I Live Ur Blog :)))))))) So Much

Queer Christians are on a whole other level. Queer Christians have faith you can't even understand. Queer Christians know God in such a deep and special way. Someone who realizes they're queer and STAYS a Christian has such a powerful belief in God and such an intimate acquaintance with His goodness. I wish homophobic, transphobic, conservative fundamentalist evangelicals could grasp even a tiny bit of the joy and peace and love that I experience through my QUEER relationship with God.

I have an issue with this.

Okay so, recently I watched a video that is a spoken word detailing the difference between false religion and true Christianity. It’s fabulous. It’s a concise, articulate, theologically sound (including references to the old testament) poem which explains what we really believe, and I love it. It talks about not judging and good stuff like that.

My issue is completely separate, but is related to it indirectly. It stems from the fact that one of my friends shared this on Facebook, one whose lifestyle does not reflect a relationship with Christ. So when he shared this video on Facebook, one gets the impression that he feels that this video justifies his point of view. In fact, it does not. Yes, religious people have no right to condemn anybody because none of us are perfect and Jesus loves everybody and so should we. But there’s a difference between loving you and agreeing with you. Ever heard the expression “love the sinner, hate the sin”? Well, loving people is not people-pleasing. So we can hate religion all we want, because religion refers to hypocritical and self-righteous traditions all designed to create the illusion of someone who is “holier than thou.” But that doesn’t change the fact that there are some things that are not okay. Not drunkenness, or taking the Lord’s name in vain, or sex before marriage, or pornography, or lying, or cheating, or jealousy, or pride. I don’t discriminate, I have a problem with all sin equally. And I struggle with some of those. And yes, the grace of God covers all sin, but there’s a verse that says “so should we keep sinning so that God’s grace can just keep multiplying?” The answer is a resounding “NO!” That’s holy inflation. That’s cheapening God’s mercy and compassion, taking it entirely for granted and reducing it to having no value. In fact, God’s mercy is something so valuable, it should knock us on our faces in complete awe and submission of the Lord who saves our sorry souls. It should make us acutely aware of our own inadequacy and of the infinitely generous gift that God is giving us. See it all comes down to a sermon by Pastor Glen Newman that I heard over the summer: You can’t have grace without truth, and vice versa. Because the truth is that WE’RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH. And truth alone will make you hopeless and bitter, facing a lifetime of futile strife trying to live up to an impossible standard. But the grace part says THAT’S OKAY, I AM ENOUGH. And grace alone will make us complacent, feeling secure in the knowledge that Jesus loves us so we don’t have to try. It’s a very delicate balance between accepting God’s love and living according to the lifestyle He requires of us. Soemthing else I heard over the summer was by Brad Noel and he said that “Jesus can only be your savior if He is your Lord.” Which means that salvation is not a one-moment thing, it’s a way of life that involves completely dying to the old you and turning your back on everything you once were so God can transform you into something new and beautiful, in His likeness.

I guess my point is that, if we hate religion and love Jesus, how do we show that we really love Jesus? How do we show that we’re 100% sold-out, on fire, passionately in love with the God who rescued us from ourselves? Do we just update our Facebook status?

I love your blog, Katherine! and I had a question myself. I was wondering, do you think God has a specific person picked out for us to spend our lives with? (like a soul-mate per say). I (as you know) am a christian and I believe the Lord does have someone for each and every one of us, but there are people who get divorced or never get married, etc. I was just wondering what you thought? :) God bless, Michaela <3

Hey gurl! Thanks so much and right back atcha! :) This is a very, VERY interesting question! My mom thinks that there are any number of people out there that you could be compatible with and given the course your life takes, you might marry any one of them. I mean, if you’re just looking at physical chemistry, personality compatibility and common values, then yes, I imagine there are lots of people out there that I could marry. I personally hope that there’s only one that I will marry, but who knows what’ll happen. In my most sappy moments, I like to believe that my mom is wrong and there is one person that God has “ordained” (if you will) for me and he’s made just right for me and that we’ll go perfectly together like two halves of a whole. 

