Twenty years ago today I did something I swore I’d never do.
I shared the deepest, seemingly darkest, dirtiest secret of my life. I shared a part of myself that up until that point in time I had sworn to keep secret to my grave. And yet I couldn’t keep quiet any longer.
So on March 26, 2003, I stood up in Moody Coliseum on the campus of Abilene Christian University and came out to the combined chapel audience of 5,000 faculty and students.
“At the height of the AIDS crisis when so many of our sons and brothers were dying, having been kicked out of families and ostracized from churches – this church was different.
…Because their preacher was different.”
“Because it’s about a baby and his imperfect family, it’s a story we can relate to. But it’s more – it’s about a God who chose to become … one of us.”
It occurred to me driving on the ice that it would be so easy to just veer off the road, go through the guard rails and down into the ravine, hoping the car would just roll over and over and that I wouldn’t survive that tumble. Then I would never have to acknowledge that I was attracted to women. Never have to hurt and embarrass my family. Never have to experience the deep shame – deeper than I had already felt for years – of coming out to friends.
For the past year we’ve been preparing to move my nearly 91 year old dad into an independent living facility close to where I live. We’ve been going through my parents’ belongings, pulling boxes from underneath beds, emptying closets, and retrieving treasures from the attic. My parents didn’t have a large home – but they…
“Truth is, coming to see things differently has happened for me over a lifetime. A lifetime of being deeply involved in a faith community that values Scripture and is committed to following Jesus.” High hopes, indeed.
“…we found common ground to bind us together. Not our sexuality, because our stories are all different. What united us is Jesus.”
Hearing friends talk about their kids who are in their senior year of high school right now tears me up. First it’s missing school, which is not so bad at first, but then spring concerts and plays are called off and finally, the biggie – no senior prom. Nobody knows yet if it will extend…
“In the years following World War II, polls found the only thing Americans feared more than polio was nuclear war.” But we have a heritage of overcoming fear…
“I couldn’t very well tell my story without including Abilene, so you’ll see familiar sights from around town, as well as a few faces of people you’ll recognize. I spent some of the most formative years of my life here, as a college student, as a high school teacher, and as a college professor in the city of Abilene.”
You’re a cancer survivor until you’re not. Once you’re declared to be in remission, or the scans show you’re cancer free, you’re known as a cancer survivor. I’ve been a cancer survivor since last year, showing no signs of the disease anywhere in my body. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t think about it….
When I was growing up we listened to Paul Harvey’s radio show while riding in the car. He was famous for telling stories about people and events that were fairly well known, only he would add a portion of the story that wasn’t as well known. It was always something that made the story even…
a 'peace' of my mind.... 