Who we are and who we try to be are constant driving forces. We strive to maintain an image that others like, respect, and want to get to know. Our identity is shaped largely by the environment in which we live, and through our interactions with others. It is molded into a force that controls how we act, what we say, what we think and feel every moment of everyday.

Ashley had been, all along, describing a relationship full of joyful unity. And when her anger turned to tears of sorrow, it was almost as though hope transported her to another land, one in which she was the prized possession. Ashley wanted one simple thing: to hear her parents say, “I love you because you are mine.”

Like the mother of the beloved child in 1 Kings 3:16-28, is it important that we strive to create safety for everyone’s journey, not only by relinquishing the pursuit of being proven right before the Judge, but also by prioritizing your neighbor’s internal essence over it’s external expression. Such a prioritization gives us the ability to love beyond differences and allows us to respect one another’s unique spiritual journey.

Q Christian Fellowship has a bold mission. As we continue to mature and grow, it is important to periodically clarify for the community our focus as an organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ affirming work in the world. It is imperative to maintain social, theological, and relational relevance within the world that we influence.  Above all else, we will seek to love through differences.

This week I really wanted to throw in the towel. Embracing tension, searching for nuance, thinking the best of, treating with respect, choosing kindness. These are things I deeply value. And yet this week, I seriously wondered whether embodying these attributes actually just made me complicit with injustice and oppression. I wanted to yell and scream. I wanted to pick up signs and march. I wanted to call people out with as much strength and power as I could muster.

Given their context, Jesus is doing something rather bold. You see, women did not commonly interact with Rabbis with such outright openness as Mary had. In an age when patriarchy diminished the role and value of women, Jesus blatantly challenges the oppressive system that distorted the perception of female importance. 

Many of us in the LGBTQIA community know what it feels like to be othered. As we think about the annual conference theme, “Love Undivided,” it is important to highlight that some within the Q Christian community also feel othered because of the ‘great debate’ between Side A and Side B positions. When relational divides are present, it is easy to judge one another’s choices and behavior.

As a means of creating a roadmap leading to conference, let’s begin where we left off, with a heavy focus on “belonging.” All are beloved children of God, not only because God is gracious, but because we all bear God’s image and likeness.