"Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

Matthew 16:24

Much of my day is filled with suggesting alternatives to dead end streets for other people. In other words, I try to give people a different way to look at a crisis, fear, or doubt in their life using the Bible as my written guide and the Holy Spirit as my Spiritual Guide. It can be tremendously rewarding, fulfilling and sometimes, frustrating. No matter what, I hope that I am able to spread some encouragement along the way and witness about God's never ending love for God's LGBT children.

A while back someone started a dialogue with me about coming out and continuing his faith journey. I gladly took the role of helper and prayed I could assist him with his coming out phase, while still helping him understand that it is possible to be Gay and Christian all at the same time. Obviously he was having a tough time of it and I reminded him that many had traveled his path and found fulfillment as LGBT Christians. A Christian, whether Gay or Straight was still a Christian. I encouraged him to understand that his "denomination" had its rules and those rules were fallible, because they were made by people ... not God. His retort sent chills down my spine. He asked me if I was sure that I was saved because of that single statement!

If he was questioning my salvation, then why did he write to me in the first place, I wondered? Was he joking? Obviously not. It occurred to me that he was VERY serious about this. Not only was he serious ... he was extremely concerned. Knowing something about this man's denomination, I can tell you that his question came from the heart of his "denominational teaching." Obviously, since I brought these teachings into question, I must have offended him and he felt that my salvation was on the line. After careful thought, I found some web links that would assist him and I was able to put him in touch with some LGBT religious organizations whose beliefs were more on the line of what he was looking for and wished him well in his search. I also let him know that I felt that my salvation was sound.

As I pondered his email later on, his question to me really got under my skin. It bothered me that this poor man was not only struggling coming out as a Gay man but also having to build a much different belief system to be able to feel comfortable with his sexual orientation. His denomination had given him security in everything his whole life, as long as he followed the rules. For him, the rules might have to be broken to become the best person he was capable of becoming, as God intended him to be. He was sure of everything 'his church' taught. He knew the absolutes of everything, when it came to being a Christian because they were 'doctrinal truths' according to his denomination. They had convinced him that they had all of the answers! And I'm sure that there would have been one heck of an argument if I would have reminded him that Jesus was a Jew and not a Christian! As I see it, his denomination had boxed God up in a nice little package and handed it to him. All had been going well except for one little ingredient. He was Gay and that fact, alone, had stained his perfectly wrapped package, according to him. This saddened me.

Although I'm not a scholar in Biblical teachings, I'm still well versed in biblical history and authorship. So, I find myself mistrustful of "absolute" teachings of any denomination. I am more than a little aware of where denominational teachings have misrepresented the words of the Bible and those half-truths and that misinformation, spewed from many pulpits, have lead to lives destroyed emotionally, physically and mortally. For me, I've become much more comfortable with letting the Holy Spirit guide me in my walk of faith instead of people.

Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow him (Matthew 16:24). He doesn't tell us to follow some rules made up by well-meaning church leaders. No! Jesus tells us to take up OUR cross and follow HIM! That is what I do and I consider myself a follower of Christ through His witness, not the witness of someone else. Jesus also says that whoever believes in him and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16:16). I think that is the slam-dunk.

I have always questioned people who are so sure of themselves, for I feel that I know so little about many things, yet I'm willing to learn from others. But I don't want to be "lead" by anyone but the Holy Spirit. One thing that I do feel totally secure about is that my salvation is solid and safe. It should not be questioned by anyone, for people are not the final judge. Only God fits that description. How can we know? We simply can't. What we can do is believe and leave the rest to God.

I feel sadness for those who believe that they have all of the answers within the Church. It reminds of something that George Bernard Shaw once wrote: " ... the ignorant are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." I think I might fall somewhere in between. That's one thing that I'm cocksure about ... or am I?