Monday Medley: Sam Smith - Stay With Me (Audio)

Monday Medley: Bridge Over Troubled Water - John Legend - North Sea Jazz 2013

Yes I am a fan!  This is an old song, but a nice song and I enjoy the way he sings it.

For The Children

Is it me or does there seem to be a rash of parents neglecting and or "giving" up their young defenseless  children?  Allowing a child to suffer and die in a hot car is cruel.  Riding a metro train and just pushing your helpless child out the door in a stroller is senseless. If you don't want or can't handle the responsibility of raising a child then don't have children or give them up for adoption.  many states and localities now have a safe haven law, which allows parents to safely give up an infant or toddler by taking them to and turning them over to staff in an emergency room.

Our children are a precious gift from God, and need to be loved, nurtured, and protected. I agree with a friend who always says people should be required to take parenting classes and be certified before they have children. Extreme but could make a big difference in a lot of lives.

Monday Medly: John Legend - Tonight (Best You Ever Had) ft. Ludacris

Does anyone else think john Legend is Hot?  Hope you enjoy.

Ministry with a Twist

Recently I was at work going over the list of patient's in the facility.  I saw a familiar name and wondered. so I went to the room to visit and it was who I thought it was.  We had a good conversation, this patient is someone who has known me since I was a teenager in the church I was part of from the time my family moved to Hampton Roads. He got better and went home, this week he was back in the Hospital at the end stage of a cancer diagnosis.  He chose to go home with hospice.

Part of the purpose of this blog is for me to reflect on things that impact me.  Mostly about being gay and such.  However, today my thoughts are with this gentleman and his family.  Now there is a twist, often times events at work effect me in different ways, but usually there is a certain distance. This time there is no distance, this is someone with whom I have Worshipped, had many a church dinner with, I have been in his home, his children and I are the same age group, and went to school, youth group and Sunday school together.  This is different.  Yet it is also not different in the way I respond but I gives me sadness on a different level.  He told his children he worked to teach them how to live and have faith.  Now he said he wants to teach them how to die with faith.  They are in my prayers.

MY HOW TIME CHANGES THINGS!

Back in the early 1970's I was a preteen, we lived in Northern Virginia.  At that time, I started attending a local Southern Baptist Church.   I was Baptized in that church, and stayed there until my family moved to Hampton Roads.  Looking back, I guess that church was always on the moderate to liberal side, thinking back to the worship style and traditions we had.  For instance exchanging Pulpits with an Episcopal, a Presbyterian, and a Methodist Church.

Flash forward to 2014,  I was on a site  I go to sometimes called www.Gaychurch.org, Looking down the list of affirming churches in Virginia, I noticed northern Virginia has the most affirming churches in the state, followed by Richmond.  Second thing I noticed there was a church with the address of that church I attended on the list!  However it had a different name, so I clicked on its website, and  found it was the church I was Baptized in!  It's American Baptist and part of the Alliance of Baptists now.  Yes it is open and affirming!  Wonders will never cease, will they?  In fact, as I scoured the site, I found that Music Director is openly gay, the Church Administrator description says she lives with her partner, (Female).  I noticed a link to the DC Pride site, and the Co Pastor saying they would have a table again this year at DC Pride.  WOW! to think I was a member of that church. 

I am going to try and plan a long weekend soon and go to church there.  If I there was ever a position that would pay me enough to live there again, I might try it.   

Monday Medley: Kiss Me Thru The Phone Lyrics Soulja Boy