of rejection in and of itself and makes them feel like the most intimate part of themselves is as ugly as a birthmark that they need to hide. And anyway...they are tired of hiding. That's why they are coming to you.

4: For the love of everything that is holy...do NOT tell them they are going to hell for feeling this way. Even if you preface this with..."I'm only telling you because I love and care about you." Do not tell them this. You don't know that, and if you believe homosexuality is a sin, and you believe Jesus died for those...they aren't going to hell. I believe love of any kind is not a sin, and they just want to believe this too. Just let them.

5: Do not abandon them. Stay an integral part of their lives. Congratulations! You are now part of their support system as they relearn how to love themselves.

Your friend has probably done all he/she could to pray the gay away, he/she has probably looked up all the Bible verses that at first glance seem to be against the very feelings that come most naturally to them. They may have tried to date someone of the opposite gender just to see if they could ignite what they were "supposed to feel" and obviously, since they are coming to you about it, this has failed. I want you to know they are probably terrified that their family, their other friends, that YOU will judge them, abandon them, hate them because of this information. With that in mind, consider yourself incredibly blessed that your friend trusts you and loves you enough to lay their broken vulnerable heart open on the table for you to gaze at. Please be loving enough to look at it, then look at your friend, smile, and say thank you for trusting me with something so beautiful.

Advent, Wrap Me in Your Loving Arms...

As Advent comes ever closer...I find my heart longing once again for community, and a safe place to celebrate my favorite liturgical season of the year. Advent was something I always looked forward to even as a child in the Methodist church I grew up in. I loved listening to each Christmas Story in the Bible and watching each candle being lit. I find myself yearning so strongly for a place to feel safe, to feel accepted, to feel support and offer it in return to my peers. I miss church so much, but still...I am constantly afraid. I have been invited to several churches, and my friends, this means more to me than you could know. However, the reality of my situation is that no matter where I go here in this beautiful state I call home, there will be some who I will make uncomfortable merely because of my presence. The last church I went to, with the support of my former wife and her family, still haunts me. Six families left because I transferred my membership from the Methodist Church I grew up in. Thinking back on that experience, I remember that there were some who tried to make me more comfortable, and some who were uncomfortable but still tried to reach out and accept me. Maybe I just need to have patience and courage with others who do not accept me at first...just as they need compassion and patience with themselves as well as me, as they acclimate to my presence. Friends...if you pray, please pray that I find courage again to step out in faith to find a church community. Pray that I can overcome my grief, anger, and fear that people won't accept me, and just be thankful there are some that do love me just the way I am.

"Fear Leads to Anger, Anger to Hate, Hate to Suffering..." -Yoda

"Fear Leads to Anger, Anger to Hate, Hate to Suffering..."-Yoda

These are wise words from the most famous Jedi Master. Oh how we could all learn some humility and gain a mutual wisdom from his words. We set ourselves on opposite sides of the bridge of love and our fear of each other, whatever opposite our feeble minds may create, builds a barrier of animosity. If only we could open our minds...clear them as the Jedi suggests...we could exist in harmony together. We could allow the light side of the force to emanate a passageway into the darkness that is ultimately benign. Benign because ultimately, no matter our background, our upbringing, our biology, our nature, our nurture; we ALL deal with similar life choices, consequences, tasks, rites of passage, etc. If we could only open our eyes, look past our fear, our anger, our hate; we would see a mutual understanding of our journey as human beings: to learn, to grow, to choose, to fail, to succeed, to be alone, to love, to exist - in all that entails, and we would build each other up, and not continue to beat each other down. May we be mindful, may we be patient, may we be ever intentional to follow Yoda's insight so that we can evade the suffering of the dark force, no matter how alluring it is in the present moment.