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Via White Crane Institute // Rev. Nancy Wilson, Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus and the Bible

 

Today's Gay Wisdom

Reverend Nancy Wilson

2017 -

"In such a toxic environment, the poor, the minorities, and the politically vulnerable populations will be the first to exhibit signs and symptoms of the deteriorating immunological picture. It is the canary-in-the-mines syndrome. When miners wanted to know if a particular mineshaft was safe from poisonous gases, they sent a canary in first. If the canary returned, the miners felt safe to go in. On our planet today, poor people, people of color, women and children, and gays and lesbians are the canaries (or sitting ducks if you prefer). Those who have any kind of privilege (gender, race, class, sexuality, age) are better able, for a time, to buffer and insulate themselves from the toxic environment — from AIDS, cancer, and other diseases. But not forever.

"There is also a moral and religious toxicity in reaction to so much upheaval, change, and worldwide political challenges. This phenomenon is called in many religions fundamentalism. In a century of increasing relativity in values, morality, and religion, fundamentalism provides absolutes and identifies the enemies. It is a kind of collective mental illness that includes obsessive thinking, tunnel vision, and functions much like other addictions." 

- Rev. Nancy Wilson, Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus and the Bible

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Gay Wisdom for Daily Living from White Crane Institute

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Via FB // Have A Gay Day

 

Image Description: A scene from the animated series The Simpsons. Marge Simpson is shown speaking with Reverend Lovejoy in what appears to be an office area of the church building. Marge is wearing a green dress with matching triangle earrings, her back mostly to the viewer. They're both standing, and the Reverend is looking down while she speaks. Based on their garments and location, this appears to be taking place shortly after a church service. Text indicates dialogue. Pinky-purple text says: (Quote) Excuse me Reverend, as long as two people love each other, I don't think God cares whether they have the same who who or ha ha. End quote. Marge Simpson.

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Effort: Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States

 

RIGHT EFFORT Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States Whatever a person frequently thinks about and ponders, that will become the inclination of their mind. If one frequently thinks about and ponders unhealthy states, one has abandoned healthy states to cultivate unhealthy states, and then one’s mind inclines to unhealthy states. (MN 19) Here a person rouses the will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts the mind, and strives to restrain the arising of unarisen unhealthy mental states. One restrains the arising of all five unarisen hindrances. (MN 141)

Reflection Having gone through the five hindrances individually—sense desire, ill will, restlessness, sluggishness, and doubt—we are now encouraged to work with all five of them as the opportunity arises. Instead of looking at each in turn and exploring how it might be inhibited from arising (not suppressed once arisen!), we allow ourselves to guard against any of them erupting by learning to avoid the conditions giving rise to them. Daily Practice The hindrances are a natural part of our everyday lives, but we need not feel at their mercy. They are mental qualities that obstruct our ability to focus and relax our minds, and they can be resisted with some understanding of what sets them off and how to avoid triggering them. Cultivating equanimity, for example, will inhibit the arising of sense desire and ill will. The other hindrances too have antidotes that can be deployed. Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Body and Abiding in the First Jhāna One week from today: Abandoning Arisen Unhealthy States Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Via Daily Dharma: Life Is Simple

Life is a very simple matter. We’re just doing what we’re doing. But we add extra tension all the time. If you stop and feel your face, you’ll notice it’s usually a little bit tight. We don’t need that tension. We have a face; we don’t need to have an extra face.

Charlotte Joko Beck, “Mute the Commentary”

22 years ago Matthew Shepard was beaten, tortured and left to die...

 

Via Daily Dharma: Embracing Ambiguity

We can spend our whole life suffering because we can’t relax with how things really are, or we can relax and embrace the open-endedness of the human situation, which is fresh, unfixated, unbiased.

Pema Chödrön, “The Fundamental Ambiguity of Being Human”

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Living: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings

 

RIGHT LIVING Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Harming Living Beings Harming living beings is unhealthy. Refraining from harming living beings is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning the harming of living beings, one abstains from harming living beings; with rod and weapon laid aside, gentle and kindly, one abides compassionate to all living beings. (M 41) One practices thus: “Others may harm living beings, but I will abstain from the harming of living beings.” (MN 8) What is wrong livelihood? Scheming, cajoling, hinting, belittling, pursuing gain with gain. (MN 117)

Reflection The Buddhist emphasis on non-harming goes beyond killing and encompasses all forms of “raising the rod to strike against” a living being. Beyond physical assault, this can also include various kinds of psychological or emotional abuse, as mentioned in this passage. When you hurt others in some way, you also damage your own heart and mind. Like thrusting a flaming torch into the wind, you hurt yourself more than the other. Daily Practice It is not healthy to engage in dishonest or manipulative behavior, and if you need to do this as part of your job, you should think about changing professions. This is not to make a moral judgment but rather to point out a simple fact: harsh and harmful states of mind damage not only others but also the person initiating them. Take an honest look at how you behave as part of your livelihood and make changes if appropriate. Tomorrow: Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Taking What is Not Given Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Sometimes BBC Outlook is astonishing, obrigado BBC!

 

Via Daily Dharma: Becoming a Vehicle for Helping Others

 Meditation on lovingkindness accentuates the altruistic dimension of practice, showing us that we practice not merely for our own benefit but to make ourselves a fit vehicle for truly benefiting others.

