Freaking Awesome

It was, as my son says, "freaking awesome." Despite the 4 inches of snow we got on Thursday. I suppose it may have kept some people away who might otherwise have checked us out, but I was surprised that so many people made it.

We had a few glitches with the video on Thursday night, so I was quite worried, but the rest of the conference went off well.

Friday I did a talk called "Sexuality Surrendered," which is a retelling of the Old Testament story, the underlying narrative being that our sexuality and spirituality are inextricably linked, and that God has been pursuing an intimate relationship with his people from the beginning, but that we keep committing adultery with other gods. The most powerful part of this talk is in following the cycles of idolatry through the period of the Judges and the Kings, and seeing that the idolatrous practices of the peoples surrounding the Israelites were sexual to the core.

Anyway, it’s a long hard talk to give, but it went well. In the ministry time afterward we conducted a time of public renunciation of idolatry and sexual sin, and then rededicated the parts of our bodies to God "as instruments of righteousness" as Romans 6 says. The presence of the Holy Spirit laid over us in a very tangible way, as we sang "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty," over and over. The holiness of God visited us in a way that everyone could feel. It was freaking awesome.

My husband Ted did a workshop entitled, "Journey to the Heart of Intimacy," in which he told the story of finding his heart. It was packed out, and a total hit. I had people stopping me in the hallway to tell me how much they enjoyed his talk. But the best part of the workshop (I wasn’t there, but it made me cry to hear this) was when someone asked, "what’s it like in your relationships with your kids now that you’re living in your heart?" At that point he asked our son Justin to answer the question, and he said, "it’s freaking awesome to have this guy as my dad!" Now that’s freaking awesome, especially when I think about how it could have turned out.

It was a great weekend, and I thank everyone who prayed for us. We felt totally carried.

When I got back I found my comments box full of wonderfully insightful and gracious comments. This one especially hit home:

"I'm going to make a statement that will probably get me roasted, but would I be completely out in left field if I said that homosexuals are "born this way"...in sin like the rest of us? We all start at the same point, sinners, stuck with something that hinders us from finding God on our own, thus the need for Him to pursue us. In my uneducated opinion, the only difference between someone struggling with homosexuality and pornography is that there is a far greater stigma to homosexuality than there is to porn. Ok, that's not the only difference! I think that homosexuality is a far greater struggle than many other sins because it strikes at the very heart of the image of God in us. I can struggle with sexual issues from a heterosexual point but not cause anyone to raise an eyebrow because it's "normal." Struggling with homosexuality is not considered normal at all. Why? Because inside each of us - Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jew, atheist, whatever - is a concept, a blueprint if you will for how God made us."

Greg, you’re absolutely right. We’re all "born this way," and we’re all in a process of transformation and redemption, regardless of our particular twist.

God’s design for gender and sexuality needs to be examined for the statement it is – a revelation of the nature and character of the creator. Yes, it’s ideal. Yes, we’ve fallen short in every way. But if we dismiss the symbol, and discard the ideal because it’s too hard and too painful to face, we lose the image of God and the truth of his redemption.