tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post8306760149594465878..comments2023-09-12T11:31:20.729-05:00Comments on Straight-Friendly: New and ImprovedTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01271248501086241494noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post-57451164029217037602008-11-08T16:56:00.000-06:002008-11-08T16:56:00.000-06:00Cube, it's great to see you!I grew up with a simil...Cube, it's great to see you!<BR/><BR/>I grew up with a similar saintly soul, an elderly widow in our church. Mama Henderson had little to give financially, yet I doubt few people have contributed more to God's people than she. She always arrived early for service to take her regular seat near the back of the sanctuary. Every Sunday, before evening worship, I sidled up next her and we talked quietly. Without ever coming out to her, she knew my story and accepted me as I was--without explicitly saying so herself.<BR/><BR/>I think back on those precious conversations with Mama Henderson and marvel at how generously, obediently, and kindly she availed herself to me. I know indubitably that God placed her in my as my peace in the midst of the adolescent storms of growing up in a largely gay-hostile religious environment. Her unconditional love and interest in my spiritual maturation reassured me of His presence and acceptance. Much of what I've become springs directly from her compassion and wisdom. And I'm proud to admit that her spirit and understanding infuse a great deal of what I'm blessed to share here.<BR/><BR/>We're inspired by people like the lady you write of and Mama Henderson so that we in turn can inspire others. They take what we give and pass it on. It's exactly how God intended reconciliation to work. It's genius in its highest form.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for sharing this great example with us, Cube. Your comments always inspire me, too.<BR/><BR/>Peace and joy,<BR/>TimTimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271248501086241494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post-48470336495284256662008-11-08T13:44:00.000-06:002008-11-08T13:44:00.000-06:00Dear Ambassador Tim,Thank you for this reminder th...Dear Ambassador Tim,<BR/><BR/>Thank you for this reminder that our every act as people of Christ serves to transform the world. It reminds me of the people I admire the most, people without fame or glory but consecrated to God and quietly following the footsteps of the Master. Those quiet ambassadors among us are true heroes. I met one such woman in South Carolina years ago. She was the daughter of a Black sharecropper, poor and uneducated but deeply bound to Christ. Until her death at the age of 89, she woke every morning at sunrise and walked barefoot to the tobacco fields to pick tobacco or tend the crops. When I visited her with a group of youth, she was full of love and hospitality. I will never forget how she shared her meager food stores with us and insisted we have a meal with her. Tears were in my eyes the entire visit. I was amazed at this woman's generosity. She embodied the love of Christ in everything she did, and she was truly thankful. People like her are the brilliant ambassadors of God's love among us. Truly, she had been recreated through Christ, and I know His Father delights in the beauty of her soul. <BR/><BR/>True love, reconciliation and altruism exist in this world through Him, the Son of God.<BR/><BR/>You always inspire me, Tim.<BR/><BR/>CubeBritt Elizabeth Verstegenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06973388773198724983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post-8608405330962992092008-11-06T15:50:00.000-06:002008-11-06T15:50:00.000-06:00Hi, Sherry! My mom says people who glory in their ...Hi, Sherry! <BR/><BR/>My mom says people who glory in their faith yet never act upon it are "too heavenly minded to do earthly good." I couldn't agree more with both of you on this. If our recreation in Christ turns our sights upward instead of looking around us to see what needs to be done, we've missed the point. We're changed so we can become agents of change in others' lives.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your thoughts. It's always a great joy to hear from you.<BR/><BR/>Peace, TimTimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271248501086241494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post-78944662887667989902008-11-06T15:33:00.000-06:002008-11-06T15:33:00.000-06:00Tim, such valuable words and sentiments. It is so ...Tim, such valuable words and sentiments. It is so hard to remember that we are called to such heavenly responsibilities. We so often confine our God to appointed daily times and Sunday, not remembering that we are part of the recreation of the earth. We do well, to constantly remind ourselves of this calling, and think before we speak and act.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com