…the parched land shall become a pool, and the thirsty lands springs of water…(Isaiah 35:7)

And They Said It Wouldn’t Last

If you sense that I take great care when it comes to definitions, it is not a coincidence. Terms like sexual orientation, gay, straight, and same-sex attracted are socio-political constructs that seek to simplify what I view to be something for too complex to deserve simplification and relegation to categories or camps.

Why Am I Here?

In times past, however, a lot of things have been said about me and to me. Sadly, the things that have been said to me are worse than the things said about me. Well, that’s life among the imperfect.

An Uncertain Sound

I was one of the oldest 12-year-olds you would have ever met. When they talk about people who have been “around the block a time or two,” I had been around the whole city, almost literally.

All is well! All is well!

This hymn has been on my mind a lot lately. Somewhat intentionally to be sure. It’s a hymn that’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and was one of my father’s favorite hymns. I’m at a point in my life where it’s become even more meaningful; especially the last […]

Between Guys

Right at a critical time when being close to my family would’ve helped the most, I had the choice of losing my job or traveling away from home to work. I was only going to be home on the weekends. It was good work and I couldn’t afford to give it up. At the same time, I was racked with the fear of being in a strange town where nobody knew me, where I could do things nobody would know about, and where that temptation might be more than I could resist.

Were There Not Ten?

With the new confidence I gained from coming to understand that I was not alone and that I had great worth in the sight of God, I probably could have stopped going to support groups at some point. Many people think I should. I haven’t and I’d like to explain why.

Till the Day Christ Found Me

In 1947, the song writing team of Lerner and Loewe created a musical called “Brigadoon.” It’s a fantasy that takes place in the highlands of Scotland in a village that only appears once every 100 years. One of the songs that I’ve always loved and always brings tears to my eyes is called “There But […]

New and Everlasting

I grew up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and knew that genealogy was an important thing. When I was very little, I didn’t know why, but my mother was into it, my aunts were into it, and my grandmother was really into it. She lived in a trailer behind my […]

Jesus’ Love

Not fitting in is something I do well, and that includes in my reactions to the recent Supreme Court decision regarding same-sex marriage. I have never wavered in my belief that marriage is and ought to be between a man and a woman, in the eyes of God.

Self-Imposed Ignorance

Around the time I turned 16, as I have related before, I had a profound prayer experience where I promised Heavenly Father I would turn my life in a different direction. As difficult as it has been, I have kept the promises I made then. My life is everything I wanted it to be, except […]

Why Should We Mourn?

Happiness comes from accepting the lot we have been dealt and building on it. To me, all negative experiences are more than just lessons learned. They are the building blocks of strong character, but only if those negatives experiences are embraced and accepted as what we have been given to work with.

My Cup Runneth Over

The glass of water analogy falls apart for me because whether you look at is half full or half empty, it still contains water and air, and we need both. I’m addicted to both. Can’t seem to get enough of either.

Someone’s Ancestor

As I wrote, Granny and I talked. It wasn’t always about the ancestors, but when she knew something about the person whose name I was writing down, she would tell me stories about them. There was something about it that delighted me.

Imagine a Fireside

That is not to say that being tolerant means conceding our own beliefs and practices. It is entirely possibly and spiritually mandatory for Latter-day Saints to co-exist with people of other beliefs and cultures while being true to that which we believe.

Different Angles and Mendelssohn

I had an interesting experience the other day as I was taking a walk around the grounds of the Temple in Sacramento. As I paused for a moment in the shade of an oak tree, I looked up. 3 people like this post. Like Unlike