Bhikkhu Bodhi, “The Four Protective Meditations”

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Bodily Action

 

RIGHT ACTION Reflecting Upon Bodily Action However the seed is planted, in that way the fruit is gathered. Good things come from doing good deeds; bad things come from doing bad deeds. (SN 11.10) What is the purpose of a mirror? For the purpose of reflection. So too bodily action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61) When you have done an action with the body, reflect on that same bodily action thus: “Was this action I have done with the body an unhealthy bodily action with painful consequences and painful results?” If, on reflection, you know that it was, then tell someone you trust about it and undertake a commitment not to do it again. If you know it was not, then be content and feel happy about it. (MN 61)

Reflection While Buddhist teachings encourage us to be in the present moment and not ruminate obsessively on the past, it can still be valuable to reflect on past behavior in order to learn from it. The point is not to relive your faults or retell the story to yourself, but to bring things into the light of day so they don’t get buried in the unconscious mind. Self-examination and self-honesty can be powerful tools for internal transformation. Daily Practice If you feel remorse about something you have done in the past because it has caused harm to you or someone else, it can be helpful to admit to the action, acknowledge the harm it caused, and undertake a commitment to refrain from such behavior in the future. You can do this internally, but it can be even more effective to reveal the action to a person you respect and trust. This really brings it into the open. Tomorrow: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings One week from today: Reflecting upon Verbal Action Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Via Facebook // Chestor Hitchcock

 

I retired in July of 2019 with a plan to launch a ministry teaching my Gospel Memory Course in churches, first locally and eventually taking it nationwide.  

My wife and I mailed out flyers and were beginning to plan our schedule for evening and weekend seminars; then the pandemic hit in January 2020 and churches canceled their plans.  

Through 2020 I shifted my ministry focus to launching a YouTube channel where I recorded various Bible lessons for people to enjoy at home while church attendance was canceled in some places and greatly limited in others.

One of my YouTube Bible series is titled “God Loves the LGBTQ+ Community”.  

For most of my tenure in pastoral ministry I accepted the general view held by most Christians regarding the LGBTQ+ Community.  While I showed love and compassion, I also believed that all same-sex relationships were sin.  I have to admit that it isn’t always easy to change one’s life-long beliefs when we consider evidence.

Nevertheless, when the need presented itself to consider the evidence, due to questions that were asked by some in my congregation, I fully expected to show how the texts demonstrated what Christians generally believe about being gay.  While my professional training didn’t address the LGBTQ topic, it did provide the biblical research tools and skills to reexamine generally accepted beliefs and to my surprise, I wasn't finding the answers I expected to find there.

The research tools and skills are pretty simple, not requiring a college degree as much as a courageous heart to respond to what the Bible says regardless of what one expects it to say.  My YouTube series on LGBTQ uses these simple principles to examine every passage used to address the LGBTQ topic in the generally accepted understanding.

While the view that I present in each passage may greatly alter the accepted view of the passage, it causes no harm to the Christian doctrines of love, grace and righteousness by faith which is the heart and soul of the Christian faith.

Unfortunately, many loving, grace-oriented Christians struggle with the idea of fully accepting and affirming the gay community even after seeing the evidence.  To do so not only challenges their own life-long view, but also puts them at odds with most traditional and conservative churches where they attend.  Furthermore the topic has become so politically charged that to acknowledge that the Bible isn’t as anti-gay as they once believed, puts many people at odds with their political views.

Suddenly, evidence or no evidence, changing one’s mind regarding what the Bible really says or doesn’t say about the gay community requires more than a simple change in thinking.    It requires more than altering one’s understanding of a Bible passage here and a Bible story there.  It requires an entire altering of our spiritual, political and social relationships.

Sometimes these alterations in life are not possible unless we witness someone close in our family dealing with the pain and suffering associated with being born different from the majority and being accused of choosing a sinful lifestyle.  When that happens, many people are willing to open their eyes to the evidence for the sake of the one they love.

As a straight, cis-gender, heterosexual, white male pastor with all of the privileges afforded to me; I have chosen the road less traveled.  I don’t have “a dog in the fight” as they say.  I don’t know anyone in my family who is LGBTQ.  I am not trying to defend myself or anyone close to me.  I am however, committed to defending God’s Word at all cost.

While defending God's Word from the misinterpretations and speaking out against traditional views, I have suffered rejection, criticism, silence and avoidance for my stand for truth.  When Paul says “rejoice in suffering” I have discovered how difficult that is when it could be totally avoided by simply following the religious crowd, but so it is!  Here I stand!  And I cannot do anything else but be true to my calling.  All professionals must be willing to take a hard stand when necessary regardless of whether it affects themselves or others.  In this case, I rejoice in whatever criticism comes my way if it brings hope and happiness to those suffering from misinterpreted Bible passages.

Watch for my upcoming video that addresses the phrase, “God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve” used by some against the LGBTQ Community.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Chester

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Speech: Refraining from False Speech

 

RIGHT SPEECH Refraining from False Speech False speech is unhealthy. Refraining from false speech is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning false speech, one dwells refraining from false speech, a truth-speaker, one to be relied on, trustworthy, dependable, not a deceiver of the world. One does not in full awareness speak falsehood for one’s own ends or for another’s ends or for some trifling worldly end. (DN 1) One practices thus: “Others may speak falsely, but I shall abstain from false speech.” (MN 8) When one knows overt sharp speech to be true, correct, and beneficial, one may utter it, knowing the time to do so.  (MN 139)

Reflection It is important to speak the truth, even if it is inconvenient for some to hear it. It is even more important to speak up when what you say is likely to be beneficial. When you can help a person or situation emerge from what is unhealthy or unwholesome and become established instead on a more healthy course, it is worthwhile and even necessary to say something. Even so, good timing and sensitivity are useful skills to employ. Daily Practice Speech is such a rich area for mindfulness practice. It is important to be aware of not only your own internal intentions as you speak but also the context and how your words are likely to be heard and received by others. Right speech is skillful speech, and one of the skills to be learned is knowing when and how to say things that are difficult for people to hear. You will need to balance being truthful, helpful, and timely. Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Bodily Action One week from today: Refraining from Malicious Speech Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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