And if you think about the fact that God has a plan for each and every one of our lives, it makes you wonder if that plan includes a spouse. But then that also depends very heavily on the nature of the plan. Is it a plan like “Katherine, I will use you to inspire people”, or “Katherine, I will use you to feed the hungry” or is it more like “You will work for this company from the 12th of september, 2022 at exactly 11:32:56 am until the 23rd of april, 2036, at exactly 5:44:21 pm”? I dunno. Cause here’s where my brain starts doing gymnastics. Because, like, I’ve heard of God giving people very specific instructions. Stuff like, “go talk to that person.” or “go to this church.” Also, it says that every single day of our lives were “written in His book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16) but what does that mean? Does that mean that He can already see all the choices that we’re going to make? See, the concept of time is very difficult to talk about in relation to God because He is just so OUTSIDE of time that it’s practically pointless to even try to talk about the two of them together. Time might as well not exist for Him because it’s such a very finite measurement of things happening. So I kind of picture God’s view of life not as a timeline but more of a web of consequences. Like He can see all the decisions that people make and how that brings them into contact with other people and how we affect each others’ lives and stuff like that, but not in a linear fashion the way we see time.

So MAYBE, God gives us passions and talents and stuff for a more general plan and then our choices affect the way that plan unfolds, you know? Because what’s the point of giving us free will if our destinies were completely mapped out for us from the start? I absolutely do not believe in destiny. I believe that we create our own destiny. And even though God has a plan for us, we may choose not to follow it. Of course, I think that His plan is the best version of our lives that we could possibly live, but I think it’s highly dynamic and highly variable based on the decisions we make. Maybe God doesn’t actually have a specific person picked out for us, maybe that just depends on what we choose, and He takes it on a case-by-case basis, you know? 

Because He is very much involved in our daily lives. He’s right there with us every step of the way, and we can hear his voice if we listen, even in the most trivial matters. So I’m sure He has an opinion on the person we’re gonna marry, I just don’t think I necessarily believe that He has one picked out for us. 

I know that was so long and maybe a little complicated, haha. I just wanted to give you a good understanding of why I believe what I believe :) Thanks so much for the question! Peace and love! -Katherine 

I am with you. I am for you. I am sorry. I love you. I want to help.

“My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness. Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart.”

— Maya Angelou

Remembering 9/11

Well...there's nothing like a tragedy to bring a nation together, is there? I mean, I live in Canada, and we were rocked by 9/11. The whole world was rocked by 9/11. With good reason. It was a truly horrific event. The sheer symbolism is enough to appall us, and the numbers are truly devastating. There are a couple things that stand out to me when contemplating the memory of the attacks. 

It is not our tragedies that define us, but how we respond to them. America, you're beautiful. The stories of love, selflessness and compassion that have emerged as a result of this tragedy are testaments to the quality of your people. Since then, you have rallied brilliantly, and the construction of the freedom tower in passive defiance to terrorism is admirable. 

Tragedies reveal our character.  Like I said, you're beautiful. And so I know that your country has a beautiful soul, made of raw humanity, love for one another, and resilience. I pray that you won't let petty differences mask that soul. In the light of such an all-consuming and overwhelming tragedy, you can see your fellow human better. And the differences that cloud your view most of the time seem to fade away. You know what I'm talking about. Age, gender, race, and sexual orientation are all secondary to humanity. I pray that you try to remember the love you have for humanity in times of crisis and preserve it in times of peace and prosperity. 

We cannot forget these tragedies.  I know that the news seems saturated with bloodshed. That's because it is. Because the whole entire freaking world is saturated with bloodshed. But we can't turn a blind eye. We can't cover it up. We can't pretend it doesn't happen. And we can't forget it. This violence, this hatred, it's a part of us as a race. The world is ours to own, and look at what we've done with it. We've soaked the soil and watered the trees with our own blood. We've filled the skies with the cries of the innocent being slaughtered. We've written the history of the planet in death tolls. And if we ever hope to change, we cannot forget. We must know where we've been if we want any hope of knowing where we're going. For those who do not know their past are doomed to repeat it. So remember the world's tragedies with reverence and respect, and let that motivate you to strive for a better tomorrow. 

