QUEER IN FAITH

#advent day 1 @parkavebaptist was truly amazing. This new season in my new church has been such a blessing & continues to be one. Here’s to keeping awake during this waiting season. . . #mychurch #mypabc #pabc #faith #wildernesstalk #faithfullylgbt

Be true to yourself, always. Please keep my family & grandmother in your prayers. Next few days will be very emotional.

Be true to yourself always. Please keep my family and my grandmother in your prayers. The next few days will be very emotional.

"When I was a little boy I wondered why I didn't have a mom & dad raising me..." • • This week I've been videoing our organizations youth of the year for each club. They've all been hard to digest. We take so much for granted. Perspective - give back because it truly MATTERS. Our circumstances are not are outcomes. • • #youthdevelopment #video #giveback #prespective #foodforthought

Let's talk about #depression. It's creepy, sly and always lurking. It seeps up from the feet, to your chest, your throat & then from your mouth. It's a serpent with a poison pointed tongue & it's invisible to the world. It is real. It destroys people. And you have to speak over it. Claim it. Drop the thoughts of shame attached to the inability to control it. Are we really meant to control anything? • • Often when my depression shakes up & stirs, I think of the thorn in the side of one disciple. I think of how he claimed it, walked in it, had bad days & was crippled at times over it. But, through it strived to remember who had his brokenness. • • Let's get vulnerable. This week my depression was triggered. I felt like I was spinning out of control. I couldn't forgive myself or nature for feeling sad, hollow & utterly alone. Education is key - being aware of what depression will do is helpful, but sometimes the break is big & you have to walk it. You just have to walk the wilderness. We are not a stigma. We are survivors, like so many others who face this walk and other issues. You're not alone. You don't have to feel completely broken. • • I've found it very hard to take solace in God this round. But, I'm here to remind myself and YOU we can find shelter in him, in our family, our friends who knows us and our partners who adore us & all our pieces. Don't run from those people, lean in. They're gifts. Be one too, by being brave, transparent & real. • • Peace over you. My little mind of words this am & your life. • • #stigma #depression #vunerable #truth #spiritual #dailymotivation #devotional #faithfullylgbt #healing #selfcare

Hello, #friday. This week has been lessons of #gratitude & #thankfulness. Tell someone today how grateful you are for them. Chances are someone hasn't spoken those words to them all week! Make someone's day & make yours at the same time! ❤️ • • • #kindness #thankful #tgif #positivevibes #positivethinking #faithfullylgbt (at Refuge Coffee Co.)

Have you ever thought about how Christ's wounds are the same as ours? It's hard to wrap our heads around the impact of a savior who's endured every piece of pain we've walked through and have yet to experience. Truth for me is when I started realizing that Christ's wounds were the same as mine and those wounds were "spoken for" - things changed. The things I feel here are temporary- I'm spoken for ... we all are, so take shelter in that & peace be with you. • • • #faithfullylgbt #dailydevotional #scripture #christ #spiritual

Often we can tend to "feel" inadequate, but as I learned last night while reading Non-Violent Communication with my partner it's actually something you think someone thinks about you. And whether or not that's true, it's a waste of energies to imagine & place harm on ourselves of what we "think" someone thinks of us. A true feeling is the righteousness of who we truly are - our one true self. And it is so - you are good, right & beautiful as you are. Amen. #faithfullylgbt #mondaymotivation #positivethinking #nvc #spiritual #dailyde

What a hard verse to swallow this am. Woke up in pain at 3 AM from stomach issues & I'm barely alive right now rest wise, but the day has to happen no matter the circumstances. In moments of uncertainty, breathing & centering myself is key, which I did this morning. Help me stay calm. Even the simplest of prayer or ask is enough. • • #selfcare #mondaymotivation #positivethinking #loveyourself #monday #instagood

There was a time in my life where this seemed impossible to do, impossible to say & life threatening to be myself. For those who feel paralyzed to live your full truth please know you can, you will and you are beautiful in every inch of your body, spirit & mind. Happy #nationalcomingoutday & thank God for making me entirely unique in my own right. Thank you to my partner who supports my growth as a human, my friends & family who strive to navigate holding conversations around sexuality, faith, being & living. You can be you! All my ❤️ to my #queer family today & everyday! • • #comingout #queer #queerinfaith #faithfullylgbt #gay #faith #being #personhood #living #spiritual #partner #loveislove #love #selfcare

Often times, I think, trust gets a bad wrap. There's a negative connotation that trust means suffocation, control, unable to make mistakes and so on. What if we reclaimed trust's time and said... trust is truth, freedom, stability to fall and know someone has you... this is the intent, I believe, of this word and intimate feeling with Christ. Your heart is at ease because you trust that if you stumble, you're not alone. • • #trust #faith #christ #faithfullylgbt #positivethinking #devotional #spiritual #scripture #trust

Don't gloat, bloat or over boast, but for sure share the wealth of good that's needed in this world. And if you're too tired to fill up the land around you, rest up! After that fancy siesta, go forth & shake up some good in this world. • • #mondaymotivation #faithfullylgbt #scripture #instagood #positivethinking #dogoodwork

Are you dealing with the wilderness? Do you think there is no way out? Dare to create! Feeling weary today as I have a long week ahead - flipped thru #sketchnotes to this sermon from @parkavebaptist ----> It's not too late to start over with a new attitude, a new outlook & to ask God to assist in your transformation. #faithfullylgbt #selfcare #sermonsketchnotescommunity

Walked past this yesterday while roaming the belt line. Never too fly people. #weloveatl #prayer

Church notes from @parkavebaptist today. GOD IS MOVING 🥖🌲🔥🌊💨👂🏼 #sermonnotes #graphicrecording #doodles #faithfullylgbt