9/11 is no more representative of Islam than the crusades, the Spanish Inquisition or the Holocaust are symbolic of Christianity.  Just because Christianity is the religion of the white majority means that the crimes against humanity committed in the name of our God are forgotten. Of course, these crimes are not truly crimes of Christianity, because as I've said before, my God is a God of love, and not of hate. So as I'm sure you know, the above-mentioned crimes against humanity are not sanctioned or tolerated by the Christian all-loving creator. So why would one believe that 9/11 was sanctioned or tolerated by the Muslim all-loving creator. One of my best friends is Muslim, and all of our conversations about religion reveal that we believe fundamentally the exact same thing. If there is still confusion, one need simply look at the terrorists who committed 9/11 as the Muslim equivalent of the Westboro Baptist Church. Make sense? 

Please let today be a day of remembrance, a day of tolerance, a day of acceptance and compassion, and most of all, a day of hope.  Peace and love :) -Katherine

Is your hair naturally curly or straight ?

Sighh...straight. Very straight, haha. I shouldn't complain because it's very obedient and easy to manage, and I appreciate that, but I do truly love curly hair. I'm considering a perm when it gets longer :P 

Don't you think that a physical relationship and sexual chemistry are a big part of a relationship too? I understand the principle of celibacy but I feel as if the physical connection is also very important in a serious relationship and it's something worth exploring before marriage.

YES. ABSOLUTELY, the physical aspect of a relationship is suuuuuuper duper important! You can’t have a healthy, functioning relationship without it. However, I don’t think that you need to have sex before marriage to figure that out. For me, I can tell if I find someone attractive the first time I look at them; I can tell if we have good chemistry the first time we flirt; and I can tell if I want to have sex with them the first time we kiss. Sooo I think that the physical chemistry and sexual tension is evident very early on in the relationship, and you don’t have to have sex to figure that out.

Also, in my ideal world, both I and my husband will be virgins on our wedding day, so we’ll sort of..embark on a journey together wherein we learn and try new stuff and experiment together. Kind of like…a blank slate. So we go in to he marriage open-minded and with an empty canvas and it ends up being a masterpiece. I think our marriage will be stronger because of that.

That’s just me :P Peace and love! -Katherine

I was just looking through your posts and I love what you do. I hope you keep doing it. I grew up in a Christian environment that made me so uncomfortable I had to leave. I haven’t been back since. All I can say is the world needs a voice like yours (especially the Christian world), because you are rare but such a beacon of light for the community. I hope so many people learn from you and find comfort in your words. I absolutely admire your words, such a refreshing perspective.

Wow, thank you so much. That is so kind of you to say and it means a lot to me. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by. Feel free to come back to chat anytime :)

Everything feels awful right now but it isn't really. We still don't officially have a winner, but regardless of how the presidential election ends up, I wanted to take a minute and find what lights I can in the 3 a.m. darkness. Here's what I know:

* Kentucky overwhelmingly rejected an attempt to undermine the public education system by offering private school vouchers:

Louisville Public Media

Kentucky rejects Amendment 2 to allow private education funding, passes Amendment 1

Amendment 2 to allow public funds to go to private and charter school education was rejected universally in Kentucky counties when the Assoc

* Delaware has elected a transgender woman to the House of Representatives, the first out trans person of any gender ever elected to congress:

the Guardian

Sarah McBride becomes first out trans person elected to US House

McBride wins Delaware’s at-large House seat against Republican candidate John Whalen III, a former state police officer

* For the first time in history, two Black women will be serving in the senate at the same time, and they are only the fourth and fifth Black women ever elected to the senate:

the Guardian

US will have two Black women serving as senators for first time in history

Democrats Lisa Blunt Rochester from Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland both saw victories

* New York State has passed a constitutional amendment enshrining the rights of pregnant people (including the right to an abortion), LGBTQIA+ people, the disabled, immigrants regardless of legal status, and other at-risk groups:

Gothamist

New York voters pass Prop 1, enshrine abortion rights into state constitution

The constitutional amendment faced a tougher-than-expected fight after a right-wing campaign against anti-discrimination protections.

* Democrat Josh Stein has beaten self-avowed Nazi Mark Robinson to become governor of North Carolina:

NPR

North Carolina’s Josh Stein wins race for governor over Mark Robinson

 Stein is the current attorney general and he noted his work winning opioid settlements. But it was controversy over Robinson’s inflammatory

That's everything I know off the top of my head. It's not many bright spots, but it's not zero. I'm going to try to find more and I'll add them to the post. It's the only thing I can think of to do that isn't sobbing and throwing up or looking up Canadian immigration rules.

If you know more good news, I encourage you to add it in reblogs.